Gardening / Homesteading

[Billsandhorns]

4 hours ago, The Guy In Pants said:

We were walking the woods to see where we wanted our home on the property we are talking to her grandpa about.

 

 

The town just posted on Facebook that there is a new 157 home subdivision going in about 2 miles away. Going right across the street from the grocery store, driving right past where we are. 

 

🤣
 

Can’t win for losing on getting away from people. 
 

10 years ago it was nice and quiet here. Tired of developments ruining good things. 

They are developing land all around our house too. It sucks, the roads are not really set-up for the amount of traffic we see now and the main street cannot be widened because it is a historical trail.

[The Guy In Pants]

6 hours ago, Billsandhorns said:

They are developing land all around our house too. It sucks, the roads are not really set-up for the amount of traffic we see now and the main street cannot be widened because it is a historical trail.

 

Ugh. Hate it so much. Bad enough the commute takes us into stop lights, loads of rush hour traffic and too many people; now we'll have to live in it too. Crime has increased so much around us after the apartment building went in 5 miles away. Casing of homes is a regular occurrence. I've caught people on our cameras coming into the drive and sitting there looking around, then they see the cameras and leave. Not sure if casers or not but; if so, oh well. Hate to be involved in a situation which would warrant some sort of action against a hostile visitor but we will not be the victim. 

 

My wife was excited because we had found a spot far enough away from the main to drown out most of the car noise and still be away from the neighbors on the far side of the property. We were putting out the flags for how the house would be set facing the sunset at the edge of the woods. Walking back we saw it on Facebook. Kind of just killed the vibe lol

 

 

 

[The Guy In Pants]

Had my AirPods in yesterday while working inside the chicken run. “Purple Rain” came on so I started singing. I suppose they figured to investigate to make sure I wasn’t dying.

 

 

[IDBillzFan]

Welcome to Pig Slaughter day at my household.

 

Mobile butcher will be here late morning. Literally no idea what to expect beyond the fact that these dudes are each at or over 300 pounds, it has been raining off and on for the past few days, and their pen is an absolutely shit pit from the water.

 

Timing is great because our temps have been pretty mild and we head to the teens this week, so I will be glad not to have trudge up the hill three times a day in ice, snow, or anything else after today.

 

Not sure how long it will take for the beasts to be turned into feasts, but I will let you know the moment we cook some bacon or sausage. They've been hit with apples and molasses every day for the past month, so I'm eager to see how this all works out.

 

Stand by.

 

 

[Uncle Joe]

48 minutes ago, IDBillzFan said:

Mobile butcher will be here late morning. Literally no idea what to expect

Hopefully this guy doesn't show up

[IDBillzFan]

17 minutes ago, Uncle Joe said:

Hopefully this guy doesn't show up

 

That's the first picture I've seen of Fetterman with hair.

[IDBillzFan]

When I was a kid, I lit a cockroach on fire and the mf'er exploded. It scared the living shit out of me, so later that year, when my friend and I were shooting BBs and he challenged me to shoot a bird on an electrical wire, I purposefully aimed to the left of the bird to ensure I missed it. Turns out the sights on a BB gun aren't very accurate, and feathers went everywhere. My friend cheered, but I was mortified.

 

Fifty years later the idea of killing another animal for any reason is still difficult to watch.

 

Pigs got a bullet to the head and a quick slit of the throat and it was just too much to ask have them die quickly. All 300+ pounds start rolling around in their blood for seemingly ever. When the body ultimately made it to the stand, head off, on its back, and the butcher starting to remove the skin at the hind end, the area where his head used to sit was still twitching, and suddenly I was reminded of Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery in "The Rock."

 

Goodspeed: Okay, look...you've been around a lot of corpses. Is that normal?
Mason: What, the feet thing?
Goodspeed: Yes, the feet thing!
Mason: Yeah, it happens...
Goodspeed: Look, I'm having trouble concentrating...can you do something about it?
Mason: Well, like what? Kill him again?

