Break it to make it.

Ever know someone who never throws things away? Worn out, faded, ragged and rough, they hang on to stuff that a lot of people would have tossed in the dump long ago. I love those kind of people. Why? Because sooner or later a spouse or maybe a child will put their foot down and make them get rid of some of the stuff. Eighty percent of the things I am using on our little hobby ranch/farm is used. Rusty gold. Often less than half what it cost new, if not free. So an update and a picture or two. First are the tomato plants I saved after the horn worms nearly wiped them out.

They are now over four feet tall and both have several fruits on them. The one on the left is a cherry variety. The one on the right is a plain one. The cherry tomatoes are very tasty. Fresh herbs too. My dill bit the dust but the Basil is fine. I keep them in the freezer till I have enough to justify using the oven to dry them. Next up is the area I am preparing for ducks. It’s hard to see but under the kiddie pool is a very well made dog house that a lady was selling for a good price. Insulated and a hinged metal top. After adding some vents it will make a fine duck house. That and some sheets of plywood, mine for 80 dollars. It is about 125 dollars worth of stuff.

The fence is new, but the t post cost me nothing. And there are about 100 more on our land I can gather up if needed. Next up is an air plant that is 32 years old. There are babies we will be giving away soon. Also some Lantana. Beverly didn’t believe me when I told her it’s nearly impossible to kill this stuff. We tossed some twigs into wet newspaper before we made the 1400 mile trip to get here. Needless to say the proof is in the picture.

Living out in the country is nice. But it does come at a cost. Very spotty cell phone service. Expensive satellite dish for internet and TV. And bears. Did I mention bears? My neighbor has permission to hunt deer on our land in exchange for half the meat. He has a deer feeder and tree stand set up in the far north-west corner of our property. They started putting deer food in it a week or so ago. A couple of days ago a bear tore it into pieces and ate all the feed. So they are going to buy a very expensive all metal feeder to replace it. At least the ones around here are black bears. Relatively small, seldom weighing more than a couple of hundred pounds and easy to scare off. With that said we are still cautious. If one loses its fear of humans then there are only two options. Relocate it to a remote area or kill it. Hopefully that never happens. The bears were nearly wiped out in Arkansas a hundred years ago but are making a strong come back. If they leave us alone we will leave them alone.

Last but not least. Here is a picture taken at an overlook parking spot on the highway that goes to Hot Springs and Little Rock.

Remember. Do what you can with what you have where you are. Trust in God, family and friends.

Stay salty!

Growing rocks the easy way.

We live in the U.S.A. in a state called Arkansas. What some people may not know is about 80% of the land is hills and mountains. So we call it Rockansas. Rocks literally sprout from the ground. As a result around here if you want a garden, it’s a lot of hard labor, or you go with raised beds. Another issue where our homestead is located is the quality of the soil. It is sand, rock, and clay. Lots of clay. And rocks that multiply like rabbits using Viagra. But enough of my rambling. Let’s get to this update. Material gathering.

There is a couple about 50 miles from here in Oklahoma clearing land and harvesting cedar trees. She is giving away cedar mulch for free, so I went and got a pickup truck load. The tarp isn’t to keep it dry, its to keep the wind from blowing it away. This mulch will be used to line the paths in between my garden beds and the outer edges between the beds and fence. In the shed are 20 pieces of eight foot long 2×4’s. These are for the chicken coop. I am now hunting the local swap shop on Facebook and garage sales looking for old tin siding or roofing for that project.

After spending weeks and a little cash I finally got all of the junk and garbage left by previous owners gathered into one pile. The result is well worth it. Our driveway looks like someone lives here, instead of like an abandoned trailer park. Behind the burn pile you can see my relocated compost bin. It wasn’t getting hot enough, so I moved it to a spot where it gets a lot more sunlight. And I have cleared about 20 feet of the bank on our pond so we can now get to the water to fish. See those brown things around the tree in the middle picture? Rocks. I didn’t dig them up. I simply picked up the rocks on our land and along the road that goes from our house to the main road. Soon I will have enough to build a nice fire pit for us to enjoy in cooler weather. And the rocks will grow back. Just Kidding. But as the mountain “breathes” and the ground freezes more rocks will push their way up to the surface. It’s a never-ending supply of free building material. 🙂

God has been very, very good to us. We seldom have spare cash, but we have a home that’s paid for, food to eat and most important of all, each other. That is what it is all about. Faith. Family. Friends. The “simple” life isn’t always easy. But with faith and family it can be very rewarding. Tell your people you love them every day.

Stay salty! Stay the course! Finish the race! You can do it with God’s help.

Repurpose this homeboy!

I like to reuse stuff. Sometimes I even gather enough energy over time to recycle a few things. I like to repurpose stuff when I can. I donate stuff that falls through some black hole  in the space-time continuum and winds up in my closet. But this thing. Yeah. I am stumped. The previous owners from a time long ago left this in the yard for some mystical reason. No one knows how long it has been there. Or why. It has to be one of the oddest things I have ever had to deal with. How does one reuse it? Recycle it? Repurpose it?

If you don’t know what it is, let me clue you in. It’s a giant poop container. Otherwise known as a septic tank. Our current plan is to plant shrubs and flowers around it and utilize cement and plaster to make it look like a hobbit house, or a gnome condominium.

Do any of you have an suggestion? Keep in mind this thing weighs upwards of 1800 pounds and I do not own a tractor. Perhaps carve out a door and turn it into a dog house? Blow it up with dynamite? Name it “Unknown Rock” and start an art exhibit? I’m open to any and all ideas.

Stay salty!

Rocking the blackberries. Or the blues?

I am a sucker for underdogs. I just can’t seem to help myself when I see people or things down on their luck, but still trying. On the other hand, I have no empathy for those who make no effort to  better themselves and are simply leeches attached to society like barnacles to a ship.

Case in point: The stick you see in the picture. There are actually two of these sticks planted in our yard. They were rejected by society, and were languishing in the bottom of the boxes at the local Walmart. All of the “best” sticks had been bought. These two sorry specimens were all that remained. No leaves. No green showing. Just a nub of apparently dead wood peeking out of the top of the packing material. One is a blackberry. The other is a raspberry. Homeless and afraid, with nothing more than a cardboard wrap to keep them warm. So I bought both and brought them home.

Will I coax them along with words of encouragement? Nope. Will I test the soil to make sure they get the correct nutrients? Not gonna happen. Maybe I should roll out some rock and hit them with “Working Man” by Rush? Or maybe the soundtrack from The Blues Brothers? Nah. I believe in tough love. I dug a hole, unwrapped what remained of the stick and stuck it in the ground. I gave them a new shot at life. Now it is up to them to make something out of it.

A week later I see new growth.

I have faith. I believe we will be enjoying blackberry and raspberry dishes in the near future.

Stay salty!