Building for Tomorrow

Some days at Memory Lane are filled with big accomplishments.

Other days are quieter.

The last two days were a little bit of both.

Yesterday I made the drive back from Long Island.

I left around one o'clock in the afternoon, and after about a four hour drive I pulled into Memory Lane around 6:30 in the evening. There was still plenty of daylight left, so before I even unpacked I grabbed a couple of packages that had been delivered earlier in the day and made my usual walk up to the garden.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of that first walk after being away.

Every time I come back, something has changed.

The garden is absolutely exploding.

The grapes are getting huge and plump, and it's exciting to watch the clusters fill out more every day. A few weeks ago I wasn't even sure we'd have much of a grape harvest, but after treating them with neem oil they've really bounced back.

The corn has suddenly taken off and is now standing about four feet tall. It almost seems like it grew overnight.

The tomato plants are finally producing, and after months of watering and waiting, we are growing our very first cucumber.

The blueberry bushes are loaded and are almost ready to pick.

The strawberries are getting close too, and I'm hoping it won't be much longer before we're enjoying those as well.

The raspberry bushes are absolutely beautiful, and to my surprise I discovered that we also have a black cap raspberry growing on the property. That was an unexpected but very welcome surprise.

It seems like every day there's something new beginning to ripen or another little reward for all the work that's gone into this place.

There are now so many apples... I hope they are good...

We're still fighting a constant battle with the weeds, though.

The milkweed grows unbelievably fast and seems determined to take over if I give it even a few days.

That alone has made me incredibly thankful that I put weed barrier down at the beginning of the season.

Even with the barrier, it's still a struggle.

Without it, I think the garden would have disappeared completely.

The deer, unfortunately, have also decided that the garden belongs to them.

It seems like every time something starts looking good, they help themselves to a few bites.

There's probably not much I can do about it this season, but it's already got me thinking about next year.

I've seen some beautiful enclosed gardens with tall fencing and raised beds.

Eventually I'd love to build something like that.

For next season, though, I think I'll build individual cages around each plant to keep the deer from turning our hard work into their buffet.

We're learning.

Every season teaches us something new.

After checking on everything, I headed back to camp.

As I pulled into the driveway I noticed the lights were on inside the motorhome.

"Great," I thought.

Everything looked normal.

I walked around back, turned the water back on, made my way inside...

...and realized there was no power.

Confused, I went back outside.

Now the lights that I was sure I'd seen were off.

For a second I honestly questioned whether I'd imagined seeing them.

I checked the pedestal.

Nothing.

Fortunately, one of the advantages of living in the motorhome is that even when shore power disappears, the house batteries keep everything running long enough that there's no panic. The refrigerator keeps doing its job, the lights still work, and if I need more power I simply start the generator.

That's exactly what I did.

While the generator was running, I called the electric company.

It turned out a power line had gone down, leaving roughly eighty four homes without electricity.

Around 9:30 last night, the power finally came back on.

Problem solved.

By then I was exhausted.

It had been a long day of traveling, and I didn't fight sleep for very long.

This morning I woke up around 8:30.

The first thing I did was open the curtains.

Almost immediately I spotted hummingbirds darting back and forth outside the window.

Before leaving for Long Island, I had filled all of the feeders with homemade nectar instead of the store bought kind.

I honestly wasn't sure if they'd notice the difference.

Apparently they did.

There were at least two hummingbirds flying from feeder to feeder all morning long.

Maybe more.

It's hard to tell because they're so incredibly fast.

Then something happened that made me smile even more.

One of the female hummingbirds landed on the hanging baskets I recently installed around camp and began drinking nectar directly from the bright red flowers. Unfortunately she was too fast to photograph.

That may sound like a small thing.

But when I hung those flowers, I specifically chose red tubular blooms because hummingbirds are naturally attracted to them.

To finally see one using them exactly as I'd hoped...

That was incredibly rewarding.

Sometimes the smallest victories are the ones that mean the most.

Later in the morning Wyatt and I headed into town to go to the hardware store.

Actually...

Several hardware stores.

I stopped at Agway, Ace Hardware, and Tractor Supply trying to find the replacement spring I need for the mower.

Apparently the one I'd ordered never actually shipped.

No one had the exact spring I needed, so I settled on something that might work temporarily while I order the correct one again tomorrow.

Everywhere we went, Wyatt became the center of attention.

It seems impossible to take him anywhere without someone stopping to pet him or ask about him.

He met another dog at Ace Hardware and, as always, handled the introduction perfectly.

Calm.

Gentle.

Patient.

Watching how well he's matured still amazes me.

We made one last stop at Walmart before heading back to the farm.

Once we got home, I intentionally slowed everything down.

I didn't want today to be another marathon workday.

Instead, I wandered around the property.

I checked on the garden a few more times.

Sat by the fire.

Listened to the birds.

Watched the hummingbirds make their rounds.

Sometimes that's exactly what Memory Lane is supposed to be.

Not constant work.

Just enjoying being here.

I did spend a little time inside the bunkhouse.

One thing that's been bothering me is figuring out exactly how the kitchen cabinets were attached to the walls.

Today I finally solved that mystery.

Now I know how everything comes apart.

That may not sound exciting.

To me, it represents the beginning of the next chapter.

Over the next several days I'll start removing the cabinets, vanities, toilets, flooring, and eventually the walls themselves.

I've had several people tell me I'm going too far.

"Just replace the damaged sections."

"Patch it."

"Cover it."

I understand why they'd say that.

If this were a flip...

I'd probably agree.

But this isn't a flip.

This is our home.

This building was built sometime in the 1980s.

It's had multiple roofs.

It has water damage.

Rodent damage.

Old insulation.

Polybutylene plumbing that should be replaced anyway.

If I'm already opening the walls, why would I knowingly leave problems hidden inside them?

My goal isn't to make it look good for a few years.

My goal is to build something that lasts.

So my plan is simple.

Work room by room.

Remove everything.

Replace any damaged subfloor.

Replace the insulation where needed.

Replace the polybutylene plumbing with PEX while the walls are open.

Then begin rebuilding.

The electrical is already in good shape, so thankfully that part can stay.

Realistically, I don't think the bunkhouse will be completely finished this year.

But I do believe I can have it cleaned out, dried in, insulated, and ready for rebuilding before winter arrives.

Next season will be about putting everything back together.

Mini splits.

Pressure tank.

Water heater.

Cabinets.

Bathrooms.

Flooring.

Paint.

All of the exciting parts.

The doors and windows can wait until the time is right.

The deck needs a few repairs before I start carrying heavy cabinets through there.

Everything has its place in the schedule.

Before wrapping up the evening, I made an attempt to free the large tree that's still hanging in the crotch of the birch tree.

I hooked it to the truck and gave it a pull.

Nothing.

The rotten Birch tree behind it snapped and fell but the Birch tree it is lodged in is in much better shape. I had hoped that the branch that the tree is lodged in would snap but that didnt happen.

Not even a little movement.

Some battles just aren't won on the first try.

And that's okay.

As the sun began to set, I found myself back beside the fire once again.

Listening to the birds.

Watching the flames.

Looking around at everything we've built so far.

It's funny.

When I first bought this property, I thought the biggest challenge would be rebuilding old buildings.

Now I'm realizing the real challenge is having the patience to do it right.

Little by little.

One project at a time.

One season at a time.

That's how Memory Lane is coming back to life.

~ Making Memories