A Life Filled with Constantly Learning New Things
Last week I was rained out. It was so disappointing … I so look forward to my time at Freedom Acres. Since I only get there 3 Sundays out of each month it felt like I was losing half the month there. This Sunday the temperatures were projected to get from the 60s to the 70s and with no chance of rain. I jumped up and collected my things and Gracie and bounced out the door and off to the property. As always I had a few tasks in mind to accomplish and plotted that I would get to spend a little non-work time just being there with nature since it is getting dark later in the day.
When I arrived I went straight to the garden area to check on the little Seminole Pumpkin patch that Loren & I had planted, as an experiment, a few weeks ago. I was saddened as it had not weathered so well. I had hoped that the heavy rainfall last weekend would tide it over. Unfortunately I think the bright sun that has come out afterwards took it’s toll on the little budding plants. They were a little shriveled up and no more growth had happened. Not only that but at least one little plant showed signs of something chewing on it. I had an immediate suspicion that the Gopher Tortoise had used the garden as a snack machine. I looked around and found some very tortoise looking footprints near by. Yep, bet I am right. So, note to self … these native pumpkins probably need more shade and some protection from the tortoise/s. It goes without saying that they also need me living on the property to take care of them LOL.
I scooted over to the rainwater collection tank. It looked good, filled as usual. Last time I was here I had tested out PBS free, food grade tubing to connect to the tank and got it all working with short tubes. This week I had bought two diameters of 100+ ft tubing with me. Today the job was to replace the short tubing with a longer tube in order to take the water all the way to the garden area and the little Seminole Pumpkin patch. Took me a few hours to wind, unwind the tubing, get everything connected properly and begin to have water flow into the pumpkin patch. It was such a thrill to open the valvue and watch the water flow into the patch. I watered it down good in hopes it would help revive the little plants. I wound the tubing back up in my wheelbarrow cart & covered it all with a tarp to try to keep the sun from the tubing. We shall see!
Gracie and I hopped back in the Jeep and headed over to the home area. I absolutely love each area on the property in a different way … this area has now begun to feel like home to me. As I roll in I am greeted with the sound of the chimes and the view of the little firepit with the Adirondack chairs around it. Soon, comfy chairs, I still have some more work to do. I drug two big boxes out of the Jeep truckbed.
One contained two more poly composite pallets in it. These were the final pallets I needed to get all of my storage containers off the ground. I carefully pulled off the tarp (always a little hesitant in case my little roach friends are around LOL). Then I began dragging containers and clearing the area. I got the pallets out of the box and arranged them then got the last two containers on them. Within about an hour I was now able to rearrange all the containers so they all now had room to sit solidly and even with a little room in between so I could put a few tools on the pallets and have room to open the containers easily. I know all of this is just temporary until I can get the storage shipping container on the property …. but …. since I don’t seem to know when that will be I keep adjusting in the meantime.
With that done I now turned to the other box I had taken out of the Jeep truck bed. A new toy for Freedom Acres. It is this fabulous 4 cu. ft. Metal Garden Utility Gorilla Cart. The Gorilla wheel burrow cart has been great but it has a limit to what I can do with it size wise. This baby is much bigger and has sides and back that comes off so I can use it as a cart or a flatbed. It swivels and had a handle that I can pull which also comes off so I can tow it behind the Jeep if I need to. OK, you know life has gotten really weird when you are standing in front of a bright green utility card and jumping up and down like a kid at Christmas. There I was – all shiny eyed … pulling my new cart around and admiring it from every angle LOL.
OK, still one more task for the day I calmed myself and gathered my tools and headed out to the big double gate on the west side of the property. It has been determined that two pine trees slightly in front of the gate will need to come down so that the shipping container trucks can get into the property. You have no idea how this kills me … I love those trees. I hate the though of them having to come down but it looks like I have no choice. Those trees were my first markers on the property from day one. They were where I first came into the property and where I had the first path cleared from the limestone street into the property. Also, before I got my fence, the biggest of the trees was where I had placed my no trespassing signs. It had killed me to even do that coz I hated hurting that tree. I remember asking it for forgiveness as I hammered my sign on it. Now, here we are … at another even sadder point. I sighed as I looked at my poor tree that had no idea what was about to happen soon.
