Building Projects, Fairs, and Worms

Time sure flies when you are having fun, or in our case working hard.  Rick and I have been very busy this past month and do not see any relief for some time. 
  

First, we have been busy rebuilding the well house and goat shelter.  The goat shelter still has some work to be done but at least the goats can get out of the rain when necessary.  Rick used what he could of the old shelter but mostly the materials are new.  This new shelter is also well anchored.  The old shelter was attached to the ground but after what happened to the last shelter it became clear we need to build everything for the worst storm possible.  Rick also made some adjustments over the old shelter, one being too off center the doors to help prevent rain from entering the shelter during storms.

    

Facing East

Facing South

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Well House in upside down and
behind the new well house.

As for the well house, we decided to have a little fun.  We could have saved money by buying cheap plywood, but when I spotted the camouflage plywood clearly meant for building deer blinds, I wanted it.  My only other request was to make the well house big enough to function in.  The fact is from time to time wells break.  It may be as simple as an ant sort circuiting the electrical system or a part could break.  The old well house was so small we could barely move around in it.  Also it was so short that we had no choice but to crawl on our hands and knees (a painful activity) to get inside.   Our new well house is much bigger and more expensive than necessary, but it is much nicer to look at and will be more pleasant to have to go inside to fix the well.

   

We had loaned the welder out but it has now been returned, which is good as we still have some fence repair to do.  The fence was knocked over in the storm.  We fixed most of the fence but the gate and supporting posts need to be re-cemented and welded again.  Hopefully next week Rick will be able to get that job done too.

    

September 29 Rick and I traveled to Fredericksburg to attend the annual Renewable Roundup and Green Living Fair.  We were able to attend and listen to a number of excellent and several not-so-good speakers.   Two speakers did stand out.

   
Marjory Wildcraft spoke on “How to Grow Your OwnGroceries”.  Marjory, in the space of most people’s yards, grows most of what she and her family eat.  She gave us lots of helpful information and renewed hope that even though this land is made up of very rocky soil, we can grow a lot of the food we and the future residents will need.  Marjory energized us to start preparing for next year’s garden.  For those who are interested, Marjory advised us to purchase the book, How To Grow More Vegetables, by John Jeavons.  She claims that this is the best book on the subject and is invaluable.  I have purchased but not read the book, yet.
  

Kindra Welch spoke on Natural Building.  I was familiar with many of the natural building technologies she shared with us but this was all new to Rick.  He was very surprised to learn how beautiful these buildings are, in addition to how fire resistant and energy efficient they are.  After arriving home I emailed Kindra and asked about caliche as a building material.  Both Cob and Adobe use clay as one of the ingredients.  Kindra wrote back that caliche is one of her favorite clay materials to use, which is good news because caliche is plentiful around here.

      

Rick and I are now studying the different natural building techniques and preparing for the future.  But there is still one building project that must be completed before we can get started on anything new.  When I purchased the property there was a partial foundation built but not being used.  Materials have already been purchased to utilize that foundation by building a shed on top of it.  We need a place to store the many power tools we have purchased, along with other items and this shed will be perfect. 

     

Rick drilled holes in the bottom allowing
worm juice to seep out into the blue bucket.

Another project we have started is a worm compost.  Looking for a quicker way to compost and Rick likes to fish.  Composting with worms just seemed to make since.  We almost purchased a worm composter but one person wrote a review complaining that during a hot spell all his worms died.  So we looked for a different method and found a YouTube video that provided for hopefully a perfect worm composter for out hot climate.
      

Finally, we had company in September.  Friends came out for a couple days to help repair the cabin/kitty condo's roof and take a mini vacation.  Now the roof will not leak during storms.  This couple has been going through marital issues and not only did they help us but we were able to minister to them too.

   

There is plenty of work to be done, so much in fact that we welcome anyone coming out here who would like to spend a few days volunteering and enjoying the countryside.  Just let us know if this would interest you.

 

The Storm

Every once in awhile life throws bumps in our way.  We are going along our merrily way and then bam—a bump.  That just happened here at The Ranch.  As I shared Saturday afternoon we had spent all week working towards and achieving electricity for the future cabins that will be built.  We had our plans all laid out, at least for the next few days.  Rick needed to address some issues in San Antonio and so the plan was for him to go spend a few days there.  Then-bump.  It took less than one minute for all our plans to change. 

The bump occurred Saturday evening.  No one could have predicted it, hopefully a once in a lifetime storm.  I made a slideshow movie to share what happened.  It might have been a huge bump, but it was just a bump.  We will recover and move on.  It is now two days since the bump occurred and I am not sad.  Rick is not sad.  Instead we praise God for protecting us and the animals.  He is good.  The bump was really a blessing.  When the cabins are built they will be stronger and safer because of Saturday’s bump.