 

We'll do it again next year, but note to self: no need to supervise the butcher. Just let him tell you when he's done.

 

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by IDBillzFan

[MothersMilk]

Empire will probably always be my favorite one... the tart ones are great imo.

 

 

 

[Jabba The Hutt]

14 hours ago, MothersMilk said:

Empire will probably always be my favorite one... the tart ones are great imo.

 

 

 

Sweet-tarts are the absolute best! Don't even start me on watercore🤤

[Jabba The Hutt]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:03 PM, MothersMilk said:

Empire will probably always be my favorite one... the tart ones are great imo.

 

 

 

Got our acreage finally up here in NY. Apple trees and cherry trees as well as Paw Paws going in the ground in spring.

[Ann]

Just now, Jabba The Hutt said:

Got our acreage finally up here in NY. Apple trees and cherry trees as well as Paw Paws going in the ground in spring.

 

We are making decisions on what to plant here. Lemon and lime will be in big pots inside the lanai. The regional orange tree is a given. We want prickly pears, spineless variety, and in a cement container so it doesn't take over the world. I have photos i took in Sicily to show the landscaper what i would like.

 

We are looking at native bananas,  but will have to research what type. 

 

We do not want too many trees as we don't want to attract vermin. 

 

I thought about your kumquat idea, but hubby was meh. He also doesn't want mangos- frankly, that surprised me. I asked him about avocado (not the 40' tree variety) and that might be a go.

 

I will be interested to see what the landscapers come up with. There is a ton of room on one side of the house as well as in the backyard,  but we have to make sure the lawn guys can cut so we cannot go crazy.

[Jabba The Hutt]

On 11/5/2022 at 7:16 AM, Ann said:

 

We are making decisions on what to plant here. Lemon and lime will be in big pots inside the lanai. The regional orange tree is a given. We want prickly pears, spineless variety, and in a cement container so it doesn't take over the world. I have photos i took in Sicily to show the landscaper what i would like.

 

We are looking at native bananas,  but will have to research what type. 

 

We do not want too many trees as we don't want to attract vermin. 

 

I thought about your kumquat idea, but hubby was meh. He also doesn't want mangos- frankly, that surprised me. I asked him about avocado (not the 40' tree variety) and that might be a go.

 

I will be interested to see what the landscapers come up with. There is a ton of room on one side of the house as well as in the backyard,  but we have to make sure the lawn guys can cut so we cannot go crazy.

Love the variegated spineless Opuntia species, so does our radiated tortoise lol. You often run into rot even soilless in Florida however on cacti... Just snap off those pads if they aren't aesthetically pleasing. 

 

I really don't understand the vermin excuse, they are there, fruit or no fruit, especially in Florida

 

Tell hubby if he doesn't plant at least an Orange Sherbet mango he might as well move back to NY lol

 

If you like bananas then I would suggest the Red Jamaican variety, ornamental value is close to the best besides the variegated ones and the fruit tastes like banana cream pie. Can take a few years to fruit so will let you get the vermin under control while enjoying the beauty of the plant

 

Plenty of good avocados, however Hass is not a good pick for Florida...if you like store Mexican variety avocados you must go with Super Hass, I know the guy who mass produced the trees (from a nursery on our island) and they actually taste like Hass and produce well in Florida. Also known as Ooh la la Avocado. You can keep it relatively small if you prune.

[Ann]

1 hour ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

I really don't understand the vermin excuse, they are there, fruit or no fruit, especially in Florida

 

Don't tell me that. I see snakes and chameleons but no rats or mice. And I'd like to keep it that way (we might be traveling when fruit drops).

 

1 hour ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

Tell hubby if he doesn't plant at least an Orange Sherbet mango he might as well move back to NY lol

I might add one and not tell him. He won't notice until there are extra mango on the kitchen counter.
 

 

1 hour ago, Jabba The Hutt said:

If you like bananas then I would suggest the Red Jamaican variety, ornamental value is close to the best besides the variegated ones and the fruit tastes like banana cream pie.

