Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 1255)
Hello Everyone!
Some good rest, Ordering dog crates, Finding a shed, A need for cinder blocks & More cleanup progress!
Alright, I am running about twenty-eight minutes behind schedule with my writing routine this evening because I had a heck of a time getting up the willpower to get out of the tub... and quit relaxing in it after a very long day. I did not quite get to the point where I was going to fall asleep in there... but whoa if I had stayed in the warm water much longer I sure would have.
Last night I zonked out much earlier than I have been lately... and I think that a big part of that was because after going on that supply run... I had quite the bellyful of food. I did my best not to overdue it on the food (and gorge myself) after skimping by for so long but I sure was tempted to... even knowing that it would screw me over on my rationing.
For some reason as long as I make it through the first night (after a supply run) I am not tempted again to 'eat a bunch' afterwards. I guess that if I have 'learned nothing else' over the previous seven odd years it is that... I sure can ration my food supply and successfully avoid running out of food altogether.
Needless to say I awoke rather early this morning and dove right into my Hive engagement routine... which at this point I do not even have to think about before finding myself 'scrolling away' at it! I know that I should probably spend more time reading stuff in the Homesteading Community (especially since it recently reached a thousand members) but honestly I like starting my day reading other kinds of content.
At some point this morning I decided to cash out more of the HIVE that I have been powering down from me and my mom's accounts... and go ahead and get the dog crates that I needed ordered. I do not think that I mentioned it yesterday... but when I went on my supply run yesterday I was hoping to buy a medium sized kiddy pool... but they were all sold out so I wound up ordering one online while I was getting the crates.
The reason that I wanted the pool is because my elder dog does not have a lot of control of her bowels (and occasionally her bladder) and since she will be riding in a crate in someone's car (when we move) I want to take the extra step of putting the crate in the pool... to keep the car from getting fouled up during the drive. At first I was going to get one of those plastic 'uni-body' pools but I could not find them online... so I settled on the type that has a PVC frame that supports a plastic liner.
Once I got all my online shopping done I finally 'bit the bullet' and called the closest shed place that I could find to the new property... so that I could make some inquiries about their buildings. Basically, they have some decent metal buildings that I can 'rent to own' or purchase outright if I can come up with the funds for it... which is what I would rather due given that the 'rent to own' route doubles the price.
Since I am unsure on what size building will fit in that flat area near the road (or if they have the canopy clearance to place the building) I inquired whether they could go look at the site first... which I was happy to find out that they can. The only real hitch is that they do not provide the cinder blocks to place the building on... but since they currently have a ten percent off sale going on... it more than offsets the price of the blocks.
Considering that I am still several states away and have no way to get the blocks there on my own... I found a home improvement (and building supply) store nearby that sells the blocks and does deliveries. The only downsides to doing things that way is that to meet the 'minimum order' for delivery... I have to get nearly three times more blocks than what I actually need for the shed... and the delivery fee itself cost just as much as all the blocks!
No complaints there or anything because I will need some extra blocks to not only create a step (and maybe a small patio) in front of the shed... but I will also need them at my campsite to help level the platform that I need to build for my tent. There is also a good chance that I will want some blocks to help level out my big carport tent (the one that is currently my shop tent) but I am unsure if I will have enough room to set it up... without doing some brush clearing and/or earth moving with heavy machinery.
Anyways, early in the afternoon I lugged the wagon back over to that other tent... and hauled a full load of dishes back with me to the shelter site... so that I could get them rinsed off and start soaking them in bleach water. I am such a 'one cup, one spoon, one bowl, one kitchen knife, one skillet' person at this point that I could probably toss the rest of my dishes... but I like the idea of one day having a real kitchen... and putting the rest of my dishes to good use.
The other major thing that I did today was getting all that laundry that I had soaking in the barrel hung up to dry on the dog yard fence. If all goes well the rain will hold off for another day or two... and all that stuff will get a chance to dry out so that I can bag it up in trash bags... because at this point I have something hanging on nearly every part of the fence and am more or less out of room to hang up anything else.
Well, I think that I am going to get to wrapping this entry up because it was quite the long day... and I am already fading fast. I hope that everyone is doing well and all that feel good jazz. Ta ta for now.
I subscribed to you yesterday partly because I aspire to a life like yours. Well, like yours... only partly! Mostly because you shouldn't live other people's lives, you should live your own. So I can't wait to see more homesteading 😀
I understand what you mean. It is a challenging lifestyle that requires continual effort and constant learning but so worthwhile in my perspective. My unsolicited advice to folks is often to just keep it simple and do not over-romanticize it. The transition period between a more domesticated lifestyle can be rough but it does not last forever. Best of luck to you on your endeavors.
I think this is the most valuable piece of advice I've received recently for this side of my life. Thank you for it! Indeed, I think it's crucial to go at your own pace, everything will happen little by little 👍
You are quite welcome. It is assuredly all about the journey and not the destination.
Wouldn't it be better if you had the guy who you are going to work for pick up what blocks you need for the shed and take them there the day the shed will be delivered? I worry someone will see the blocks and take them.
No I already ran it by him and he is swamped with work. The drive time alone is nearly a two hour round trip. I already considered that someone could steal the blocks and to be blunt I would rather find out that there are thieves around before I get there than afterwards. This ain't my first rodeo!
I know it is not your first rodeo, but I hope it is your last. I did not know he was so far away. I thought if he was going to pick you up for work he lived near your place.
I just like that saying. When I sent folks there to scout it I almost had them pick up a shovel and a rake to leave leaning against a tree near the road to see if anyone would steal them. Yeah but work is different and he would most likely be picking me up on the days that he is already in or near that area.
Oh yeah @myjob I meant to tell you that I definitely hope that it is not my 'last' rodeo! Hopefully, that place works as the stepping stone that I need for a much larger piece of land. I know myself way too well to ever think that just under two acres is enough to keep me occupied.
When it comes down to it I just love having a large buffer of woods (and all its inhabitants) around me that I can tend to. Land stewardship and caretaking is just one of those things that brings me deep satisfaction.
I think you told me this before and I hope one day you get everything you desire.