Home of the Free

Today is Independence Day.

Before I talk about the farm, I want to say something that's important to me.

I love this country.

I've been fortunate enough to travel to many places over the years, and while there are beautiful places all over the world, there is nowhere else I'd rather call home than the United States of America.

This country isn't perfect.

No country is.

But the freedoms we enjoy, the opportunities we're given, and the ability to chase our own version of the American Dream are things I never take for granted.

Memory Lane is part of that dream.

The opportunity to buy an old property, restore it with our own hands, learn new skills along the way, and someday share it with family and friends is something that simply wouldn't be possible in many places around the world.

Today is a day to celebrate the people who fought for those freedoms, those who continue to protect them, and everyone who has contributed to making this country what it is today.

For that, I am incredibly grateful.

Happy Independence Day.

Now...

Back to the farm.

Last night I actually went to bed at a reasonable hour.

I think it was somewhere around 11:30.

Apparently that's becoming early for me.

Even so, I was awake again around 6:30 this morning.

By about 8:30 I was back outside continuing yesterday's mission.

I'm still keeping the details under wraps for now.

Let's just say camp is slowly taking on a different look.

The first job of the morning was cleaning up the firewood pile.

I spent quite a while stacking wood and organizing everything.

I'm finally getting close to working through all of the split firewood that's been sitting around camp.

One pile at a time, things are starting to look more organized.

After that I cut a few pieces of lumber that will help level and stabilize the camper a little better.

It's one of those small improvements that nobody will probably ever notice.

But I'll notice it every day.

From there I moved the outdoor carpet along with the table and chairs into the screen room.

I also gathered up the remaining supplies from our original little garden area and relocated them.

Like I said...

Things are changing.

I'm just not quite ready to show exactly how.

Thankfully today's weather was much more comfortable than yesterday.

Without the extreme heat, everything seemed to go much faster.

Around 10:45 I headed into town.

Laundry was long overdue after going through what felt like every clean shirt I owned over the last couple of days.

While I was there, I picked up a few things I needed and stopped at the bakery for lunch.

By about 1:00 I was back on Memory Lane.

On the drive back, a deer casually crossed the road in front of me.

After being away for a couple of weeks, little reminders like that make me realize how quickly I settle back into life here.

It just feels normal.

Back at camp I continued moving things around.

While I was repositioning some equipment, I heard rustling coming from the cardboard pile.

A little mouse popped out to see what all the commotion was about.

Normally mice don't bother me.

In fact, I usually enjoy seeing wildlife around the property.

The problem is that white footed mice are one of the primary hosts for blacklegged ticks during their early life stages.

Since we're working hard to reduce the tick population around camp, I really don't want mice setting up housekeeping right next to where we spend our time.

Burning the cardboard pile had already been on my to do list.

The mouse simply moved it to the top of the list.

Don't worry...

The mouse wasn't harmed.

I made sure it had every opportunity to leave before I moved any boxes and lit the fire.

Hopefully it finds a new home a little farther away from camp.

Later in the afternoon the now familiar sound of thunder started rolling through the mountains again.

This time I decided to try something different with Wyatt.

I put his new hearing protection on and filled one of his bones with a piece of leftover steak.

He happily worked on the steak while the storm rolled in.

To my surprise, he seemed much calmer than he has been during previous storms.

Once the steak was gone, he eventually wandered off to his preferred hiding places, first the bedroom and then the shower.

But this time he wasn't shaking.

I'd call that progress.

As evening approached and the storm moved on, the cooler temperatures made it the perfect time to squeeze in one last project.

I grabbed a shovel and started digging out the old fire pit.

There's still more to do, but hopefully tomorrow I'll have that project wrapped up.

Before heading in for the night, I made one last stop at the garden.

The raspberries are coming along nicely.

The peaches even look like they're starting to plump up.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking...

But I swear they looked a little bigger today.

Dinner was simple.

Leftover steak and potato skins.

A perfect way to end Independence Day.

There were no fireworks for us here on Memory Lane.

As much as I enjoy celebrating the Fourth of July, fireworks just aren't something Wyatt enjoys.

Between the loud booms and flashing lights, it can be a stressful evening for dogs, so we were perfectly happy spending a quiet night together after the storms had passed.

Honestly, after a productive day on the farm, a peaceful evening was exactly what we both needed.

Another productive day.

Another small step forward.

And another reminder of just how fortunate I feel to be living this dream in a country where dreams like this are possible.

Happy Fourth of July.

~ Making Memories