I can’t believe it’s mid-July already! I hope you will enjoy the updates I have for you.
When we left off last month (Hope Springs Eternal), we were still working on the exterior. Josh had replaced the rotted wood and buttoned up the north side.
My purchase of the “ark” and acreage had included a nearly-new metal shed filled with a jumble of tools and equipment.
Rather than throwing them all out, I took a class on small gas engine repair at the local community college.
At my age, matriculating sounds like an incontinence issue…just saying.
Although the weed-whacker and other equipment I hauled in was beyond repair, I made some new friends and learned a lot.
I call this the North Carolina chainsaw massacre. It came home in a box… My poor teacher has the patience of a saint!
The transition of spring to summer was unexpected. After Florida, the seasons continued to surprise and delight me.
Fields of brilliant wildflowers appeared as if the ground was waking up- yawning and stretching.
The arrows show my house is surrounded by fields. I never get tired of watching the nature that abides there.
Speaking of which, the adjacent field that was bursting with corn last fall seemed to be now having some difficulty.
It seemed that old farmer was out there every other week doing one thing or another. Then he called in the big guns.
I am in the flight path of Seymour Johnson AFB just south of here, so it’s not unusual to hear aircraft at all hours.
However, I don’t normally see their call letters…
That crop duster put on quite a show that Saturday afternoon, and I had the entire front row to myself.
As the farmer continues to coax and cater to it, the peanut crop appears to be improving. At least to my untrained eye…
Let’s shift gears and see how observant my regular readers are. What’s missing in this photograph? Clue below.
A big “well done” to those who said the overhead garage door. Your powers of observation are noteworthy.
While Joshua removed the door, I raked and burned. The maintenance of that ditch was becoming a full-time job.
When asked how I envisioned the new wall, I immediately thought of those two matching oddball windows I had picked up in Charlotte, along with the transom.
We lost a whole day in production, but it gives my mud room an edgy Frank Lloyd Wright-ish look, don’t you think?
Each wall gets glued. Then slammed. Then bolted. He literally bludgeoned that wall into place. Check out the shattered wood.
This building is so strong and tight, that if there’s a hurricane or tornado, we will be strapping ourselves to it.
Meanwhile, this humongous cup is the holding tank I have been awaiting. My favorite plumbers are back- with a tractor in tow.
This man dropped everything to fix my broken water line a couple of months ago. God has certainly blessed me with skilled and compassionate contractors.
Larry fills the tank with water to test the discharge pump. You can see from the water on the ground it’s working!
Now to get the new main water line connected, buried, and in a housing box.
Larry said many of the sections of the original sewer pipe had never been glued!
Never thought I’d consider plumbing a work of art…Just need the inspector to come by and give the okay to cover it up.
So what’s behind door #2? When I took this picture during inspections, I never really noticed the little door on the right.
As he prepped that wall for plumbing lines, we saw that the recessed area under the stairs would allow for extra shelves and space for a small freezer in my corner pantry.
Although it is not going to stay there, my standard size refrigerator tucks out of the way perfectly for now.
Because we are adding oversized front windows, Josh builds a custom staging to support the weight of the roof and the deck above it.
Of course, I had to climb up and take pictures. To be sure, it was a bit of a mess, but we were making progress.
I think nearly every wire in the place ran by the front door, and every one of them had to be disconnected and rerouted.
At times, it could be tedious and frustrating. Bella and I would go check the mail when his face looked like that.
Sometimes I would just burn something. I never ran out of combustibles. This place resembled Vesuvius more often than not.
The minutiae was aggravating, but eventually we had two new headers to carry the transom and the half-round window above it.
Not to belabor the point, but it took an astounding amount of skill, time, and effort to frame this front entrance I had designed. My arms and shoulders ached just watching him.
Each night our only reward was a healthy meal and God’s awe-inspiring handiwork in the western sky, but it was enough.
I’m going to need a door to my new mud room, so here we go again. After the front, this looked like child’s play.
Voila! Can’t wait to see him remove that concrete block to put the door in.
As Joshua continued with the buildout, I attempted to keep up with the yard work and gardening.
This has been a summer of firsts for this city girl. I had no idea that things could grow so easily.
I’m not Heloise, but here’s a hint I’ll share. Soak your banana peels in water for a few days before composting them.
Water your tomatoes with the banana-water. This plant doubled in size in 10 days.
I have taken to feeding the birds from the deck railing. Inevitably, a lot of seed falls to the ground below.
As a result, my messy avian friends have inadvertantly begun cultivating sunflowers, corn and morning glories!
I couldn’t bear to kill them, so I plucked them up and planted them out front. And that is why I have a garden next to the driveway.
In April, I was mightily blessed to find this beautiful machine on Facebook Marketplace. It’s a blast- my constant companion.
However, there are still a few deeply rutted sections south of the pond that continue to challenge us.
I was thinking maybe bees on one side and a butterfly habitat on the other? The proximity to the pond would be helpful.
You’ve seen this box featured in previous posts. It’s been home to squirrels and birds, in turn.
Hold on to your hat. There’s a new kid in town.
I have to constantly remind myself that He Who made kittens put snakes in the grass; not all snakes are bad.
Take this little guy. He has round eyes and a round head. He keeps my rodent population down. Good snake.
I collect the discarded skins I find around the property as a reminder to use caution. Thankfully, I rarely encounter its owner.
Living in the country definitely has its benefits. I compost, burn and recycle at least 95% of my trash.
I dug a fairly shallow rectangular hole in the center of next year’s projected garden location.
My diet is largely fruits and veggies, so I generate lots of scrapings and peels, eggshells and coffee grounds. Still, it took 4 months to fill this plastic pickle barrel.
The plan is to let that continue to break down for several months, and then till it into the soil as I break it.
With the plumbing wall complete (two baths and utility room), Josh has begun to install floor joists for the second level.
These are temporary stairs to access the mezzanine. The permanent ones will be much wider and not nearly as steep.
As the official photographer, at best a supporting role in this unfolding drama, I am called to do my duty.
Having some plywood down was so exciting for me…such a huge milestone that I could walk around up here.
I finally had access to the only window in the entire place. It felt so good to clean it!
I’m so happy to share this amazing project with my readers. It definitely looks better than the crude rendering I fashioned in January.
Stay tuned for the next installment of Ark Project and enjoy the rest of the summer. May God bless you richly. Shalom.
Marie, what an awesome project and experience. Congratulations, Sis.
Shalom, Teddy and Wendy Campo
Aliyah Ministries International
Stuart, Fla.
All sounds so exciting! Didn’t see any pictures however! Miss you have much to tell you. Will call you soon!!
Marie you astound me!
Josh certainly is a talented and patient young man!!!! Well done!
Maria, I truly understand how blessed I am to have such a talented son. He also knows the King, so when we’re not working, we’re studying, praying, and rejoicing!
Absolutely amazing! God holds your hand.