We finally got the black stain for our kitchen cabinets. we have completed the rest of the cabinets, and we think they look fantastic! While some might hesitate at the idea of black cabinetry, it really pops against the wall and ceiling colors. We're implementing a two-toned cabinetry design throughout the entire cabin. Picture this: shelves on the walls in a pecan stain that perfectly matches our existing dresser and two cabinets, all complemented by black shelving and cabinets. You’ll just have to wait to see it! Rick also did an incredible job assembling the cast iron wall, meticulously laying out the locations for each pan. Cat couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Plus, she managed to unpack three more kitchen boxes—yay! There is just one box left of kitchen decor, which we can finalize once all the shelves are installed.
In other news, Rick has been hard at work on his mill attachment for the chainsaw. He successfully assembled it and then brainstormed a clever solution for making the first straight cut on the logs we’re milling. After some research, he came up with a brilliant idea using our old bed frame that we brought from Michigan. His creativity led him to devise a jig for the logs, and we’re hoping to do a test run tomorrow—if the weather holds up, that is. It seems to rain unexpectedly here, sometimes multiple times a day!
In the kitchen, now that Cat has all her tools and gadgets, she is really enjoying cooking up some delicious meals. Cat found a bread recipe we both love, so she is making it regularly. Keeping us stocked with bread can be a challenge with all the unexpected events, but she also made chocolate pudding from scratch for the first time—it’s definitely a keeper! We both have a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate. Recently, we received a box of produce that was nearing its expiration date, so we shared some with a neighbor and canned carrots, sweet potatoes, and one jar of our own green beans. That brings our total to over 100 jars put up this year so far—can you believe it? There’s still plenty of growing season left!
Speaking of gardens, we’re still harvesting plenty of green beans, and our second round is looking fantastic. The peanuts are blooming, so we can expect them soon. I ended up with more zucchini plants than we planned, but that just means more for freezing and sharing with neighbors and friends. The pumpkins are blooming too, although just the male flowers for now. Unfortunately, we discovered that something had dug up the bed with my cucumbers and peppers, which were thriving. As the day went on, they started to look worse. There was also digging in our tomato bed. After consulting a friend, she suspected it might be an armadillo and recommended a hot pepper and vinegar solution. We bought the necessary items, but it won’t be ready for a few weeks. In the meantime, Cat cut up peppers and sprinkled them around the plants. The next morning, we found more digging, especially concentrated in the tomato bed. Thankfully, we were able to re-bury the plants, and they seem to be recovering. Now we have to set up a live trap, but we wanted to ensure we were baiting for the right animal. We’ve set up cameras to catch the culprit in action.
The following morning, we reviewed the footage and discovered it was a raccoon! We set the trap that night with some cat food, but the next morning, it was empty. The camera showed the raccoon sniffing around the trap but not going in. That night, our motion light activated near our conex, which is on the opposite side of the driveway from the garden. The little rascal was wandering around over there. We reset the trap with even more bait leading up to it, and the next morning, we had success! The funny part was that when Cat woke up, she saw the raccoon in the cage, while a stray cat lounged on the log next to it. Cat couldn’t help but wonder if the cat was mocking the raccoon for getting caught, or perhaps providing emotional support. We took care of the raccoon, so hopefully, we won’t have any more issues. Nothing was caught on the cameras last night, so fingers crossed! Currently, our garden isn’t fenced off, but we plan to extend it either this fall or early spring.
We’ve been busy putting cages around our berry plants to keep the canes under control and protect the fruit from ants. Additionally, we staked our zinnia plants as they were toppling over. Our dehydrator (sun oven) has been working hard, currently drying wild lettuce, comfrey, and purslane. Next on the list are strawberry leaves. I also made a new batch of our all-natural odor-fighting spray, which works wonders! If you’d like the recipe, just comment below. Cat finally started experimenting with ChatGPT, and we now have a logo, which you can see above. It isn’t perfect, but we’re quite pleased with it. She has also created a Facebook page dedicated to the homestead, where she’ll share more everyday moments, thoughts, random photos, and other tidbits that don’t make it here. Click the button below to check it out, and be sure to follow us to stay updated.
Community is vital. Good friends help keep you grounded, and they often come bearing gifts, which you can reciprocate. We’ll be picking up some slab wood and sawdust from a friend’s house soon. Bertha has generously gifted us plenty of produce, chocolate mint plants, a moringa tree, and a goji berry plant. Cat has been sharing medicinal herb plants with Bertha and Shan, and she may have gone a bit overboard with seeding some of them. We truly feel blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.
Cat's phone decided to crash on her, becoming incredibly laggy and freezing frequently. She finally reached her breaking point. With Rick’s help, she backed everything up and did a hard reset, which was the easy part. Reinstalling everything has been quite the challenge. This happened just a few days ago, and I’m still working on getting everything back to normal. She’ll get there!
Remember Small Steps Get You Miles
Rick & Cat
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