Getting Off The Grid - And Life Begins

A lot went on with work and that took a good 5 days of my life to deal with, from hot water tanks going out as a landlady to emergency surgery for the caregiver job.

So, where does a homestead come in? 

On the weekend!

The Homestead :

With a week of dry, sunny days while I was away working the grass grew up and the pollen began to fly in the air. Ah, Spring!

I took out the riding mower for the first time this year and mowed one acre. The back field has not grown much. With the push mower I got the back yard mowed and around the house. 

I loaded the limbs that I had piled up after cutting onto the truck and drove those down to the road for pick up, I ended up with three loads.

I also mowed the garden area, all I have left are greens and turnips that are more than likely tough and fibrous and many were blooming and going to seed, I can bet before I have the garden plowed I will have new greens to pick, I sure hope so, a spring crop would be nice.

For The Garden: 

Yes, I am back to "for" the garden instead of "from" the garden. its the in between time I have, that I wished I didnt but do.

A couple weeks ago I sowed more tomato seed and a few bell pepper seed.

I potted up the tomato plants, that I sowed back in February, to bigger pots. I will have nice size plants to put out soon.

 I  sowed onion seed, in pots because they seem to get lost out in the garden, I have yet to make the bed just for onions. I also sowed seed for carrots in these huge pots, mostly so I can move them if need be.

I am also going to try out a couple new methods of planting.

The Learning :

I am learning new ways to plant, ways that will be easier for me, for one person to manage. I have found several ways, although most are costly, I might be able to start small.

How is life on your homestead? 

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry

I am still making progress on this homestead, getting a store built. 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. Just click this link : Sunshine`s Homestead Creations. 

Getting Off The Grid - Almost Two Weeks

Rain, rain and rain. I am sure you all have had the same problems, everything is soaked and soggy. We have had a couple days here and there with sun to dry up that new lake in the field. I am ready for Spring and warmth to stay.

Today is supposed to be one of the last days of rain before a full week of sunny days and cool nights. But I will take them!March sure did come in like a lion so I am hoping for it to leave like a lamb.

No matter the weather, this homestead is coming to life.

The Homestead :

The old dog house had had it, they played wrestling in there on wet days and managed to kick one side apart, when I nailed it back it was not long that is came off again breaking the edge, I wrapped it in a tarp till I went to buy new 2 x 4`s and plywood.

I finally got it built with help from Tony, he couldnt work but he held the plywood till I got it nailed into the 2 x 4.  This time I only put in 1/2 bale of straw and it was more than plenty and I elevated this one so it would not be sitting on the cold ground, the other was about 2 inches off the ground but over time and the soil washing it was on the ground and rotting.

The grass and weeds are growing, with a little sun and warmth they are already to be mowed. Maybe this weekend I can get to that.

I still have to cut down 12 small pines. I still have not gotten to use my new wood chipper.

From The Garden :

I have to say that when I asked God to bless the patch of greens, he did! while most of the turnip green tops died there are still plenty of turnips, how woody they are I do not know. The curly mustard is putting back out as well as the kale. I will try to get those picked and home canned. 

The sage is putting out nicely and I have mint everywhere!

The new rhubarb I planted last year had came up, got killed back and is showing up once more.

 Dandelion greens everywhere. 

Chamomile has began to come up as well, it will be a while before it blooms but I seen the greens popping up everywhere. 

Wild green onions, or is it the walking onions or shallots? Once a row was planted in the garden and was plowed the next spring, so I am thinking that patch may be those. I wont eat them because I have not learn to tell crows poison from wild onions. I did keep a few walking onions in my flower bed.

Inside I still have baby tomatoes and several about 6 inches tall. Those big boys did not come up so I will sow those again and if they do not come up this next time the seeds were old and I bought them online. 

Learning :

I never stop learning and I never stop trying new ways to garden and grow food.

I want to container garden, I want a garden with no weeds or grass! But where do I get the good rich soil? Bags? Oh man! that would take $1,000 to fill them. 

While I look into this one way, I tried it and all I am doing is making a raised bed for rats to nest, needless to say I quickly stopped that. I do not, nor do I desire to raise rats in the garden!

Back to the drawing board. 

Stockpiling? 

I have not began to pick and stock anything.

How is life on your homestead? 

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry

I am still making progress on this homestead, getting a store built. 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.  

Getting Off The Grid - The Wintertime Blues Because Of Rain

Sometimes life does not go as planned, or we do not get what we want. Last week it rained all week long. So I got busy inside and with the tax prep.

That is where I have been, doing the real life thing, working and then going over what I made and how much I spent of the income. Tax Prep.

