Total Pageviews

Monday, March 18, 2024

Interesting Place To Live:


 We live at the western most part of North Carolina. Our medical providers are all within a 30 minute drive from our house. Most are much closer. Our family physician is in Georgia, Our eye clinic and Urologist are in North Carolina. Our dentist is in Tennessee. When I had a CAT scan earlier this year it was sent to Chattanooga Tennessee, and I had the results in 20 minutes. A very interesting place to live.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

A Sign Of Spring:

We ate dandelion greens very often when I grew up. I still love them.  



 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Canine Problems:


The photo above is of our past girl Sarah. Sarah went totally and completely blind in her mid life She had SARD which is when the retinas suddenly accidentally detach. She was fine in the morning and in fact out chasing chipmunks in the back yard, but around noon she suddenly went blind and was in full panic. We immediately took her to our vet who said she could see her retinas floating within her eyes. The vet called a specialist who said that Sarah would be totally blind the rest of her life - nothing could be done. Dogs do not recover from detached retina and they believe it has something to do with high blood pressure. 

We did two things, one was post her condition on our blog site. The other was do some research on caring for blind dogs. We got aromatic oil to put on things so she would not bump into walls and door ways. The other was to put bubble wrap on just about everything so she wouldn't hurt herself. We also put a short leash on her so we could lead her around to orient herself. 

It was painful for us when she would think she knew where she was and go to jump up on the sofa and land on something else. In the meantime a very kind lady wrote us and told us her dog had the same thing and someone recommended bilberry which worked. I left immediately for town and bought a bottle of bilberry, After a couple weeks we noticed that Sarah was seeing again so back to the vet. Sure enough her sight was back and the vet and specialist were amazed calling it a true miracle which it was. 

There had been a lot of prayer said for Sarah and regardless of your faith belief her sight had been restored. It truly was a miracle! Neither our vet or the specialist had ever seen  SARD reversed and had no answer for it. 

We also had a fur family member who was deaf. Working with her we were able to communicate well and she lived a normal life. It never occurred to us to do anything but help our fur family members with their disability. It was the same with three of our family who had lost the use of their back legs. I would urge anyone  with a dog that has a disability to learn how to work with them so they can still have a full and useful life. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Oldest to Oldest:


 When we left S. Colorado for our new home in N. Carolina we moved to a County named Cherokee. We left the oldest city in Colorado for the County named after the largest Indian nation in the country. When we left San Luis - the oldest city in Colorado - which had a rich Hispanic history which we really enjoyed. 

The Cherokee Nation has a long standing and rich heritage in our new area and many roads, rivers and mountains are named after them. They also assimilated into the American culture very well. They have their own form of government which seems from what I have read much more successful than our current form of partisan government. 

The Cherokee value empathy for their community where they support others in the community and honor and live united. I have read that they seek balance and harmony, which seems something we citizens have lost sight of. Today the Cherokee Nation is very wealthy. When kids graduate school a fund with several hundreds of thousands of dollars is set aside for them. Health care and further education is paid for by the tribe. 

In reading about the Cherokee it seems that they have strong family values such as humility, honesty, character, and integrity which many of our citizens have lost track of.  They own and operate a casino not 15 minutes from us. They have their own government, social services and law enforcement. From what little research I have read they exemplify what our country used to be. I think I am going to like living in Cherokee County as the history is equally as rich as where we moved from. The more I read and learn the more appreciative I am with the Cherokee and Cherokee County N.C. 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Minor Gardening Challenges:


 At night time the temperature has been going down to the mid 40's but if the weather prognosticators are correct it will go down to 31 degrees tonight. My spinach and lettuce plants could be impacted by this sudden cold snap. It is important this time of year in getting my garden growing well that close-attention be paid to the weather - especially the temperatures. I will cover my new sprouts tonight to be sure they don't freeze.  I don't want to have to start all over with my gardening due to neglecting a threat like an unexpected freeze or cold snap.. 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Spring Flowers Early:

 Wow, Spring flowers sure do bloom early here in NC. Maybe it is all the rain we have been getting. 


Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Weather:

 I really don't like to write about the weather but the weather here in N Carolina is so different than when we lived in the mountains of Colorado that it is worth mentioning. It is far more rain and clouds for more dismal days. In Colorado it was snow but it generally lasted for a day or maybe two. It accumulated over seven or eight months and most days were sunny. Not so in N. Carolina as it can be rain for several days. Also, the snow is much more pretty as it covers everything. When the sun shines it glimmers like millions of diamonds and is breath taking. 

The forecast for here is rain for roughly a week with one day in the middle of the week forecast for sun. We have received as much as  five inches, according to our rain gauge, at one time. The forecast for our area in Colorado is three days of snow and then it will be sunny again. That is unusual as mostly the storms only last for a day or maybe two. This wet is going to take some getting used to. In Colorado we would shovel and blow the snow away after a storm but here it stays wet for days. What a difference we have to adjust to.  

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Blog History:

 20+ years ago we started this blog to keep family and friends informed of our lives. We moved from big city life to a remote area of Colorado and basically went for a much simpler lifestyle. We were self reliant and heated with a wood stove. We dealt with the average 264" of snow each year and grew our own vegetables in our garden. We learned much about the simpler lifestyle. 

Then Mother Earth News ask me to write blogs for them to post on their web page. I did that for over 10 years and developed many more followers on this blog site. All along the way I posted things that I learned about the 'going back to the earth' lifestyle. Then unfortunately we found we had along the way become much older and I developed a prostrate problem. When you wake up at night and can't pee and the trip to the emergency room is one hour and a half away it is time to move closer to medical facilities. Not to mention in the winter when the road is drifted in it is even worse.

Our daughter and son in law had just moved to North Carolina and were selling their vacation cabin so we bought it and now are no longer living the back to earth and remote lifestyle. It had to happen one day but it was a surprise when it happened so fast. Just two weeks before we moved here I was hospitalized with sepsis and now am dealing with what is known as post sepsis syndrome. It is not a pleasant thing to deal with but at least we are close to medical facilities. 

Now our nearest neighbor is a stone throw away we are still self reliant and brought much of the old lifestyle with us inasmuch as we heat for the most part in this more temperate climate with a wood stove and still cut and split our firewood.  

So as we have grown in our back to the earth lifestyle the blog has grown as well. I still miss the back to earth lifestyle and am surprised with world events as they are that more people are not embracing that lifestyle. Our home in the mountains of Colorado is currently up for sale https://www.zillow.com/homes/2009-Strauss-Dr-Fort-Garland,-CO-81133_rb/194161221_zpid/ and it has drawn a lot of attention. Some younger person will purchase it I am sure and will have an extremely rewarding lifestyle on our 11 acres. It was sadly just time for us to move on. 

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Rental Cabin to Home:

This was a rental cabin before it was our home. The person who bought it stayed here but I believe he rented it out too. When he died in an auto accident his wife didn't want to keep it so she sold it to our daughter and son in law. They used it occasionally and sold it to us. So we are changing it from a cabin to a home. We have been taking on a project one at a time. While the furniture was only 10 years old it was big and bulky and had some hard use. The beds were the same way. We have changed the furniture and beds, up graded the dressers, 

We removed the bulk including the large table in the kitchen, moved things around and donated much to a local charity that sells it for an animal rescue. We are slowly converting it from a rental to a home we are comfortable in. There  were at least a dozen pictures hanging on walls that went with the rental decor. Most were of bears or fish. There were all kinds of decorative items that we have donated to the animal rescue to sell. We replaced the refrigerator that was rusted and lacked a good seal but worked. 

