Typical Fashion

It's been awhile since my last post.  Not sure if you missed them or not, but I've missed writing them.  We've been just a teensy weensy busy of late.  It's typical fashion for the Moose and me.  Never without another project, or two or three....

We are in the process of revamping our house.  We've lived here for 8 years, and it's 13 years old.  It needs a face lift. 

We found a great bargain on travertine tile;  18x18, neutral tones.  The tiles when sold individually run close to $9 bucks a tile, and we have around 600 tiles.  We didn't pay near that much, since it was on clearance,  that's why we moved up flooring on our wish list, to "we can't beat this deal so let's go for it" list.  Now the fun part, learning how to install the stuff yourself.  They wanted $7K to install just a little over 1,000 square feet.

To be clear, the $7K did NOT cover the cost of removing the old tile, carpet, baseboards, leveling of the floor and filling in cracks. It's wouldn't cover the whole house paint project we moved to the front of the list.  Just the install, 2-3 guys for 2-3 days.  It did not cover the cost of any materials.

It's apparent I'm in the wrong business.  I don't begrudge anyone making a living, but I am not willing to part with that kind of money.  We've enlisted help from Padre' (my Dad), my Uncle, and a dear friend Fred (who's actually laid the stuff before).  Between the three of them, we should have it covered.  My uncle even ran to the hardware store, and they gave him an actual class on laying the tile!  I'm not sure who's more excited at the prospect of laying this stuff, the Moose and me, or them!

I'll keep you posted.  I forgot to take before photos, sorry, and it's too late now.  The place looks like a construction site or a war zone.  You pick..

I'll Give You 19 Reasons...

I'll give you 19 reasons to have chickens!  Here they are;

Our new Easter Eggers! One week old.  They are really cute, and quickly getting acclimated to their new surroundings.  Some have the little beards and green tinted legs, others don't.  I understand that they are a hybrid breed, so almost anything goes.  Very friendly and great for the backyard chicken lover!

A very sweet lady hatched them out and then her husband didn't want to deal with chickens, so up on Craigslist they went.  $30.00 for all 19.  Not a bad price.  I already have 4 - 8 of them sold to a friend once they get big enough (no lamp needed and feathered out).

The Moose and I love the "little" things in life.

Pump House

Pump up the jam water!  The pump house itself is finished!  It houses the water pump and RO system.  Spud and the Moose have been working on this for some weeks now, tweaking the system, getting replacement filters, membranes and the like.  Other than a few odds and ends, and a final test of water quality, we are finished!

 

The materials for the pump house itself ran around $30.00.  The Moose found the materials on the scrap pile at the local hardware store.  Great find, but better yet, was his find a year ago at a yard sale;  an RO system for $5.00.  You read that right!  5 bucks, smackeroos, dinero!  And Spud found us the paint at no charge!  Even better!!

We’ve spent $5 in worse ways, and the Moose thought he might need that someday, and go figure we did!  Other than a replacement filter and membrane, I think we have just a little over a hundred bucks in to the pump system. 

The the Moose purchased a set of 45 watt solar panels, to charge a set of deep cell batteries, that will run the pump when needed.  We bought the solar panels from Harbor Freight for around $150.00.  We're still working on the collection of batteries.  The nice thing is, it's totally off the grid, and as you can see, we have room for additional solar panels for future planning.

 

That’s my kind of project!           

Welcome New Followers

Welcome to some new followers;  Rob, Airscanpilot and Duke.  A link to Duke' s blog is below.  He' s a no nonsense kind of guy.  Take the time to check it out.  Thanks for taking the time to register as a follower!

http://downrangereport.blogspot.com/

Grandma Got Her Gun!

I took a bit of a break from blogging over the holidays, and thought I'd get you caught up on some of the recent activities at The Compound.

We had a target practice event.  There were about 10 of us taking turns trying to out do each other ourselves.  We are always working to improve our skills.  Both Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 were there, and took their turns.  They did a great job, and have improved over time.  I had to share this photo with you. This is how D#1 travels!  There is just so much wrong with it! 

We corrected this problem on Christmas day.  Both Daughters received a gun bag from under the Christmas tree.  No I didn't run out and get one on the way home from target practice, we had already picked them out.

But the cutest part of our day was watching the Moose's Mom try her hand at shooting my .38.  At nearly 80 years old, never having shot a gun in her life, she gave it a try.  She hit the target too!  Way to go Grandma!  She's never afraid of trying new things.  I really admire her for that.

I don't think she'll run out and arm herself, but she's experienced something new.  Happy we could oblige.  We spent the remainder of our time with friends and family.   Laughing and eating way too much.  Then we said our goodbyes with hopes of getting back together soon.  We are truly blessed.

Top Posts from 2012

It always amazes me, the variety of posts that people view.  See last years top 5 posts.  The only thing in common is they were all posted on The Compound blog site!

#1  Blue Tilapia 101          

#2  Ankle Deep        
        
#3  Chicken Coop and Run Construction  

#4  One Giant Leap              

#5  Living in 2012      

Did you have a favorite?  Is there something you would like to see more of?

New Year, New Lists

Happy New Year to everyone that has followed along with this crazy blog!  I am humbled that you take the time to visit The Compound.

Another year has come and gone.  I’m happy to say goodbye to 2012, and am hopeful 2013 will be a better year.  Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t changed my opinion on our country’s financial standing.  I’m hoping for a better personal year.  We had some major setbacks last year, that don’t need repeating.

At the end of each year I look back at our annual “Must Have and Wish List” to see what we’ve accomplished along the way.  I think we did pretty well, all things considered, with only a few exceptions.  Then I try to lay out a plan for the coming year.

I’m not sure if I still have a holiday hangover of sorts, but I’m having a hard time coming up with an extensive list.  Is it because we’ve accomplished so much already?  Or subconsciously I don’t want a big list as I’m still tired from 2012?

Anywho, here’s what I have for 2013;

Must Have List

Finish the pump house and reverse osmosis system

Purchase and plant additional blueberry plants

Purchase and plant additional asparagus plants

Build a couple of raised beds; garlic, peas, lettuce, etc

Install chicken wire on the chicken run wall, between the two areas.  Then we’ll be ready for chicks.

Hatch out more chicks

Finish the exterior of the outdoor pizza oven

Become efficient cooking outdoors; dutch oven, outdoor pizza oven, etc

Continue with archery and weapons training

Wish List

Purchase another shipping container

Build an enclosure for ducks, and get ducks

Learn how to capture and process wild hogs

Dock railing

Try out aquaculture using our Tilapia pond

 Now that I look at the list, it doesn’t seem too bad..  What are your major goals for 2013?