Well, I figured it was time for an update on life here on the glamstead. Might explain the 20-day quiet spell just a bit. And FWIW…there is a ‘summary’ at the end that wraps it all up.
Fruit Trees –
Let’s see, where do I start? Let’s begin with the orchard…4 new fruit trees ship on Monday from Stark Brothers. Over the last 2 weeks I’ve been digging the 4’x3’ holes. But before I could do that I have to rip 12” of the top dirt, then spread a whole bunch of partially composted organic matter, and then disc it in…over a 125’ x 150’ area. And for the tree holes I had to ‘make’ the dirt…or rather potting soil. I had some non-screened compost that I got for free but I had to ½” screen it to get the rich dirt for the holes. And yes, I had to build the screen contraption first. And yes, the holes are done waiting for the trees. Oh, and I am flooding the holes every other day to get lots and lost of moisture in the ground…I’ll never get that good of chance again.
And while I was doing orchard work I dug some more tree drip edge irrigation ditches around the 3-year old trees. Not terribly hard work but lots of digging, fertilizing, and then back-filling with rough pine straw mulch. This will give the more mature fruit trees a huge boost in growth and fruit production this coming season.
Solar System –
Hey, let me talk solar for just a minute…Back on Feb 3rd I wrote about “Trouble in Solar Paradise” and whined about a problem with my batteries, one battery in particular. Well, good news and great news. The good news is the battery that I thought had started to go weak, didn’t; that battery is just fine. I decided to really watch the battery and I noticed something weird and unexpected. Then I reviewed my battery energy usage, charging, and discharging history charts. And compared that to monitoring the State of Charge (SoC) lights for 20 days. Something I had never seen before was coming to light, so I found a number of articles that described what I was seeing. Bottom line…nothing wrong with the battery; for a couple of different reasons it was just somethings charging first and mostest compared to the other batteries. The key was what the whole battery bank was doing…and it was doing just fine.
Here was the problem…that turns out great…I already had committed to sell the biggest battery to a friend and neighbor who has one just like it; he wanted to pair it up and was willing to pay a fair price. So I figured with the money he was going to pay be I would just get another 2 new of the MidNite batteries to replace it. I wanted to figure out the best integration method of the now 4 new MidNite batteries, I came across a number of really good articles regarding the new MidNite batteries and integration with Victron…VERY positive articles. And that got me thinking… Yeah, Ooooppppppsssssss!
Well, let’s cut this a bit short…I am now getting 8 new MidNite batteries. And by selling the 3 batteries I have and the trade I mentioned in the last article, it should be a zero sum purchase. YEA! 8 brand new batteries (25% boost in energy storage) AND the ability of all the batteries to talk with each other for smoother operation AND the ability of the battery bank to talk with my Victron system for more efficiency, safer operation, and way better monitoring. And that got me thinking… Yeah, Ooooppppppsssssss!
Well again, I was looking for the best way to configure the new battery bank and then the best way to connect the power to the rest of the system. And yes, I found some new equipment and better methodology to upgrade my system. Thankfully, once again I was able to do the old zero sum cost to the upgrade. I can sell my soon to be unused components which will cover the cost of the new equipment. Yea!!! Now I just have to wait for the new batteries to show up in about 3 weeks.
Here is the kicker…I probably have 60+ hours in all the research and dealing to get the new solar stuff figured out. Actually, probably more than that. But it takes time…and lot’s of real concentration. But it will be very worth it when it is all upgraded. Think…electric baseboard heating!
Serving –
Now let’s talk about serving others. It was weird a couple of weeks ago while talking with some really close friends of ours. They are well-off, far better than us financially. But, they have their struggles just like everyone else. And on top of that, because they are well-off some people take advantage of them and others openly express jealousy/envy. But I also see some of their generosity with others who are in need. Okay, back to the visit…out of the blue I was prompted to ask them is they like blackberries and raspberries. Husband likes raspberries, wife likes blackberries. Next question was if they had a berry patch. They did not. They hadn’t even had a strawberry patch until I gave them some plant starts last spring; and they love strawberries!
I told them to mark out about a18” x 12’ patch for each type of berry; I was going to start their berry patch for them. They resisted a bit, but I persisted. Honestly, I don’t think they thought I was serious. About a week and a half ago I went over to their house and started digging their patch. It took me 3 trips, maybe 12 hours total to get the trenches dug and dirt made. The patch is in nasty clay soil. Yeah, I had to make a real good potting soil mix coz the soil that came out of the trenches was pure clay crap. Friday I planted the starts; 3 really nice blackberry plants and 5 raspberry plants. Then added the irrigation and then mulched it all in. Another 6 hours.
The husband, my friend, was in disbelief. He wanted to pay me for doing it, I turned him down. He wanted to pay me for all the soil amendments and irrigation stuff, I turned him down. He didn’t quite understand. I explained that I was clearly prompted to do this and because they did so much for others, this was just something small for them…a general thank you from the universe. Serving others is a reward in itself.
