Homestead for Sale, Update January 8 2020

 

I made an overnight visit to Moody Girl Farm last week.  Mostly I wanted to do a little cleaning up to make it look a little more appealing to prospective buyers.  I moved out all of those plastic tubs filled with books that I had hoped would fill several bookcases once I moved up there.  I also organized the "kitchen" area.   

 

I had a space heater in the living room and the one in the bathroom that keeps the pipes from freezing.  I took my electric blanket and an extra space heater and was able to keep the bedroom somewhat warm overnight.  I slept really well!



Living room at 53 degrees Tuesday morning.

My real estate agent says she has shown the property quite a bit.  She also said folks usually get more serious about buying property in the Spring.  We'll see.  Until then, I'm just waiting for my next adventure!

Repairing the Water Line, Part Deux

Repairing the water line has been my main focus for the past month or so.  I can't list this property for sale until I get this fixed.  When I left two weeks ago, the last part to be repaired was that compression coupler.

I took it apart and couldn't see anything wrong with it - it didn't look cracked.  So, I cleaned it up and then replaced the PVC pipe with a longer one that would slip into the coupler better and then I used coupler that was already there.  I drove over to the hardware store (the water department officer runs the hardware store) and asked to have the water turned back on.  He closed his store and came over.  I stood next to my repaired line and hoped for the best.  There was a v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w  drip. Like once every 5-6 seconds. 

Oh well.  Nothing else to do but turn off the water again and follow him back to his store where I bought a new 3/4" x 3/4" compression coupler.  Back at the farm...  I cut off the leaking coupler.

 

I brought a wire brush with me to try to clean the metal pipe a little so the rubber ring inside the coupler could get a better grip.  After I put it together, I realized that I had forgotten to put plumbers tape on the grooves before I screwed the two end caps together, so back to the hardware store to get the tape. 

 

I had whittled away most of the afternoon, but by 4:30 I thought I had it fixed.  Back to the hardware store I went.  He came by and turned the water on, and it seemed to hold!  Yahoo!!!  I went inside and turned on the water in the bathtub and was very pleased!  I turned the water off after I took this photo and went outside where I could get a signal on my phone.  I wanted to send the photo to my friend M.

 

I was about to hit 'send' when I heard a gurgling sound...

 

 

Apparently when I fitted the PVC pipe into the coupler, it didn't slide it in far enough.  The PVC was only about one inch into the coupler - I should have shoved it all the way up against the metal pipe.  And since I hadn't buried the rest of the PVC pipe yet because I wanted to make sure there weren't any additional leaks, there was just enough slack in the trench for the pressure to push the PVC out of the coupler. 

 

I hurried back to the hardware store before it closed to ask the officer to come turn off the water, again.  I'm not discouraged though, I know where my mistake is and when I go back in two weeks I can fix it.  I know this may sound crazy, but I'm enjoying doing this - I'm learning so much!  Now I know when my next adventure comes along, I'll be ready to tackle it.

 

I haven't surrendered, I haven't given up, I'm just here waiting for the Lord to direct me to my next adventure!

 







Repairing the Water Line

I drove up to Moody Girl Farm last week to get started on repairing the broken water line.   My handy man had gotten the trench dug when I visited two weeks ago, so all I would have to do this trip was push the PVC pipe into the trench and then repair the main break.  Or so I thought.

 

 

The trench revealed the old water-line pipes.  The light color pipe is PVC, the lower darker pipe is metal and probably the original from the 1940's.  I wanted my water line to go beneath the two pipes, but digging here is like trying to break up concrete. 

 

 

I brought a 3/4 inch slip x slip union with me.  So then I cut the PVC, pushed it under the first pipe (PVC) and used the slip union to put it back together.  I admit I watched a couple you-tube videos and actually took notes.  I left the foam insulation around the pipe although I'm not sure how much help it will be.