Getting Electricity, Continued

This has been a very busy and exciting week.  As I shared last time we have spent the past few months working towards installing electricity for the cabins we intend to build.  Step one was to clear the area, not an easy task as it was full of large rocks and Mountain Cedar trees.  But working together that task was completed in a couple of weeks.  Then PedernalesElectric Coop came out with their surveying equipment and marked off the area.  Next Rick spent a week building the rack, which in itself was not an easy task.     
    

This part of Texas is rocky.  There are rocks of every size on this property.  I am currently digging a trench so I can build a raised garden bed and I am picking out tiny pieces of gravel and small rocks out of the few inches of top soil I am clearing away.  Under that few inches of top soil I am finding larger chucks of rocks and then bedrock.  The garden is on the South side of the property.  There is a slight downward slope to the land, the North side being a bit higher in elevation then the South side.  The cabins will be built on the North side which is solid rock.  The area where the power pole and cabins will be built is solid rock, there is no top soil.  Around here I like to joke that we take the Bible literally. These cabins are being built on solid rock, no sand for us.

    

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock.  And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock.  And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house. And it fell, and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27) 

   

Obviously, one does not dig a hole using a shovel when dealing with solid rock.  Rick used a hammer drill with a one inch chisel to make the holes to put the two steel pipes needed to support the electrical rack.  Then he used cement to secure the pipes in the holes.  That task alone took him two days of hard physical labor.  He would then spend several days building the rack and wiring it.   He also was required to build the weatherhead (the long metal pole with wiring inside that is attached to an electrical pole and covered to protect the wires from rain).  In the city the power company and an electrical contractor would build and install the weather head and rack, but out in the country the home owner is required to complete this job.  Since we are installing a lot more power than a single family dwelling would use, bigger wire was needed.  Minimum code called for 3 strands of copper wire 1 inch (2.54cm) thick.  Each strand was 30 feet (9.14 meters) long.  Not only was this wire heavy but to fit in the weather head it had to be bent, a very difficult task that required my help. 

     

Most of what Rick was required to do would have been done by a licensed electrician if we were in the city.  Out here in the country there are only a few licensed electricians within a hundred mile radius willing to come out this far.  Thankfully Rick has enough electrical experience that with a little guidance from folks at the Electrical Supply Store he was able to accomplish this very difficult task.  If I had been forced to hire a licensed electrician, this project would have cost several thousand dollars more.  As it was the cost of materials to build that rack and weather head were well over $2000 and I had to pay Pedernales Electric Coop over $4000 for their part of the job.

    

Getting that rack built required several trips to both Rocksprings and Kerrville in search of needed items.  Last week we basically made 5 trips in 6 days as Rick faced one challenge after another.  Since we had no way of knowing when Pedernales would come out to install the power poles, Rick had to work fast.  I prayed that he would be totally finished before they arrived.  He finally finished his part of the job on Wednesday, then moved some very large rocks (maybe 100 pounds/46 kg or more each) out of the way for the trucks.  Then in answer to prayer Pedernales arrived Thursday morning.  God answers prayer perfectly.

     

It took Pedernales five large trucks, a crew of men, and 3 ½ hours to complete the job.  Fortunately they arrived in Thursday morning when both of us were home and it was relativity cool.  The morning low that day was 76 (25c) and very humid.  Most mornings we average in the low 70’s (21+c).  We have been hitting 100f (38c) or above most days for several weeks now.  By noon (often 11am for me) it is usually to hot and sunny for either of us to be outside working.  God knew I wanted to take lots of pictures and He arranged for Pedernales to come in the morning so I could do just that.  I am not sure I would have been able to stay out in that sun if they had arrived in the afternoon.  God is good. 

     

I took over 450 pictures and so it is going to take me some time to sift through them.  As soon as I am done I will share more of that day with you all.

    

Getting Electricity

As I sit here I can look out the window at my now four week old tail wagging kid lying in the sun chewing the cud.  He looks so content.  Maybe because he never got his mother’s colostrum, he has seemed to lag behind Midnight (who I got at age two weeks) in development.  Sport has only been enthusiastically eating weeds for the past week and a half and whereas he should have been switched to three bottles a day at week two, it took tell week three to fully make the change.  But he now seems to be doing well and is growing nicely.  He clearly has little horns poking out from the top of his little head.  You just have to look closely.

Since it is currently the hottest part of the day the other goats are no doubt resting in a grove of Mountain Cedar trees that provide a blanket of nettles to lie on and a canopy of shade from above to keep them cool.

The cats are off hiding under the house or in the cabin or who knows where, taking their afternoon siesta.  This time of day I never see them.

Rick and I spend most mornings outside working but around noon both of us have to come inside to eat, rest, and do indoor type work.  It is just too hot to be outside in the middle of the afternoon.  This summer has not been as brutal as last summer, but we have had our share of 100 degree days (38c and above). 

Though the animals need to be tended to every day, they are not our primary focus.  Even when we were busy building the goat enclosure, in the back of our minds was our primary mission—people.  In recent weeks more of our attention has been turned to that mission.