Today we took the bathroom fan down and gave it a good cleaning. It was so dirty that it rattled and ground away. Now it is just a low hum and my guess is that it had never been cleaned since the cabin was built 40 years ago. Next is the range hood and I can see that is going to be equally hard..

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

One Bad Apple Spoils The Entire Barrel:


 

Sorry that we had to put this sign up but the USPS driver tries to get to the back door and spins his tires digging ruts in the driveway. He then drives across the grass area instead of going back down the driveway. I had to spread grass seed to fill in the bare areas that he made as he slid down the grass. The other drivers - UPS, FedEx and others stop where the sign is and either put it under the covered area in front or walk it up to the door. 

When it rains the rain runs down the ruts he made and washes the dirt down onto the driveway. He will probably ignore the sign but then he will have to deal with a very angry me and he can fix his damage. One jerk ruins it for the other drivers. 

Stressful 2 1/2 Weeks:

 Our sweet girl Lucy has been licking her anus for the past several weeks and we took her into the vet when it started. The vet thought it was anal glands and the vet treated her for that. We took her back three times and the third time the vet decided it was an anal fistula. He started her on prednisone and Preparation H. He suggested we see a dermatologist which was a long drive away. 

Instead we found a local vet who had experience with this type illness which is an auto immune decease.  He put her on a proper régime of treatment that was consistent with our research on the matter. The first visit was $500.00, plus $50.00 for a change in her diet and a small bag of new food. The cost for the prescriptions was another $250.00, and that is just the start. 

 When you adopt a dog and take them in as a family member you don't stop doing what is best for them when the first issue happens. We are in this with Lucy for the long haul and hope she makes a full recovery. Prayers are appreciated for Lucy's full healing. 

Friday, February 23, 2024

Gardening at Lower Elevation:


 When we lived in Colorado at 9,800' elevation it was extremely difficult to have a garden as the growing season was so short. It was usually May and sometimes June before I could get my seeds in the ground and a second planting was out of the question. 

Here in N. Carolina at a lower elevation - even in the mountains - we get a much longer growing season. I have planted spinach already as it is a hardy plant and will tolerate the cold and still thrive. In a couple of weeks when the possibility of frost is gone I will plan other vegetables and may even get a second planting before winter again. I'm thinking maybe some cherry tomatoes, carrots and who knows what else.  

We have found out that we have blueberry and blackberries in the back yard and an apple tree that is in serious need of some fertilizer spikes and attention. Maybe I will plant some strawberries for good measure. 

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Lucy's New Bed:

 Lucy likes to get under Carol's desk so we bought her a new bed all her own and she loves it. 


Saturday, February 17, 2024

Garden Time;

I can't believe that I am starting my garden in mid February. The ground is too steep and rocky to put a garden in the ground so I will grow our vegetables in a raised garden box. The soil was too wet in the bags to put any seeds in it but as soon as it dries out some I will get some lettuce and spinach in the dirt. The garden box is on the deck under a covered roof and at the south side of the house where it will get ideal sun. 

It will also be protected from the birds and  squirrels. I have some mesh to go over the box that was left in the basement so that will give the plants a chance. I also have three rhubarb plants coming but the nursery is in Wisconsin so I have to wait for their ground to thaw before they can send it to me. I should be able to have lettuce and spinach up into the fall. 
.

 

Friday, February 16, 2024

So Different:

 Here it is the middle of February and the flowers are coming up and blooming. In Colorado at our cabin we still have three months before we could even consider planting anything. Just one of the differences between living at 9,800' elevation and the smokies of North Carolina. Our dogwood trees are already budding out. By comparison - what a difference.


Saturday, February 10, 2024

Bliss:


 There is nothing like having a fur family member fall asleep in your lap. She lay like this for over an hour. Total trust and total love. 

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Stunned to Silence:

Carol's old computer gave up and was being more trouble than it was worth. We went on line and looked at other computers. We found this one and looked at this one and it has the capacity we needed. It lacks speakers but it is so small and replaces the tower. She says it works perfectly and is amazing. 