I will definitely look into it.
 

[The Guy In Pants]

Hope everyone is doing well. Ramblings from me incoming.

 

Storm last week blew the cover off my chicken run and just made an absolute mess. I went to Lowes and got some corrugated roof panels and lumber to fix it. Was trying to hold off on any semi permanent construction as we are still in process of figuring out what we want to do. But, it is what it is. 

 

Everyone we trusted and used to go to for advice is dead now. So, it's kind of just us. We are watching everything in the world and here in the US and trying our best to get ahead of whatever significant issues arise. We just aren't comfortable with a lot of things right now and we don't want to end up making a mistake.  

 

Still spending most of our free time helping family out. Which is fine. pay it forward right? 

 

Priced out a shop with a few local companies. Holy shit the inflation. Hard to believe. Back burner for now. 

 

Its almost $5 for a dozen eggs here. Thankfully, we have our own. We also have 2 freezers full of meat from the summer. I just went through the pantry and need to take all of the close to expired goods to the food bank. Refreshed what I needed to. Had big plans to start making bread at home on the reg. One thing I did not account for is time. Just don't have it right now. Thankfully the disc golf on break at work is a little refreshing. 

 

My wife was rummaging through my "prepper room" and found some things she needed for the barn but couldn't find at the store. It was my "AHA!" moment. Saw the writing on the wall months ago thanks to some people sharing information who aren't afraid to be honest about the things we are about to experience. I so desperately need to clean it up. It is somewhat sorted but haphazardly. 

 

We want to rescue another pup but our home is really small right now and don't really have the time but; we know we want to. So, we put that on hold for a moment while we decide if building a home is the right thing to do right now. 

 

Went through the in laws double wide a little more thorough this time. I think I am going to end up putting some money into it as a rental property. If nothing else; I will get to practice doing all sorts of things that I may not otherwise be good at. For example, I have never tiled a bathroom shower but I think I will. If I mess it up, no harm no foul right?

 

Still trying to figure out how to exit the rat race of corporate work. The list of "we could do this" is slowly getting smaller as we draw up business plans and realize what is feasible and what is not. We know we want to be able to spend our lives doing what we enjoy and maybe making money with it. Problem is, they have taken health insurance and made it just about impossible for anyone to have it. I am appalled at the prices for just a preventative plan. Makes you appreciate company provided insurance. That's actually the thing that has us pumping the brakes the hardest. Seems the American dream is hardly a dream at all. Kudos to the sly foxes who designed it.

 

My latest idea is a bait and tackle shop. We are located centrally to all the major waterways and tournaments. There aren't any real good bait and tackle places. Figured if I incorporated a couple weird additions to the concept of the shop; it might be something worth perusing. I have some cool ideas. Wouldn't need a building. We could use the home we live in now if we build a home. Just need the county to rezone the acre and house for commercial. We know we are going to be doing produce and seasonal growing for profit but that wouldn't be enough to sustain us long term. Staying with the idea that we want to "work" at things we actually enjoy doing. We feel it would be more beneficial for the whole living with a purpose idea. No longer feeling like you cant escape the hamster wheel society puts you in but feeling like we are free and accomplished. 

 

Anyway; stay safe with the storm if in NY. Stay safe otherwise if not. 

 

 

[The Guy In Pants]

'Tis the season for boiled dinner. Wife has been sick for the last few days with kidney infections off an on. Made her favorite to pick her up a bit. We eat on paper plates because it helps me out. When we married 17 years ago; we made a pact. She hated dishes and I hate laundry. So, I do dishes and she does laundry. Works well for us. I also do the cooking because I absolutely love it. I have started my own little recipe folder but, with no children to pass it off to; I suppose its worthless lol

 

[Ann]

Local oranges are in season! I wonder if the guy two doors down wants to share?

 

[Foxx]

13 hours ago, The Guy In Pants said:

Had big plans to start making bread at home on the reg. One thing I did not account for is time. Just don't have it right now.

