Playing farmer

I was like you, needed to fix, or build, fine house, love the kitchen, open so a lot of friends or relatives cab congrate, you done good!

Great job!

Give it a little time. You'll come to appreciate what an accomplishment this is. Your mind just needs a little time to see it as finished.

Congrats!

Thanks! Probably no house warming party. I still cant figure out when I want to even move in. In a few weeks I should have some furniture, to busy right now to go look at anything. April starts planting and stuff, so hopefully before then. Everything in the house is technically ready and works, I just don't use any of it. We cooked pizzas in the oven one night, that was nice. I haven't had an oven in a few years. It sounds funny but I think I am going to MAKE myself take a shower over there. Just hopefully if I start using it it will feel like something that is supposed to be used?

Yup, it’ll feel like home pretty quickly, after you start living in it.

Looks great!

That's so strange to me that the bank would care about the trailer. I've had all kinds of stuff on my lots over the years and built buildings and add-ons with electricity electricity. Anyway glad that everything is going well for you overall. We're all blessed more than we deserve.

More than a few months have passed since last posting. I think the biggest thing I have accomplished since is moving in the house has been gaining weight. 

Moved in the house been living here since April. Sitting still to allow bank accounts and body recover. Not sure which is actually recovering, but everything in its own time.

House is fine, still settling as one will . I have mental lists of everywhere that needs more paint, and drywall seams need redone, and more grout needed. No real issues yet. I still go up in the attic after every rain to make sure no leaks, even though I know there is not. It is a sometimes funny sometimes not continuation that the house cant be done, something has to be wrong. It just has to be. The porch lights/fans did stop working. Found that when putting up the porch ceiling I had nicked one of the wires with the nail gun. Easy fix so at least that was something to do. The side and back door are allowing water to seep in if the deadbolt is not locked. Has darkened the wood floor some, Ill fix over time but for now just keeping them locked.

Gardens came and went. Plenty of food in my freezer and handed out. Most of the garden did fine. Mishap on labeling my tomato plants so ended up with more of the small variety's I grow than the larger ones. Still plenty to eat , just not as good a harvest as I am used to. Feels like I did not spend as much time in the garden as years past, but still had truck loads of produce, so probably just in my head.  The field currently is green with spots of orange/white from the pumpkins.  Grew a bigger crop this  year,  will have family and anyone else come pick up some for the kiddos to carve.   People charge way to much for pumpkins around here at least.  It is easy to grow,  and kids get a kick out of going to pick out the one they want.  Anything they dont want ,  chickens end up eating so it gets turned into eggs. 

All the animals are doing ok , had another round of rabbits, but whatever disease I have on the place is still taking them out in larger numbers than I prefer. I kept breeding stock out of the ones that survived, I am going to try one more round, hoping that they are resilient to whatever the issue is. Combined two flocks of chickens, which currently is causing problems at night. They dont like going in the coop together, and try and fly to the nearest trees. Going to cut down the brushy tree line a few feet back this weekend hoping that helps. Ducks are still just doing whatever it is ducks do all day. I am the only person who really eats their eggs so not in a hurry to get more. I am letting two sit on some eggs but I doubt they will actually hatch.  I have lost count of how many quail I have in the freezer with another 30 plus to butcher this weekend.   Ill hold off on them for a bit,  winter is a hard time for them to grow and it shortens the chore list every morning if they aren't around.   I do have 30 chicks I can hear cheeping as I type.  in 6 or so weeks they will be butchered and will be the majority of my food for next year.  

Project wise is basically nothing, built some flower beds for cut flowers next year. My girlfriends daughter is getting married in a little over a year.  I figure on growing the flowers for the wedding.   Its ridiculous what flower places charge.  Flowers for the most part are even easier to grow than vegetables.  Plus always happy to feed the bees/birds. 

 Will be running water lines to the barn next month hopefully . Then just saving for gravel for the driveways, carport. than the actual carport and office. Still working out of the spare bedroom currently . The setup is working fine , but I would rather it be out of the house. I have to go in the office about once a month now to train people on things and listen to all the gossip apparently . 

I never get past how groups of people seem to sound like my chickens,  clucking but saying basically nothing.  Just who is the loudest and who has the most to complain/brag about.      The idea seems lost that we are all humanity ,   so their wins are also my wins,   and their loses are also my loses.    There is nothing to gain over another person,  we all rise together or fall together.   If you go up the metaphorical ladder one step ,  but push someone down one step,  humanity still just broke even.   

Was gifted some cigars so have been smoking on those more. Have not liked them in the past but something about it now has been nice. Certainly not a hobby I can afford , but I always have the best of the rest pipe tobacco handy, and maybe will throw in a cigar on occasion. 

I am still blessed beyond anything I deserve. There is a season to things for sure, the dog days of summer moving into the coolness of fall here. Has a fire in me to get more things moving and done.  I feel like I have gotten less done this year.   I generally feel behind,  but I dont know something about this year I just feel as I have been lazy.   I jokingly blame it on a nice house and AC now.   But I do feel it has taken an edge off.   Leaving a tool outside will weather and dull it ,  but maybe leaving a person inside does the same.  

Dads health has taken a turn.  I go and visit him often, but he is physically not the man he was a year ago,  and wont be again.      I knew I was lucky , but now it is really sinking in how lucky I was that he and I got to build this house. And now when he is able to visit we sit on the porch and talk about every nail , screw, board, lightbulb, the works that we did with our hands.    I had played with the idea of selling the whole place,  and starting over somewhere new,  but I think if that does happen it will certainly wait until the last of his and I conversations. 

I hope you are all doing well , I do read the posts more than I post.   Seems several folks are going through some things. I make sure to include the hardships in my prayers and hope things turn out fthe best they can for all .

Below are a few pictures of some of the crop from this year. the truck one, we drove around on the 4th of july and handed it out to families we saw out doing things. Met loads of good people.  The truck was twice as full , this was a photo I grabbed while stopping to get gas.    The picnic table is on the porch of the house,  its for the folks that know they can just come get what they want whenever they want. That photo was probably 2 days of picking.    Currently it is full of Spaghetti squash,  and butternut squash not much else though.   People take all the summer stuff as fast as I can put it up some weeks,   but the end of summer/fall squash no one really takes.  I think they need help on how to cook it .    I might build a little stand down at the road,  with a free sign,  and leave some index cards with recipes on how to cool some things.  

Sorry to hear about your dad's health. Enjoy him while you have him, which it sounds like is exactly what you're doing.

I think that “playing farmer”, is a misnomer.
While you may not operate a commercial farming operation, you are certainly a legitimate farmer, and obviously a blessing to the community you serve.