 

 

 

The next part of the repair that I'll do this next weekend will be reconnecting the PVC to the metal waterline where it broke from.  I'll take extra PVC pipe with me since the old one is now a wee bit short.  I'll need to cut off that connector on the metal pipe that comes from the meter at the street to the house, I'll cut it an inch or so away from the connector.  My son has a Sawzall that he'll loan me for this.  I'll get him to show me how it works, get the 'safety' instructions, and probably borrow a pair of leather gloves.  Once the old connector is cut off, I can sand the end so the new connector will have a good bond. 

 

The folks at the Water Department will be on stand-by, ready to come turn the water on once all the work is complete.  I'll be standing right next to my repaired lines, hoping they hold!  And I'll try to remember to take more photo this time. 

 

 

In the meantime, I haven't given up, I haven't surrendered, I'm just here waiting for my next adventure.

 













For Sale

.95 acres in Richland Springs for sale.

Fixer-upper or tear it down and move in a mobile home.

Lots of open space for the kids to play.

City water, City sewer, electricity ON SITE!!!

Survey already done. Cash or conventional.

 

 

Yes, I'm selling my little homestead. 

I never expected this to happen and the decision to sell wasn't easy, but it's the right choice.  I have worked so hard to make this happen, but I've had so many setbacks and bad luck.  I've prayed about this a lot, too, asking God to tell me what to do.  I finally started asking God to 'send me a sign', something obvious, I'm not good at subtle hints.  And in the meantime I keep having all these setbacks.  In February my grandson totaled my car.  He drove off an embankment, the vehicle left the ground, somehow landed on the roof and then slid for 20+ feet.  He walked away from that crash with just bruises. I was so grateful that he wasn't hurt that I didn't mind that my new car payment was $75 a month more than the old car.  Then, in June, when I had saved $1,100 to do repairs on Moody Girl Farm, a large branch broke off of a big tree between my neighbor's house and mine.  The branch got caught up in the tree and the only part that touched my house was 3-4 feet of the tips of the branches.  Luckily neither house had any damage, but it costs me $700 to have the tree taken down.  In early August I found out that I wasn't going to get the raise my supervisor said last March she'd get for me, and that the museum where I work may reduce the hours it's open, so I may end up making less money each month which means I'd have even less to save for Moody Girl Farm.  And then, I got a call from the water department in Richland Springs.  My temporary water line had broken and 108,000 gallons of water had spilled out before they caught it and turned off the water.  I have to pay for all of the water that spilled out.  And I have to repair my water line. 

For a while I kept thinking that God was testing me to see just how badly I wanted that property, so I kept plugging along.  And then I had an epiphany.  God had been sending me signs, and they weren't subtle at all.  I know now that I've been very, very blessed that no one has been injured in all of my trials.  I truly believe that God doesn't want me in Richland Springs.  He has other plans for me and they don't include living up there.  I'll just have to wait and see what He wants.

Yes, I'm sad that I won't have a big garden and chickens.  I've dreamed about doing this since 2005, but as I said, this is the right choice for me.  I don't have the money to do the repairs the house needs, and with the way things have been going I'm not likely to ever have it.  One bright spot, since I've owned the property for more than one year, I won't have to pay taxes on any "capital gains" I should make when it sells.  With the proceeds from the sale I can pay off my car loan and maybe not have to work anymore.  There have been changes at the museum where I work and I'm not enjoying my job as much, so leaving might be another good choice for me.  I can still have a small garden here in town, maybe include some fruit trees this time.

I'm not surrendering, I'm not giving up, my dreams may still come true, I just don't know when or where or what they'll look like.  In the meantime, I'll keep posting here.

Lots of Space

In my original Master Plan/Goals I stated that I wanted 2-3 acres so I could have several large gardens, chickens, bees, and maybe goats.  However, Moody Girl Farm sits on just under one acre of land.  Because of this I've scratched goats from my plan.  There wouldn't be enough 'pasture' area for them to graze, and I wouldn't be able to grow enough forage for them to eat on my remaining land, and constantly buying feed for them wouldn't fit into my budget.  So, as much as I wanted goats, I'm ok not having them. 

