Back from the dead

I should apologize for the lengthy delay in posting. Life has been very interesting to say the least. I have had to travel a great deal for family matters, as well as for business, so progress has been delayed for some time. That said, there has indeed been progress!

I have completed the drainage system (french drain) and begun leveling the floor. While doing this I was able to install 6 of the 12 posts necessary for the first stage of the build.

Unfortunately I have to leave the site again for work so any more progress will be delayed by a month or more.

Back in the bacwoods

I've spent the overwhelming majority of the year away from the build site due to end of life issues with my family, but I've returned for a while. Unfortunately due to some abdominal pain that I experienced while I was away, I was told by (useless*) doctors to avoid strenuous activities. *I say useless because though they ruled out the obvious, the appendix, they were unable to give me any idea as to the cause of the pain and fever. Their advice was to avoid strenuous activities and then when I am better to return so that can do some invasive testing that even they admit probably won't tell them anything! Crazy..

So on the build I will be working slowly, but I will be working on it. I have one pier poured, and I will start in a day or two pouring more. I may only get one or two a day done so as to avoid overdoing it, but I will make progress.

In the meantime I will be working on other aspects of the homestead, such as the garden which has not only suffered in my absence, but has been abused by the weather this year as well. I am going to get to planting again tomorrow in hopes of getting something out of it..

All in all I am glad to be back..

Brief Update

I apologize for the long silence, and I promise to rectify the lack of updates very soon. I have been away from the homestead for quite some time dealing with family matters, including the passing of my grandmother. However I should be back on site again in about 10 days or so, with a new camera so I can document what little progress has been made, and then begin to show the progress which should be upcoming very quickly.

Thanks to all who have been following my journey and I will make that story more interesting soon..

Still is still moving to me..

I am still in the flatlands, taking care of family. End of life issues, along side glimmers of hope, combined with undercurrents of old emotion based problems.. Still some good memories, some good time spent.

On the homesteading front, I have now brewed two batches of apple cider. The first crisp and clean, nice though would have been better had I gotten some better juice (what I used is locally hailed as the best possible.. I differ in opinion). The second.. well I allowed it to continue to ferment as it was fermenting at a frantic pace for more than two weeks, something I have never seen in brewing beer. Finally it slowed, and so I filtered it and gave it a try. In a word: fail.. Its best quality is that it contains alcohol.. but it is bland, with a slight bitterness and a hint of a vinegar smell though it never had the chance to turn to vinegar. Still, this is good learning experience that I can apply to the five to ten gallons of pear juice and pulp I have waiting for me back at BWoH.

For now, that is life as I am living it.. it remains interesting.

New year update

It has been far too long between posts, but life became very interesting, not necessarily in a good way.

We recently found out my grandmother has terminal cancer, so I dropped what I was doing to head to the flatlands to help take some of the burdens off of the family.

For the meantime, the home and homesteading has to be on hold.

As soon as I get back to the Backwoods of Hell, I'll get right back to building..

Weather delays

Well we are finally getting desperately needed moisture here at the Backwoods of Hell, but unfortunately it is not enough to really help or to refill ponds, though it is enough to make the site unworkable.

So in the meantime I simply plan out the forms and the build process, and wait for clearer days, which hopefully won't be so cold as to prevent concrete from setting up properly.

More progress!

Well today marked the absolute last bit of work that I will have to have done before I can build.. Since the backhoe and Captain Rob were still very near by, I decided to bring him back to the site to lower the entry area a bit (it was higher than the rest of the floor area) and to dig me a small trench for the french drain insurance policy.. Well he lowered the floor a bit, then preceded to dig a trench large enough to drain the great lakes!

But I am not complaining. The trench is deep enough that I can guarantee drainage and prevent water from ever building up in or above my home, so this one goes into the better safe than sorry file..

Tomorrow I start figuring what I need for concrete forms, french drain supplies, and the precise methods to be used in both...

This home looks like it might just happen after all!