 

Friday, February 2, 2024

Change:

We have relocated to N. Carolina a little over three months ago. We have found doctors and dentists for ourselves and also for our fur family. One thing here we have to be aware of that was not in Colorado is heartworm. We quickly put our three on heartworm medication so they were protected from heartworm. 

In Colorado we did not have heartworm as the elevation was such as the mosquitos did not live there. Even so I had our guys checked for heartworm just the same as there was a lot of tourist activity it could be brought in randomly.  It is best for them to be protected - which they are. The only downside of giving them the monthly Rx is that it tends to upset their stomachs for a day or two. 

It is an insidious disease that is preventable and I would not take a chance on our loved fur family getting it.  

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Time Consuming:

 It takes time to put things together. This cabin used to be a rental and the furniture is all very large and well used. Carol's dresser was pretty worn out but sturdy and solid - but it took up an entire wall. The large bulky furniture made the rooms smaller and we replaced the bed and now the dresser. It has opened the room up so we can move around with more freedom without tripping over items. 

The only problem is this came with assembly required. It took five solid hours to put the many pieces together. The FedEx woman who brought it had to brace herself to just unload it. I was standing there and watched her set her jaw, take two deep breaths before she was able to get it up. I didn't want her to hurt herself so I had he leave it right where it was and told he we would unpack it and take it into the house pieces at a time. She didn't hesitate at that offer and put it down after a few feet. 

We loaded it on the cart and took it to the door and then put the pieces in Carol's bedroom. The next day we took 5 hours to assemble it and managed not to  yell or cuss once. It was made in China and they only missed a few holes but they were on the braces for the drawers that we were able to work around. Every thing else as very good and lined up as it should. 

Little by little we are making this place homey...

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Update on insulation Box:

 Top photo is final box  and bottom is the unfinished box.



Monday, January 22, 2024

Frozen Water Line:

 We woke up yesterday to frozen water pipes. With the help of a very good neighbor and friend we tracked the issue down to the exterior where the feed line comes into the house. I am pretty hard to surprise but this left me speechless. The top photo shows the water feed to the house. We removed a thin layer of flat stones and found the feed was laying on top of the ground. 

Normally the water line is buried below the ground. Not in this case it lays right on top and out in the open. My neighbor brought a heat gun and in a few minutes it was thawed and running again. I'm surprised that no one had taken the time to fix it before so the water line was protected.

The bottom photo shows the insulated box that was built in a matter of minutes to protect the exposed water feed. Total cost was $29.00, and it will keep the feed from freezing again. Two inch Styrofoam insulation and a brooder lamp used for chickens and when it gets down to single digit again all I need to do is plug it in and the brooder lamp mounted inside will keep the water line nice and warm. Problem solved in very little time. The pieces of Styrofoam are held together with liquid nails and when painted black it will absorb heat.  


Friday, January 19, 2024

Top Of The Apple Order:



We drove the 30 minutes to the apple orchard in Blue Ridge, Georgia yesterday and it was less packed with people. In fact only a couple other shoppers when we got there right after they opened. As it turned out that was not totally in our favor as we spent more money than anticipated. We had plenty of time to look around and there were so many tempting items for sale. They also have a bakery that sells in
dividual pies that are beyond . 

We bought plenty of apples that we love so much - Ever Crisp - that are so tasty that we hate to be without them. They are large apples, almost the size of a softball. I have never had apples that tasted as good as these do. We have enough now to last us several days. This orchard is a well know place to locals and tourists alike. It is Mercier Orchards and we will be back for sure. Love those Ever Crisp apples.... 

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Chimney Sweep:

 In our cabin in Colorado I cleaned the chimney myself  but we decided here in N. Carolina to have someone else do it. We hired a sweep (Jake) who did a wonderful job and our chimney is now far more functional. From the look of it the chimney had never been cleaned. We knew the chimney needed cleaning because the draft was very poor and when we opened the stove door smoke came out. 


