Continuing to Work & Play as Permitting Progresses
Never thought I would be the kind of person who paid attention to the weather. LOL. And here I am checking the weather where the property is all week. Is it raining? Is it dry? Is it warm? Is it cold? Clearly one of the key things in having the land and beginning to think more and more about growing things on it includes the weather. For now it also is key on Sundays since that is the only day I get to go there. This Sunday it was supposed to be overcast, rain free and warm. I set out with my “light weight ” clothes ready to work today.
Clothes are so interesting. If you have seen any of my YouTube videos you will know that I have a basic “uniform” that I wear when I go to work on the property: a black camisole top with layers of hoodies and a few different cargo pants of different weights and lengths … all depending on the temperatures. I need loose clothing, clothing that will protect me and clothing that keeps me from having to see all the dirt and grime as I work. LOL. I need boots and socks to protect my feet and ankles … mostly my short Teva ankle boots these days, knee high boots in colder weather and sometimes rubber rain boots … but they change with the weather too. I have dozens of those camisole tops and wear them until they get too many holes then toss them.
I have had many different kinds of uniforms in life … from multiple different androgynous looks to expensive name brand suits and stilettos in my corporate jobs in New York in my 20s/30s, to radical wild a$$ street grunge, to goth, back to high end business suits, for consulting and brief corporate stints and all the way to this now. I must admit I have always loved my costumes, mostly loved strutting with a flair and turning heads … but this wardrobe is so freeing now. I long ago have stopped trying to impress or turn heads … it was fun when I did it but now give very few s&&ts about what others think and I just want to be comfortable. The land welcomes me just as I am.
I had two missions today: Placing more sculptures around the land and saving trees from the extensive invasive Greenbriar vines. I started the day with having the fun of getting some more sculptures disbursed. Ms. Owl was the first to find a home for. She is a kinetic sculpture that will move back and forth and whirl with the wind. She needed to go by the garden area so she can get used to being protective. Once we start planting the gardens she will deter other creatures from chomping the veggies, herbs and flowers. I found her a place and she looked quite happy there … unfortunately there wasn’t much wind so she remained fairly still but I know she will get a chance to swirl soon.
Next I had two Heron bird sculptures that I know needed to be near the birdbath. They settled in quickly where they wanted to be so they could help call smaller birds to the area. While I was there I attached a new fountain nozzle on the top of the solar pump so that the water would not spout up and out of the fountain onto the ground. Hopefully this will help keep the water in the birdbath bowl and it will not evaporate as fast during the week when I am not here to add more water.
I had two more small fairies that needed a home. For that I moved over to the home area. I looked around the area and the little tree faerie pulled me right to the tree that the chimes hand on. Ahhhhhh, she wanted music … perfect. I sat her in the tree on a branch and made sure she was steady and she looked happy there. She was able to see across the entire property from her new seat … just as I was able too from my Adirondack chair and soon from my home and deck.
Finally I needed to place my little Remembrance & Redemption faerie/angel. I did not know what she represented when I originally saw her. Then I found this quote: Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer the secret of redemption lies in remembrance. ~ by Richard von Weizsaecker (b. 1920). Ahhhhhhhhhh, yes! So as I wandered around for the perfect place to put her I was immediately pulled to … you’ll never guess because I wouldn’t have … the top of my electric station. LOL …. OMG so perfect. Electricity, the thing I didn’t want on the property but which I have to have per county ordinance. I had to install it to get a Certificate of Occupancy. I took it on knowing that I would move to solar soon … it was a deed that I felt weird about … I hated having to put in on the property. So the Remembrance & Redemption faerie knew that she needed to be right there!!
I walked around to check on all the sculptures hanging out on the property and everyone seemed happy so now it was time to get down to work. I have been diligently working on my Save-the-Trees project every week a little. Now that the time has changed and I have an extra hour on the property each Sunday, I will use it to make more headway on that. So I headed off with my clippers and pole trimmer for the wooded areas of the property. This job entails cutting each vine as close to the ground as possible to disconnect it from the root/rizome system. Then I begin to untangle the vine that has run up the tree, cutting it in smaller sections as high as I can reach with the pole trimmer until the tree trunk and the branches are freed.
I moved along from tree to tree, talking to each tree as I went, letting them know I loved them and as I would finished each one I let it know that it was free to grow again with no constraints and nothing to drain it any more. I swear, each one bounced up a branch at a time as I got the vines off of it and it was no longer being pulled downward to the ground. I spent 4 hours on freeing 20 trees. It was so amazing to stand back and look at each tree, standing tall and to look at the area the trees were in and be able to see through the trees with all the vines gone. The sun was shinning through on all the branches, the leaves and all the way down to the ground!!!
I posted videos, on the Freedom Acres YouTube Channel, of the rainwater collection tank weekly update again along with all my sculptures in their new home. Of course, there is a short exciting end of the day report with Gracie as a part of it. Feel free check it all out by clicking HERE. Also, feel free to subscribe and you can get notified when new videos go up! 🙂
We are now just past mid March. Last week we had gotten a “yes” to making the back of the shipping container look “residential” by installing a window. I had contacted Tankabox, the creators of my Shipping Container shell, to see if they could install a window on the back of the container and they could. Nair got the info to the architectural draftsman and he drew up the new addition. On Thursday we got their pre-approval on the preliminary drawings with the siding and the windows. Luis, the architectural draftsman now needed to get it drawn in the official plans and get the architect to review it and sign it. Then we can resubmit the permitting paperwork and drawings it into the permitting portal again. We will have that done by Monday. Movement!! Again …. we’ll see! LOL
Meanwhile, I have received tons of heritage seeds from several seed companies and exchanges (Baker Creek/Rare Seeds, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Florida Wildflower Foundation). One more company (Botanical Interests) has seeds on the way still. This week I will be continuing to search for native and heirloom seeds and sort and begin to plan my plantings and gardens. I will also continue to learn about permaculture by reading and watching tons of videos in YouTube University. I am praying for the permit to go into review again and that within a few weeks we will get final approval. I absolutely will keep praying, chatting with and trusting the Universe. Time will keep rolling and I will be back next week ready to play again!
I send you Love and Freedom until then!
NOTE: For anyone interested in the artists who created my sculptures here are some links. I get no commissions on this … just sharing when I find great things:
BenjamingStudio
Kinetic Metal Brown Grey Owl/Yard Stake Rocking/Wind Spinner/Whirly-Gig
metalshine
Blue Heron Crane Egret garden Stake Metal Art
MagnifiqueHearts
Redemption Fairy Statue with Angel Wings
Flower Fairy Statue with Angel Wings
