It’s Been A Busy Week On The Ranch

This has been a very busy week at The Ranch.

SATURDAY I went to my very first auction. Basically the entire town of Telegraph, including the road sign which read “Telegraph Pop. 2” went up for sale. There was a lot of excitement because this is a historical landmark and there were lots of antiques for the taking. Arriving in Telegraph was like stepping back in time. On the road sat a small store with an attach house in the rear of the store, just like yesteryear. The lone building sat on one acre of land. At noon the property was auctioned off as is. I was happy to hear the man who ended up with the property plans on reopening the store; that is after he does a complete renovation. I am sure everything, including the electrical and plumbing, needs to be updated.

I went to this auction with the hope of leaving with some bedroom furniture for the spare bedroom. I would have been content with just a metal frame and a small kid’s dresser. I never expected to walk away with a complete bedroom of gorgeous furniture. If I had purchased all three pieces at a used furniture store, I would have easily spent over $2000. But including the auctioneer’s fee and taxes, the entire thing only cost me $124. All I have to do is a little cleaning and that spare bedroom will be ready for someone (or a couple) to live in.

MONDAY my friend Ruth came over and helped me clean out the spare bedroom so there would be room for the new furniture. I had been using that room for storage. We had it completely cleaned out in an hour and then moved outside and started cleaning out the cabin. The previous owners left a lot of stuff, some of it useful but a lot was just trash. We made a lot of progress but still have a lot more to do.

TUESDAY a different friend, Jeannie, came over. We spent the morning running errands in Rocksprings and volunteering at the Library. Then in the afternoon we went out to the garden and started laying rocks for the sides of the raised garden bed I spent all summer digging.

WEDNESDAY bright and early a work crew showed up. I hired them to build a deer fence around the garden area, install a gutter on the cabin and convert a cistern sitting next to the cabin into a rain barrel, install a clothes line, replace the door handle on the cabin (which no longer locks) and install a kitty door in that cabin door. A very tall fence is mandatory if I want to grow any food out here. Deer can jump pretty high. But deer are not the only critters out here who would love to feast on my hard work. Last summer right as my zucchini plant was about to start growing little zucchini’s, someone ate the entire plant. I do not want that happening again. So before I even plant my garden the fence has to be installed.

It was many years ago that I first was introduced to solar cooking. Ever since then I have wanted a solar oven and Tuesday my brand new Sun Oven arrived. The Sun Oven is the Royals Royce of solar cookers. So it is possible to buy a cheaper model, or even to build your own solar oven. Plenty of plans are available on the Internet. Last year at the Renewable Energy Fair in Fredericksburg, TX I saw the Sun Oven and decided that was the oven I wanted to buy.

Solar cookers are becoming popular all over the world, especially in sunny regions. Though it really does not take much sun to be able to cook a complete meal with a solar oven. One can bake, steam, or boil one’s food. The computer CD that came with my Sun Oven said it is impossible to burn your food when cooking with the sun. Bread comes out moister then when baked in an oven. It can also be used like a slow cooker. Put a chicken in the Sun Oven in the morning and return home to find dinner all done. If one wants the food done faster than every 30 minutes the oven will need to be turned so it faces the sun. Since today was the first time I ever cooked using the sun, I decided to just bake some muffins. It took awhile because I am still learning, but they tasted great.

I took the muffins out of the oven about the time the last three workmen were getting ready to leave. They had never heard of a solar cooker and were fascinated. I cut one of the muffins into four pieces and we all shared. They all left wanting their own solar cooker.

Tomorrow I plan on roasting some chicken and vegetables.

I was told that tomorrow my clothes line will be ready for use. The cement should be dry by morning. I have heard the dryer is one the biggest electricity user’s in a house and so it will be nice letting the sun and wind do the drying instead. The Sun Oven will also help save on the fuel bill. Instead of heating up the house by turning the oven on and then the AC on to cool it back down, I can just throw food into the Sun Oven and let the sun do all the cooking. Every little bit helps.

(p.s. There is a mattress; I just need to wipe down the box springs before placing the mattress on.)