Getting Off The Grid - A Week Of Work? Or Not?

New mint coming up 2019

Welcome to my journey to get off the grid and making a homestead.

Well, the weather turned bad with a severe drop in temperature, from 79 degrees down to 45 degrees, with the last cold front so that first day kept me inside being such a shock to my body and another kept me inside with rain.

Although I do love the warmth of the 70`s I am not ready for Spring to arrive just yet, after all its just February! I want the long sleeves on and the gloves to go to work because I get less cuts, scrapes, briers and poison oak. But if its in the 70`s I tend to shed all the extra protect because I am over heating. Nonetheless, I work in most any weather condition, that is what you have to do on a homestead. 

With that being said I won`t do a week of working on the homestead since I took more than one day off to go to work or it was cold or wet. However, much did happen. 

Monday the city did not pick up the huge pile of brush I put by the road, I called and for some reason they had skipped this road but they came during the week and did get every single limb, I was impressed because this pile was huge! As in fill up a dump truck huge.

Calhoun county dump

I made it to the dump! I got rid of that truck load of yard trash, as I unloaded it at the dump I seen I had a lot of mental, so maybe someone will pick it and make a few dollars. I had ordered the wood chipper on Friday Feb. 1st. and it arrived the next  Tuesday, I put it together but the weather has been to bad for me to take it out and use it.

New wood chipper

I finally received the big boy tomato seed, I got a couple seed not labeled so I am guessing they are the free seed the company mentioned when I emailed them about my order, more big boys? Who knows but I will plant them separate. Next plant date will be according to the farmers guide as best date to plant or sow seed. 

Blackberry bushed and vines covered in pine straw

One afternoon after I got off work I did have 2 1/2 hours before dark, so me and the dogs walked a few laps around the fields then I got busy on the last section left to clean up on the area I plan to put a building, maybe another small greenhouse, the worst section! the section that has every vine or thorn I can think of area. I cut my way to the small pines in this area and then trimmed all the lower limbs, why trim the lower limbs? because its easier to work with the overgrown blackberry bushes, the vines and the saw briers underneath and not get your eye poked out. I was on a roll and I got ALL of it done except a few blackberry bushes over to one side, I did not want dark to come.

I was told by someone that seen the last work, with the pines standing alone, " Looks like what the German people do, clean the forest" I was happy with that compliment :) But I will take a saw to those small pines because they will shade my future greenhouse.

Another evening when I had about an hour I cleaned under the wild cherry trees. I see they are about to began to bloom, I would like to maybe get a few berries this year. Make up cough syrup.

New cleaned area for the dogs, summer shade

Saturday  I had to work both jobs so I took advantage of being in town, I stopped by Lowe`s home improvement store and bough the fencing for the new summer dog area and a few step in posts.

And on Sunday I rested.

Plans :

This week is supposed to be warm again but rainy also, the rain will rule my progress outside. At the moment everything is electric, the wood chipper and the saw, so if the work is not done with the loppers or a rake I won`t be clearing any.

I think its time to tap a tree for sap, I have charged the drill and will pick a day to try this for the first time. I hope I get this right the first time.

That was my week on the homestead.

I am still making progress on this homestead. For now I am just selling online, so check out my online store for homemade lotions, soaps and more. All made as natural as possible. Sunshine`s Homestead Creations. 

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry