Going Off Grid in East Tennessee; The Story and Chat Thread (decorative, grass)

[ylisa7]

Originally Posted by Jim37680

Ready to go sleigh riding down the hill this morning? I don't know about you but I am ready for spring. I'm even looking forward to mowing.

Thankfully we didn't get the 8 inches of snow that was predicted. We got about 2 inches and it is an Icy wonderland. I will try to post some pictures later today


Are you volunteering to mow?

[Jim37680]

I'll get over it by the first of May when some folks start mowing twice a week!

[ylisa7]

^^^ LOL..me too.



What a glorious day!!!!

[CA Sweet Pea]

Lisa - I can't give you any "reps" - but this picture is absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[ylisa7]

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and didn't get too much bad weather. We got really lucky yesterday and most of our snow is gone


Mike and I have been trying to keep busy but it isn't so easy when most of our work is outside work. We still manage to get things done.


As I told you before, we moved our water pump outside to give us more storage space. Hey..who doesn't need more storage space, right?


Mike got the pump hooked up outside on the side of the house. Next Mike had to build a box for it and then of course I got to paint it.


Mike cutting out the board insulation for the box. We have to make sure the water lines don't freeze while outside.



Adding the insulation to the box that Mike built.



Mike walked away to cut more insulation and guess who found the box?



Time to bring it outside. We got it screwed to the house.



Adding more insulation board to the front of the box.



The front and the top are on



Mike sticking on the asphalt sheeting we had left over from our roof.



It's a little cold and stiff so Mike uses his torch to heat it up.



Mike cutting off the extra edges.



Our water pump is now protected from the elements




Another day and another project

It's time to work on the new refrigerator. We bought an RV refrigerator which can be manually switched over to run on either propane for winter or electric for summer. Hopefully this is the answer for our situation Anyway, since it is an RV refrigerator it is not freestanding. That means it has no base, no sides, no top, and no door panels. Mike has a plan to build it all.


First he starts by cutting up a 4x4 post for the base.



He lays it out for the base of the refrigerator.



And then he screws it all together.



The back of the refrigerator.



We moved our old refrigerator into the living area so we could get the new one in place


Now we have two jobs that have to be done. Mike needs to make sure the gas is ready to be hooked up and we also need to run a 12 volt line in the ceiling from our breaker box and out to the kitchen and then down the wall. The refrigerator gets switched over from gas to electric using 12 volt. I helped Mike run the wire in the ceiling, sometimes I am very grateful for ceiling tiles and no sheetrock on the ceiling, lol.


Mike working on the gas line.



Adding more foil tape to the refrigerator for extra insulation.



Mike working on the 12 volt line.



We took down the old cabinet that was above the old refrigerator since the new refrigerator is smaller. Mike is sanding the wall so I can paint it.



Now we have to test it out to make sure everything works right. If all goes well then we plan on buying a second pantry. We will have a pantry on both sides of the refrigerator to use as the sides. So now we wait


Of course Princess Niki is in her usual spot.




OK...another day....another job. Since we didn't plan on being here for most of the winter, we are running out of wood. It's time to find a tree and do some cutting. There is a Buckeye tree that our cow family wants us to cut. Supposedly the buckeye is toxic to cows Anyway, since it is easy for us to get to that will be the first tree for us to cut.


It is right by the overflow from our pond. Hopefully it doesn't land in the water.



I hide by the barn while Mike starts to cut




Mike gets out of the way as it starts to fall.



And it's down.




Now it's time to cut it up and clean up. Of course some of it did land in the water


Mike starts cutting while start cleaning.



Mike cutting.



I get the small branches cleaned up and ready for Mike to cut smaller.



We get one trailer load almost full and we are out of gas. Time to go




Once we get it all up top, we have to unload. Mike and I unload the wood to bring down to the house.


The tractor sure makes hauling wood easy





That's all for now. We have to still get the cabinet for the refrigerator and I'm sure we will be doing a lot more wood cutting.

I hope all of you enjoyed this story. Have a wonderful day and I will write in again soon.


Lisa

[Freesample]

Lisa and Mike all I can really say is WOW I have just spent 17 hours reading this entire thread and I am so impressed with all of the accomplishments that the two of you have made on that beautiful place. But most of all I am in awe of the commitment and respect that you each have for the other not only as a couple but as friends.

[BradfromNO]

Haha, I was shocked to see a wind generator pole project. I had lurk-read the entire thread about 4-5 months ago,
but you guys had kind of buttoned up for the winter and you and said that it was unlikely that you would be posting
that much new material. And of course, I read all the wind generator and 'never again' type comments.

I had forgotten my password, so I decided never to comment. The other day I read something somewhere else that
got me hopping mad, so I got to brain-seiving to see if I could come up with my password. It was the first one I entered, lol.
So I figured I would chime in. It's useless to say what has already been said a thousand times, but there is no better thread
for meon all of C-D.c . It is just hugely illustrative and inspiring and heart-warming and the whole list. I WOULD counsel you
on one item, go ahead and order you a jug of Termidor from one of these DIY pest control places. You guys seem to dig a lot
of holes near your casa, you might want to mix up a bucket of termiticide to add to the hole when you dig stuff like the wind
pole.

MY gosh...LOOK at that driveway/ditch line!!! How long have I been GONE?? Sheesh. Utterly fantastic. You guys must
have been bored stiff. That's some effort, given what I know about how you guys DO IT.

[Gandalara]

Ha!

Now we know the real reason you got a pool table - you cover it and use it as an extra work table

[temptation001]

Wow, as always, great job! Looks like Niki wants a dog house.

[jeanne LORIOL-turner]

Niki looks comfy in front of the fire . . sooo cute .. you both look great and healthy . .that's a good sign . . working hard as ever ... Harry and i have taken a little vacation down here in the panhandle , fla right now . . and home prob tomorrow to Adamsville Tn . . . tho i dread going back .. i' do miss fla. . and esp the weather . . it was in the mid 70's for the past week . . love it . . i'll write more when i get home .. and after i've caught up on your s tory .. tho i have no idea where i left off . might just have to start over from the beginning take care .. . ttys . . Jeanne