ANTS IN MY TRAILCAM

 How's that for a title?  Ha!

When I went out to check on things, my usual routine is to replace the memory card in the trail cam so it will be empty for the next week.  I went to replace it and reached down to undo the latch and...

...when I opened it, ants had made a nest IN it!  Eggs fell out and dirt and of course then they started swarming and I got them all over my hands.  I don't think they were fire ants because not all of them bit me and it didn't leave any spots from the bites.

I had to shake them off the camera after I got it off the fence post and when I opened it, there was dirt all inside the housing, the lenses, the sensors.  Sigh.

I salvaged the memory card but we had to throw the camera away.  It had a good multiyear run, time for something new.  I've been thinking of one of those that has a wireless connection so it can send pictures to us in the house or on a cell phones.  I could put a few around the property, that might be fun.

This was something we didn't expect, ha!

WE HAVE WATER NEW HOUSE UPDATE

Let's talk about a well...that's a pretty deep subject, ha! (couldn't resist)

Yes, we have a well, they came and drilled and completed it over a couple of days last week. 

Here is a picture of the process...they arrived Thursday morning and started digging and drilling.

And here's a short video (sent to us by our awesome building site manager) as it was nearing completion.

By the afternoon, they had finished drilling a really deep hole, ha.

They came back Friday and installed the equipment and this is what it looked like when they were done!  

Amazing how it was a mess of mud and water one day and back to perfectly normal the next.

Here is a picture to give you some perspective of it in relation to the house.  This is the outdoor kitchen porch, standing outside of the back garage door.

The site manager reminded us to be careful, they have a live wire running from the temporary power pole to the well to supply power.  This will only be until they get it hooked up to the house power and then they will run the permanent line to the well.  He said "don't mow over it".  Trust me, I will avoid that area like the plague.

This is the other direction looking back toward the house.  They ended up going down to 260' deep.  They hit potable water at about 175', but wanted to go deeper to get really good, clean water and of course, lessen the risk of issues with future low water levels during any drought periods.

We also want to get a well house or shed over the top and have reached out to a couple of places that can do this.  We have to wait until the power is permanent and they don't need regular access so we still have a bit of time for that.

A water test was done and it was good to go. We'll do another one in a couple of weeks but for now...

...we were able to fill up some buckets and watered the plants and trees.  Yeah, a hose would have been perfect, and we have several, but they were locked in the shed...and I left the keys at the apartment.  Oops!  We'll get that out next weekend for sure.

But hey, in the end, there's water.  It's crazy to think that on Thursday, it was just a yard, green grass and dirt.  Less than 48 hours later, a 260' deep hole with a faucet at the top was filling buckets with water.

We have our own water now!

GOOD FOOD AND HOBART SUNDAY

Here we are, another week has flown by.  Lots of house progress, more on that this week.  2nd Man and I were out there yesterday, I didn't have to mow but I did have to water and we had to meet a contractor out there.

We opted for easy, some 15 bean soup, a little sliced avocado, and some good cornbread.  It was very good, all made with very little fat and but very filling.

When we got back, he was lying in his usual sunshine spot, stretched out and enjoying the warmth on his old bones.  We can relate Hobart, we can relate.  We let him sleep as long as he wanted and we just stepped around him.  Because...

#notspoiled

MORE EXTERIOR PICS NEW HOUSE UPDATE

 Yesterday, we posted some interior pics of what they have done, today it's some of the exterior.  They finished the outside and then cleaned up all around the house and it looks so good to see it like this.

The roof shingles will go on soon but the house is "dried in" as they say, meaning the interior of the house is now protected from the weather.  So HVAC, plumbing and electrical can begin.

Here is the front.  They have the porch support posts up, and all the board and batten siding is up and the corbel details at the roof peaks are done.  Also, the detail boards above the windows and garage door opening are installed.  

This is the garage wall with the transom windows.  The porch will have railing around it, but they do that toward the end so it doesn't get damaged with all the in and out of workers.

Here is the back corner, that porch will eventually be the place for outdoor cooking/prepping.  We are going to extend the space from the slab by adding a deck (after we get settled in) in order to make it more of an outdoor area.  Maybe some deck chairs, we can move the grills out there to use them, some planters since it will be a nice sunny open area (for those days when we want that, ha), it should be a fun usable space.

And speaking of, here's another one from behind Barnabas looking toward the house.  Glad we were able to keep him there.  He adds so much character and can be the focal point of some yard planning.

Here is the back while standing near the orchard.  The windows on the left side are the dining room and the windows on the right are the master bedroom.  The small window is the shower.

