We finally got some much-needed chores completed. We placed fertilizer stakes around each fruit tree and the blueberries and weed-eated each of orchard lots. Planted 9 hills of persimmon seeds. Also installed a 4’ gate to one of the orchards.
As usual, the neighbor's cattle had roamed the Homestead, leaving their calling card all over the place. It's a danged shame that this happens constantly.
We mowed and weed eat the Homestead yesterday (September 13, 2021). It had been 3-weeks since it was last mowed and weed eat. While mowing yesterday, I thought about how we are helping the adjoining property owner, even though they don’t want us here. Keeping our property mowed is greatly reducing the rat and field mice and snake population. In short, our efforts and hard work are benefitting the ungrateful owners living next door. I think I have mentioned a few words about the field mice and snakes that were living on our property when we bought it (it resembled a jungle), and the owner never said one grateful word.
We picked a few pears at the Homestead (on September 10, 2021). My desire is to turn this Homestead into a working homestead. When I use the term "working homestead", I mean that I want the homestead to provide us things like fresh food, a place to live, and enjoyment.
On August 28, 2021, we repaired the fence at the driveway entrance to the Homestead. I also sprayed weed/grass kill around the driveway, the driveway drain, and on a dirt pile that I plan to use later. Hopefully this will cut down on the weed eating.
Here is a picture of the driveway when it was first built.
We mowed the Homestead yesterday (August 23, 2021). It has been 28 days since we last mowed. Unfortunately a branch on one of our pear trees had broken; it was loaded down with pears that were not yet ripe. I am thankful for the pears this year.
We mowed the Homestead on July 26, 2021, despite that I wasn't feeling well physically. I'm not sure what caused me to feel poorly; I am still feeling poorly at this writing. My feeling poorly could be connected to our visit to a King Buffet, on July 18, 2021. The place was overrun with Mexicans, and I suspect most were probably illegals and carriers).
I hope, and pray, I will remain healthy and can do the mowing and other work that needs done, otherwise the Homestead will have to be sold.
To some folks, my posts probably seem senseless. But they're not senseless to me.
I found this online and I am considering how I might build a similar layout like this one on our Homestead and make it work. The trick to utilizing this size of land is by focusing on food sources that don’t take up a lot of space, for example, raising chickens and rabbits instead of cattle and sheep. And since it is me who does most of the work anyway, an area this size would be easier for me to work....and hopefully I could keep the rest of the Homestead mowed.
Yesterday (June 14) we mowed the Homestead again. The recent rainfall hindered us from mowing June 7, 2021. I am thankful that I am able to mow.
Yesterday (May 21) we mowed the Homestead. Although this property is rolling to partly level (I call it "hilly"), it is beautiful nonetheless after it has been freshly mowed. We have started a small orchard that seems to be coming along quite nicely. I hope and pray that the neighbor's rogue cow, the rogue deer, and the rogue people don't do damage to our accomplishments.
Although I've been fairly busy, I haven't gotten much accomplished. We did, however, get a few jobs accomplished on the Homestead.
On April 30th: We mowed the entire Homestead. On May 7th: We fenced the apple and pear trees to keep the deer from doing additional damage to them. The two pear trees (Kieffer Pears) have several baby pears already, and I really hope we can harvest the pears this year. Last year only one tree produced pears, and something got every single pear.
We laid some railroad ties at the far end of the new driveway to prevent the gravel from shifting down the hill. Later we went back to mow the Homestead. I was able to mow about half of the area we normally mow before the John Deere mower broke down (The drive belt broke). It's just my luck, I guess.
I have accepted the fact that this property is not yet a Homestead. So....I will refer to it as The Future Homestead. Anyway, we mowed the grass on November 9, 2020. I am so thankful that we aren't still contending with bushes and briars at this point. The regular mowing has helped put a stop to them for now. Of course, if we miss mowing for just one season, I'm sure the bushes and briars would return and take over. I sure hope we can get enough money together to turn this property into a real Homestead. I am pretty much a hermit and I enjoy the free-range-life that country living offers.