It was no wonder as the chimney was extremely full of soot and creosote as were the pipes to the chimney. It was a wonder that any smoke at all made its way up the chimney. 
I showed Jake the photos of myself cleaning our chimney in Colorado and he said he would have had to decline that job. It does look dangerous but I did it for 26 years and never considered it that dangerous. the view was sensational from up there. 

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Wait! This Is Snow??


 Having come from Colorado where we get snow in feet and not inches, this seems a pretty wimpy snow. The sun came out and it was gone just that fast. I could really get used to wimpy snow.  

Cardinal:


 It has been many years since I have seen a cardinal and we have two families of them here. 


Monday, January 15, 2024

Great Find:


 One of the great finds we have found so far is an apple orchard only 30 minutes from us They have an apple that is super and so sweet and crisp,. We are currently out of them and plan to head to the orchard in a few days hoping they still have not sold out. .This is a well know orchard that many people know about. Their apples are worth the drive to obtain. Their store also has cider, individual pies and is just a good place to shop. 

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

And It Just Keeps Coming:

 We noticed when it rained we were getting some water in our basement. As I surveyed the area outside I noticed that the electrical run that was put in prior to our purchase entered the house at the location where the water was coming in. After a rain storm it was dry under the eves where the new electric came in so it had to be coming in from the depression left by the ditch. The drain pipe stopped right by the large rock and the rainwater was running down the hill to the ditch then following the line to the house and flooding in the basement. 

There was some extra pipe left over under the deck so I pulled a piece out and fitted it into the existing pipe and screwed it in place. Today the water coming from the gutters now runs over the ditch and so far no water in the basement. I also filled in the depression of the ditch so normal run off runs over the ditch and down the mountain. We have had 4" of rain so far and it is suppose to keep raining until tonight. Fingers crossed that it does not find another route into the basement. It took a good deal of study to figure out why the basement was getting wet but I finally concluded the water had to be coming underground where I could not see it.. Hopefully that problem is solved now. 

Friday, January 5, 2024

Our Dogs Go Crazy:


 Our dogs go crazy when they hear fireworks or gunfire. New Years Eve we had both. A neighbor started to set off fireworks at 7:30 PM and the dogs all went crazy trying to hide from the scary noise. After an hour when we finally got them settled down the gunshots sounded and we had to calm them down again. At midnight it sounded like a battle zone as gunshots were non-stop and there were automatic weapons fired along with large caliber hand guns. I recognized them from my time in the military. 

In North Carolina fireworks are illegal and shooting weapons is illegal in most neighborhoods across the country as all those bullets had to come down somewhere. I guess it should be somewhat reassuring that should we ever have a terrorist attack that if they venture into this area they will be met with overwhelming firearm resistance. I expect that would be the case in many communities across our country. 




Moving Is Hectic:

 

Moving from Colorado to North Carolina is hectic. Not  only do we have to find new doctors, dentists, vets, and vision care but we find out that our medical plan North does not apply in North Carolina so we had to find another plan with comprisable benefits. Coupled with the fact it has taken 5 1/2 months to get in to see a urologist and 3 months to get an appointment to  get a NC drivers license it creates a hectic situation. 

We had to have the electricity changed over from the past owner into our name and arrange for trash pickup versus taking our trash to the dump which we are taxed for in our property taxes. We needed to change vehicles due to the configuration of our driveway which created tag office problems as the first car we traded for had an engine problem that the dealer said he would fix and couldn't so we traded up and ended up paying tax on both vehicles. 

The move was the right thing to do and we are happy here not what we have made the home we bought more to our lifestyle but the process is a real hassle. We are slowly working these issues out but it involves time that we had not accounted for. will settle in in due time but trying to keep all these State agencies satisficed is proving to be time consuming. I'll look forward to the day we can just sit back and not have something that needs to be done. That is still in the hopefully near future. 

