A Beautiful Day

God is soooo good! The past 3 weeks have turned somewhat frustrating with all that needs to be done over on our new property. We had opted to have a metal barn built so as to be able to store the tractor and other stuff over there instead of taking it back and forth as needed. Having signed the contract for one, that company then ignored calls and messages when I needed their license number and type for the building permit causing us to basically grind to a halt on our plans (and worrying that our deposit was just going to disappear into thin air). Well, Cindy, the lovely lady at the place we ordered it at on Clemson Boulevard, stepped in and cancelled that order and got us the same deal with a better company who uses all-American steel to do the build, and so, today, we went over to sign the contract on that one.

We were already planning on looking for the nursing mama dog that I'd seen before, heading into the woods, up the road from us. We'd sat by the tract entrance where I'd seen her go in, and had left food, a few days ago when we'd last gone over. Today, my plan was to do the same again, and set up a spot on our property to attempt (over time) to coax her to, in the hope of trapping her and her puppies, and eventually getting them all vetted and adopted through one of the rescues. To that end, we'd taken over one of our dog beds, to put in the one wood shed that's over there, and were going to begin getting it cosy, for when we managed to catch her.

So, today, we had grabbed lunch from Arnold's and were going to sit down by our creek and eat before heading to Cindy. Lo and behold, as we're eating, out of the corner of my eye I see what looked like my Lightning and (yes, my brain sometimes is slow) I thought "what is Lightning doing running around?" before it dawnied on me that we hadn't brought our dogs with us.  It was the little mama, same colour, sorta looks the same but smaller.  Well, I put some of my fries outside my door and she gingerly came over, grabbed one and backed away, and repeated the action, with me talking to her the whole time. I took a chance and opened my car door but stayed still, and she continued grabbing fries while I talked to her.  Hubby snuck out the passenger side and grabbed the bag of dog food we had for her, and went around and out some down for her in the take out container.  She sniffed at him and backed away but continued to eat, only backing further away when he attempted to stroke her head. After she finished eating, she ran slowly away from us, and towards the sheds, where she then managed to disappear from view.

We put more food and water down, in the take out container, but decided to hit up the Dollar General after seeing Cindy, and getting better bowls and more food, which we then took back to our property, and Mark changed out the food and water, and we left the new bag of dog food there so that tomorrow, we can put more down for her.

It's as if she recognised my car from the time we'd sat by the wooded area up the road, when we'd left food, and when she saw us on our property she figured she'd take a chance.  So, we're going back tomorrow, with cedar chips to put on the ground under the dog bed, and then also on it, and a blanket to go on the top as well.  Since it's supposed to be bitter cold tomorrow night, I'm hoping she'll find it and get her puppies to it. We're going to use blocks to prop it open just enough for her to go in and out but hopefully shut out most of the wind and cold. 

It's just lovely that she came to us, I'm hoping to build up trust with her and (although I'm hoping a rescue will work with me to get the puppies vetted and adopted) I'm thinking she will probably end up as ours eventually. She has a very submissive nervous posture, so I don't think she'll end up as anyone's lapdog and wanting petting all the while. She's not as timid nor anti-people as Mystery was, but I just think she'd be happier with us so that she can be who she wants to be.

I'm pretty certain God had a hand in that! From about 1/8 mile up the road, in the woods, to just coming over to us on our property.  Yep, He def had His hands in it. Praying he helps mama find the savvy to bring her puppies to the shed so we can keep them all safe.

Diary Of Our Land Transformation #2 : More Mowing and Filling Ruts

 Today began cold and frigid, but once the sun came out it got a bit better. I did a quick run to Chick-Fil-A for chicken minis for everyone for breakfast as Our granddaughter, Jel, and great-grands, Daniel and Samantha, came to help hubby today and accomplished a lot (although we still have probably more than 1/2 the property to mow). That's a lot of overgrown pasture, that's for sure.

Jel and Samantha commandeered the lawnmower

and did some straight up and downs, front to back, and then some meanderings down by the marshland and creek. Daniel took charge of the tractor,

and made a small hit on an overgrown dirt pile, that he got buckets of soil from to fill the ruts in the dirt road from the front of the property,

with hubby levelling the spots out and then me, in my trusty Serendipity, going back and forth over them to pack the dirt in real well.  Trust me, my Kia Soul is a farm car, she LOVES doing this stuff!

We took some fencing over and one of the plants in pots, tomorrow we plan on taking more plants over, it's supposed to rain Monday so they'll be able to sit and get a good soaking, and on a nicer day, in a few weeks, we'll plant them out along fencelines to grow into bushes.

Diary Of Our Land Transformation. #1 It's All Go!