I am not sure many people know how much money they earn and how much they spend on daily needs of power, heat and water.

Each year I think "why?"  I do love this house but at the moment I pay way to much to heat and cool it. I need a free way to heat and cool. I am gonna try to make this my break out year.

 

So... Feb. 17th to the 23rd. went just like this :

Monday - Cleaned house

Tuesday - Rain all day

Wednesday - Rained all day

Thursday - Doctors

Friday - Looking at the old home place, flooded here on the homestead

Saturday- Worked at a rental

Sunday - Worked at a rental

With the nights spent on the computer or with a pen and paper in hand. 

This week, the last of Feb. (Feb. 24th. to March 3rd.) and the beginning of March will be about the same with doctor appointments and my make a living jobs as well as rainfall nearly everyday. 

I still have 12 standing small pines to cut down.

I still have the fence to put up for the dogs.

I still have the building to move here.

I still have so much to do on this homestead. 

But I will get it done, sooner or later.

The good new is that finally the big boy tomato seed I sowed a couple weeks ago are coming up, thin so far but they are showing up. 

Beginning on March 4th. we have a terrible cold front coming in where the temperatures will fall back into the 40`s for highs and 20`s for lows! Its terrible because many of the trees already have leaves.

Although it will be cold, I do have a couple days off that I could cut down those trees, we`ll have to see how well I handle this blast of cold air.

How is life on your homestead? 

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry

I am still making progress on this homestead, getting a store built. 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. 

Getting Off The Grid - Running Late

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

The week of the 11th to the 17th. was a back and forth week, normal for me at this time, at this point in life.

This month the temperatures have been higher than normal and rainy for Alabama so I am not sure how this will effect the fruit trees, I did not get to tap the trees to make syrup, the main reason being that many I want to tap could be underwater this week with all the rain, so I do not want to waste. All I can do it note it on my book about this year and try again next year.

I have the area cleaned now and I just have a few small pines to drop and its ready to build on.

My Work Week - February 11-17, 2019

Monday -  I made cheese! I had read a blog about making cheese at home and without any special equipment. I made two type instead of just one, I just used 1/2 for each type so I got two 8 ounce containers. I made plain with just salt, a little to much salt!, and its more like a soft mozzarella and I made pepper Jack and I let it set out longer to get a little harder and it turned out wonderful!

Tuesday - I slept all day, it rained. As I have been told I do deserve a day off. Yes working on the homestead is hard work but once you get used to it, it feels normal to get up and chop down a tree.

Wednesday - I worked at the old home place, cleaning the tree debris. While I had one day without prediction of rain. This needed to have been done a whole back but was not so I decided to get this part done, I worked a couple hours and got most of it contained to the back edge of the property, this property is not large but on the side of a mountain so the work feels harder. I just have small stuff to move now and I will take a tarp with me next time and try to get all of it in one pull down the hill.

 Thursday -  I cut down five pine trees, dragged some limbs to the street. I concentrated on this for the day since there was no rain yet, I am using an electric saw so I have to plan. Five down and twelve to go!

Friday - Pulled brush to the street, I had a pile by the driveway that needed to be moved so I could work on this side of the driveway, I burned the raked up pile of chopped blackberry bushes, pine straw and poison ivy vines (I used a mask). I did not have a full day to work so I did what I could in a couple hours, the fire was past dark and I was lucky it did burn all the way because the rain came.

Saturday -  I cut the last of the vines in the area I want cleared, cut some small branches off the pines with the loppers, next I began cutting on the south side of the property against the fence, the other side of the driveway, I want this clear for a building or parking. I dragged more brush to the street for pickup. I have all of the cut down limbs to the street except a few pine limbs. I am sure I will get those moved before the next pick up. I also sowed more tomato seen in flower pots, big boys this time, after all its only a month till Spring!

Sunday - Took off because of the rain and went into town.

The weather is all crazy right now, as usual for this time of the year in Alabama, but we are having an entire week of rain coming for the 17th. till 24th. I have not gotten to use the wood chipper! I put it in a closet.

What to do while it rains and you are stuck in the house? 

Plan! Plan the garden and what you`ll plant. 

Look for the seeds or plants you will be planting.

Draw up the plans to the new building, look at costs and compare building to buying.

Clean house! Since I have been working outside I let the inside slide. Get rid of clutter, best time of the year to do this, new year, clean and clutter free home.

Clean out the deep freezer, take inventory of what you need for the next growing season so you can plant.

How was your past week on your homestead? 

By Andria Perry

Photos by Andria Perry

I am still making progress on this homestead, getting a store built. 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. New scent added this week! Honey Almond.

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