Getting Stuff Done

It's been a busy time since the last blog entry so there is a lot to show and tell.  Progress on the cabin has been steady and recently we've had a full house of workers with the completion of framing, along with electrical, plumbing and concrete for the carport.
All of the outlet and switch boxes are in.  There are light boxes in the ceiling in all the right places, ready for can lights, ceiling fans, pendant lights, etc.

The plumbing was completely replaced throughout.  A new hot water heater was installed in the attic to save room, lines were run for spigots on the front and back of the house and the shower was installed.

Plumbing for the kitchen

The new hot water heater stands alone.

Washer/Dryer hookup in the bathroom nook

5 foot shower insert

The concrete was poured for the carport.

What you can't see is the huge hole next to it where they got fill dirt to level the area.

Up at the main house, the last of the lot clearing was completed, which meant cutting down the big cedar tree that was next to the old porch.  We are sending all of the big pieces to a sawmill to get some usable wood from it.  We hope to get a plank or two from the main trunk that is wide enough to make a coffee table, along with some other pieces.  We may have enough with some of the larger branches to line our closet as well.

The trunk and top of the tree.  The other limbs are up at the top.  There were a LOT of limbs that are straight
enough for additional boards we hope.

Center left are my reading glasses hanging from the trunk to give
you perspective on the size.

A clean site.  The snowball bush to the right of the porta potty is finally seeing more sun.  So is the camellia behind it.

The site is ready to start laying out the outline of the main house.  We hope to have that done by the middle of next week and then they'll start to dig the footings.  In other words, we'll be breaking ground.  WOO HOO!  Sorry...down here it's YEE HAAA!!!

In other news, we continue to GSD: Get Stuff Done.  I used the word "stuff" because my mother reads this blog.  Neta has put in the garden and I've been clearing brush and trees along with general clean up of different areas.

Neta is planting, while Robert works the rake.  Plant (anti-deer) cages in right foreground.

Neta nurturing...always nurturing.

 One of the areas being cleared is along two ditches that run down to the big pond.  Lots, and I mean LOTS, of trees grew up in those ditches over the years and we want to clear them out.  It's a couple hundred yards of just trees (gum, maple and mimosa) and weeds (blackberries, honeysuckle, etc.)...times two.  I've made about 25 yards of progress so far...on one side.

The overgrowth used to start at the Private Property signs, but I'm slowly clearing it away.  You can see the giant pile of
brush (some of it is the small limbs from the cedar tree) that I'm building.  Big bonfire coming in Fall of 2016.

It would almost make a picturesque lane if it wasn't so overgrown.

A couple of other notes...  Neta and I were walking past the ditch on the left, when she stopped me.  She saw a snake.  My first thought upon seeing it was that it was a copperhead, but it was too brightly colored.  Realizing it was a harmless Corn Snake I got down in the ditch for a closer inspection.  Imagine my surprise when...

WARNING:  Snake pictures follow!!!  Graphic content of a "mature" nature (nature...get it?).  Viewer discretion advised.

There's two tails in that picture

Snake love

And finally, for my non-Facebook friends a few pictures of a recent encounter.  On Friday night we all arrived home from dinner out when we came upon an armadillo.  One had been digging up the yard for a while and we weren't happy about it.  We all got out of the car.  I asked Neta to keep the headlights pointed in his direction while I ran to get the shotgun.

By the time I got back outside, he'd made his way almost all the way down to the far end of the yard.  I managed to catch up to him and shot him.  I waited until the following morning to take some pictures so friends and family back north could see what they look like up close.  Those claws are amazing and they can dig a huge hole in a matter of minutes.  I cropped out the graphic parts.

Well...that's all the news and excitement that we can think of for now.  Neta may chime in soon with an entry about cleaning out the barn and putting in the garden.  Keep an eye out for that.

Talk to y'all again soon!