#4 The good, The bad and the Ugly.

 This week will probably be a short update. Productivity seems to have slowed a little bit just due to the types of projects we are into right now. We need to get a bunch of lumber cut so we can continue on some much needed tasks. One being dog houses. Last night showed us that our boys that are full time outside deserve a solid house. It was like a monsoon last night. Tons of wind, it blew the side of Axles cover off his kennel. When I let him out this morning he was drenched. It breaks my heart that he had to endure that all night. So he’s getting a major upgrade. The goats decided to start hopping on top of his kennel and it’s all out of shape and they keep pulling the covers off of it too. They also go in and eat all the hay out of the dog kennels. So we have some problems to solve with the animals. 

 We recently found out the spot we wanted to begin carving out a road at is completely unsuitable. Too much water by the spring, it would have run off and spring water running through it year round and a culvert would not solve our problem. So yesterday the new road to the top was mapped out. 

I would say the most intense thing that has happened since the month we have been here is easily the engine in our truck blowing. My husband made the final trip to Bend. We were pulling my parents trailer up the mountain so that everyone would finally be on the mountain. Unfortunately about an hour away from the final huge climb up the mountain it pretty much exploded. It was towed to a shop in a nearby town. We fortunately paid for a warranty and are feeling pretty confident that it will be covered by the warranty company. So at this point in time we have no vehicle and I may have forgotten how to drive. 😂 It is unlikely we will see our truck for a long time. 

Because I want to keep the information I share positive, I seldom share negative details. But I feel it’s important to share both and will make it a point to share some of the struggles. Truly to be honest though it hasn’t been that bad. There are challenges for sure, but we are really all doing very well. 

Recently the weather being bi polar has been very difficult. And honestly the reason is purely that we have to hang out laundry to dry. Except we get afternoon storms commonly. So it’s a huge rush to finish laundry. We have 3 families sharing a washer. And since we are running water uphill the rate that the washer fills is hysterically slow. HOWEVER! My husband and Garret have decided it’s a necessity to resolve the issues with the washer and are hooking it up to a water tank so that we can use the water for other things while laundry is being done. Because we are always doing laundry. 😆 

I’m just going to say it. But I am going to issue a disclaimer! I am not a wimp or a wuss! But the bugs are driving me insane. We have a new addition to our bug following. And that would be giant ants. Some have wings, some are just rude and squeeze in any crack they find and try to live in our 5th wheel. Bailee pulled one out of our bed. I keep finding them on the couch…this just started so I’ll hold onto the Hope that their presence is brief. But I did have to pause just now to kill one crawling on my bed. So.. I may lose my mind sooner than I though. First it was the ticks. Then wasps getting in our trailer through the tip outs on our 5th wheel. And now the giant ants. We have been clearing a lot of dead trees which I assume is why they are looking for a new home. But the bug life up here is real solid. I am not loving that part. I get anxious when I constantly feel crawled on. And I’m constantly crawled on even when I come inside.

I think I get to claim the first real injury. I dislocated my finger while moving one of the goats around to graze. She took off and the cable she was on tightened and crushed my hand and as a result I had a dislocated middle finger for a day. I had to put it back where it belonged.. that was no fun. 

Some other trouble we have encountered has been with our Livestock guardians. Sig and Axle up until recently have been able to hang out without a leash outside the animal area. I was taking Axle on runs with the four wheeler. He would follow me for miles and be such a good boy! For some reason that changed. He took off one day, he eventually came back. Sig took off that same day and ran the 3+ miles to the old school house. It’s Turkey and bear season, so we’re lucky a trigger happy hunter didn’t shoot him! They have both ran off twice each. Sig won’t avoid you or run from you. Axle however will run and skirt you for ever. It’s very frustrating. 

Everyday goes by so quickly. Taking care of yourself is really hard. There is this invisible pressure to get outside super early every morning. We all want to be productive! I’ve struggled to keep up on several things, hydrating has been one. I’m a big water drinker when I’m hanging out. But when I’m busy I’m terrible at it! So I’ve made a more conscious effort, but I’m not getting much better with it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Over all like I mentioned we’re doing great! We have more to be grateful for than things to complain about. Our green house is flourishing at this point. We are beginning the new greenhouse. This one will run year round. It will be quite large. We are getting ready for some outside beds. That’s going to be even more exciting!

We are learning quite a bit about the locals and neighbors. We met another neighbor up here to our West. He was super friendly and stopped to talk and introduce himself when he saw the kids and I at the mailbox. He and his family have been up here for 15 years and built their home themselves and are completely off grid as well. We are hoping to enjoy getting to know them better. We are terrible however at making time to socialize. We are so incredibly busy. We ran into the same neighbor again while returning from town for a Vet appointment for Sig. We got to meet his wife this time and chatted again for about an hour up by the mail boxes. They are going to be such a great resource!

 Some things we are working to improve after some very consistent rain, is the animals living conditions. Everything keeps getting wet and muddy. We have resigned that they need a small barn down here which will then turn into a storage shed once we move up top.  There is so much run off from rain that we have little rivers running through literally everything. This is why we are so eager to get to the top part of the property. Up top we are a little above the spring, so we will get to enjoy a life filled with much less mud! 

At Sigs Vet appointment today we learned a lot. Mainly we learned a lot about ticks. Some may not know, so I will happily share! But if you haven’t heard of tick paralysis, look it up! Ticks inject a numbing toxin into you when they bite initially. And they continue to inject it as they feed. In both humans and animals they can continue to inject it if not detected and if this goes on long enough can paralyze organs causing suffocation! And eventually death… Sig had three on him. We removed them successfully and cleaned the area. Unfortunately we missed the signs of infection at the site of the bites and he developed a huge mass of scabs. They were very infected and a total mess! Green puss and discharge all over the place. I was so so worried! Fortunately I beefed up my animal supply kits before we moved. After just five days I was able to significantly… well honestly completely treat the wound. There is no sign of infection and he’s been given a clean bill of health. 

Our Guineas will arrive in a few days! Garret built them a nice brooder box to get them through the first 6-8 weeks. He used only lumber that we milled, so it’s yet another project that cost us no money. Those are the most rewarding projects. 

Well that’s all for now. 🥳