Relative Something

We are now in the thick of things, in terms of change and land management here. The fence posts are going in for the fencing that we have selected around our front field, and that has driven an issue of committing to a decision on a gate. It is not a simple decision.

After consulting with an asphalt maintenance and repair company, about the damage that has occurred to our driveway, we see the value of having a second access road for heavy equipment. There is a spot where we saw potential for that second access, on the southeast corner of our property. It is an interesting situation there. Because of a drainage lane, the previous fence line jogs in, well inside our actual property line. The other side of that lane takes on the appearance of being the neighbor’s property. That is where a gravel access off the township road already exists, currently providing our neighbor access to that end of his property.

For it to serve us (since it is on our land), we need to get across the drainage lane. We had the backhoe clear a channel and dropped a culvert into it. That got the attention of our neighbor, whom Cyndie and I had previously visited, informing him we were looking into making changes along our shared border. Now he wanted to report that, years ago, there used to be a crossing that was further in from the road, and we might want to consider moving that culvert to that spot. Oh, and he asked that we be sure to create a berm on his side of the drainage lane to keep water from wandering out of the lane, into his field.

Meanwhile, Cyndie had a great conversation with someone from a local extension office who came out upon request, and they directed us to contact the office of land conservation to discuss drainage. I did that, and now have a conservation technician coming on Monday to advise us on the drainage situation of our property. I also have a call into our township chairman, to consult on any concerns they might have about changes we want to make. Monday, our fence contractor and the excavator will be here to find out what our plan is.

Cyndie also learned from the extension office visit, that it is highly recommended we apply a weed control very soon, like next week, to get rid of weeds that are toxic for horses.

For some reason, I chose yesterday to finally get around to talking with someone about what is required in terms of maintenance of our log home. Now we are considering finding a home inspector to give us a thorough review of the pertinent issues with this house, so we can prioritize them, and establish a plan for keeping it properly cared for.

Last week, I received a quote for maintenance on the upper portion of our driveway, but it completely neglected the damaged areas down below. I’ve have been so distracted that I haven’t gotten back to him to see what’s up with that.

We learned our new puppy has Lyme disease, and need to have her on antibiotics for 30 days.

Delilah is getting over her surgery and pulling harder on her leash than we are able to hold, behaving like a puppy when it comes to minding our commands.

I need to fill my wood shed.

Still haven’t cleared our trails through the woods.

Feel like I’m living on a farm, but have a day-job somewhere else.

Yikes! Our dream, and reality, are crashing into one another.