Nothing done but settling into a routine

We are back in our trailer after having spent the winter at our friend’s guest house. We had internet access there.  At our house we have it but I didn’t have a place to set up the computer.  After all, there isn’t much wiggle room in a 19’ trailer!  Our house is not complete.  Still nothing is finished. We keep not passing inspections- electric and plumbing.  The inspector comes and points out one thing that needs to be fixed.  Then he leaves.  We fix it and the inspector comes back a week or two later.  That’s good but now here’s another item.  They can’t give us a complete list of what needs to be fixed.  It’s one at a time.  Job security for the inspector scum and because it’s new construction we are stuck having to deal with them. Unfortunately, this means more time and more money.  The plumbing inspector is coming back today.  Hopefully that will be a success as he has been easier to deal with than the electrical inspector.  We can’t finish anything or move into anything without these inspections passed.  I did move my computer into the bunkhouse and have it working, so sometimes I can get on line. I’m not supposed to be occupying any building, so the computer looks like it’s just on the shelf being stored. 

Same with the food supply.  A small trailer doesn’t hold much food.  I have a storage rack filled with food in the bunkhouse.  That’s allowed since it is being stored.  But with all the inspectors and workers traipsing in and out, I don’t like it so much in the open…but I don’t really have much choice here.  There’s no long-term buckets or anything that looks like I’m storing up food. I just comment that since it’s 100 miles to Costco I just have to stock up. I still do have food buckets and cans.  Some are stored in the barn, in a pile that just looks like junk, while the rest of it is in the shipping container with all my stuff that was brought here last year. 

Spouse hasn’t quite bought in on prepping and just tells people that I like to shop.  That’s not quite it.  I like to not run out of anything; not now, not during winter when the roads are bad, and not if things go sour.  Spouse gets that and any time a tool or something is needed we seem to have it on hand.  Spouse will come around.  When we were at Max’s Spouse asked Max about his food storage.  Max’s storage looks about what mine was when we were in the Great Central Valley.  It will look that way again some day! 

It snowed last week, the end of May.  In the Great Central Valley it was over 90. I’m still trying to get used to the weather.  Cool in the morning.  Nice until right after lunch.  Rain or snow in the afternoon.  Since the greenhouse isn’t done I have my plants growing in the bunkhouse.  I’ve started asparagus (seeds rather than roots is much cheaper!), tomatoes, onions, strawberries, blueberries, and salad greens.  I am trying to root apple and peach trees.  Spouse is hoping the greenhouse is finished soon.  If it had doors on each end then I’d be able to use it as it is, but since it doesn’t the goat would find my plants very tasty.  The place is so rocky that it’s impossible to even pound in t-posts.  You have to dig out the holes with a shovel and pull out all the rocks, or you use mechanized equipment. So the outside garden is not fenced!  Instead I’m picking out areas that I can plant my things that the goats, deer, and antelope won’t find.  I am putting the asparagus into a swale.  If I can keep the animals away for this first season they should survive just fine. 

Boy doesn’t realize how good of shape he is getting in.  If he wants to go visit a friend, he rides his bike.  He has one friend a mile away and another 7 miles away.  He’s also swimming a couple of times a week because I signed him up for lifeguard class.  He’s not old enough but the instructor is allowing him to participate, he just can’t get his certificate.  He has to ride his bike 30 minutes each way just to get to swimming.  If he frustrates me, I send him out for a run of 5 miles or so.  All of this at over 8000 feet elevation. 

I’ve been going out walking each day now that the weather is better.  I’ve gotten on Boy’s bike but walked it back the last half mile uphill because I was too tired.  That’s not saying much for my conditioning.  I feel like a lump after the winter.  But every day I walk, and I’ve started jogging a bit.  Can’t keep up with anyone, but it’s making me feel less sluggish.  Winter wasn’t so awful (after all, I lived through it!), and I’m sure I will get used to it and be more active next winter.