Our lives have been consumed by the aftermath of the ice storm, which has taken much longer to clean up than we anticipated. We’re tackling the task manually, using chainsaws, a small wood chipper, and hand tools. Our focus is primarily on the driveway and its edges. Rick has selected logs to create garden beds along the driveway. Since we can no longer line it with trees, Cat plans to fill those beds with sunflowers, which will be beautiful. Our next step is to rejuvenate our flower beds. The garden on the right is already planted with bulbs, while we seeded the left garden with a hummingbird flower mix and topped it off with fine wood chips.
To break the monotony of cleanup, we've been engaging in side projects. We've encountered some serious mud pits and muddy areas. In those pits, Rick used an auger to drill holes to help with drainage, but just as we almost get them cleared, it rains again. We’ve also mulched pine needles to cover the ground in front of the cabin and added a few stepping stones to reduce the amount of dirt tracked inside. After sweeping, the dustpan is always full—you'd think we live in a barn!
Recently, we received a couple of free items from our friend and neighbor, Chad, including an outdoor swing. It needed some TLC, as the top was bowing and it was aging. Rick shortened it a bit, flipped it around, replaced all the screws, and angled the bottom of the legs. Cat sanded the entire piece, and we stained it with used motor oil. It looks fantastic! We also acquired an antique hand plow, which we’re using as a decorative piece in our herb garden. We positioned the swing to face the fountain in our little pond and our herb beds, creating a lovely spot to relax.
We had to dig through the conex again to find a few items. While searching, we discovered our solar lights and began lining our driveway with them. We can't wait for the day we can fully unpack, set up shelves in the conex, and finally get organized—finding things has been quite the ordeal!
We’ve been stacking four-foot logs into piles and offered them to the ladies (M & M). With all the downed trees, we have enough wood to last for years. While we’re tired of dealing with trees, we still need to clear the left side of the driveway. We used some logs to outline the outer part of the circular drive, and Rick added solar lights around that area as well. It looks amazing! We’ve also been removing dirt from the root balls to fill in holes, as well as patching mud holes in the driveway and filling the sunflower beds.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’re expecting a grandson in August! Cat's daughter, son-in-law, and ladybug are all excited to welcome a boy. Her daughter Allison hosted a small, adorable gender reveal party, and while we couldn’t attend, the momma to be made it fun for us over text. We plan to visit Michigan in August and hope to be there for the birth. As long as we get to snuggle the baby, that’s all that matters to us!
You may remember our friend Ty, who recently got married. He ended up in the emergency room feeling unwell and was transferred to a Nashville hospital for a triple bypass. We spent over a week taking care of their dogs, cat, and chickens—that’s what friends do!
We’ve installed our new solar panels and are back to living off solar energy. Now, if only Mother Nature would cooperate and bless us with sunny days! The bulb bed is thriving in this beautiful weather. We’ve been working in T-shirts and jeans, enjoying temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The beds are starting to bloom, and most of the winter sowing jugs have sprouts. Our strawberries are coming along nicely, and our garlic is sprouting well. Many of the trees we planted are budding, and the crab apple tree looks lovely. We’re also seeing growth on our raspberries and blackberries, which brings us so much joy.
We took a few low-key days this week. After working hard, we cleaned the cabin and took a nap on Sunday. On Monday, we ran errands and then napped again. Today, we installed stones under the swing legs, cleaned the pond with our new net, and planted four new berry bushes we snagged at a great deal from Walmart. Rick also fixed our wagon, which has been a fantastic asset since we bought the property in Michigan. We’ve used it a lot! We chipped away more debris today and are almost finished with the entire circular drive. Cat worked on picking up sticks and debris, and the right side is nearly complete. We want the front to look great, especially since the east side of the property is a bit of a mess. We’re even removing the trees that the company dropped while building our road and driveway. Things are starting to look good.
However, there’s a downside: following a fire a few weeks ago, the fire marshal has determined that our roads need to be wider. As a result, Landstruck will be cutting back 4 feet on each side. This means we’ll have more mess to clean up, but I’m not going to complain. The wider roads will be beneficial, and they’ll be scraping and applying rock, which I hope will lead to a much smoother ride.
In just a few days, we’ll be celebrating our six-month anniversary here, which is hard to believe! It feels like we’ve been spinning our wheels at times, but we know we’ve accomplished a lot. The ice storm really set us back, but we’re making progress. In a few weeks, we’ll start planting in our garden, and we need to figure out how to build our chicken shed.
Remember Small Steps Get You Miles
Rick & Cat
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