This is a better, closeup view of what will be the screened in porch.  It's hard to tell size from this picture but it's 10 feet deep and 20 feet long.  That's not a railing, that will be the solid lower wall and then built in screens above.  The opening on the end will be a screen door.  We will have 200 square feet of 'living' space.  It will hold our extra dining table (the one we had in the original farmhouse) and the yellow hutch that was in the old kitchen.  We're already getting some dishes and dinnerware to keep out there (think colorful).  We also have a marble top table that we are going to tuck into a corner to act as a landing place for food and drinks.  We can't wait to go out there when the weather is nice and have breakfast or dinner or just sit and relax and "listen" to nature.

A closeup of the front to see the details.  The house will be barn red and those corbels and details will be cotton white.  We thought they painted later but that will actually happen sooner.

Lastly, here's a view from standing over near the barn and mower shed looking back.

Oh the landscaping I can't wait to do!

MORE INTERIOR PICS NEW HOUSE UPDATE

Warning, picture heavy post, part one.

Here are some more photos.  Last weekend they finished up the exterior.  One (of the many) things we are impressed with is how well they keep the job site cleaned.  It looked great and was so much fun to walk around in, imagining where furniture will go, etc.  They pick up all the extra debris, nails, they even sweep and clean the concrete slab.

Without further ado, here are some interior pics with descriptions of what they are.  After the interior, tomorrow (Friday) we will post new exterior photos so we don't put too many in one post.

Here's an angle of the garage from the corner toward the two transom windows on the end (they do not open, they are only there to let light into the garage).  You can see the attic entrance and they have floored as much as they can.  This will be our holiday storage.  The door goes to the backyard/cooking porch, the doors are the temp ones so they can lock up the house soon, and in the back corner is the platform for the water heater.

And here is what it looks like from the back wall.  The driveway/road comes RIGHT into the garage, ha.  We will have a concrete parking pad out front, but they do that at the very end of the project so it's not driven on by trucks, etc.

This is the study/office, I took this picture because you can see the view of the barn from this window.  2nd Man can keep an eye on me while he's working, ha.

This is the master bathroom shower.  It's 6 feet wide and 9 feet high and will be tiled from top to bottom.  Another transom window to let in light, and in case you are wondering, it's 7 feet off the ground (from the outside with the slab thickness) so no one can see in (except maybe bigfoot).  There will be a bench seat along one side and a grab/support bar on the back wall.  Oh, and a showerhead with handheld attachment and a rain showerhead above.  2nd man said he might fall asleep in the shower.  

Here is a view the screened in porch looking into the living room.  They have put up the lower wall, the screens will be above that. 

And here it is stepping inside, seeing from one corner over to the kitchen and the front door.

And here is the other corner, from the hallway that will go to the master bedroom looking back at the porch, living room and the kitchen.

Middle of the living room looking where we will have the sliding doors that make it an indoor/outdoor room.

That darn pantry keeps making an appearance, LOL!  They added the bracing for the counter on the back wall and the supports for the floating shelves above it.  We told them we wanted it to support weight of mixing bowls for 2nd Man's baking center.

OK tomorrow...new exterior pics!

POST TENSIONING SLAB NEW HOUSE UPDATE

I couldn't get my photos edited so we are posting this today to answer some questions and as a filler until I can get the pictures edited today/tonight and have them ready for a post on Thursday.  

Several of you asked about post tensioning slabs and what that was.  Here are some pics and an AI explanation of how it works since even we were confused, ha.  It is a method they use to make concrete slabs stronger and more resistant to cracking, especially in ares like ours.  Here's how it works:

Setup: Before pouring the concrete, steel cables (called tendons) are placed inside plastic sleeves or ducts within the slab area. These cables are not tightened yet.

Pouring Concrete: The concrete is poured over the cables and allowed to harden (usually 3-7 days, depending on the mix and conditions).

Tensioning: Once the concrete gains enough strength, the cables are pulled tight with the cables sticking out around the slab using hydraulic jacks. This process puts the concrete into compression, meaning it is squeezed together, which concrete handles really well.

Anchoring: After tensioning, the cables are locked in place with anchors at the ends of the slab. The ends of the cables are cut off and the anchor points are sealed or grouted for protection.

Result: The compressed concrete is much better at handling tensile forces (like bending or stretching) that could cause cracks. This makes the slab stronger and more durable, especially for large spans or heavy loads.

Hopefully, all this means that our slab will be solid and sturdy for at least the rest of our lives.

Tomorrow, updated house pictures!

ZEN MACHINE TIME AROUND THE NEW HOUSE

It's been, finally, a beautiful weekend. A little cool for us, and we'll take it.  90's are coming soon...I was able to finally get some mowing in.  This was the first time in a little over a month.

It looks good once again.  I had to jump start the truck to move it and mow underneath.  The grass had grown crazy with all the rain.  Time for a new battery.

I didn't mow as much because a lot was going back over what I had mowed with the deck up since it was so thick to get through but it was still a nice day.