I've tried to download aerial photos of my property from Google Maps to help me determine where the gardens will go, but their images are not very clear.  When I 'walk' the property, I have trouble 'seeing' the layout, mostly because not all of my property is cleared of brush yet.  When I hire the yard man each month, I always ask him to cut just a little bit further into the brushy area, and he does.  The last cutting really made a difference.

BEFORE:  Notice all the brush/weeds growing under the mesquite trees on the left of the house.

AFTER:  Brush is gone!




It really opens up the area.

With the brush cleared from around the mesquite tree, and the dead branches removed, I see that I have a lot of space for my garden.  This area is at the highest point on my property so it will drain well.  Or at least as well as clay soil can drain.  I think I see raised beds in my future.

The next highest ground is back behind the house around those trees.  That's where I'm thinking the chicken coop/run/paddocks will go, eventually.



June 3, 2019

My yard man trimmed back those mesquite trees, too.  There's not a lot of shade until later in the afternoon now, so I'll have to figure out some kind of shade-cloth canopy for the chicks.  Also notice that the 'grass' has turned brown.  The summers are hot here, with temps in the upper 90s and low 100s  typical.  And it's dry.  Keeping my animals cool and something green under foot will be a priority.


July 27, 2019

In the meantime, I'm planning another visit and I'll be looking at the soil where my gardens will go.  I'll dig a few holes to see what's below the surface, to see if there's any 'life' there.  And it's probably time to send off a sample to my county extension agent to have it tested.  Until then, never give up, never surrender, and may all your dreams come true.

 

Putting Projects in Order

My little house at Moody Girl Farm needs a lot of repairs and upgrades to turn it into a comfortable home.  Since I plan to move up there by the end of this year, I need to get busy. 

Before my last visit in June, my friend M asked me what would it take to make the house livable?  Or, more specifically, what is the bare minimum that needs to be done for me to be able to live there.
The answer:  the bathroom needs to be updated so that the commode, tub/shower, and sink work.  However, even if I replace those items, it'll all be for naught if I can't get more water flowing through the pipes. 
 
When I purchased the property, my friend M helped me get water to the bathroom.  After we found where the water line actually entered my property, we replaced all of the broken pipes and ran the line to the commode and bathtub.  That was April of last year. 

For my visit this past June, I set up an appointment with a licensed plumber to get a quote for replacing the water line from the meter at the street up to the house, about 375 feet.  I also asked for a separate quote to install the on-demand hot water heater, new faucet/shower head, and a larger sink in the bathroom.  He quoted me a range of $2,200 to $2,500 for both jobs, with the higher end in case there are lots of rock to dig out when he does the trenching.  I'm still putting a few dollars aside each week toward that, so it'll be the end of September before I can begin on this project.

Once I have a functioning bathroom, I could move in permanently.  The next projects, of course, would make living here much nicer.

The next project would be to install insulation in the attic. I basically have two attic spaces: the space between the metal roof and the original ten-foot ceiling, and the space between the ten-foot ceiling and the 8-foot drop ceiling.  I have only managed to get this one photo of the space above the living room drop ceiling (left photo), and it looks a lot like the area above the bedroom ceiling. 


Attic space between the 8 and 10 foot
ceilings over the living room

Attic space above the ten-foot
ceiling in the bedroom

And because I can't see all of the ten-foot ceiling, I can't tell if there is access to the 'upper' attic.  I found a small opening in the ten-foot ceiling that I was able to stick my hand through (holding my phone/camera) and I was able to get a few photos, including this one of the chimney (right photo) over the bedroom.

There's no insulation, and I can see the corrugated metal roof panels through the joists - they didn't put down any sheathing for the metal roof panels to attach to (a future project?). Since I haven't seen as of yet any access to the 'upper' attic, I believe the obvious choice would be to put the insulation between the 10 and 8 foot ceilings.

The next project is also insulation: I need to add insulation to the interior walls and I'll build stud-wall framing on the inside for that.  After that I'll need to reinforce/build up the floor where I want to install the wood stove.  I would like it to be in place before winter.  In the meantime, I've been pricing chimney pipe and wow it's not cheap; however, this is one place where I can't scrimp. 

