Halfapint Got Some Land

[Mr. E. Monkey]

Congrats on the new spawn!  

[SCBrian]

Hope everyone has been grand, let me know if you want more updates

Dude... First grats on the crotchling.
Second, we want all the updates you feel comfortable with as many of us are living vicariously through you! 
 

[tirls]

Congratulations on the quarter pint!

Yes please on the updates.

[Crosscut]

Hey all! Sorry love had been hectic. The ride and I welcomed our first born in March, I took the 12 weeks paid paterinity leave and was busier in those 12 weeks than I was/am while working.

Just came here to post and update

I've started reclaiming our land, it started in fall last year. I bought a second weed eater and just went to town. Had the metal blade on one the string line on the other and just started beating back nature.

During winter we got ready for baby, got things organized, bought a golf cart, 2002 EZGO so the wife has a better way to transport the crotchgoblin and get laundry up and down from the house to our trailer. We really didn't do much other than just get ourselves ready.

Last fall the mine that surrounds us cut down all the trees to the south we'll one day our neighbor came down and said let's walk to the bottom (it's quite a hike 800 feet but about 120' of elevation difference. We got down there and realized that, holy shit, this is the perfect garden area! So we bought a bulldozer in the spring and have. Been clearing land down there so this next spring we can have a massive garden.

The dozer is a 1960 Case 310D flt it for a song. She's a strong runner but needs some work. I pushed a 500' long road down to the bottom of the property and then started leveling and clearing land. I ripped up 4 builders about half the size of the half cart and have been working on getting things to a manageable level. I'm going to have to terrace the land and out in some huglekulture mounds come this fall.

I've got one last project I'm trying to get done which is a massive 40'x18' woodshed.I'm hoping after Labor Day I can finally get it started.

Hope everyone has been grand, let me know if you want more updates

Congrats, and welcome back! 

That is a massive woodshed, any chance you can get some of the lumber they cut?  And weren't you considering a wind generator but couldn't get it above the height of the trees?  A dozer and an empty woodshed sounds like a great start to that project too.

[Halfapint]

Congrats, and welcome back! 

That is a massive woodshed, any chance you can get some of the lumber they cut?  And weren't you considering a wind generator but couldn't get it above the height of the trees?  A dozer and an empty woodshed sounds like a great start to that project too.

Yes, wind generators are back on the menu! I've cleared a plot of land at the bottom of our property. That's going to be the garden area and where I'm going to try and put up some turbines and see how they produce.

I replaced the batteries in the golf cart because it just wasn't running well, we'll come to found out one of my 6volt batteries was out of whack so I've got some batteries that I can now mess with and try and build a system down at the bottom of our property wirh a charge controller, maybe a small inverter, and see how the turbines do. I'd it's feasible I may look into one or two of those large 5kw turbines and have them at each corner of the property. We in theory have enough wind to power them.

[Halfapint]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and the congrats! He's been a blast so far! I didn't believe when people said it would actually be rewarding experience.

[NapalmMan67]

I missed the offspring announcement awhile ago...  So, congrats on the diaper demon.  That in itself is a never ending project that'll keep you busy for years to come.

.

[Brekar]

I missed the offspring announcement awhile ago...  So, congrats on the diaper demon.  That in itself is a never ending project that'll keep you busy for years to come.

.

I apparently missed it as well. Congratulations. I've got 4 of them myself eating me out of house and home. Kids are the greatest and most frustrating thing you'll ever deal with in your life. You're in for a hell of a ride...

[Halfapint]

Again thanks everyone! I'm still trying to get used to this format. I'm going to try abs update it more often as I don't trust social media to document things anymore.

Just a quick update the happenings. I've cleared, leveled, and shoddily gotten ready an area for the garden. It's about 1/10th the size I'd like. Bur it's large enough for now. The biggest thing is to level it further out. I've dug about 6' into the hillside and have been able to level about a 50-70' area? It would have been more but the area od least resistance when bulldozing the path of least resistance lead me to the only natural depression on our property. So digging into the hillside and dumping the dirt to fill in is slow. After this it's take down about 2 dozen trees and push north!

Sadly I was not able to pour the footers for the woodshed I wanted. Bur I was able to use a lot of the corrugated roof sheets to cover the new wood pile before they got much wetter. I bought a new heavy duty tarp to cover the old wood sheds because one is 40+ years old and the other 25+ and they need to be rebuild because all the years of debris falling on them and zero maintenance. A colander would protect better.

So those were covered up and strapped to the ground and solid posts.

Other than that. All is well. The crotchgoblin after 7 months of being the perfect sleeper has become a terrorist and refuses to bend the knee (sleep). So for now it's a battle of attrition.

My updates aren't working so I really plan on trying to check back more often, and for those that messaged me I promise I'll get back to you! 

My auto correct hates me. Od is of and if. I just didn't have time to proof read in between chores and the kiddo I'll fix it all later

[Halfapint]

Just a quick update we survived the cold that had Ben embracing us. I was talking to the wife and saying I don't remember a time this early where we had been below freezing for 2+ weeks.