My job for today was to get signs on the gate so when the trees came down I still had signs up. This was going to include yet another learning experience. I needed to cut braided wire rope and cut it and then simply put it trough the holes in the sign and crimp the ends together to attached the signs on the fence gate. Now, I know that this may sound ridiculous to some but it was new to me. I knew I could do it but sure didn’t know how to.
I had the wire, the connectors and this cool cutting/crimping tool. So first cuts too short … first crimp off center … trial and error I went. About an hour later I finally had two signs, one on each side of the double gate, installed. I was laughing my butt off at how many positions I tried to approach it from until I figured out each loop. OMG, probably most guys who live out here in this rural area had done this by the time they were 15. But not me. This city grrrrl stood back at the end all proud of myself! One more tool and one more skill conquered. Somehow each thing I learn on the property gives me as much pride as all the degrees and certifications I struggled through in my life and career earlier in life. BAM! DONE!
It had suddenly gotten late and everything else, including the signs on the single fence, would need to wait til my next visit now. I must admit that I strutted back down the path to the home area with a confident swagger, grinning to myself the whole way. Back at the home area it was time to wrap things up. I re-tarped the containers and gave the new Gorilla carp it’s own little tarp. I didn’t have time to sit much but I did sit for a few minutes and even had a few minutes to run around with Gracie some. Then it was time to head back to where I lived so I didn’t have to drive much in the dark. It was a good day at Freedom Acres. I hopped in the Jeep and hummed about all the new lessons I had gotten for the day. I love learning … I always have. It is so amazing to be at this stage of my life and be entering a whole new life with infinite things to learn at Freedom Acres until my last breath. This is what I can truly call a fulfilled life!!
I posted videos, on the Freedom Acres YouTube Channel, of the rainwater collection tank weekly update again along with my latest tubing connection adventure, and the Seminole Pumpkin patch update with the sad little plants and watering them. I also posted videos of the new Gorilla cart and my crimping and sign hanging results. Of course, there is a short exciting end of the day report with Gracie as a part of it. Feel free check it all out by clicking HERE. Also, feel free to subscribe and you can get notified when new videos go up! đŸ™‚
We are now entering the last week of February. This past week Nair and I spoke about and selected the siding that the county insists I put on the shipping container. No amount of logic and reason seemed to make a difference so I have surrendered again to just do what I need to do. Seems this little modification is going to cost me about an extra $10K between materials and labor. Okie Dokie. Gotta do what you gotta do and if I am going to have to put siding on it I have to put good quality fiber cement Hardee siding so that I do not have any worries about it for the rest of life. I have chosen vertical black siding to try to stay as close to the original color of the container as possible.
Nair handed the siding information to the architectural draftsman and yesterday he sent us the modified drawings. It needs a few slight measurement changes but it is good enough to send to the county in their request that we send them drawings so they can see if it will meet approval. So tomorrow we will do that …. then hold our breath that perhaps this will be the only modification it will need to give it the “residential characteristics” they want. Again …. we’ll see! LOL
Next week I will not be at Freedom Acres, it is my planned Sunday off for the 1st weekend of each month. No doubt there will be new things to do by then and MAYBE … just MAYBE I will have good news from the county by then. I keep praying and chatting with the Universe. As Doris Day sang when I was a kid: “Que serĂ¡, serĂ¡ … Whatever will be, will be … The future’s not ours to see … Que serĂ¡, serĂ¡” HeeHee. Ahhhhhhh, Doris …. who would have thunk what a profound woman you were!
Gracie and I are, as always, sending Love, Joy and Freedom to you all til I come back!