Sunday, December 31, 2023

2024

 


Culture Shock:

 :

After living remotely and not being around crowds we recently experienced a large crowd. Sasha and Rick had brought us some apples from a local orchard and we had run out so decided to find the orchard ourselves. First finding a parking place when we arrived was a chore and that should have been our first clue. I preferred to stay in the car but Carol insisted I go in. I hobbled to the door as all the handicapped places were full. Once in it was over powering with people every where and crowded in. 

The orchard was a tourist destination for sure. For me it was clearly "deer in the headlights" time. It had been many years since I have been in any crowd of people that I was overwhelmed. We found our bag of apples and after a long line at checkout we left. I was as close to shell shock as possible until we got home and I could relax. So much to get used to again. 

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Learning Curve:

After living at 9,800' elevation for over 26 years and not having to worry about snakes I need to be more careful here where they have poisonous snakes like rattle snakes. I was  
moving some firewood around yesterday and with the many leaves on the ground I must have been careless. I have a sore wrist and discolor in the wound area but that is about all. It could have been a baby rattler but the bite would have been so fast I didn't get much venom. 

The fact that I have such a high pain threshold makes matters worse as I never felt the bite. The puncture marks are much to wide for a spider unless it was a 20 pound spider. Other than a sore wrist and some deep purple coloring that is a out the size of a lemon. I never felt the bite but noticed today my wrist was sore and a deep purple. I have to adjust and be more aware of my surroundings. 

Little Known Wolf Information:

 

A good friend posted some information on Facebook about wolf data which I believe to be true. We used to visit the wolf refuge near Westcliffe and learned much about wolf behavior. It is not what is often seen in the media. I wrote several blogs for our blog and Mother Earth News regarding what I learned about a wolf named Lucas. Lucas was a pack leader who broke the mold when it came to wolf behavior. Below is what my friend posted. 

The wolf never eats corpses, neither animals, nor people; it spends its whole life with a partner, it does not mate with its mother or sister; it is a monogamous animal, it does not deceive.
If a partner dies, the wolf remains alone; it knows its young ones well: it is the only animal that helps their parents after deep old age and brings them food.
When you kill a wolf, it looks you in the eye until its soul gives out; it's 25% smarter than the smarter dog, and it's the only animal that doesn't obey training,

Saturday, December 16, 2023

All Things In Due Time:

 I finally got around to putting up the driveway alarm which can be seen on the bottom left of the photo. I put it up about 30 minutes ago and it suddenly started to sound off repeatedly. I went to investigate and found two chickens eating the bird seed from the feeders above. It has now been going off for 20 minutes and the chickens show no inclination of leaving the area. The chickens come from a home on the next road over. They may end up as dinner for the red fox that has been seen in the area. 

Friday, December 15, 2023

It Takes Time:

We have now had all three dogs individually to the vet which is only 7 minutes from our home. Relocating requires a lot of additional things that we don't always foresee.  Not only do we have to find new doctors and dentists but we need to arrange for the fur family to have proper care too. For example in Colorado there is no heartworm problem so they don't prescribe preventive oral medication.. Not the case here in N. Carolina. They had to be tested first and then be prescribed the proper Rx to keep them safe.
We want our fur family to be safe and not have to deal with the disease.  

 

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Hat Rack: (true story)


 The antlers in the photo above came from a close traveling pardner of our old friend Junior, the buck deer, who had adopted us. (that is another story to be told again another time). I was out sitting at the picnic table and Junior and his buddies came up and so I was talking to them. They would stand about 4-5 feet away while I talked to them. It was late winter or early spring and one of the male deer with Junior was standing there and I told him if he would give me his antlers I would make a hat rack out of them to remember him by. I had no more that said that when he shook his head and one of his antlers fell off right at my feet. I told him I would need two in order to make the hat rack and he walked off a few feet and shook his head again and the second antler came off. I picked them up and the stumps were still bloody. 

