Getting Ready for the Real Work

This morning started much better than the last few.

Before I even got out of bed, I had the chance to watch the hummingbirds feeding outside the window again. It's become one of my favorite parts of the morning. No matter what's on the schedule for the day, taking a few minutes to watch them buzzing around the feeder is a pretty good way to start the day.

Unlike yesterday, I was actually up and moving relatively early. I think I was outside by about 9:00 this morning.

The first thing I did was check on the well.

After several days of flushing lines, treating the well, and wondering whether I had made progress or simply created new problems, I was happy to see clear water coming out of the hose. There are still small particles showing up from time to time, but honestly that's not unusual for a well. At this point I think some type of filtration system is going to be a permanent part of the setup, which was always going to happen anyway.

While I was outside looking at the water, the garbage truck happened to come down the road.

I stopped them because they work for the same company I had spoken with recently about dumpster service. To their credit, they gave me the direct number for the person who had visited the property.

Unfortunately the conversation didn't really change my opinion.

After my partner reached out, the response was basically to call the office if we wanted services.

At this point I think we've moved away from the dumpster idea and are leaning more toward getting garbage cans instead. We'll revisit that tomorrow.

After that, I decided today wasn't going to be a day for major projects.

Truthfully, I think I'm mentally preparing myself for the next few days because the bigger projects are starting to stack up.

Instead, I spent the morning cleaning up around the camper, putting tools away, moving a few things around the workshop, and generally straightening things up.

The garden was next.

I watered everything and checked on the plants. So far everything is looking great. The garden is standing tall, healthy, and green.

The weed barrier started arriving today as well. One roll showed up this afternoon and another should arrive tomorrow. Once both rolls are here, I'll start laying them out over the garden beds. The goal is simple: keep weeds under control and give the vegetables every chance possible to thrive.

One other thing I spent some time doing today was looking through historic aerial photographs of the property.

I was able to find aerial images dating back to around 1960.

The images are grainy and far from perfect, but they still reveal some interesting details about how the property has changed over the years.

The biggest surprise was seeing that the building where our current barn sits appears to have once been much larger than it is today.

I've suspected for a while that there was more to the property's history than what remains standing today, and these photos seem to support that idea.

Another thing that stood out was just how much open land there used to be.

Areas that are heavily wooded today were open pasture in 1960.

Looking at those photographs really drives home how quickly nature reclaims land when people stop using it.

It also makes me wonder what the property looked like in its prime and what stories those old buildings could tell if they were still standing.

The photos raise more questions than they answer, but that's part of the fun.

Every time I learn something new about Memory Lane, I end up with three new mysteries to solve.

Later in the day I took a ride for groceries.

This trip was a little different because I drove farther than usual.

There's something my partner has been looking for that she thought she could only get back in Florida. As it turns out, a grocery store about thirty five minutes from the farm carries it regularly.

Fortunately they had it in stock, so I picked some up for her along with groceries and a few snacks for myself.

Lunch was simple.

A couple of hot dogs on the grill.

Of course Wyatt got to participate as well.

I stuffed part of a hot dog into one of his bones and he was perfectly happy to spend time working on that while I sat by the fire.

Speaking of the fire, that's where I spent a good portion of the afternoon.

Some days are about productivity.

Some days are about slowing down and enjoying the property.

Today leaned heavily toward the second category.

Later in the afternoon I made a trip to the far side of the property to pick up Amazon deliveries.

Those packages represent the next phase of projects around Memory Lane.

The mower drive belt arrived, which means I now have both the drive belt and the deck belt ready to go. The mower repair technician should be here later this week, and honestly I think it makes sense to let him handle the repair.

Could I do it myself?

Probably.

Do I want to spend a day crawling around under a mower when I have twenty other projects waiting?

Probably not.

The plumbing repair parts also arrive tomorrow.

That is likely the project I've been thinking about the most.

From what I can see, it appears that a polybutylene pipe either pulled off a fitting or a crimp failed.

My plan is to try the simplest repair first.

Before I start cutting pipes and replacing fittings, I'm going to remove the existing crimp and install a new one.

If the pipe simply slipped off the fitting, the repair could be surprisingly easy.

Of course, easy repairs haven't exactly been a common theme around here.

If that doesn't work, I already have multiple polybutylene to PEX transition fittings ready to go.

Either way, we'll find out soon enough.

Once the plumbing is repaired and the system can be pressurized, I'll have a much better idea of what comes next.

The long term plan is still to gradually replace the old polybutylene piping with PEX. Polybutylene has been discontinued for years, and every repair becomes more difficult because replacement parts aren't sitting on hardware store shelves anymore.

The plumbing isn't the only project waiting.

I still need to organize the workshop.

I need to cut up the trees I dropped near the orchard and frog pond.

I need to move those logs back to the firewood pile.

I need to blow the leaves off Memory Lane and around the buildings.

The leaf blower is ready.

The leaves are ready.

I just need to make myself ready.

The reason for removing the leaves is simple.

Ticks love leaf litter.

The less leaf litter around the roads, camper, workshop, and buildings, the better.

After the leaves are cleared away, I'll be treating those areas with bifenthrin to help control ticks and other pests.

Thankfully, since we started using Permethrin regularly, I haven't seen another tick.

I'm giving most of the credit for that success to the Permethrin.

Dinner tonight was much better than lunch.

A steak and tri color pasta made for a great meal after a relaxing day.

Wyatt supervised the cooking as usual, and yes I have an unseasoned piece ready to add to his food tomorrow.

Wyatt and I did make it out for our 7:00 PM patrol this evening.

No unusual wildlife sightings.

No surprises.

Just another quiet walk up Memory Lane.

As the sun went down, I found myself looking ahead rather than looking back.

The well appears to be improving.

The garden is growing.

The supplies are arriving.

The parts are piling up.

And the next round of projects is waiting.

One thing I've noticed lately is how often people ask why we are spending so much time here.

They're surprised by the amount of work.

The garden.

The plumbing.

The cleaning.

The mowing.

The repairs.

The endless list of projects that seem to grow faster than we can complete them.

Some people seem genuinely confused as to why we are here doing all of this instead of being back home.

The truth is, this is home too.

This place brings us peace.

It brings us comfort.

It gives us something to look forward to.

It's a future gathering place for friends and family.

Yes, it's expensive.

Yes, it's a tremendous amount of work.

But you can't put a price on how this place makes us feel.

The daily work isn't a chore.

It's motivation.

It's purpose.

It's excitement.

It's love.

It's peace.

Not once have we finished a day here wishing we were somewhere else.

Not once have we regretted buying this property.

Every day presents a new challenge, a new lesson, or a new opportunity to learn something we didn't know before.

There is something incredibly satisfying about successfully completing a project, especially when it's something you've never done before.

And even on the days when we don't accomplish everything we planned, we're still exactly where we want to be.

Sometimes progress isn't measured by what you finish.

Sometimes it's measured by getting everything ready for what comes next.

That's what Memory Lane is really about.

Making Memories.