Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[dragonlaurel]

Welcome back
Wow- you're doing good. You've been keeping busy enough.
Those raspberries sound yummy. I just may have killed my blackberry plant. It was a volunteer but in a bad spot. I moved it and a week later it's looking sorta dead. I hope it's faking.

 

[lorihadams]

Hey Jay, good to see you back! I figured you were gardening yourself into oblivion and it seems I was right!

So, when are we gonna have some pics of the fruits of your labor? Everything sounds like it is running smoothly for you, our garden hasn't done squat this year...it's killing us.

 

[Wannabefree]

MoPi, you're back!!! Sounds like you've been busy! Good to see ya back around

 

[modern_pioneer]

Thanks for the warm welcomes. I have missed you all and hope your all doing well as can be expected.

In my office sits a baby crib, no way, don't even think of it. Chelsea has returned to work part time after having her baby 10 months ago. I like having Valour around, although my belly laughs scare him, he is like all babies just cute to have around.

Emotionally, I think I have recovered 100% more than the last time I posted. It has been 16 months now, and accepting what has happen has been pretty hard. It has changed who I am in certain ways, and I have slowed way down in life. Things are picking back up now and I am getting back on track.

On the work front, I have purchased a much larger property which includes two buildings. We are set to close on the property in a week from today, but you know how that goes. I will be spending another 40k fixing the inside up for my needs. The building is in good shape, but air lines, water lines, and 3 phase needs to be put in. I also am developing the different work stations need to meet production requirements. I figure I will hire another 10-12 employees by this time next year.

I have applied for a Green Grant to have the 3 phase come from solar power with the US Government. I am expecting a grant of 28k for that to be completed. Along with the 3 phase, I expect the solar power to provide 60% of the shops needs. This was determined after a study of my past power consumption.

Not being able to garden last year, gardening this year really showed me how much I missed my life. As I sat at the top corner drinking my jug of warm water. I looked over my hard work and felt satisfied that I was doing something for me and my family. I liked gardening before, but I never KNEW how important it was to me as a person. I felt the warm breeze wash over my sweat soaked shirt, and I felt whole, like me, or the person I was long before all that happened, happened. So there was my time of reckoning with those matters and they were what they were.

As I got up, I looked at the garden again, I understood what feelings I had just felt and confirmed that it was time to get on with my life. I think I gasped in relief just as I turned to walk away. It is now a time to heal and grow from all this.

Yes I know you folks enjoy looking at the photos I like to share, and I will share some soon.

My mushroom log project was pretty fun, and looking forward to those rewards next spring. I did a how to video and its on youtube under my selfsufficientjason id, as well as my other newest series of videos.

Do you remember my pine log flower box out near the road project? Well, as it is, I have removed some of the trees where I plant ALL THOSE FLOWER BULBS last fall. I am planning to re purpose that timber to make hatching pine log boxes around my other trees in the front yard. I think they will look very interesting.

Danielle and the kids are doing great, DD is having those Tween girl issues now. Like life downs for young girls of her age, she is starting to move towards being a teenage girl. DS has taken his roles in life a little more serous now. I like that he is starting to grow as a young teenage boy should. I respect him for his honesty, and how he steps up and admits he has made a mistake or poor decision. After admitting it he ask for advice, I would like to say I didn't approach matters the same way. I was, to myself, a self thinker. I expect that to my parents I was a know it all.

So, life is moving forward, I am still alive, I am still healthy and I am still as SS as I can be and moving forward everyday to better living.

I will get some pictures post soon!!

 

[Wannabefree]

Glad to hear things are going so well, good on the buisness expansion and garden(of which we expect pics SOON!) and it sounds like the family is doing great! Good to hear MoPi, just plain ole good to hear it BLESSINGS TO YOU!

 

[lorihadams]

I am glad to hear that you should be able to get the solar grant, that's great news! Hubby and I were just talking about alternative power yesterday and how we could do it here at hour little homestead. Our garage has a south facing roofline and it would be a great place to run the panels and house the batteries but it would have to be down the road a few years. I think our next project is gonna be a greenhouse.

Can't wait to see the pictures, especially the mushroom project! How are the chickens?

 

[justusnak]

Hey J, so glad to hear you all are well. Sounds like you are at that final healing point. GOOD for you!!
Was you able to get pictures of the "peace sign" flowers?? I have been hoping they turned out.
LOVE the idea of running solar on the new business. I wish you the best on that adventure. I am sure you will find a way to make it work out well.
Enjoy your teen years with your children..we all know what comes after that....young adults, moving out on their own.
Glad to hear your garden project is moving forward. I am hoping to be able to get something out of this one...with all the rain, my tomatoes are trying to yellow on me. Darn. All I can do is try to reroute the water somehow...and pray for a good outcome. Take care my friend...and I can't wait to see pictures.!

 

[modern_pioneer]

Hello SS folks, long time no post... However as I mentioned after my return from the coast, I am presenting you with the photos of the homestead and where I am at with things.

So we are doing great, and the weather has been bad. With almost no rain, my rain barrel has been dry most of the grow season. I have used both pond water and well water for the garden. The mulch I laid down has been a blessing. Like some of you, I have been getting on with my seasonal duties of putting food up for the winter season. Although I have been eating more veggies since the garden has been growing, I drop almost 25 pounds of fat. Stress fat as well as process food eating I am sure. We all know the difference in the taste of market food and your own.

Well, all that being said, I'd rather explain the photos as they posted. So if you have sometime and want to join me on my adventure of my SS lifestyle, grab a cup of tea or your preferred drink and lets have a mozzy on the farm.
Mushroom Logs setting idle, waiting for some rain

Wind spinners which help run the birds off and add some beauty to the garden

Solar lights in the garden. 4 corners have led colored globes, and again the bean tree fence post topper

Garden Guard

Garden pictures of different crops and general garden stuff

Ground Hog enters garden and eats carrots and beans, I will harvest and stew him soon

Early Garlic processing

Onions

Summer and Zuke squash, dried and ready to be separated into my squash mess vac bags and other cooking recipes. I have a long loved squash mess recipe from my Mom that she taught me how to make. I took it one step further and developed a dehydrated recipe of my own.

Jamming.. Maple syrup too..

So let me set this up and explain to you how some people don't think. At the end of maple season, folks are tired and couldn't be bothered working out the "fines" in the last gallon of syrup. Fines are named as all the small particles left over in the last batches of each go at maple making. They were going to toss them out this year, I got my equal share already, and wanted the stuff they were going to throw away. Anyway, what you are looking at is one jar of the left over "fines" syrup. Somewhat darker than Amber, still a good quality syrup, this jar is 90% maple syrup with the fines settled at the bottom. SO letting it settle and removing the top syrup has given me another half gallon of syrup.

Todays harvest

The root cellar seems to keep at a steady 66 degrees and was a rewarding building project for food stores. It has proved to be a great place for me to safely store both dried foods as well as canned food.

The hedge rows have provided a steady supply of berries for jamming and fresh eating. This year is the first year that grapes are growing. some of the later raspberry plants are still providing berries of pancakes and sugar and milk.

I suspect that I will be drying and canning tomatoes very soon. I will be canning green ones as well. I also will be drying some for soup recipes.

 

[Denim Deb]

 

[snapshot]

Wow!!!!!!! That's a whole lot of work!!!! Looks great to me!!!!!!!