Started doing this awhile ago, so very glad I did. not only is the bread better tasting but it doesn't contain all that processed crap in it. and, it is considerably cheaper than the $3 or $4 a loaf they want for simple bread these days.

 

Picked up one of these for the French Bread loaves, works quite well.

 

13 hours ago, The Guy In Pants said:

Went through the in laws double wide a little more thorough this time. I think I am going to end up putting some money into it as a rental property. If nothing else; I will get to practice doing all sorts of things that I may not otherwise be good at. For example, I have never tiled a bathroom shower but I think I will. If I mess it up, no harm no foul right?

Let us know when you get ready to tackle the projects. If there are any questions you may have before hand about common construction practices, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities.

 

Tile work is easy, it's the prep that is important.

[The Guy In Pants]

10 hours ago, Foxx said:

Started doing this awhile ago, so very glad I did. not only is the bread better tasting but it doesn't contain all that processed crap in it. and, it is considerably cheaper than the $3 or $4 a loaf they want for simple bread these days.

 

Picked up one of these for the French Bread loaves, works quite well.

 

Let us know when you get ready to tackle the projects. If there are any questions you may have before hand about common construction practices, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities.

 

Tile work is easy, it's the prep that is important.

 

Added the french bread pan to my cart; thank you!

 

I'll reach out for sure. Not sure if she'll want to tile or just install one of those tub/shower combo inserts. We haven't really been able to make up our mind about much of anything. It's aggravating. Just don't want to make the wrong decisions. 

[Foxx]

On 11/18/2022 at 5:37 AM, The Guy In Pants said:

 

Added the french bread pan to my cart; thank you!

 

I'll reach out for sure. Not sure if she'll want to tile or just install one of those tub/shower combo inserts. We haven't really been able to make up our mind about much of anything. It's aggravating. Just don't want to make the wrong decisions. 

If it's an insert, consider a one-piece. The problem with many of the composite inserts that are three piece, is that they have to be caulked. You would want to utilized a silicone based caulk which if not fairly adept with, can turn out to be a mess. Additionally, though it may not apply to you due to your geographic location, wide temperature shifts can cause the composite to expand and contract considerably. When that happens, the caulk fails because it can and will separate from the substrate. Additionally, even though a lot of your higher end silicone caulks will state that they are 'mold resistant', those microbial anit-bodies only last for so long and you will eventually have to cut the caulk out and re-caulk.

 

That said, even with tile, now a days, they recommend caulking 90 degree angles because no matter what you do, a grouted 90 angle is also going to crack at some point. Of which, this is most often due to excessive movement within the substrate.

 

Nothing is final I guess, but I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

[Ann]

On 11/5/2022 at 6:16 AM, Ann said:

 

We are making decisions on what to plant here. Lemon and lime will be in big pots inside the lanai. The regional orange tree is a given. We want prickly pears, spineless variety, and in a cement container so it doesn't take over the world. I have photos i took in Sicily to show the landscaper what i would like.

 

We are looking at native bananas,  but will have to research what type. 

 

We do not want too many trees as we don't want to attract vermin. 

 

I thought about your kumquat idea, but hubby was meh. He also doesn't want mangos- frankly, that surprised me. I asked him about avocado (not the 40' tree variety) and that might be a go.

 

I will be interested to see what the landscapers come up with. There is a ton of room on one side of the house as well as in the backyard,  but we have to make sure the lawn guys can cut so we cannot go crazy.

After some more research and a nice chat with a local farmer...

Limes are a no-go here. Too cold. I have to figure out if I want two lemon trees (meyer lemons) or something else in a pot inside the lanai (corners).

There are a few local apple trees! Apparently, Auburn University and the University of Florida work on together for new varieties that will grow and produce down here (like Cornell does in NYS). I spent some time on the cooperative extension doing research, and we'd have to be able to plant more than one, so I doubt we will do it. But, I was pleased (and surprised) to find apples could grow in Florida.