The primary reason this land was purchased has always been to provide a place for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities to live.  For the past few months we have been in the planning stage of building one room cabins.  These cabins will come equipped with a kitchenette and a bathroom will be shared between two cabins.  The cabins will not be luxurious, but will be a roof over someone’s head.  They will also have electricity.

Electricity does not just happen.  It takes a lot of work and a lot of money.  About a month ago Rick and I drove to Junction, about 50 miles (80.47km) north of here, to talk to someone at the Pedernales Electric Coop. office.  

In the 1930’s most of rural America did not have access to electricity.  It took an act of the federal government to change that.  By providing federal assistance, electric coops could be formed whose sole purpose is to construct power lines and provide electricity to ranches and farms across the nation.  Pedernales is one of those coops. 

When I first moved to this property Pedernales had already installed a power pole and electricity to the house.  All I had to do was join the coop for a small fee.  Unlike for-profit electric companies that most people in the US get their electricity from, Pedernales is a not-for-profit cooperative, which means I am not just a customer, I am a member of Pedernales cooperative. As a member I vote in elections for board members, have a vote in changing any and all governing documents, and I have a say in what goes on. 

Though there is a power pole on the property, it feeds the house and the bill is in my name.  It just made since to have another pole installed in the ministries name and located where the cabins will be built.  So Rick and I drove to the Pedernales office in Junction, TX to learn what it will take to have a separate power pole installed.  The short answer is a lot of work and money.

The day after we visited the Pedernales office two engineers came out to the property to take a good look at what we wanted.  With clear instructions of the process we then got to work.

Step one:  Clear the land.  We spent several weeks cutting down Mountain Cedar trees and hauling the branches away.  There were also huge rocks that had to be removed.  Pedernales requires a 20 foot (6.10meters) wide easement for their power poles and rocks and stumps have to be no higher than 3 inches (6.72cm) for their trucks to safely pass over.  Since the power pole will be installed close to the property line, we were fortunate that Pedernales only required us to clear out a 10 foot (3.5meters) wide path.  Even that was a lot of hard backbreaking work.  But we got it done.

Step two:  Survey.  Once the land was cleared the two Pedernales engineers returned to survey the area and place markers where the poles and other equipment would go.  This task was accomplished last week. 

Step Three:  Payment.  We were told it would take a week to get the paperwork completed and the actual cost to be calculated.  Yesterday Rick and I drove back to the Pedernales office in Junction so that I could sign the paperwork and make the necessary payments.  Pedernales demands payment up front, which I can fully understand.  The total cost to them came out to $4256.77.  This total includes the cost of making the ministry a member of Pedernales, but by doing so we avoid taxes.  It will also make it much easier to know how much electricity each cabin is using.

Step Four:  Building the rack:  Before Pedernales will come out to install the power pole, we have to build a rack for the electrical boxes.   So as soon as we were done at the Pedernales office, we drove another 50+ miles (81+km) to Kerrville, where we stopped at the Electrical Supply store.  The materials to build that rack came to $2095.94. 

This morning Rick started the process of building the rack.  This is not an easy job as he must put two metal pipes a minimum of 24 inches (60.96cm) into the ground.  Jesus said a wise man builds his house on rock and not sand.  Well, these cabins are being built on solid rock.  Rick has to dig two 24 inch holes into solid rock.  Not an easy job.

Step Five:  Once Rick finishes building the rack Pedernales will come out and install the power pole and hook up the electricity.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock.  And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock. And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them shall be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the wind blew and beat on that house. And it fell, and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27) 

(Please remember Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured is a not-for-profit Christian ministry.  We are dependent on the generous contributions of God’s people.) 

Tale Wagging Dinner Time

Sport was born on June 29, only 9 days ago.  It has been fun watching him grow right in front of our eyes. He is so funny when he gets his bottle we just had to share.

The Lord Keeps On Giving

Life with the goats has become routine now that their home is basically finished.  Unlike the garden where they were hanging out, their new enclosure has plenty of weeds for grazing (and I planted some Bermuda grass) so I no longer have to buy hay for them anymore.   I also have been counting the days tell Midnight, my little Black Spanish buck is weaned.
     

We still have a few tasks to do but since the main purpose of AOCCCI is people, not ranching, our focus has changed to other urgent tasks.  This week we have been clearing land of Cedar trees so an electric pole can be installed for the cabins that eventually will be built.   We spend our mornings out working in the heat and our afternoons inside working and resting where it is cool. 

   

We were in the middle of our lunch, looking forward to resting from the exhausting work, when the phone call came.  When I answered the phone my friend simply said, “Do you want another kid?”  I looked across the table and asked Rick, “He wants to know if we want another kid?”  Rick jokingly asked me “whose kid?”  Rick’s attitude was “If God is going to supply we should accept”.  So I told our friend yes, and an hour later he arrived with the newest addition to our little goat family.   One look and I knew we had a Boar goat.  Upon further investigation it appears we have another boy, a buck.  Rick wants to name him Spot because it appears he has some spots on him, and it will confuse people since Spot is usually a dog’s name. 

His first feeding.

He was born this morning.

Feeding Time