Check out this picture:

The first picture of the house with the barn/shed and new house in the same shot.  Not as much to mow with all the stuff around the house but I'm OK with that.  Also the driveway no longer has to be mowed and I can't get down one side of it so it's all a learning curve. We've decided to skip mowing many of the trails since we're going to have so much of it cleared next Fall.

And look at this, a trash to treasure from the build:

I saw this large piece of foamboard insulation in the trash area.  I thought about how perfect it would be for using it like this:

I will use it as a pad underneath the mower when I need to get under it to clean it up.  I can kneel on it and it's soft, it's dry if the ground is damp, it's ant free, ha, and it lets me get up underneath to check the blades.

Sure it probably won't last for a long time (though it was pretty durable to have all the weight of the mower, it just flexed but didn't crease).   Until then, it's going to be perfect.  If it makes it long enough, I can even use it on the driveway to keep that clean when working on it.

It was a good weekend.  They are almost finished with the exterior, waiting on shingles now, but we will have some new pics in the next post.

GOOD FOOD AND HOBART MOTHERS DAY SUNDAY

 Sunday is here again!  I was able to get some Zen Machine time yesterday, more on that tomorrow, but for now, it's time for some good food and Hobart!

So in the grocery the other day, I saw these new (to us anyway) tomatoes called Kumato.  I picked some up and grabbed some fresh basil and fresh mozzarella.

We sliced them up, wow look at this.  They are a deep red brown color.  Super sweet and juicy.

Sliced it all up and drizzled it with our favorite aged balsamic and some good olive oil.  Caprese salad! SO delicious and a quick and easy lunch.  Can't wait to be growing our own tomatoes and basil next year.

Hobart was watching me as I was eating.  Side note, it's so cute when he's sitting like this, he crosses his front legs.  Anyway, I shared a piece of mozarella with him and he was happy.  We want to make sure he's happy because...

#notspoiled

SOMEONE WHO DESERVES TO BE SPOILED IS MOM!  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOMS OUT THERE AND THINKING OF THOSE THAT ARE NO LONGER WITH US!

LOVE FROM ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN!

SHARED CUSTODY OF A FARM DOG

In other breaking news...we might have (of sorts) a dog!?!  We know, you are probably going whaaaaat?

So backing up...a couple of months ago, "J" from 2nd Family saw a dog wandering down the road.  She said it was very thin and limping.  She tried her best to catch it but of course, being a possibly injured and a stray dog, you have to be careful.  She ended up putting some food and water by our mailboxes.

It took a couple of days but eventually there was trust and she was able to get the dog to come down the long driveway to her house.  It stayed under her carport for a couple more days and then slowly came up to her porch.  She's a female, and besides being really thin, her pads were bloody, from probably walking and/or going through brambles and such.  She took her to the vet, no chip, had her vaccinated just to be safe and got some medication for her pads.  She has been nursing her back to health.  Her pads healed up and now she's ready for her closeup, ha.

Introducing, Maggie!

"J" was hoping to get her adopted, she called a local rescue, but they are too full right now.  Then, she posted on Nextdoor, but no one recognized her.  Not sure if this is what you would call a foster fail or she just changed her mind but she's now going to be a permanent member of the property.

She's a great guard dog and barks at everything (might need to work on that, ha) and howls when the coyotes howl.  Then again, I think most dogs would do that, ha.

At first she was nervous when I came around to see her but the other day, for the first time, she rolled over and I gave her belly rubs!  Now, she runs around and is just a happy, silly dog who is super friendly.  We have to get her adapted to 2nd Man as well.

She named her "Maggie" (I'll have to ask how she came up with that name).  When we go out there, we take a big bag of food to help with the expense.  "J" wasn't planning on having a big dog but the Universe had other plans, ha.  2nd Man and I said we'd be glad to have her as a property dog, she can come stay down by us whenever she wants, or roam back and forth.

2nd Family had a big dog named "Blue" (he has since passed on) that some blog readers might remember, and while he was their dog and lived with them of course, he always came to visit me in the garden or lay on our porch while I was working.  I'll have to admit, it was nice having a canine companion nearby.

We're not sure her breed (2nd Man and I want to order a genetic test kit for her once we get out there) but the vet said she almost surely has some Anatolian Shepherd breed in her makeup.

*Not Maggie, image via wikicommons

We looked up that breed and here is an actual Anatolian Shepherd.  Indeed, there is a strong similarity.  They are very protective and loyal once they bond, they are herding dogs by nature and they are good at protecting livestock from predators, hence their protective nature.

"J" is keeping her up there and in her very large fenced in area so she is safe from the construction workers vehicles coming and going.  For now, we're happy that she found her way to the right new home and once we get out there, we'll be OK with having the added security of a dog on the property and...coparenting her!

It takes a village!