No Water

We have all returned from yet another vacation.  Chris and Jackson spent a week in the mountains with scouts and Julie and Cooper went to Sara's.

We came home to find the pool emptied of water.  That was such a let down as we had bought sand to level the spot and we were careful to put the cover on.  So it looks like we will have to call Danny the water guy once again.

The garden is a jungle.  I picked 20+ pounds of food and delivered to the food pantry. We had zucchini, peppers, jalapenos, cukes and eggplant.  I had 6 artichokes...SO cool! I am just not sure how to cook them.  The pumpkins and gourds are have fruit on the vines.  The squash bugs are sure giving me a run for my money.  I am constantly picking off the eggs.  The beds were badly in need of weeding.  Unfortunately both the push mower and the weed whipper are broken so mowing between the beds will have to wait another few days.

The barn raising is in full swing.  The concrete pad was poured this week and 2.5 of the wall are up.  It won't be long and we can get our stuff out of storage and into the new storage. 

The bees are looking very active.  This week they have been bearding which is what bees do when they are hot.  It looks really cool and hopefully I can add in a photo soon.  All the bees gather at the entrance and there can bee a lot of bees!

We also had a racoon get int my worms.  He knocked over the condo and broke off the spigot.  I lost alot of castings and plenty of tea,  but I still have a good population of worms and I am confidant that they will recover.

Varmint Hunters

Chris has been under the weather with some dental problems so it has been quiet the past couple of weeks.

We did get the little pool set up, but it has been quite a process.  Apparently 3000 gallons was too much for our well and we started to get mud in the lines and the well went dry.  It has since recovered, but it left the pool very appealing to pigs and not appealing to children.  That problem was quickly solved one evening when we about to leave for dinner.  The four of us stood speechless as the pool side collapsed and all the water rushed off into the woods.  It was quite a site to see.  With the muddy waters gone, we moved the pool to higher ground and called in Danny the water guy(That is a separate story.  He was quite a character.).  We now have a pool that is level(mostly) and full of clean water.  Cooper played in it the whole time we were filling it, then declared it too small and got out.  Uugh!!

Yesterday Jackson went into the old house to fetch his model airplane and thought there was a fake snake on the ground so he stepped on it.  Much to his surprise it was real.  We all got a good laugh out of that.

I am also happy to report we have trapped and killed 2 ground hogs and 1 raccoon.  I am a bit disturbed at how satisfying it is to come out in the morning and find my trap full.  I guess I am really embracing the country life.

Grow, Build, Swim.

We just arrived home after a 2 week vacation.  We had a great time visiting family, zip lining, swimming and riding the Dell's ducks.  It was so nice to come back to our RV home,  we were surprised how much we missed the little place.

The garden produced an enormous amount while I was gone.  I picked everything and donated 79 pounds of food to interfaith relief.  They were SO happy to get the fresh veggies.

Everything is growing so fast and I was pleased that it was not completely taken over with weeds.  I did find a huge success ..... 3 artichoke blooms!!!  Last year they grew all season and I was hesitant to try again, but I think the new watering system has really paid off.

We came home to find the footers, walls and plumbing roughed in for the barn.  The trusses also showed up while we were gone. The slab should be poured early next week and the framing will begin shortly after that.

After spending so much time in other people's lovely spacious homes, parent guilt kicked in and we bought one of those above ground pools.  I just can't wait to get in ... heeeheee