The culmination of that cold was something sub 10°F. Well te bottom of the RV has been down to allow the tanks that somehow formed a leak to drain into buckets and tossed into the foliage. One gray tank and the black tank have formed a leak. How? I have no idea. This brand RV boasts they can withstand sub 0 degree for indefinite amount if time. They boast their tanks have heat pads and all the small spaces have ducts that dump hot air from the furnace.

I've looked at them and decided that it's out of my capability. I could PROBABLY do it. But it would be most likely weeks without a crapper. And that just won't do(do). So we brought in a professional.

He doesn't do repairs only replacements with full warranty. He estimated 18-20 hours and cost of materials. We got the call today and we pulled the trigger. 4500$.

Honestly less than I expected. I figured the tanks were gonna be 1000 each turns out it's 500.

No idea if lead time. Bur honestly it'll just be nice to have a proper working home again.

I did ask if they could upgrade the insulation and he said they could easily get some R15 in there, which is better than the R1/2 currently.

In other property news

We are picking up 2 high tunnels tomorrow for the lower garden. They are 15' longx6.5'x6.5'the price is good enough that I couldn't build a 30' high tunnel for this price.

I went to start the bulldozer the other day and it just cranks. I could smell gas from the exhaust so I'm pretty sure it's spark or the carb. I'm leaning toward the coil. I'm gonna check it out tomorrow. I'm also going to rewire everything to the ignition switch. The previous owner was an aircraft mechanic and added more switches that aren't needed. I actually enjoy rewireing because I tend to just build everything off the ignition switch. When other switches have been added because if I'm turning the key, I want it to start. I don't want to push a button to turn on the fuel pump. It should be on when I turn the ignition... right?

The crotchgoblin just hit 9 1/2 months and is in full sleep regression. So this is fun. My insomnia and his waking up every 2-3 hours is definitely a thing.

That's all for now!

[flybynight]

Just a quick update we survived the cold that had Ben embracing us. I was talking to the wife and saying I don't remember a time this early where we had been below freezing for 2+ weeks.
The culmination of that cold was something sub 10°F. Well te bottom of the RV has been down to allow the tanks that somehow formed a leak to drain into buckets and tossed into the foliage. One gray tank and the black tank have formed a leak. How? I have no idea. This brand RV boasts they can withstand sub 0 degree for indefinite amount if time. They boast their tanks have heat pads and all the small spaces have ducts that dump hot air from the furnace.
I've looked at them and decided that it's out of my capability. I could PROBABLY do it. But it would be most likely weeks without a crapper. And that just won't do(do). So we brought in a professional.
He doesn't do repairs only replacements with full warranty. He estimated 18-20 hours and cost of materials. We got the call today and we pulled the trigger. 4500$.
Honestly less than I expected. I figured the tanks were gonna be 1000 each turns out it's 500.
No idea if lead time. Bur honestly it'll just be nice to have a proper working home again.
I did ask if they could upgrade the insulation and he said they could easily get some R15 in there, which is better than the R1/2 currently.
In other property news
We are picking up 2 high tunnels tomorrow for the lower garden. They are 15' longx6.5'x6.5'the price is good enough that I couldn't build a 30' high tunnel for this price.
I went to start the bulldozer the other day and it just cranks. I could smell gas from the exhaust so I'm pretty sure it's spark or the carb. I'm leaning toward the coil. I'm gonna check it out tomorrow. I'm also going to rewire everything to the ignition switch. The previous owner was an aircraft mechanic and added more switches that aren't needed. I actually enjoy rewireing because I tend to just build everything off the ignition switch. When other switches have been added because if I'm turning the key, I want it to start. I don't want to push a button to turn on the fuel pump. It should be on when I turn the ignition... right?
The crotchgoblin just hit 9 1/2 months and is in full sleep regression. So this is fun. My insomnia and his waking up every 2-3 hours is definitely a thing.
That's all for now!

https://youtu.be/c1BBX4OxW4U

[Halfapint]

That's kind of what I built in 2020. And the PVC for the hoops cost more than these. And one is in new in box, the other is used but back in the box. We shall see how it works. Oh and the hoops are metal on this one

[Halfapint]

Update time!

We had to have 2 of our tanks replaced. We developed a leak in our gray tank probably about a year ago, I dropped the bottom of the trailer and found it quite quickly. Well I called the manufacturer if the RV and asked what kind of material they were made if. I was told BY THE MANUFACTURER the wrong plastic. So my fix failed. As I was selling on it after learning that it was the wrong plastic I noticed my black tank was leaking as well. Long story short $5800 and 2 new tanks. I upgraded the insulation as well so it's R31 under there instead of thin reflective bubble wrap and like 1" of crappy insulation, R value unknown but I would say less than 5 especially since the actual insulation wasn't even touching there were large gaps in it.

