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General Posts

Wednesday Afternoon Ramblings

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Sunday and Monday were fairly rough days, as I was dealing first with a bad poison oak rash and then the side effects of a steroid shot to clear it up.  Despite disabling me on Monday, the steroids did the trick, and I was back at it with a vengeance yesterday, making a huge dent on the area near the springhouse where we’re going to raise mushrooms and hopefully build a wood burning smoker inside an old brick building.  Things are really taking shape in that area and starting to look usable again.  It’s a good feeling to once again see real progress on the farm front.

Also, book four is coming along nicely.  I’ve been writing fairly steadily each night, again with the exceptions of Sunday and Monday, so hopefully I will stay on track with my deadline for completing the rough draft.  I feel like the story is moving in right direction, and the tensions in the story are growing nicely.  My goal is to make this the best book of the series so far, and while it will take some polishing to get it there, right now, it feels on track.  I’ll know more after getting a couple of first readers to glance over the first couple of chapters to make sure it starts with a bang.

That’s all for now.  Time to get outside and work on clearing more poison oak and honeysuckle.  Have I ever mentioned just how much I hate them?  Well, just as a reminder, they’re both of the devil and will be eradicated from my little corner of this earth to make room for plants that aren’t parasites.  Here’s to another day in the sun.

General Posts

Wednesday Morning Ramblings

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Check back for an updated picture of this area soon.

I got to spend a little while yesterday using a new brush cutter/weed eater, and today, I’m so sore I can barely stand it.  For one, this cutter is at least twice as heavy as my other one, but also, it’ll take me a couple of weeks to work myself back into decent shape.  The crunch time of the semester doesn’t lend itself to high levels of physical activity, so I’ll have to readjust to working outdoors.  I love the exercise, especially after the soreness works itself out, and hopefully by the end of this summer, my body will be in pretty good condition.

I also hope to make some major progress on the property this summer.  There’s a lot to do, and it will take a tremendous amount of effort, but I feel up to the task.  Each day gluten free, I feel a little closer to my former self.  My left hand still gives me a few problems, especially with typing, and I’m still a little clumsy, but other than that, I’m feeling stronger and healthier than I have in quite a while, so while my health is on the upswing, I’m going to get the farm producing.  Keep an eye out for pictures of the progress.

Since it’s raining today, I’ll probably spend the day indoors cleaning and organizing my place.  I have a lot of work to do to have it ready for the boys in June, and I can’t write there if it’s too disorderly.  My goal is to dive back into book four tonight, so the space has to be clean to make that happen.  Book four is my number one priority for this summer, so I have to roll up my sleeves and get to it.  The story has been gnawing at me for some time, and there are so many wonderful scenes to write.  If the book comes together the way I envision it, it’s going to be a wild ride.  Please, stay tuned.

General Posts

Thursday Morning Ramblings

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Repairs along the front wall.

After my illness last fall, I had nearly lost hope of ever launching the farm.  With my left hand nearly useless and my balance all but gone, I knew that I couldn’t do the physical labor necessary to get it off the ground.  Not knowing if I would ever feel normal again or if I would continue deteriorating compounded the problem because I didn’t want to pour a bunch of time and money into a project that I physically might not be able to sustain.  Those feelings only added to my sense of helplessness and despair as I contemplated my future.  At that point, I had no answers as to what was wrong with me; all I knew was that I felt terrible and seemed to be losing control of my body.

Today, I feel much better.  Removing gluten from my diet has all but eliminated the vast majority of my symptoms.  I still have some trembling and twitching in my left hand, and my balance is still a little suspect, but overall, I can do virtually everything I could before the onset of the illness.  When I read the journal entries I wrote back in October and November, I’m astonished by how much healthier I feel today.  Then, I wouldn’t have given you a nickel for my future because I was deteriorating so rapidly.  Today, I honestly feel as if I could live a healthy, productive life for another 40-50 years.  It’s an amazing turnaround.

So with that in mind, my attention again returns to the farm.  I still believe in its potential to provide a long-term, sustainable method of not only providing food and revenue for my family but also for providing a blueprint for others in this region.  Because of the efficiency of energy use and inherent purity of the produce, long-term hydroponic farming has many distinct economic advantages over traditional farming.  Instead of being dependent upon the conditions of nature for sustenance, the plants receive consistent levels of full-spectrum light, water, and nutrients, therefore allowing for multiple crop cycles in a given year.  Instead of losing 90% of their water to soil absorption, their roots are immersed in water and thus require much less total resources.  Because of the use of liquid based nutritional supplements for each stage of growth, there’s no need for harsh fertilizers, and because of the indoor growth, there’s no need for dangerous pesticides and herbicides.

So again, I’m turning my attention and energy towards the farm.  The wonderful thing I found the last couple of years, before the illness, is that working on the farm actually boosts my creative energy and allows me to write more than teaching does.  After a full day of lecturing and grading, my brain is spent.  After a day of hard labor, my mind is fresh and teeming with ideas, so long-term, if I can get the farm off the ground and operational, I believe it will improve my productivity as a writer.  It’s a good feeling to once again have hope for a brighter, healthier future, and I plan on taking full advantage of my rebounding health to create not only entertaining books but also a viable, sustainable farm.