I made the hat rack in the photo above from those antlers. Some may claim it was just a coincidence but I will never be convinced as I was there and saw the buck and his eyes and the spontaneity and the resulting action.   

I couldn't leave that behind as it reminds me of that buck who was willing to give his antlers so I could make a hat rack from them.  It is really special to have a group of bucks trust you like that and I would talk to them as long as they would stay and listen.  Sometimes for up to an hour. Junior would come around with his friends several times and very often to be with me. I won't ever forget those times. 

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Re-Supply

 

I had a sawbuck that I made which I had to leave in Colorado when we moved here. It was a heavy duty one made from wood. We needed to cut some firewood to length and rather than kneel on the ground to do it I told Carol what we needed was a sawbuck. She told me to look on Amazon but I told her I doubt they would have such a product. Well, I looked and sure enough they had several different sawbucks. 

I bought the one in the photo from Oregon who make chainsaws and chains for chainsaws. I was more than a little surprised. I think that if you can't find what you want on Amazon then you probably don't really need it. 

It does require assembly and comes in 9 pieces like an old erector set. One complaint was the directions were photos and not written instructions. We had it together in no time at all and it is solid and when you are done using it you can fold it up and it is easy to store. We did not have any problem and the photos made it easier to assemble.  

Monday, December 11, 2023

Different Location = Different Animals:


 We have discovered that we have wildlife here but some are different. Carol was looking out the back window and saw a fox that looked  this one. We have had a visit from a bear, and numerous white tail deer. Not the mule deer we are more used to but white tail deer. No chipmunks or ground squirrels seen so far but the grey squirrels are numerous. So far our bird feeders have attracted pretty much the same species of birds that we had in Colorado. I am sure when it is spring that many birds that have migrated will be back and we will see more.  

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Getting Going On Driveway:


Our driveway was in pretty bad condition. Since we left all our contents behind in Colorado we have had to replace many of them so delivery trucks have really messed up the driveway trying to get up the incline. We tried to correct the issues with a shovel and rake but that wasn't doing the job as the damage was to widespread. A sub-compact tractor is just what is needed to get the driveway smoothed out again. 
It will also facilitate moving larger rocks which we are unable to handle and there are plenty of those on the property.  

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

New Tractor:


 I sold my tractor in Colorado before I left and soon realized after I got here that our driveway at our new house was going to be hard to maintain. It was laid out where vehicles couldn't get up the driveway without spinning their tires which left large ruts and holes. It needed to be flattened out and the crushed rock removed so delivery trucks and others could use it safely. 

I tried to repair it with a rake and shovel but that was never ending and could not repair the underlying cause. I was only scratching the surface and it would be never ending. So we bought a new tractor and I have already repaired part of the driveway and plan to finish the job today - weather permitting. Then it will be easy to make repairs. 

We ordered a new refrigerator as the one here was very old and the door was rusting. They delivered it in a 40'  van which was not suited for this area and really tore up the driveway in trying to get to the house. Now I hope it will be easier to get trucks up to the house to make deliveries and they won't have to spin their tires to make deliveries. Time will tell. I love riding a tractor and don't know how I could do without one as they are just plain enjoyable.

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Content:

I'd say that Lucy, April and Klaus are adjusting very well...
 

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Red Clay:


 I have been gone from the South so long I had totally forgotten about "red clay". That clay when it is wet is like ice {very slippery} and sticks to your shoes forming a concrete consistency attachment. 

"The composition of the rock determines the color of the clay. In the case of the red clay found here, iron oxides provide the deep red hue. Iron oxide is a fancy term for rust. The more iron in the clay, the redder it is". 

I suddenly remembered red clay when I went down to the basement following a rain storm. I suddenly grew another 1/2 inch collecting red clay on the bottom of my shoes and had to hold onto things to keep my feet from slipping out from under me.