Outline of the five year plan

Well, the plan has been going okay. We didn't count on the well being so bad when we bought the house. Call me a sucker... The first test came back bad, the second was fine. The owner poured bleach down the well, and than had it tested. The house was empty for 9 years, so I suggested we drink bottled water till the lines were flushed. Once they ran for 12 hours or so over the next few days, I gave the dog a dish full of water.

She got very sick, mind you, that I still had the water filters on the shower. She was sick in a bad way, I knew then it was from the well.

You gotta understand we bought this house in March, still had the other house, needed to update it from the 70s, get it on the market and sold prior to july, pack-up and move, pack up a business and move it to, and run a family life for the kids.

At first it was all to much, the stress levels were beyond anything I could explain.

Unexpected, we spent 6k on a water treatment system we had to have to make the water safe. Of course other problems came up, but I will tell you this. DW and I sat on the side deck the second night after we moved here, the stars in the sky, coffee in the mornings, we agreed this was our place.

There will be bumps in the road, I'd like to think that I have made them softer for us. I know I have done a pretty good job so far, but I think DW would be happy in a pole barn with an outhouse as long as we had each other. I am no different from her, we are like peas and carrots.

SO I came up with a plan, that with time we would be able to use our land to benefit ourselves.

Year one- I took the time to learn what needed fixed up on the house, I took the time to get to know my land and how to use each part the best way I could. I also took the time to meet folks and build friendships. Build a bridge. Put in a drain at the top end of property to keep my driveway from being washed away, drinking water in the house. Also do everything on my " honey-do-list"

Year two- I started my new garden by making good soil, I also found edible wild plants on my property to harvest, remodled the main bath, built the kids their beds, start planting the flower beds, and balance out the fish in the pond, plant berry bushes, rebuild the front stairway to the house and clean up brush, and bring the shop up to date. Also do everything on my " honey-do-list"

Steps before
After


Year three- Plant a garden, build raised beds in some locations, start a new company (unplanned), pile field stone to use for flower/herb gardens, rid of some pesky critters, clear the woods of fallen trees and move more brush, cut down leaning trees and dieing trees, help the apple trees to produce, and grow a beautiful wildflower field, install a woodstove to lower heating cost. Also do everything on my " honey-do-list"


Year four- (this year) plant more berry bushes, grow a postage stamp orchard, plant white birch/nut trees as well as more hardwood trees, plant trees to create wind blocks and for more privacy, plant a good garden for a great harvest, give deer food suppliments, build a coop and raise chickens for eggs, raise ginnys to eat ticks, add more insulation in the attic, replace all the windows in the house, build a cold storage, seal the basement, make some copper chimney pots, rid the hillside to the pond of weeds and plant pretty weeds (wildflowers), grape trellis and plant grapes, plant some currents around the pond, and clean and seal side deck. Also do everything on my " honey-do-list"


Year five- replace roof, add solar power, add daylights from the roof to the living space, dig and create a creek from pond run-off, inspect and sure up the side deck, maintain the garden, berry bushes and fruit/nut trees, landscape around the property and give it more features, make a walking path through the woods around the backside of the pond, rebuild the bridge from steel the same design as a old RR bridge, clean the leech field, take sometime to enjoy all my hard work. Also do everything on my " honey-do-list"