We've been here for just over two weeks now. While we hoped to be further along in our progress, we're learning to roll with the punches and adapt. We want to share our complete journey with you – not just the highlights, but everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Our biggest challenge this week has been the relentless rain. It's been pouring! We really wish our water catchment system was operational; our two tanks would be overflowing. Our goal for this week was to clear the remaining 50 or so trees. As you can imagine, we had to seize every break in the rain to make progress. But first, we had to tackle the mountain of wood stacked between the trees.
We cleared the left side of the Conex, which will serve as our wood storage. Eventually, it will have a roof. Due to time constraints, we initially decided to just stack the logs and worry about splitting them later. We almost had it all stacked when the whole pile collapsed. After spending so much time on it, we were understandably upset, hot, and sweaty. It was time to pivot. We decided to get the splitter out after all, process all the wood, and then stack it properly. We hooked up the wood splitter to the generator, pushed start, and nothing happened. Unfortunately, our generator couldn't handle the load. Time for a meeting! We debated selling the splitter, but Cat reminded Rick that we're not getting any younger and won't be swinging axes forever. We decided to invest in a new generator capable of handling anything we throw at it. We could then sell our current one to some friends, making it a win-win for everyone. So, Rick headed to the store an hour away, while Cat stayed at the homestead dismantling the rest of the wood pile and getting it ready for his return. He got back, tested it out, and it works like a dream! We split some wood that day and were all set to start fresh the next. It only took us a partial day to get it all done, thankfully!
The weather has been hot during the day and cool at night, but the last few days have been quite pleasant. For our daily plans, we use a whiteboard on the fridge. The night before, we write down our goals for the next day. This has been very effective in keeping us focused. Anything we don't finish automatically carries over to the next day's list. Some days we accomplish a lot, while others we barely make a dent. We're currently in that phase. We knew tree removal would take time, and now with the rain, it's taking even longer. Fortunately, it looks like we have sunshine for the next week, so we can really get some work done. It looks like a hot mess right now. We've officially dropped a little less than half of the trees, but we're still working on processing many of them.
We're managing our water situation much better. We always keep our empty containers in the jeep, so if we go to town, we automatically refill them. We had a huge errand day yesterday because the rain just wouldn't stop. This included a visit to DHS to drop off documents, getting water, gas, and groceries. We're also learning to fine-tune our electricity use until we get solar hooked up. This includes running our AC when it is absolutely necessary, which we have not had to do. Running the generator is still more economical than our utility bills back in Michigan.
The bugs here are relentless! There has got to be 3 times as many bugs here than in Michigan. We've had a terrible gnats problem in the camper, which was driving us both crazy. So, we decided to do something about it. At Walmart yesterday, we found one of those Zevo machines and bought the stand alone option. It all set up. The good news is it barely uses any electricity. The even better news is that it works incredibly well! Overnight, the majority of the gnats in here were stuck to the sticky pads in the machine. So, if you've been considering getting one, I highly recommend it!
The final update for the week: Our goal for the end of next week is to start on the cabin.
Remember Small Steps Gets You Miles
Rick & Cat
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