Always look on the bright side of life ....

Remember the end of Monty Python's "Life of Brian"? The crucifixion scene where the three dudes are singing as they're hanging there? There's this big message about no matter how bleak things seem you just gotta keep your head up and stay optimistic.

Great message.

Doesn't work so well in real life. Come to think of it -- didn't turn out so well for Brian either, but that's another story.

We all get discouraged when we set out to accomplish a goal or realize a dream, and nothing could be tougher than trying to do it when you have reached an age where you begin to hear the tick-tick-tick of your mortal clock. One might begin to compromise on that dream or goal, setting the bar a little lower or deciding to take an easier path for the sake of expediency.

Let me throw in another famous British line: BOLLOCKS!!

I'm not saying this endeavor is going to be easy, please don't misunderstand. But the compromise -- the settling for less than what you REALLY want -- I don't think I'm ready to throw in the towel just yet. Especially this early in the process! That would be really sad.

But there are others to consider.

It has been said (by marriage counselors who gauge this sort of thing) that building or remodeling a home is one of the top causes of divorce among couples. Frustration builds: the endless waiting on (or looking for) people to return calls or quotes, the permits, fees, and restrictions/guidelines that must be followed to the letter. The actual WORK involved in building ... when one's body is not as young as one's mental attitude. The ambiguity of cost of this project when you have a finite budget; which leads to the conflict of going back to work to make more money for someone else to build your dream or staying home and being a full-time carpenter/scavenger to complete the dream yourself. (This begins a great argument in favor of cloning, but I don't want to open THAT door - lol)

And the endless house plans and revisions when one or the other has their heels dug in on THEIR plan or idea. Getting on the same page (literally) has to be one of the greatest challenges to homesteading and home building. Each of us plays around with square footage, porch space, location of rooms, storage versus windows, his domain/her domain, and countless other items that fall apart into the same old conversation ender: can we REALLY afford this? One invariably has the rose colored glasses ... the other: mud coated.

"Rosie" wants to start scavenging for wood, windows, screen doors; "Mudflats" points out the lack of storage space. One wants to look at mobile homes and the other doesn't. Someone says: "Maybe we should chuck it all and just go look for a house we can afford." Then the big question hits: is THIS place REALLY where we want to be or are supposed to be? Should we be looking in another part of the state? Another state? But what about the kids?

Whoa Nelly! Now we're talking about something totally different here. And again the nagging question: can we afford the search? Money becomes too big a determinate in this adventure. But without it, what can really get accomplished? Conundrum. Catch-22. Ironic (according to Alanis Morrisette's definition).

All this leads to an inertia ... a morass of disappointment, miscommunication, frustration, and depression. The brain becomes fogged in and nothing seems worth thinking about or working on anymore. Communication ends or dances around the subject because talking about "it" is painful and stands on the border of conflict and argument.

And nobody wants that.

So you wind up back at "BOLLOCKS". What happens after that when you find you and your spouse on different ends of the bollocks spectrum (inirtia versus full speed ahead)? There has to be some place to go, some to-do list in chronological order of how to get your homestead off the ground. I know, there are hundreds of books on building, homesteading, how-to for dummies or idiots (whichever catagory you feel you fit best), not to mention the magazines, websites, and YouTube videos. But all of this is so scattered and many of the writers are either clinical, cynical, or just talking about themselves personally instead of the "how-to-do-it-ness" that a novice like me desires.

Part of reaching that seasoned age (where the mortal clock ticks louder) is reaching the conclusion that I've compromised and lowered my expetations too many times in my early adult years. Wasted time. I should have ALWAYS been reaching for the best and expecting the best from myself and in fulfilling my goals and dreams. I quit taking second-best when I married the man I'd loved since the moment I first saw him 38 years ago. I just dug in my heels and made my stand. It hasn't been fairy-tale perfect for everyone, but between us its been pretty darn close! I didn't take second-best when I decided to go to college -- at 38, broke, abandoned by spouse and family, with two young ones in tow. I didn't quit when family members predicted I would be back "in six months with my tail between my legs." No! I dug my heels in and got two degrees and a great teaching career I'm still proud of today.

It wasn't always fun.

It wasn't always easy.

I got discouraged a lot.

I kept going.

BOLLOCKS to those who doubted me, hindered me, or collaborated to thwart me (that goes for the last excavator guy as well!). As the song says: I will survive! Heck! I DID survive! And on my own terms.

And so this crazy ramble may -- on the surface -- seem less about the homestead and more about personal matters. But isn't building a dream PERSONAL? Don't we all experience doubt, discouragement, frustration, and setbacks when we work a dream into a truly fulfilling reality? The only thing is NOT getting stuck in this emotional quicksand! Spend a day or two indulging the enormity and setbacks, then get off your butt and move on! Heck, I imagine this scenario will play itself out again a few times before we get a handle on the whole process and begin to see it through the same colored glasses: clear.