Later projects will include flooring, windows, and maybe a kitchen bump-out to give me a little more elbow room there.  Knowing what my next steps are will help keep me focused.  In the meantime, never give up, never surrender, and may all your dreams come true.

Over My Head

The title should actually be "What's over my head?"  I'm talking about the attic.  When I bought the property I just loved the tall roof.  I was thinking I'd have some great storage space there.  So when I peeked up there a few months later I was disappointed to see that there was some kind of framing about 24 inches above the ceiling joists. 

My visit this past week was to confirm what was actually there since I need to lay in some insulation.  I probably shouldn't have been surprised, but the ceiling in each room is actually a 'drop ceiling'.

This is the ceiling above the bedroom.  The ceiling joists are toe-nailed to a 2x4 which was nailed to the original wood wall.  There are just those two 1x4 supports attaching those two joists to the original wood ceiling above.  The original wood ceiling height was ten feet.  I thought I was going to just crawl around up there laying out the insulation batting, but after seeing how this was done, I'm going to have to seriously rethink that!

Those remnants you see hanging down are what's left of the ceiling paper they put up, apparently a decorating element used in the 1920s and 30s.  I haven't seen any evidence of 'wall' paper so I'm guessing the ceiling paper was the main decoration.  Oh, how I would love to see how it looked back then with the tall ceilings!  I'll have to do some research to determine how much it would set me back, both in time and dollars, to remove the 8-foot drop ceiling and use the 10-foot original ceiling. 

The next surprise I got was when I saw this medallion on the 10-foot original ceiling.

I couldn't figure out what it was.  Did they hang some kind of light fixture there?  Nooooooo.....

This is what's above that medallion.  They had a wood stove in the bedroom and this was the exhaust chimney!  WOW!  I love this place!!!  

The inspection of the area above the ceiling in my kitchen area also revealed a hole in the original wood ceiling where I'm guessing the exhaust pipe for the kitchen stove went through.  The ceiling joists in this area were attached to the side walls with lap joints, and while there are no hangers connecting the joists to the original ceiling, this ceiling is supported from below by the wall separating the kitchen and the bathroom.  I would feel comfortable crawling up there to put in the insulation.  However, this ceiling is just 7 1/2 feet tall.  Had it been 8 feet I probably wouldn't have even thought about taking it out, but since it's so low this may be the first 'drop ceiling' I remove.  I'm still researching the costs and pros/cons.

   

                          

 

                          

 

There wasn't an easy access point to get to the attic over the living room, but I was able to get one rather poor photo.  It looks very similar to the bedroom ceiling, including the 1x4 connecting the joist to the original ceiling.  I'll find a way to get better photos of this area on my next visit.  I'm curious to see if there was a wood stove in this room, too!

Insulation in the attic is the second task on my "To Do" list.  The first task is to get the water line upgraded.  I've contacted a local plumber to get a quote for trenching and installing a new one-inch line from the street to the house, approximately 375 feet.  I'll post another update once I hear back from him.  In the meantime, never give up, never surrender, and may all your dreams come true.



Spring Has Arrived at Moody Girl Farm

          Spring has definitely arrived and everything is greening up.  I think this is the best photo of my little house yet, other than the 'stuff' on the porch.

About two weeks ago I finally decided to make the move up to my little farmstead by the end of this year.  I've been so wishy-washy and I've second guessed myself to the point that I couldn't think straight.  No more putting it off.  So, my Friend M and I drove up to determine what I needed to get done to actually live there, and not just 'camp'.  My biggest hang-up was that I wanted to get the house leveled before I moved in.  I don't have the funds for that right now and it's not likely that I'll have those funds in the next year or two.  So I'm going to move into a crooked house. 

The house actually sits on rocks/stones, no basement, and minimum crawlspace.  The soil under the rocks has eroded, so the floor sags.  The problem is the concrete slab porch along the front of the house.  Rain runoff from the back of the property should flow straight under the house and out toward the front of the property, but the slab/porch blocks it and it pools under the house.  It would cost about $600+ to have the concrete slab removed and since I don't have funds for that either, I'm going to put in a French drain about 10-15 feet behind the house to direct the water over to the side.  I'm hoping I can get this done for around $100.  This should keep the house from sagging any more than it already has.

