Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 1199)
Hello Everyone!
Waking meets sleeping, Up early, Napping the exhaustion away, Doing more packing & Meandering on about the next adventure!
Alright, this evening I am only running twelve minutes behind on beginning my writing routine... so at least I have gotten that aspect of things back on track. Now that the seasons are even closer to changing... I may push it back even further next week but we will see how that goes.
After yesterday's epic good news about getting the land I was entirely too excited to fall asleep early like I was hoping to do... and wound up chatting with an old friend late into the night. It was kind of fun really given that they have a keen interest in crypto (even though they do not use it) and are extremely fascinated by Hive itself as a platform.
Of course that was not all that we talked about but in the end crypto (and financial stuff in general) seemed to be our main focus as far as 'interesting' conversational pieces go. To be utterly clear we were discussing how various things work... and what all can be done with them... so it was more lighthearted than what the previous sentence might have made it sound like.
Eventually, I was able to drift off to sleep... and during it I was yet again enthralled by some really intense dreams that were anything but dull. At one point though, my eldest dog was having problems (in the dream) and not long afterwards I awoke to find that she was having problems in the waking world... so I guess my sleeping mind was trying to bring that to my attention so that I could act on it.
Luckily, I had gotten a solid four hours of sleep in at that point... but after getting her to feeling better (by taking her outside, getting her back indoors, settling her in so that she was laying on her good side and petting her) I just could not fall back asleep. All of which worked out well enough, because I wound up not only getting to enjoy the early morning silence... but also being available for some equally early morning correspondences.
The other thing that I was able to do was my Hive engagement routine... which yeah is something that I have missed doing to the extent that I like to do it. Overall I was not super focused (due to lack of sufficient sleep) but I did not feel absolutely haggard... like I have been feeling for the last few weeks now.
By mid morning though, I ran out of steam entirely... and in short order I decided that doing more packing related stuff could wait until later in the day, laid down and promptly fell fast asleep. Although I did not quite sleep like the proverbial 'rock' I was definitely 'out like a light' in seconds... and remained that way until very late in the afternoon.
There were a few brief moments along the way where I drifted towards wakefulness... but I just shrugged it off and kept on sleeping until I was not feeling quite so exhausted as I have been lately upon waking. On the other hand, my body sure was aching after all my recent activities... but that is mainly because it has also been burning muscle and fat due to not putting enough calories in me.
It is after all at the end of my 'supply cycle' and honestly I probably should have gone two weeks ago... given that the bulk of my monthly supplies were gone by then. I am unsure if I mentioned it in a recent entry... but I have basically just been eating rice the last few weeks which while 'filling' it is not quite enough to keep up with all the physical exertion that I have been engaging in.
Anyways, late in the afternoon I got up, took care of some more correspondences... and then began where I left off yesterday with the packing down routine. Mainly though, I just dug out all the remnants of the fire pit (that had bits of metal and fasteners in it) and got it all shoveled into a dog food bag... so that I can properly dispose of it.
I also collected all the tools that I did not want getting rained on over the next few days... and flipped some of the garden tools over... so that the rain would help wash the other side of them. The other thing that I did with that stuff was to retrieve everything (mainly containers and bungee-cords) from that water barrel... and get the bungee-cords hung up on the dog yard fence along with everything else.
Just before sunset I even made time to tend to some domestic duties... and dig around in my 'backup food' to see what all I had in there... so that I was not just eating rice. I was actually nearly out of rice (which is what prompted me to look in the first place) and not only did I find some canned sausage... but I also found more rice!
One way or another, I really need to get over the hurdle of my 'institutional phobia/aversion' and apply for food assistance again... because at this rate I am obviously not getting enough food in me each day. Scratching by on one hundred and twenty-five dollars a month worth of food (which is what I have been doing for I guess over a year now) just is not cutting it.
What I want to avoid, is landing at the new place in a haggard state... and not having all my mental (or physical) faculties intact the way that they need to be to do it right. If I am going to do the move and settle in there without being a train wreck at the end (and have the perspective that I need to both get things done and give the place a proper assessment) then that would not only be a massive failure but alas a massive irresponsible choice... and a disservice to myself and even the friends who helped make it all happen.
On a similar note. Today, I thought that I would be ultra manic and way too excited to 'know what to do with myself' but instead I just felt incredibly relieved. I also felt the seed of some kind of inner peace (a new kind I guess) that is very different than anything that I have ever felt before... and it is oddly not about 'ownership' (of the land) but a sense of nothing being able to truly interfere with my stewardship of said land.
To say that it is an 'odd' feeling would not be totally accurate... and although there is some 'awe' in it there is this underlying satisfaction in knowing that at least that one hilly piece of rock, dirt, clay... and who knows what else... is there for me to take care of. It really has captured my fascination to say the least... because having not laid eyes on the place myself... I am not 'locked into' one notion or another of how to go about things.
I am unsure if I mentioned it before... but I have been spending a ton of time looking into all the nuances of not just the septic regulations, codes and whatnot but also into everything to do with water, all the building related stuff, small ponds and trying to track down all the various services that I will need from the county, state and private sectors. Thankfully, I am good at keeping notes and getting all the documents that I can saved to the computer... but I think I want to get it all (aside from the documents) into a single file.
That way when I get moved I have everything that I will need all in one place... and have notes to what portions of the regulations and code that I will need to reference as well as the names of the pertinent documents. Basically, I am going to structure the text file in such a way that it will be a 'do-it-yourself' article that I can consult along the way.
It really has been quite the journey simply to get to this stage of my life... and wow taking all that stuff that I have learned on other folks land over the decades... to one small area... is going to be downright fun. Even sorting through all the local building laws, permits and such is something that I have done many times before... so not much of what I am endeavoring upon is 'new territory' per say.
Well, I think that I have yet again meandered on enough for one entry... and am going to wrap this up before it gets too much later into the evening. I hope that everyone is doing well... and taking care of themselves to the best of their abilities. Ta ta for now.
Just out of curiosity, have you tried to find the property on Google Earth?
I have looked at it with Maps, Earth and the state GIS maps. I even looked at historical hand drawn maps going back to the 1930s.
It may be less detailed due to the remote location; yet viewing my house was very surprising. Gave me a chance to inspect my tar flat roof. :)
Yeah it is all handy. Street View was nice also.
Yay! Congrats on getting the land. Wanted to say that yesterday already. 😁👻🏹
Thanks! I am still kind of dumbfounded by it all! 🤠🏹😆
I can imagine! Now you just need to find some more food before the next adventure starts! 😁😁🏹 (haha, that sounds like something from pretty much any game)
Ha! It does sound like something from a game! Hopefully gonna get the food sorted out soon. It has been rough on me eking by on too few calories but the espresso has been keeping me in motion. 🔫☕🔫
Enjoy this new feeling of being a landowner. :) That is good thinking to make a file on all the things you might need permits for and the ordinances.
How long will it be before you get electric?
Thanks. The electric can get turned on immediately. They only require a 4x4 post and that you have a weather proof box and a single outlet. They then put the meter above your box. It is super simple to get power at that site. The power pole is at the end of a very short (ten-twelve foot) driveway.