It Is Alive!

Our solar panels are up and running.  Fully charged batteries are all set up and we have lights, and as I write this a saw is operating off of the system.  Soon to be hooked up refrigeration in our outdoor kitchen!  This is a game changer for us.  Looking long term, or short term depending on what you read these days, the ability to keep food cold, make ice for drinks for the occasional spranged ankle or fever is nothing short of a miracle.  Besides being able to charge batteries for flashlights, run lighting in our campers at night, all without an ounce of gasoline!

It has been a long time coming.  A few bumps in the road, but like most things God puts in our paths, we are challenged to pay attention and the reward at the end is outstanding. 
We have a few minor adjustments to make, and then we're running electrical to where it will be needed most.

It was a $6K investment;  $3500.00 for the battery set, $1500 for the solar panels (we got them for half of their going price) and another $1K for the charging station.

It's a bit misty out today, but as soon as they finish welding the frame for the solar panels, I'll share.

I can not express just how happy we all are!

Gardening on My Mind

Well the pigs have done their job.  They have completely removed any bit of weed or grass from anywhere in the garden, and it's not growing back.  Wonderful little tillers, and fertilizers.

Now the true test will be, will the weeds come back and if so how quickly?   Considering the property is completely surrounded by weeds, it'll be interesting to see how well they did and/or how long it is before the weeds to take over.  I pray they don't.  Weeds are a big pain in any garden, but out at The Compound, totally impossible to get any control over by hand.

So we'll start on seedlings this weekend, along with the initial tilling of an area in the garden.  We're also interested in seeing how well the garden does, considering all the fertilizer that has been added along the way.

That's at least what's on my agenda.  The Moose has other plans, stay tuned....

Stupendous! (picture heavy)

It was a stupendous holiday season!  Way too much food, and just the right amount of laughter to make your cheeks and stomach hurt! 


We celebrated Gene's 84th birthday!  He was quite the card shark too!









We watched the Moose's Mom catch dinner.  It was over 50 years since she went fishing, and she caught 10 pan fish which we grilled over an open fire.  Yummo!

We celebrated Christmas with great family and friends.  There's 5 generations in this photo, all first born daughters to boot.  We just love these ladies!  They all have a way to make you feel welcomed and loved.









We went camping at KARS Park, and got a bit washed out for a few days, but somehow we managed to stay busy.  The views from the park are always great.






 The guys took the boat out and went fishing, and caught this cooler full of mullet and red tailed tilapia.  These are salt water fish, caught in the Banana River.

They cleaned all 59 fish, and smoked about half for dinner Saturday night.  They were so happy with their big catch!  Dinner was delish!











 I even got the chance to tag along on Sunday morning.  Yep, those are my muddy boots in the photo.  It was picture perfect!













Here's one of the boys throwing the cast net.  Let me tell you, that is no easy feat.  It was pretty heavy, and it really needed a big heave-ho to get it out into the water.  But I think they loved every minute of it.

We saw lots of dolphins, and a manatee or two.  I also had a close encounter with an alligator sunning itself on  the shoreline.

But, my favorite picture of the day was this old tree along the barge canal.  I'm not sure why, but it just captured my attention.

The Moose and I are looking forward to what God has in store for us in 2015.  We hope you'll keep checking in to see what we're up to!