After a much closer inspection I found that the house was built without 'stud walls'.  The sheetrock on the inside is nailed directly to the 'boards' of the board and batten exterior siding.  This type of construction is called 'single wall'.  And there isn't anything under the wood flooring except the joists holding them up and then the ground.  No subfloor.  What really amazes me is that this skeleton of a house has stood for 90+ years!   My plan is to put 5/8 inch plywood over the current floor.  I may have to build up a little just inside the front door where the sag is the worst.  Then I'm going to build stud walls, using 2x4 framing attached directly to the new floor and the inside sheetrock wall.  I'll lose some floor space, but it'll make the house sturdier and with the insulation I'll put in, it should be much warmer in the winter.  Basically I'm building a house inside a house. 

 

I plan to do most of the labor myself, slowly over the next 4-5 months.  My friend M, the electrician, has helped me do some work on the house already, and he'll help with this new work when he has time.  I plan to take LOTS of photos to document what I'm doing so if I need to do any future repairs I'll know what's there.

 

I drove up to MGF yesterday and got photos of the attic, I'll add another post later this week explaining that situation, along with the photos.  In the meantime, never give up, never surrender, and may all your dreams come true.

 

Moody Girl Farm Visit/Update December 29 2018

I drove up to Moody Girl Farm this past Saturday and stayed overnight.  When I arrived it was almost as cold inside as it was outside!

When I bought the property there was a small electric heater in the back room of the house.  I checked to see if it worked, it did, so I kept it.  I've had it in the bathroom set on low to keep the pipes from freezing.  Knowing it would be cold Saturday night, I stopped by Lowes before I left town and bought an electric space heater for the bedroom.  And I brought with me my favorite fleece blanket and an electric blanket. 

I arrived around 5pm and brought my things in, and then I set up the heater in the bedroom.  When I checked the heater in the bathroom I found that it wasn't working.  I unplugged it and then plugged it in again, and that's when the outlet sparked.  I unplugged it immediately, of course.

As I've said in most of the previous posts, there isn't really anything I can do there until I get the house leveled.  So I walked around outside for a few minutes, making sure everything was ok, and it was.  When I visited MGF the first weekend in December I took a string of Christmas lights and put them in the living room window.  I had a timer and set the lights to come on at 5pm and go off at 5am.  They were on when I arrived, it was a nice touch. 

After I warmed up my dinner and ate it, I measured the kitchen and bathroom areas.  That was one of the few tasks I had for this visit.  The second task was to set up the other two timers I brought with me.  I have three lamps and have each one set to come on at different times.  Each of those little sections on the dial equals 15 minutes and I can set it to go on/off several times during the 24 hour period, which is what I did for the kitchen/bathroom light.  Hopefully it will look like I'm getting up several times during the night.



I brought pajamas and my heavy robe, but ended up sleeping in my clothes, it was that cold. I even slept with my Dearfoam Slippers on!  I wasn't sure if the electric blanket was working or not, however I did feel warm under the fleece/electric blankets and quilt.  It warmed up in the bedroom by morning, a whoppin' 52 degrees! 

The last two tasks I wanted to do were to take the Christmas lights out of the window and move the new heater into the bathroom.  Breakfast was just a cup of coffee and a wheat roll, and I was ready to get the car loaded and head home.  At least the car had a good heater!

I'm hoping 2019 will bring more progress.  I'll be working on my plans for Moody Girl Farms for the coming year over the next couple weeks and will post my notes.  Until then, never surrender, never give up, and may all your dreams come true.

November 12 2018 Visit to Moody Gril Farm

This will be a short post.  I drove up to Moody Girl Farm yesterday.  The weather forecast was for 26⁰ Monday night, 25⁰ Tuesday night and 28⁰ Wednesday night. 

