Another Sunday
This morning I am sitting in my office on my day off. The sun is just breaking over to the east; right outside my window. Spring is in the air and the snow is…
Notes from a ten-acre homestead in the Minnesota north woods: renovations, the outdoors, faith, and what the work teaches along the way.
Renovation Adventures – Upstairs Complete
The upstairs. A place where I spend a majority of my time. When I redid the upstairs about two years ago I did not include the bathroom in the phase. I needed to tear…
2022
The Walls Going Up
I’ve been poking at my Renovation adventures in the bathroom. I started putting up the cement board. I’m still waiting for the shower pan to arrive. Just putting up what I can in the…
LevelQuick Poured
Renovation Adventures continued this weekend. Each stage of this part needs drying time. I poured the self leveling floor mix today. In preparation for that I ran spray foam around the base plate of…
Getting Back
I’m struggling without knowing it. The internal dialogue but a whisper. Diabolical in its destruction. One day the mind stills enough. Silence penetrates the abyss of self. Awareness cracks through with a startle. Pluto…
Renovation Adventures Season 2 Begins
I have reached the point where it’s time to Reno the master bathroom. I’ve had ideas in my mind for awhile but then Ethan made a couple suggestions. Anyway, I started with the hard…
2021
Outdoor Renovations – Reflections on Life
I decided this summer would have a focus on outdoor renovations. This weekend I got a bunch done outside. Yesterday I was able to head over to the Bass Lake Mill and get a…
Old Friends and Snowmobiling
God reminds me time and again. I’m blessed with friends I’ve made over my lifetime. I met people in the navy starting back in 1983 whom I have been friends with since. It blows…
A Saturday Morning
I’m sitting here by the wood stove this morning. It’s -9° outside. The dog is fed and he’s been out; tho he didn’t stay out long. He’s no dummy. Well, that can be debated.…
2020
My First Deer
This morning was unseasonably warm. I didn’t need to dress up in my full winter hunters orange. Just jeans, a light jacket, my outer jacket and hat. No gloves. Weird. I made my way…
Milestone Week
Renovation Adventures hit two milestones this week. First, the new HVAC system is in and running. It’s clearly too late in the season to use the new cooling, but I’ll be ready next summer.…
Quiet is Moving In
Did I mention I love living up north? I do. Where I live the seasons move through noticeable shifts; perhaps not always in line with the Farmer’s Almanac. In fact, this morning the weather…
Upstairs Phase Begins
Sometimes I wonder why we take on projects. The basement project technically resumed, given I had to open the ceiling and get ready for a new heating system. I decided to keep moving along…
A Big Setback
Renovation Adventures just took a turn. So just had a visit with the HVAC guy. Was having trouble with airflow and cooling of the upstairs of the house. It turned out to be one…
A Water Leak!
Are you kidding me!!! I went downstairs this morning to visit the daily constitutional outpost and discovered water had been leaking at a steady pace since all night. Ugh. My first reaction was shit!…
Basement Reno Phase 1 Complete
Milestones are something when you achieve them. I think back to the beginning of my basement renovation adventure. I started this just after Christmas of 2019. At the beginning, I was only planning on…
Peaceful and Simple
I woke up this morning at 6. I wasn’t quite ready to get up and start my day. My bladder had other plans. I looked out the window in my front yard and sawfour…
Summer Fun – ATV Style
I decided to get up and go do something out of the area today. I’ve been on a short vacation since Wednesday. I spent most of the time off catching up on things that…
Right Off the Plant
Tonight I wanted to go out and mow the back half of the compound. But, there was a good soaking rain over the afternoon and things weren’t dry yet. Instead, I found another activity…
Knee’s Hurt, Floor is In
Yep, my knee’s are a bit sore from the weekend. And my back. Oh, my hands and wrists too. No, it’s not because I’m getting older. Has nothing to do with that. It’s everything…
Color Matters
Last weekend I was able to paint the walls. Deciding on colors is sometimes a challenge for me. In the past, when I was married I was always told what colors to go with.…
Walls Are Up!
I’ve learned everything in renovations will happen in layers. You never know what you’ll find when you peel the layers back. Mold, leaks, rotting wood, dirt, dust, and all things in between. Things need…
My Home Gym
Me at Diego Garcia 1991 I have always had an interest in physical fitness. During my time in the US Navy I always had access to the base gym. It didn’t matter where I…
Vapor Barrier is Up
Renovation Adventures made progress today. I finished up the basement insulation. Then I hung the plastic barrier all around. When I finished I felt like I just made a kill room for Dexter. Ha.…
Logpile Remnants Moved
Outdoor Renovation Adventures part two today. Last night I mentioned I went to town with the chainsaw on a pile of logs. Well this morning I could hardly get out of bed. My back…
Deck Sealing
Renovation Adventures picked up today, though a bit light. I went around the property line and staked out the markers with something more permanent. I painted old metal fence posts yellow and put them…
Very Shocking
Renovation Adventures was quite shocking today. Yep. Electrical work. So I decide to replace the outlets down there as the existing ones were quite worn looking. I shut the breaker off and proceed to…
It’s Been a Long Time
I started this blog project last fall. Then life moved in and priorities changed along the way. Now I want to write again. What shall I say?
Fuzzy Dice and Old Condoms
It’s time for another Renovation Adventures. Tonight I had to repair some leaks on the outside of the house after discovering water entering in the basement there. Got that patched up. We’ll see how…
Pulling the Fence
Ethan Evenson and I shifted renovation adventures to the outdoors this evening. We decided to start pulling out and old goat pasture fence. There’s a lot of it and I’d like to open that…
I Killed My Internet
So today’s adventure in renovation. Ethan was rigging up a temporary light. There was a wire that kept getting in his way. I decided to help. I cut the wire to remove it thinking…
New Office Finished
Got my new office set up tonight. I’m now ready to move on to ripping out the rest of the basement flooring and carpet. Moving a couple of walls. Glad this part is done.
2019
Living Alone
I’m sitting on my deck tonight. I just finished a walk around my property. I try to do that each day. Though this summer the mosquitos were vicious so I did t do the…
Enough with Social Media
I’ve had enough with Social Media. It’s a catch 22 you know. I don’t do a lot of posting on Facebook or others that would get blocked by the censorship engine of those platforms.…