We've had some HUGE windstorms in these parts so I've been getting lots of wood for next year and ran out of storage. I quickly built a pallet woodshed using pallets I got from my cousin, some 2x4x16 I got for almost free and some repurposed 17'11" roof panels that I paid lass than 6$ per for. It's 12' long 8' high and 4' wide. So almost 3 cord of wood can be stored in it.

I'm fixing to get my chainsaw mill up and runnin.mg I want to make a permanent large woodshed. That I can haul long logs under buck, split, and stack all in the same area. The length I need is 22' long. And is only going to be flat on once side I think 4 if those with cross braces out between to hold the roof will suffice.

Last thing I finally got self a heavy duty garden tractor. I've had. YS4500 for years and it's done great and will continue. But I found what it height was a GT5000, but is actually the DGT6000 which I think was the highest HP engine they put in a tractor (27hp) and the rear tires are 24x12-12 so these things are monsters in the garden tractor world. It's got the 58" mowing deck I think and the leaver that raises and lowers the deck is attached to a rear implement lifter. So you can attach a bunch if stuff tk and raise and lower it. It's going to take over hauling duties. It's not without issues, the engine is brand new and replaced with a briggs instead of the ordinal kohler. The steering is a bit missed up because some teeth are sheered off. And the seat mount is broken. I'm gonna build up some weld on the teeth and grind them back and build a whole new seat pan so I can sit further back over the wheels. I ordered AG tires front and rear because if our terrain. I'm going to drop the rear axle out of it and weld it together and possibly look at making the top end a bit higher. It's an auto shift gearbox that is way smoother than most and it's not a hydrostatic so it can take heavier loads better.

The garden area is coming along. We have starts going and I hope to get some time while the wife is in ATL for a wedding to clear and level a bit more. Then I'm going to have a neighbor bring me 5 yards of compost and build my hugelkulture mounds inside the greenhouse.

Last thing, does anyone know how to post images? I thought there was a a way directly here on the website? Did that function get taken down while I was on hiatus for a few months? I suppose I'll have to get my Imgur back up.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

If you hit "reply" under whatever thread you're posting in (don't use the quick reply box. You can't post pictures using that.), there'll be a thing that says "attachments and options".

Click that and you'll find a spot that says " drag and drop files to upload here, or click the button.".

Either do that or click the button to upload your pic and you'll have the option to resize it if you want. Once you're done adding a pic to your post, hit post and you'll be good to go.

Did that make sense ? My instructions may not be as clear as probably needed.

[Halfapint]

If you hit "reply" under whatever thread you're posting in (don't use the quick reply box. You can't post pictures using that.), there'll be a thing that says "attachments and options".

Click that and you'll find a spot that says " drag and drop files to upload here, or click the button.".

Either do that or click the button to upload your pic and you'll have the option to resize it if you want. Once you're done adding a pic to your post, hit post and you'll be good to go.

Did that make sense ? My instructions may not be as clear as probably needed.

Makes total sense! Thank you!

[Halfapint]

Pics of woodshed and garden tractor

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

If you hit "reply" under whatever thread you're posting in (don't use the quick reply box. You can't post pictures using that.), there'll be a thing that says "attachments and options".

Click that and you'll find a spot that says " drag and drop files to upload here, or click the button.".

Either do that or click the button to upload your pic and you'll have the option to resize it if you want. Once you're done adding a pic to your post, hit post and you'll be good to go.

Did that make sense ? My instructions may not be as clear as probably needed.

Makes total sense! Thank you!

You're welcome, Halfapint.

I wasn't sure if my instructions made total sense or if I explained things correctly.

[Halfapint]

Sad note from the home front. The patriarch of the family passed, while sudden it wasn't unexpected. My grandma and him had a wonderful night on Thursday, they watched some old comedy shows and had a drink together. They went to bed and grandpa just collapsed. She called me and I went down to check him out, originally thinking he had just fallen out if bed and needed help. I get down there and he's laying on the floor I start talking to him and he's non responsive. Eyes open but not communicating. He's breathing and he's got a pulse. We call 911 and EMS arrive. He gets taken to the hospital and doc says he's in respiratory failure without hooking him up and basically breathing for him he won't survive.

He had DNR, but since he wasn't actually not breathing and his heart was still beating, we defaulted tk grandma who said he would not want to be in a hospital hooked up to machines keeping him alive. So we had him transported back home, we made the bed, he was unresponsive the entire time he was at home. We waited for the inevitable to happen. He finally passed Saturday at about 6am.

He had always told us he wanted to die in the house and leave it feet first, which we made sure he was when they transported him out. His last request was to be cremated and his ashes spread around the property. So once we get him back, that's exactly what we'll do.

Hardest part is watching my son when he's down in the house run to where grandpa great sat. The look of confusion on his face when he's he turns the corner, his face used to light up and give that giggle scream laugh that only kids can do... now is just lost looking for where grandpa great is at.

I'll get back to posting other updates soon. We have lots of projects in the beer future to get us more self sufficient and get rain harvesting set up when we get our new roof out on the house.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Sorry for your loss, Halfapint.

[flybynight]

Sorry to hear Halfapint