These are some of the pinto beans Ms. Dorothy gave us. We let these to dry on the vine (mostly). We’re continuing to dry them for planting next year, so these are our “next generation” of beans. Free food…doesn’t get much better than that!
The Grappler
It took a nearly a month, but the grapple finally arrived! Ewald did a great job of installing it for us, turning it around in just under a day. Now to take care of that brush pile….
Open wide…
…aaaaaand it looks like we’re going to need some practice here.
The massive old fence posts were much easier, though.
Repurposing an Old Boot
Iain “outgrew” (literally) his boots. They were too far gone for Goodwill, so we pondered a bit on how we might use them around the property. Then, we had an idea…nail them to the porch, fill them with soil, and use them as planters. I think Iain planted garlic in this one – and there’s something else in there, too. Whatever is in there, one thing’s for sure – they smell better now.
We Got Stairs!
Another day project on the outdoor kitchen. Finally got tired enough of hearing my bones creek every time I lurched up onto (or down from) the deck. First time I’ve ever built stairs, and I’m sure if you peered in from the other side, you’d be aghast at what you saw. But, hey, they hold my 300+ pounds without any shimmying or shaking, and that’s good enough for me.
Braces
Work on the outdoor kitchen continues this weekend. Today, we put up some braces, locking in the cedar posts to the cross beams and trusses. The roof was pretty steady before, but it’s actually noticeably steadier now.
Metal for the roof should be delivered in a couple of days….
Tractor Port
In the summer of 1987, we moved from Minnesota to Louisiana. There, I saw these things called “carports.” Never seen or heard of anything like that in Minnesota. Too much snow, I guess.
Fast forward to 2016, and we needed a place to park the tractor to offer some protection from the elements. We found a decent deal at Metal Carport Depot. Ordering from them was an easy process, and they had it here in a week or two. Took them about an hour to set it up, and they did a great job.
So while we don’t have a “car” port yet, we do have a “port” for the important stuff…the “tractor port.”
More Sunrise, Sunset
We’ve had the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets lately. Below, the trees are waking up with the sun…
…and here things are quieting down with a fiery sunset…
…and another beautiful morning on the property…
…followed by another fiery sunset.
Natural Beauty
In springtime, the property “springs” to life with all sorts of wildflowers in the fields. Here’s a sampling. Not sure what each of them is called, but they’re beautiful nonetheless.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a sign of good soil, and we were amazed to find mushrooms growing wild all over our property. Since then, we’ve found all kinds of edibles growing wild on the property, from amaranth to chile pequins, to grapes…all zero effort on our part. Part of God’s generous provision.
Duck House
Shortly after we moved onto the property, Chris and Elizabeth Coats brought us five of their Muscovy ducks to start our duck flock. Since the property was vacant for so long, there were wild predators around, and we needed a protected place for the ducks. We found a place just down the road in Seguin that has free pallets available all the time, and we scraped together some pieces to build a makeshift “duck house”…complete with “Duck” (brand duct) tape.