 Finally, we closed on the property, on Friday morning, and here we are, just 2 days later and it's just getting busier and busier. Yesterday the real work began. We have to have a well dug, so I had called Lee's Well Drilling Service on Friday afternoon and he came out there to meet us yesterday, and we began the process. We chose where to put the well (he found the perfect spot and it was exactly where I'd told my hubby I wanted to put it) and signed the contract for him to start the permitting process to get it done. 

Our next thing is to get the electricity turned on and all I have to do for that is get the number off of the meter we want to use off of the 2 that are there from when previous owners had mobile homes there, and they will switch it on! That'll be my first Monday morning call tomorrow. I's spoken to a lovely lady at the power company on Friday afternoon and she also put in a work request for an engineer to come out to see abut removing unused wires at the front of the property since I need to use a sod cutter down there to clear grass from where I'll be planting roses, gardenia bushes and privacy trees. I don't want to have to deal with the grass keeping on coming back, so am thinking a sod cutter will remove a lot of roots to help with that.  When we do start planting, then I'll have a weed barrier down and mulch on top, so hopefully that will help it stay nice.

Thinking ahead, we are also wanting a power pole installed and need a concrete pad laid for a metal storage building and then, said building erected. Having had a trailer stolen from here before, in a more inhabited area, we want to make sure that anything we take over there before we are actually living there, is locked up safely and well-lit.

Hubby's back was giving him gyp, so our planned canna lily transplant didn't happen. They've been growing in a big pot but we plan on popping them down near the creek as they help naturally draw out impurities from water. There is already one down there so when we saw that, we figured it could have a friend.

One of my goals, over time, is to put various cleansing plants in the marshy  area and creek so as to naturally purify it. The canna lilies are the beginning of that project.

My granddaughter-in-law and great-granddaughter came over to hang out with us and went on a wander. Our Miss Lily was enthralled at finding a turtle slide in one area of the creek so I have promised that we will pop a bench down there as we get doing things, so that she can sit and watch the turtles with her mum or dad anytime she is over. Ah, the magic of childhood and simple things.

I'd like to get a water barrel system going over there, and soaker hoses, so that we'll have water to water them with since we won't have running water until after we have the well. We've used them here, and I'm definitely wanting some by the orchard we'll be planting in January when the fruit trees arrive, and for the vegetable garden that will (hopefully) get started in Spring.  I'd considered a Fall one but I honestly think we have so much else to do and prep first, that we aren't really likely to get that done.

We're also planning on using a solar pump to use some of the water from the creek, but that's also going to be a "later on" project.

I just have such a lovely vision for this property. I have the  privacy trees for the front being delivered in February, and fruit trees for the "orchard" coming mid-January (these are during their recommended planting seasons for my zone). 

During our warmer Autumn days I'm hoping we can also get some of our gardenia plants transplanted out so that they can begin to flourish.  Those that are now bushes by our gate here began as potted plants 23 years ago. So I'm hoping my planted cuttings, once transplanted over there, will flourish and begin to grow into bushes. I'll be starting more cuttings over the next few days. There's an awful lot of fencing the plant my bushes along!

I did find out yesterday that my older ridearound, although much stabler/steadier than my lighter weight one on the uneven ground, was ok going down to the creek on a strip that my hubby mowed down for meto ride down, but did not want to come back up!.  He had to push me numerous times with the tractor and unfortunately, the last time broke one of my rear lights. It's great on the flatter areas but def not on ruts. My grandson was surprised at how heavy the seat of it was, when we had taken it apart to take it home. We actually left our trailer with the tractor and mower in his driveway overnight since we are going back over there today.  Save on gas and wear and tear.

Hubby mowed for about 3 hours. The grass was about 4 feet high last week, but then the rains had came, and beaten some of it down but it was so thick. The piles left that were blown out of the mower show how dense it was. He managed to do maybe 1/8 of the overall grassland. We think that by the time he gets it all done it'll be time to start redoing this bit again.  Obviously, once it's all trimmed and under control, keeping it that way won't be as difficult as this first cutting.

This is the overall picture of the property. It used to be a part of the home at the front, the barn of which is actually stables,

but now is separate. Our property used to be the pastures for the horses. Where Mark mowed yesterday is on the far right side, from one of the fences and down towards the marshy area near the creek. He got it done about 1/2 of the way, and level with the little "dirt road" by the tree up top. 

It was not an easy mow, that's for sure. The cut grass looks very untidy for now, but will decompose and replenish the ground.  This pic is from close by the tree looking down towards the creek.

Methinks though, that for it only now being our third day (and we are heading over there about noon for him to mow some more) we've made a pretty good start. It's beautiful out there, and we have such plans.