As long as our plan is solid and we're in agreement, all the rest is bollocks.  I know there's a silver lining somewhere.  In the meantime, I'll just keep singing and looking for the bright side.

Have a great weekend!

Next week's project: still looking for an excavator and septic tank company. Moon Landing Prevails!

Monday, September 23, 2013: I've been SCHOOLED!

WooHoo! Got the Soil Test over the weekend! A wonderful soil scientist by the name of Phillip Archer with Breedlove was the first person to contact me when I was leaving messages for soil tests; and averaging 300$ a pop you'd think MORE would have called back! But no, Phillip was the one who called and it must have been divine providence that put him in our path. Talk about knowledgeable! He's as much a geek about soils as I am about history -- and that's saying a lot! Fortunately for me, he didn't mind being subjected to a million question inquisition as we tromped through the overgrowth here at Tranquility Bay.

And yes, it WAS an education! Archer took 4 soil samples across an acre of our property looking for color changes in the topsoil and topography, beginning with the top of the hill where our big wood pile is located (and where we will likely locate our house). The color changes in the soil all mean something and determine where and whether you can site a septic system. The variety of soils we have on our small plot of land surprised me. Every sample was about 5 feet deep, so I got a real close look at what my soil is like. This also got me thinking about amendments and soil improvements that will need to be done later and will obviously be a subject of much discussion on this blog when the time comes.

So check out these photos and descriptions if you are also in the process of building your own little homestead oasis. Hopefully, it will help and you, too, will find a great soil expert willing to teach as he works. I'm going to keep descriptions brief, but honestly this guy taught me so much about our property there is just too much to share here. 

 

The top right photo indicates that good old red clay we have in abundance around here.  It was the right composition for our leach field and where we were hoping to site the septic.  

 

 

The next four photos show a lot of iron oxide run-off ... means the water is sitting too long in one spot.  The sample below right is not as gross as it looks.  The yellowing in the clay indicates poor soil for septic leach fields and is similar in make up to the yellow soils of China.  The sample below left shows a good loose soil and indicates good drainage ... but it was too close to our well site to be viable.

 

The best part about this experience was that it turned out to be so much fun! Seriously! Archer was so eager to share information. He was patient with my thousand questions and misperceptions, he showed and explained the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of every soil sample taken.   As a former teacher, it does help to have an interested and active group of students. Of course, my husband told me I'd be paying extra for the geology course I'd just received. I wouldn't have minded a bit!  We wound up with a great soil survey at a good price (275$) and had the most fun playing in dirt -- second only to playing in the garden.

 

We've been very fortunate since we made the decision to relocate our homestead towards the top of the property. It appears we have picked a great spot for water AND drainage. That -- I will admit -- is largely sheer dumb luck. We know enough NOT to build where it floods, but we were worried about building so close to the road. Turns out -- top of the property has a lot of advantages.

 

This week's project: Getting quotes for grading the property.

Of Sling Blades and Sweat

Been a busy week here at Tranquility Bay! We began the week with (finally!) cooler weather and a foray into the weedy patch that will someday be part of our beautifully landscaped oasis in the woods. After tromping around through briars, hitchhikers, and poison ivy, my wonderful hubby and I decided to clear a path to the area where the well is to be dug.

Out of bed early (believe it or not ~ lol), we gathered our tools and set to work. At first, I didn't think this was going to be so bad, but there is so much hidden under the brush. We were "high steppin'" over limbs and ivy and decades old trash, long buried and struggling to be seen. A path to the well site was what I had my heart set on and my hubby went along with yet another one of my well-intentioned but unformed ideas. For better or worse, right? He puts up with a lot.

This is me. This is me with a sling blade.

 
This is me with a sling blade clearing off part of the path my hubby and I want to create. Sling blades are heavy. I quickly realized that my talents were more suited for pruning and raking. I generously returned the blade to my hubby and set about trimming back the overhanging limbs, pulling up unwanted pine saplings, and tearing/raking the unidentifiable vines out of the way. At some point, the endless enormity of the reality caught up with the foolish optimism of my ambiguous 'plan'. I was completely overwhelmed. Yes, I know this was MY idea and I know I told my hubby we could do this "in a snap!" ... I always say that when I realize I've bitten off more gum than I can chew. I kept on working -- no way I was going to weenie out after dragging my sweet man out of bed at 6:30 A.M.! NO WAY.

Meanwhile, hubby sling bladed to his hear'ts content -- as his talents are DEFINITELY the muscle of this team. He moved logs and cut down small, scraggly trees; took large limbs off fallen trees and started piling them into small stacks and path markers. Honestly, one of my favorite traits in my husband is that he is willing to work so diligently at such an enormous project with straightforward effort. No complaints, just a will-do attitude. Before I knew it, we had accomplished what I thought would be near impossible: a clear walk-way to our well site. I must say, its a beautiful thing. Most of the credit goes to my great inspiration -- my husband.

