Chapter 25...Beaver Dam And Painting

Off Grid...Chapter 25 Mike and I are really starting to get a little worn out. We have a busy month ahead of us and we are trying to get the house done by the end of the month. Monday 9-1-08 This morning we went over to our other property to mow. When we got there we noticed that Frank, one of our neighbors, had been there to cut hay. All the hay was laying on the ground in rows. Mike and I got our mowers out and started mowing. When I was finished Mike told me there was a beaver dam in our back creek so I walked back to check it out. This is a small beaver dam. I got into the creek and started pulling the dam apart. Getting rid of the debris from the beavers. It's been really hot the past few days so it was actually very refreshing to go and "play" in the creek. When I was done with that Mike was just finishing mowing. On our way out of the property we saw Frank coming in with his machines to bale the hay. After we left, Mike and I went next door to visit another neighbor. While we were there she showed us her garden and she gave me about 10 nice tomatoes, yum! We went inside to see how she is settling into her new home. She had a new house built on her land 2 years ago. It took her builder and his crews almost one year to complete her home. Mike and I used to tease her saying "the two of us" could build a home faster than her crew and now it's true. I am so thankful Mike and I are building ourselves. It would drive me absolutely crazy to have to rely on contractors for almost a year. I would probably lose it and I am the calmer of the 2 of us. Anyway, it was a nice visit and she is doing well. Tuesday 9-2-08 The man from the flooring store came this morning. We went down to the house and he took all of his measurements. After he left, Mike and I went to the farm supply to pick up a backpack sprayer. We want to paint the front of the house "a real color" so we have to prep it. Originally we used a white barn and fence paint as a first coat and that was a huge mistake. The front wood on the house where we painted started to get black mold spots on it. So Mike sprayed the front of the house with a water and bleach mixture. After that we got all the hoses, extension cords, and the pressure washer out. We brought all that down to the front of the house so Mike could pressure wash it. It turned out to be a very time consuming project because we had problems with the generator overloading, from the pressure washer, and we popped some breakers. Anyway, Mike finally got everything working and he cleaned the entire front of the house. Now we just have to wait for it to dry so we can paint. Then Mike did a little sanding which is going to be the story of our lives for the next couple of weeks. We are so dreading it. We got a call later on with a price quote from the flooring store. It seemed really high, what else is new nowadays, so I called around to check on the price. It turns out they gave us the best price. Later on Mike's daughter stopped by to visit. This time she didn't have the kids and it was really nice to get to talk with her alone. Wednesday 8-3-08 When I got up this morning Mike told me 98, my favorite calf, was outside. So Niki and I went out to see her. 98 is the only calf who will let me touch her. Mike said I was smiling ear to ear like a child because I got to pet the cow. Hey what can I say? I like her even though she covered my hands with cow "slobber". We went to David's to pick up a 1200 gallon water tank. This is how we got it home. Mike is a little concerned about the electric needed for our well pump. We can't use a solar pump because our well is too deep. Mike wants to bury this tank between the well and the house and hook the tank to a DC pump inside the house. We are trying our best to solve most of our problems with going off grid before we move into the house. Now we just have to bury the 1200 gallon tank below the frost line so our water doesn't freeze. When the front of the house was dry we went down and started painting it. I worked on the high ladder doing the painting and cut in around the roof while Mike rolled and used the other ladder below me. We are almost done. It only took us a few hours to paint, not including the set up and clean up, so it wasn't bad. We had to beat the sun and heat because it was supposed to get really hot today. And it did. The house is still staying very cool. I am so thankful because I hate the heat. We finished the painting. Now we only have the trim left on the front. Our view from the front of the house. Today we have to go and pick up gutters so we can install them before the rain this weekend. Lisa and Mike