God is good! I can only hope we live up to His plans for us.

Changes

Well, it seems the more we think about stuff, the more we overthink it and then end up adding and discussing more options. We wanted to build maybe a log cabin on the property - whew! Not going to happen.  They are just as, if not more than, expensive as the subdivision houses going up around us that are wood (bang! bang!) and then chipboard and then siding, and costing $300-$400 thousand dollars.  Ridiculous! I'm not putting us in the poor house for something like that.

So, last Friday, we went and looked at some modular homes.  They are stick built and have sheetrock walls, so can be wallpapered if I want to go that route.  They are pretty spacious and I really like the kitchens in a couple of them.  The neat thing is, the guy who owns the business said he can modify for me so I have some wider hallways for a mobility scooter, should I end up needing one indoors in a couple of years, and change out other stuff too. About 1/3 of the price of the cabins and build-on-your-land houses.

We're 95% leaning towards that now, and once we close on the land we'll go back and sit down with him and discuss all our options to make it work for me.  The one we like most is a 4 bedroom - and that FINALLY means I can get my train set all put together,

in its own room,

all nice and cosy

and be able to enjoy it ...

and get back to finishing up some of the models that I put away when we started trying to pack away to renovate this place. I have a turntable, engine houses and a gas station to build! I had to stop because Brunel wouldn't leave things alone, jumped up on my modelling table, knocked things down, messed up some of the cardboard models (like my war memorial), so the project ended up on hold awaiting its own dog-free spot.

Another room will be a gym, with my bike and my seated stepper in, out of the living room and everyone's way, and methinks a massage chair would go nicely in there too :)

There's even a mud room with a doggie wash area! Oh yes, that'll come in handy. Not that ours will be enamoured but oh well, dirty dogs need bathing!

We have our new beds so don't need fresh ones, I so love my bed, it really helps with my lymphoedema and blood pressure.

The kitchen, well, I won't need a fridge freezer as we have the 3 here to take with us. I'll be having to run down all the contents over the next couple of months though and then start restocking again once they're installed in the new place.

It seems moving is a great and easy way to declutter :) You get to start from scratch all over again. And even at my age, I am excited about this. I am so looking forward to it.

On Sunday, we went over to pop some treatment tabs down the septic tanks, so as to get them cleaned up a bit before we move there, since they've not been used in awhile, and lo. There was a young couple wandering around the property. They said they were buying it too! I immediately got a hold of our realtor, and she contacted the seller who said that, although they had received other offers, that ours was the only one accepted and that they should not have been on the property. Ruby later clarified that because we have signed and exchanged contracts that the seller backing out would be a lawsuit for breach of contract, and that since we already have a closing date, not to worry. The seller's realtor was quick to "oh no, no, no, your clients are the only ones with a contract". I felt bad for the young couple, as the lass seemed as in love with the place as I am.

With it pouring down with rain since the middle of the night, and non-stop ever since, and due to keep on like that until Wednesday, we plan on doing a drive by on Wednesday evening to see how flooded the marshland area gets, and to see the flow in the creek.

Planning, Planning, and More Planning

 Getting ready for our new place is exciting, but we'll be taking it easy and doing "stuff" slowly because I want everything done "properly" and not rushed. Once we've closed, and it is really ours, the first project will be fencing the front. I've found some lovely black railings and an arched double gate

that opens to 12 feet wide that Mark can do the honours and make open electronically.  We want to set them in brickwork kind of like this example above. The one here has made my life so much easier, and has proved convenient for the rest of the family as well, when it's raining or cold and they don't want to be out in it.

I plan on bringing the fence around and partway up the "drive" (dirt track!) and then having the gate there, about 20 feet in from the road so's folks aren't on the road waiting for the gate to open.

Once the fence is done, and Spring arrives, we will plant roses behind the fence and behind them, a few feet and parallel to the spaces between the rose bushes, a row of gardenias (these will eventually grow to be like a hedge). Then, a few feet behind those, a row of privacy trees.  I haven't decided on which ones I like the most yet, or which have the least problems. I hate seeing a row of privacy trees where 2 or 3 are yellowed and dying, and it seems some varieties are more prone to do that, than others.

Coming in from the gate, to the right, I'm going to have a mini orchard and today placed an order for 5 fruit trees, to be delivered in early Spring. All are multiple varieties on one root - 4-on-1 plum/pluot, 2-on-1 cherry, 4-on-1 pear, 4-on-1 apple and 4-on-1 fruit salad.  The pear and apple are considered "constant harvest" as the varieties blossom and fruit at different times for a longer harvesting periods. 