Gate –
Remember I mentioned back in the first week in January the new gate for our glamstead? Yeah, problems…wind to be exact. I’ve installed farm gates before, I’m no novice. But that dang automatic gate opener was something entirely new to me…and it showed. For about 6 weeks we had a host of issues with the gate. It boiled down to the effects of our windy days had on the system. When I say windy I am talking sustained at 30 – 35mph and gusts to 50 – 55mph.
Bottom line I had to figure out the different settings such as ‘force’ and how to adjust the closed position by fine tuning the ‘jog’ setting. To make the boring story less painful…about 25 – 30 hours to get it right. So yesterday was hopefully the last day I have to do anything more than periodic maintenance to the system.
But, this is why I point it out…security. The primary purpose to the new gate and approach area was to improve our property’s security profile.
Alarm System –
What? Where did that topic come from? About 2 or 3 weeks ago I started thinking about our old security system. Why? Remember I spoke some time ago about adding driveway alarms to the glamstead as an early warning sign of folks approaching the house? You can’t see our house from the road…which means you can’t see the road from the house…and about 500’ of the 750’ driveway remains blind. Over the last 5 years we’ve had a few folks who we didn’t know drive up to the house without us knowing. That doesn’t happen anymore.
Almost 2 years ago we purchased an outdoor camera system that can be monitored from our computer or our phones. I won’t go into all the details but suffice to say I wasn’t happy with the system overall.
Now add this into the mix…when we bought our land 10 years ago there was no one else living full-time out here and very few weekenders. If I heard any vehicle while building the cabin it would be maybe once a week or so. Then 5 years later it would be every couple of days. Now, there are probably 15 people living out here or who are active weekenders. And more off-roaders (ATV/UTVs & bikes). A neighbor caught someone going down their driveway, then down a 2-track path between their place and ours. My neighbor stopped them just as they were going to pass through our back fence/gate onto our property. Not good!!
Shortening the story…it was time to resurrect the old SimpliSafe system, add some equipment to it, and get it back up and running. So there has been 20 hours or so figuring it all out.
Why the focus on this? A clear prompting that our security needed to be ramped up so it could be professionally monitored and cameras we could monitor ourselves via phone when we are away from the house, or via computer when we are home. One other factor…I wanted a monitored smoke alarm in the attached utility room where the solar system equipment is.
Yes…a very clear yes. I am concerned about our security here on the glamstead. Crime is climbing, violence going up, whether around the country or even here locally. I knew it was time to improve our safety and security.
Summary –
There are three reasons for the ‘summary’…1) to partially justify my lack of postings due to being super, super busy, 2) to point out some issues, primarily upswing in security needs for everyone, 3) to encourage folks to serve. And oddly, maybe not serve those who you would normally think of serving. Just follow the promptings you get on who to serve, when to serve them, and how to serve them. Forget worrying about why to serve them…just do it!
Look, I get it…Trump was elected and he is shaking up Washington like I never expected. He is doing a great job and I hope he stays after it. Just a thought…gas is up 1cent under Trump. Not a big deal but it hasn’t dropped like the last time he was elected. The most recent inflation figures shows inflation rising. No, not Trump’s fault at all…but it is up. Who knows what tariff increases will do. Okay, I am not going to go on about it…but the country is very, very economically unstable right now.
Yes, I know there are whole lot of people who idolize Trump and think he has brought a new era of peace and prosperity to the nation…and all it well. I don’t agree. Yes, Trump is going great work from what I can see. But all is not well.
Trump is shaking up the biggest moochers and freeloaders in the nation…federal workers and government contractors. And they are starting to protest against Trump. The protests are not numerous or large…but that could change in a heartbeat. If a union such as SEIU, Teamsters, Autoworkers, or teacher unions join in…and then add in groups such as AntiFa and BLM, the protest could get large, widespread, violent, and destructive.
Yes, the arrest and deportation of criminal illegal aliens is ramping up and is a beautiful sight to behold. And violent gangs are being especially targeted…yea! But violent crime is not decreasing, nor is property crime.
Why all the trivia? I am prompted to make our place safer and more secure; making it less prone to property crimes or us less prone to violent crimes.
How are you seeing crime and violence in the US? Are you feeling promptings in this area?
We actually stepped up our prepping since Trump was elected…we didn’t fall into some false sense of complacency and euphoria. Trump is not going to prevent the fall of the US Empire. Granted, he may slow it down…but that is prolonging, not preventing. The forces of evil in the world, in this country, are not vanquished or asleep. They are still there, quietly planning, taking steps behind the scenes, identifying weaknesses to exploit, bidding their time.
We are dedicated to preparing and being in the best position we can be in for when the time comes. And I am telling you…the time is coming.
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