Sunday, May 21, 2017

Sunday Stroke Survival: Well, I'm Finally Doing it!

We've got some changes occurring on the old homestead in the coming months. With the sale of my Golden Isles house brought some added/needed dispensable income. Not as much as I would have liked but I'm thanking God that I got some. I'm finally doing it. I'm having two ramps built for easier access for me into the house. It's only about time!

 The first one is off the front porch. My recent episode with my knee made this an imperative. Lesson learned. We are leaving the stairs at the left of the front door and adding the ramp to the right side. The new driveway will loop around to that side of the porch making it a shorter walk into the house for me. Also all the chickens and rabbits will be on that side too. You may remember that this side of the property is bordered by a high ridge. Also ivy that caught my AFO causing my fall.

The second ramp will be off the back screened porch. With the purchase of a metal carport, we are moving all the rabbits out of the rabbitry. We are also building a dual chicken coop and run in and off the rabbitry. Less chicken poop to slide and walk on. Since I need my AFO to walk wearing muck boots is out of the question. I guess I could alter them by splitting one up the middle, but that defeats the purpose. The second ramp will be a dog leg fashion with a 6' deck off the old rabbitry shed. It will be wide enough of an area to pull my wagon up and down it. The old rabbitry will be converted into a food pantry. The air conditioner will cool it during the summer and with all the insulation it won't freeze inside during winter. I have to store all our canning and dehydrated garden stuff somewhere. Lord knows, trailers aren't built for storage. The ramp and deck will make "grocery shopping" a breeze.

I've lived here a year without the ramps, but I realize that it was only a matter of time before the stairs became an issue. It will also be easier for Mel. I see it as a win-win. We both aren't getting any younger. I think a year of doing without is enough proof to myself that I can do now I'm taking it easier. Yeah, I'm stubborn like that.

Something like this
The new set up with the chicks and rabbits will work out better for me also. All under one roof so to speak. All the grains and food in one place instead of opposite sides of the house and/or barn, a handy water source for all, grooming station, etc. During the winter, we can hang tarps to keep out the chilliest winds for our comfort while working. The cold does not bother the angoras. They love it. Most important to me, it will all be level. No steps up or down. No sweeping floors only raking out the muck into piles to be carted off. It's what we hoped to do with the old rabbitry building, but we fast out grew the space.

I'm still hoping for the long ranged plans of four tiny houses on the property, but I didn't get that much capital. So we are making do with what we got. I plan to still clear some trees out for better sunlight and we still need to bush hog a lot of the property into usable space but again these are hired out jobs to be done. One step at a time.

Nothing is impossible.

3 comments:

  1. Those ramps and new structures sound like a brilliant idea. Glad you have the cash to make it happen. For any of us, it's all about making things more efficient and easier.

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  2. Isn't energy conservation wonderful? Happy for you.

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