 

Friday, September 13, 2013: Quick Update

Our well has been sited -- or "witched" as it's sometimes referred. The process is the same as its been for the last 200 years or so in this corner of the world, with a little upgrade from willow branch to metal rods ... to my utter amazement and surprise.

I am as close to a tech geek as this family gets (the one here in the cuds, not my kids, family, and former co-workers, etc). I naturally thought that locating underground water sources had become part of the digital/tech age as well. I was POSITIVE that the well guy would have something like a metal detector with sonar that would shoot a wave into the ground and a 'ping' would return indicating depth and/or presence of water. Seriously, this seems logical to me and I'm almost positive there's a machine just like this somewhere out in the world. I mean, isn't this the same type of technology archeaologists and oil companies utilize to locate what they're looking for underground?? Surely someone has invented a more portable model for locating potable water. (If not, feel free to use this suggestion as your inspiration.)

To my dear husband, this idea must have seemed ludicrious and prohibitively expensive for a local well company. He actually laughed at me. AT me. Then proceeded to patiently explain to his 'big city' wife that that just isn't how its done out here in the country. I was sceptical but decided to concede my point if just to save face and get my husband to stop chuckling at my fanciful notions.

Needless to say, locating a well is actually done with metal rods.

Enter one vindicated hubby -- exit my dignity, because even the well man laughed at me. AT me. Seriously though, no harm done minus a little egg on my face. And Mr. Rice explained in detail exactly what he was looking for: it isn't water (Surprise!), its cracks in the rock underground that increases gravitational pull which indicates this is a suitable place to locate a well and possibly -- yes, he said possibly -- water as well. Sometimes, he said, the rods will indicate strongly and they'll dig only to come up with an empty hole and no water. My favorite part of the entire episode was when Mr. Rice looked at me sincerely and said "This isn't an exact science, ya know." I could have hugged his neck! So, a quick video so you can see for yourself Mr. Rice "witching" for our water.  (I did get permission to film and post him doing this)

Now, I'm pretty sure we're going to hit water due to all the underground springs we already have in the area and the fortune of my in-laws and several neighbors on the street. Their wells are putting out plenty of water and the cost was reasonable in all cases. Its going to be slightly higher up the hill at the eastern end of our proposed home site. We'll have some gravity to help the flow and be far enough away from the western side of the house to site the septic. I am encouraged by our measurment expedition and the well siting to think that we're going to be fortunate with our soil tests and septic site.

The only thing lacking at this point is a house plan. We're working on that. Gotta get the soil people out here first.

On that note (and in closing) I have spoken with a few soil scientists, engineers, and geologists. The general consensus is that it is better to get a geologist or a soil scientist instead of an engineer because of the specificity of degree and study. Now, my uncle is an engineer -- so this isn't meant to disparage civil engineers by any mean. Its just that SOME engineers just attend a 10-hour class and get a certification while the geologist and soil scientist ... well ... that ALL they do. That's all they studied. Sort of like me (Masters in Secondary Social Science Education) trying to teach Statistics. Sure, I've got a teaching degree and all, but just because I took one course in Stats in college does not make me qualified to teach (something my engineer uncle would adamantly agree with me! LOL!) So, if you're planning your own home -- something to consider.

Please keep your comments coming and let me know where you're located. Had some visitors from the Philippines visit my site recently! I lived in Luzon when I was 9 years old and it still holds a special place in my heart.

Wishing everyone a great weekend from Moon's Landing, Tranquility Bay!

Monday, September 9th, 2013 -- Which comes first: the perc test or the well?

Homesteading by baby steps. That's what we're doing. Whether it is better to site the well before the perc test or perc test the land before siting the well - that is the question.

The answer is: site the well.

Actually, its site the homesite THEN site the well.

So, we have sort-of/kind-of sited the house area -- now we should actually get some stakes and put down the perimeter of the dwelling. Getting my husband out of bed before the temperatures reach 90 (around 9:30 these days!) will be the tricky part. After that its all pounding stakes and tying survey tape. And avoiding mosquitos. Mosquitos love me. Apparently my blood type is known in a tri-state area of mosquito conniseours. Lucky me.

The important thing is: today is get well-siting prices day. Call every local well driller within 75 miles and find the best prices and quickest appointment time. More than likely we will go with one of the companies that drilled the well for our neighbors and Mom & Dad. And isn't that the beauty of living in a rural area -- having just a few neighbors to speak with and learn from. I'm luckier than some; relationships have already been established by my in-laws and it seems everyone on our road knows my darling hubby (fond memories of him driving his old Harley off and back from his ironhorse adventures). I get hugs from the neighbor lady across the street the first day we meet. I'm at home and accepted so quickly. They probably all think I'm a city-girl who finally wised-up and moved out to wide open spaces. They would be correct.

