Another Week Closer to the Goal

It's hard to believe how quickly the weeks are passing and we have been  already completed our fourth trip to the farm.  We are another month nearer to attaining our dream of living at the farm.

Towards that end we have begun making the change of address a reality and have put up the mailbox and visited the DMV to get the information regarding transferring our driving licenses and vehicle registrations.

The DMV was a nice surprise.  Upon arriving we thought perhaps it was closed because there were only two or three vehicles in the lot, but it was open for business.  Inside it resembled other DMV offices we have been in, but without the crowd.  There were three people working behind the counter, and only three two people there to do business, in addition to us.  It took less than  five minutes waiting before we were helped by the nicest person we have ever met behind a registry counter.  She was pleasant, polite and extremely helpful.  Amazing!  We had all the documents necessary except birth certificates for the licenses and the title for the car.  So, we will complete this process next time.

hoisting fram

We finally had a scheduled appointment for the EH agent to come to the farm to confirm the septic system and a well.  He didn't care what condition the well is in, as long as there is a well.  On the other hand the waste system is his primary concern.  If there is no approved method of "waste" removal then there are no permits issued.

So we constructed a frame using our 4x4 fence posts and some scrap

raising the concrete cover

lumber to form a sort of A frame from which to suspend the block and tackle for raising the concrete lid covering the "septic tank" and exposing it for inspection.  This block was much heavier than the concrete calculator estimated.  Yes, there is actually an on-line calculator which figures how much a block of concrete weighs based on its dimensions. This one should have weighed about 200 pounds.

The block and tackle was supposed to easily raise up to 1000 lbs.
Well, as you can see, it didn't and we needed to use another 4x4 as a lever to help raise it about 4" at a time from each end.  We raised it until we could clearly see what we had been guessing as to what would be beneath.  No septic tank, steel or concrete, just a dug out hole in the ground.  Probably the pit under an old out-house was our best guess, even the EH agent agreed as he grinned, peering into the pit, and basically saying "this won't do".  We knew that as soon as we had opened it.

So now the problem is this.  The ground in the area of the house won't perc.  The areas that will perc are too far from the house.  We must find an acceptable alternative or move the house, or build new in a different location.

Using an alternative is the most cost effective way to proceed.  We have found commodes which do not use water, and are not composting.  These commodes are a sort of ventilated dehydrator for the waste.  The solid waste matter is dehydrated and once the moisture has been removed, is ready for the compost pile.  The unit is ventilated, has a built in diverter for waste water, and the small fan and heat system uses a very small amount of power, either AC or DC.  It is also very affordable.  I'll tell you more about this product when, and if, our plan is approved.

For the gray water EH is in favor of a leaching field rather than a holding take or filters.  He has agreed to issue a special permit once the building inspector approves the plan.  So, now we wait, again.

The work on the goat yard was slow going because the ground was still very wet from all the recent rain.  It was a few days before Nick could get back to work on it.

We enlarged the original plan for the area so the final side of the yard must wait until the next trip for its completion.

We decided to add one 8' foot gate which would allow for a tractor to enter the yard when necessary, and also a 4' gate on the far side of the yard in order to move the goats from their yard to the pasture more easily.  The entire pasture will, eventually, be fenced to help keep predators out and the livestock in.

While waiting for the ground to dry off, Nick was able to work indoors stripping the walls that
enclose the front farmer's porch.  It was great to find it had been framed using pressure treated 2x4's because we can re-use these to frame the back "porch" area.  We will be enclosing that back open and adding lots of windows.  In time it will become a part of the kitchen.

The front porch will be opened up and new columns installed.  We don't know what lies beneath the stick on vinyl floor tiles, but we doubt it will be nice wooden floor-boards.

Whatever is there will most likely need to be replaced.

I can already see the porch completed, at least in my mind's eye.  A lovely wide and deep porch, with four solid columns and a painted floor.  There will be a couple of rocking chairs and a table for holding glasses of lemonade during the summer.  Perhaps a few hanging baskets filled with colorful flowers and greens.  A welcome mat at the screened front door and perhaps a friendly greeting painted onto a weathered board and hung on the wall.

Now, back to reality.  At the back of the house is what we have been calling the "back porch", but it
never was a porch.  Originally it was the kitchen and one of the old chimneys still stands just outside the south wall, obstructing the view to the back yard.

Early one morning, while I was still asleep, Nick went to work on the old chimney to take it down before I awoke.

What a great surprise was waiting for me that morning as I walked to the porch to prepare breakfast and saw the unbroken view to the back yard!

The block chimney is still on the ground, but it will be gone soon.  We will find a new use for them somewhere.

One day those posts will be gone and a wall of beautiful windows will be there to provide us with days filled with sunlight and a beautiful unobstructed view of the farm.  This room will become an eating area for the kitchen as well as sitting room for relaxing at the end of the day.

From this room we will have a clear view of the gardens to the left, patio straight ahead, and livestock to the right.

I have been eager to start the garden in some manner.  Not having a tractor or roto tiller doesn't make starting the garden an easy task.  At this time I also don't have the lumber to build raised beds so I need to find another way and hope it will work.

While visiting the post office Nick noticed across the road, beyond the dumpsters which are where town residents bring their household trash, were piles of wood chips in varying stages of decomposing.  A gold mine for us, free for the taking.

So we lined the back of our suv with a tarp and shoveled into it a good sized load to take back to the garden.

Using the tarp helped to keep the cargo area of the car cleaner, but it also was a great help to emptying the load onto the ground.  Nick

backed the car near to the row of hay I had spread for the first garden row/raised bed.  Then we each took a corner of the tarp which was furthest inside the car and pulled, thus sort of rolling the wood chips forward until they spilled out of from the hatch onto the hay.

There isn't much to show right now, just a bit of hay spread onto the ground and covered in wood chips.  But maybe by the end of the summer there will be something worth showing to you.  For now,  a small portion of this first row is being used as a holding nursery for the daylilies we bought and will use somewhere on the farm one day.

Nick found a source for wood pallets, all we want free for the asking.  We chose these blue pallets to
build the goats shelter during the next trip.  There are also red pallets and natural ones too.

As you can see in this photo, we have done a lots of clearing around the little barn.

Remember how it was at the start
of our journey?  One of these days we will get back to working on it.