Right after I bought the property my friend M helped me get running water into the bathroom.  We dug around and found where the pipes ran, and found the break in the pipe.  As a quick fix, we ran the new PVC pipe over the ground.  It was April and I expected to have all new water lines put in by late fall.  That didn't happen, thus the trip up there yesterday to cover the pipes. 

The line running from the street is 1/2 inch pipe so that's the measurement I used to purchase those gray foam insulation tubes.  Unfortunately, I forgot that my friend M used 3/4 inch pipe when he did the repair.  Fortunately, I bought 14 of those insulation tubes so I was able to put one wrap on and then use another one to overlap and cover the gap.  I taped it in place and hope it will be enough.

 

 

I also bought a 25 ft by 4 in insulation roll that I used to protect the faucet M installed in front of the porch.   The shut-off valve was also wrapped and then I put the valve cover over it.

Again, I'm not a professional and only had a few hours to get this done.  The water is turned off at the shut-off valve and I flushed the commode twice while I was there so there's no water in the tank or  bowl.  I left a small electric heater in the bathroom turned on to the lowest setting.  When I came inside once during the pipe covering exercise, I heard the heater come on and then shut off after about five minutes. 

 

 

It was 40⁰ and blowing 15-20 mph when I left at 1:30m.  Hopefully I can get back up there next week.

 

Moody Girl Farm Update September 1, 2018

Here's a quick update.  I drove up to Moody Girl Farm Tuesday, a one-day trip, to make sure everything was ok.   I was an hour into my return trip when I realize I hadn't taken any photos.  Not one, and every time I walked past the crape myrtle bush I told myself to be sure to get a picture of it because it was blooming profusely.  But I didn't, not one.  Oh, well.

There's been no new activity/work on the house since my last visit, but there wasn't supposed to be.  The only activity I saw was that more trash had been dumped onto my 'burn pile'.  And this is trash that did not come from my house.  There was clothing and furniture, and other junk.  Since the burn pile is behind my house and not visible from the street, I guess they thought no one would notice a little more junk.  So, I've asked my handyman/junkman Jesse to haul off all of the stuff back there - the new trash and the original burn pile.  My county has been under a burn ban for 3-4 months and there's no telling when it will be lifted, so I decided to have it all hauled off.  There was some good rain earlier in August but not enough to lift the burn ban.  I also asked Jesse to put up 'No Trespassing - No Dumping" signs.  If it happens again, I'll have to report it to the sheriff's office.  They probably won't be able to do anything about it, but I do want it on record that this is going on.

As I mentioned in the last post, I wanted to try to visualize where my gardens and chickens will be on my property so I took some 12" stakes with me.  The ground was so hard that I couldn't get the stakes into the ground for the chicken coop/run more than an inch or two.  I spray painted them bright yellow.  I only did the one area, it was too hot to be out there.  Maybe next time.

Gee, I hate to end this without at least one photo...  My 'Sweetie'.

 





Till next time, never surrender, never give up, and may all your dreams come true.

August 14 2018 Update Moody Girl Farm

Here's a quick update from my one-day visit to MGF on Tuesday.

There be siding!
I can't say how happy I was to see the progress.  As I pulled up to the house, I noticed that the siding wasn't on the porch, and was very pleased when I walked around to the back and saw this.

I'm sure my handyman Jesse doesn't read my blog, but I now have stones around the base of the cistern cover.

Most of the remaining stones were placed on the ground around the house.  When W.T was still removing the back room, he mentioned to me that he thought there was a raccoon family under the house.  Hopefully this will discourage them from coming back.

My little town got lots of rain this past weekend. Heavy rain fell Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  You can see the extension cord partially buried in the mud, as was some of the PVC piping under the bathroom.  I'm hoping those stones also kept some of the water from running under the house.

 

Panoramic view of my property.

My sister and brother-in-law are visiting me this week, thus the short post.  The one-day trip on Tuesday meant I didn't get to layout the gardens, hopefully next trip.  I'll go back to MGF in a couple weeks and will have a longer post after that.

Until then, never surrender, never give up, and may all your dreams come true.