So, a well is in our near future. Here's how its working for us: the company we're going to us is going to site the well for free (free is good!). Then -- after the perk test -- we're going to get the well drilled. This will cost us 10$ per foot for the drilling and casing (high cost around $6000, but I don't think we'll have to go that far). THEN we need a pump and all the accessories that go into transferring the water from the well to a house. Cost range on this is $2000 to $4000 depending on what kind of well is dug, how much water we're getting, and how deep the well had to be dug. I think we're going to come out somewhere in the middle without a lot of problems; seems there is an artesian well under all our pine trees and scrub.

This is the first steps in building our homestead and I am thrilled!

And so it begins -- albiet at a snails pace. The speed limit around here averages 40 miles per hour. Life, however, moves a lot slower. Adjusting my pace is going to take a while for this 'city-girl'.

____________________________________

Oh! almost forgot! Did not get the job I applied for, so now I am free to volunteer at the library and my first assignment: reading stories to the kindergarten classes! I am so excited! I picked out my three books from the stack last week and the librarian will go with me for my first visit to introduce me around and get me started. I may not be working for a paycheck, but I love that I'll still be able to contribute to the community in an educational setting. No sense letting those college degrees go to waste!

Big smiles and best wishes for you all around for the days ahead.

Huckleberries, Muscadines, and Persimmons ... Oh My!

Well, we haven't broken the first bit of ground on our little corner of the world but we have the beginnings of a fruit orchard already waiting for us. Amazing how nature supplies us when we least expect it.

From my earlier post, we found out from our County Extension Office (who is FABULOUS!) that we don't have a blueberry bush but a HUCKLEBERRY bush ... which the deer have nearly decimated. How did my darling hubby put it? We've been "infliltrated"! LOL! We have the spot marked and will begin to prune and protect our little berry baby so we have a nice crop next year. Looking forward to finding huckleberry jam recipies to can. Please feel free to submit a recipie if you have one, otherwise I'll be over at Canning Granny looking for ideas.
(BTW: Canning Granny is one of my all time favorite sites for canning ideas. You can follow her page on Facebook and it is well worth it! From tried and tested master canners to the new converts -- ideas, problems, successes, and other information is shared freely and friendly. Check them out if you aren't following them already!)

Remember me mentioning that Hubby and I were out with the survey tape marking off potential house, well, and septic areas?
In our trudgings through brush we discovered many of our muscadines had ripened beautifully! And talk about tasty! We were tired, thirsty, and miserable in the heat (okay: I was tired, thirsty, and miserable); the muscadines were warm, juicy, and as sweet as could be straight off the vine. I must have gobbled up a pint while we were out there. We've found three well-developed vines in different locations that will be easy to train on a trellis or vine fence. Just look at these beauties sitting like gems in the jar!


But the walk had more to reveal: Persimmon Trees! They're a little scraggly from the overgrowth of pines, but Hubby and I will clear out to create some more light. Didn't know off hand what we had, but we knew it was a fruit. So, off we went to the Extension Office to bother Clay again. Yes, I was taking photos in the car of our discovery just for this blog ... either as a warning or another one of Nature's bonuses. 

Persimmons, it seems, are delicious -- especially to deer. BUT, you have to wait until they're gooey inside and falling off the tree before they're sweet enough to eat -- which won't happen until late Fall. I don't know if the deer wait that long, but the lady at the Extension office said that was what we needed to do if we wanted to make persimmon preserves. According to Clay, the intrepid County Extension Agent, its a lot of work for a little bit of fruit -- sort of like pomegranates.

I like pomegranates. But I will admit that it is definitely a lot of work for a quick burst of yummy goodness. However, with a couple of trees we may be able to make something to can AND leave enough to feed the wildlife. With apologies to my vegetarian readers out there -- it will also help stock our meat freezer if we're lucky.


At the library yesterday, Hubby found a Mother Earth News article on kit houses, building one's own house, and the cost per square footage. This is something I definitely have to read, but our first trip needs to be to the Department of Public Health. Permits, Perk Tests, and Fees ~ oh my. I want to ask my own questions too, like:

Can we have a separate grey-water run-off for sink and washing machine water?

What about an outhouse? Is it allowable? (we sure could have used one on our trek the other day!)

How about a 'mixed-media' house: stick frame with straw bale insulation?

What about something structurally unusual, like THIS:

Found this glass-roofed yurt through another blog I follow: Living off the Grid. Another great Facebook page to follow.  I really wouldn't do this for myself, but this certainly turned out beautifully, don't you think!?