Posted on by Emily · 2 Comments

Day 614

I am happy to report that we have made it through most of the punch list. There are just a few minor odds and ends to finish up. As such, I believe this will be my last post with the meter running on the house build. Let’s call it 600ish days from the time we closed on the property to the house being complete.

Not terrible. I’m just so glad construction-related items are done!

We have shutters!

And the columns were finally repainted!

The screened porch was finished just in the nick of time for us to host a little going away party for my sister and brother-in-law who are soon moving to California. Waaaaaaaaaaaah!

Just a little cocktail and charcuterie spread, naturally.

Bu was keeping cool on top of the cooler until the guests arrived.

I think he loves the screened porch even more than I do, which is really saying something.

The moonlight was so strong the other evening that I went up to my office to take a picture of the light hitting the house. I don’t know what happened here, but somehow the photo looks like an oil painting?!

I might have it framed.

Things have been quite picturesque on my walks lately. This is my blue heron friend that I see most mornings.

Last weekend, when my sister and I were walking, he took off from the pond and we watched him land on top of this tree. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

We’ve also had quite a showing of deer and turkeys. I can hear the baby turkeys chirping from inside the house when they’re out foraging. They are the tiny dots below the turkey on the right. I’ve seen as many as 20 at a time.

I met this fella on my walk yesterday.

Several of the neighbors have cut and rolled hay lately. Such a beautiful sight.

View from the front porch last evening.

And lastly, our garden is coming along. We have a few green tomatoes and many of the plants are over a foot tall.

Josh is so excited about this corn. I just hope the electric fence keeps the above pictured critters away!

Posted on by Emily

Day 597

Greetings!

We’ve done some mulching.

Bu has done a lot of napping.

And testing of benches.

I think I have a bench addiction.

We prepped and planted a garden. Josh did the prepping and I did the planting.

In addition to these seeds, I also planted a variety of tomatoes, peppers, and some speckled lima beans (my favorite!).

Things are progressing nicely as we’ve had a lot of rain. So far, the solar-powered electric fence is working well and keeping out critters.

Check out my beets!

This is the garden after two weeks!

If it were up to Josh, the entire garden would have been corn. We settled on 3 out of 12 rows being corn.

I’d also like to report that some of the shutters have been hung. Due to the weather, this process of hanging the shutters is going on three weeks long now and not even half of them are hung. And the painters won’t be back to finish the columns until after the shutters are hung and the screened porch is complete.

I can’t talk about it.

The screening of the porch has progressed more steadily. All screens are in and now we just need a few final trim pieces to finish it up. Please take note of the large horse fly that is *inside* the screened porch…

This photo was taken on a peaceful morning walk the day before my first brush with death since living in the wilderness.

The following morning, I was walking along our road, by the creek, when I noticed a turkey on the creek bank about 20 feet away. I was thinking to myself what a lovely moment in nature this was just as the turkey spotted me and then started squawking and flying right at me.

I began shouting in the deepest and most menacing voice I could muster and put my arms out wide as I backed up the way I had come. The turkey stopped flying when she was about 5 feet from my face but kept charging, flapping her wings, and carrying on until she had forced me 50 feet up the road.

She then retreated to the brush on the other side of the road opposite the creek, circling a spot about 10 feet from where she first spotted me. Evidently I had come between her and her babies though I didn’t know it.

I think I’ll be adding a whistle and some pepper spray to my keychain.

Home sweet home.

And, finally, our Starlink satellite arrived today! There is hope for better internet service.