Then, we will be moving our grapevines from here and will have a couple of rows of grapevines running from the driveway in the direction of the creek. I may have to buy a few more in Spring to complete the rows.

We'll be moving a lot of plants from here to there throughout Spring. Gardenias and roses mainly, but also some young trees we'd planted this past year, and I'm continuing to start gardenias from cuttings off our 2 original bushes so that we can have them along many of the fencelines around the property.

We'll have 2, possibly 3 beehives this year, and they will be at the top end of the property, close to where Mark is going to dig out some of the swamp, when we have an excess of dry weather, to form a natural pond. We really need it dry and cracking in order for him to be able to do that, and we want to put a solar pump and fountain in the middle of it, before he then "breaks though" to the creek to allow the water from there to flood in. At the same time, we'll be putting in various aquatic plants that naturally clean all the different minerals and pollutants from the water, so that, over time it will be beneficial to the rest of the swamp as well. And all naturally!

The bees will definitely have an abundant supply of food and water sources.

I'd been talking about getting milkweed so as to help Monarch butterflies ... and lo and behold, there are a smattering of them throughout the property, and yesterday I even saw a couple fluttering around each other, like they were playing. It was nice to see.

We're also going to add to the morning glories that are there as we were blessed to see a hummingbird on one over the weekend.

It's really a paradise there.

So Much Has been Going On

I fell in love about 8 weeks ago. Love makes you do silly things.  Sometimes things you might regret but you charge ahead regardless. I did that, and then I paused and waited patiently for a sign that this was the right thing to do. A week ago last Thursday, 11 days ago now, I got that sign, and thus began a mad and crazy rush of doing everything on a "must do" list, in order to procure the object of my attentions.

Hmmmm, I can hear you thinking.  What is she on about? 

Well, our little bit of heaven, in the boonies, has been shattered by the encroaching onslaught of 2 subdivisions close by making traffic horrible on our tiny winding road, and then the house being built right up near our back field fence, and rudely facing onto our property. I am no longer in my happy place here, so we have found us almost 9 acres out in Belton that is STILL in the boonies, to move to. It's even got a creek running along one side.

We exchanged contracts at the beginning of last week and are now waiting to close December 9th (possibly earlier if we get all our ducks in a row before then).

Yesterday, we were out there mowing so that we can have someone come out this week to do some testing and make sure that the septics are working as they should (so that we don't need to pay for a new one!) and that we can have a well dug. The current owners gave us permission to mow since the grass is 3-4 feet high and it was either, allow us on the property to do it, or they'd have to. 

My mate, Kwacha, came with us and my granddaughter, Nicolette, met us out there. While Mark mowed a little (the tractor mower deck started smoking so he had to stop. Found out, once we got home, some string or something had wrapped around it and the belt, so he got it sorted and we are going back over, this morning) us girls discussed my vision for this property. They both understood my peace there.

Mark wandered back over to the stream and took some more pictures for me, even as I planned the first project for once it's truly ours - the front fencing and electronic gate with gardenias and roses along the fenceline and then a row or 2 of trees for privacy. We are going to do an indent, so that the gate is not at the roadside but maybe 20 feet or so on the property, so that we can get off the road easily. 

From the beginning, I said that if this property was meant to be ours, it would happen. If it was meant to be it would be ... God has been really good to us and everything fell into place within a week, once we decided to go for it.

Itt's probably going to take us around a year or so to get it ready for us to start building, but come Spring we'll be planting bushes, fruit trees, veggies, loads (and I mean LOADS!) of gardenias and roses, and we'll have 3 bee hives up and going. We've also seen milkweed on the property, so are going to nurture that so as to, hopefully, help the Monarch butterfly population.

 

Getting Ready For Spring

 This weekend, and earlier today, I've been busy starting rose cuttings (yellow and pink) and planting some rooted gardenia cuttings in buckets, ready for planting out in Spring. I still have more to do later (2 more containers of gardenia cuttings rooting in water, to plant) and then will wash out the containers and have hubby cut me some more to start some more rooting. I want to have a load of scented plants ready for Spring, so that we can have them all around the yard.  

I've ordered some bulbs as well, daffs, wood hyacinths, tulips and crocus, and 2 peony roots.

Everything geared towards Fall plantings for Spring bloomings, and Spring plantings for blooming through Summer - all BEE FOOD :) 

We may have lost our bees this year, to that dratted wax moth infestation but it was an experience we have def learned from.  Next year, we will buy 2 more queens and their bees, and they will have plenty of beautiful flowers to enjoy. As well as the trees.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be planting some of the new growth from under the fig and cannabifolia (butterfly) trees, in buckets. Again for transplanting in Spring.

I do love my fragrant bushes and trees.