Well Gets Drilled in Four Weeks

This past weekend was a two day weekend at Freedom Acres! Saturday Gracie and I hopped in the car early and off we went, top down with me singing at the top of my lungs and Gracie sleeping in my lap.  I was giggly.  Mission: to meet a guy who was going to asses the property to drill a well for me.  It was the next step and I had spent time vetting who I wanted to do the work and unless something went really wrong this was the company/guy!

I pulled up to the property a little nervous.  It is so odd to be immersed in such a big project where I know nothing about what I am doing from an experiential perspective. LOL.  Make no mistake about it … I am a devoted student at YouTube University.  I spend every free moment watching videos from other homesteaders, property owners, DIY people, etc. I learn about tools and materials and processes.  I watch how things are done and how long they take and listen to costs. I find myself with eyes wide open, taking it all in, saving videos, links, taking notes and taking the best actions I know to take. I am in this infinite course of Owning-and-Transforming-Raw-Land 101.

So I sat in my car, excited for this step to start while also handing up to the Universe all my nervousness about me making the “right” decisions. Then Chris, from Affordable Well Drilling, showed up right on time.  And as he got out of his truck and we said “Hi” I immediately “felt” calm.  His energy was great, just as it had felt on the phone. We walked into the property down the widest open path and I showed him my two cleared areas … the bigger one where I plan to put a temporary dwelling and storage, etc. and then we walked a little through the woods to the smaller clearing where I want to build my permanent home.

Chris was great …. straight up, honest and patient with me. He asked questions and looked around and then summed things up and talked to me about the placement of the well.  He squatted down with me and cleared a space on the ground with his hand and drew me a little map of the property and explained where the well needed to go in juxtaposition to the house and the septic, etc. in the smaller opening in the NE corner of the property.  How did he know that I needed a visual?  It all clicked in! I understood. WhoooooHooooo!  I took a stake, with yellow marking tape on it, and put it in the ground where the well would go.  I needed to come back with a blue painted stake and put it there for Chris before he showed up to do the work.

The best part was when, after we talked prices, I asked when he would be able to do the work.  Other well drilling companies I talked to were telling me 3 – 4 months out. Chris said, “Four weeks!”  Four weeks … 4 weeks!!! OMG only 4 weeks!!!  I signed the contract!

I was going to need to clear a path for his trucks between the two already-cleared areas, within those 4 weeks.  No fear, Chris had a list of other honest guys that I could contact for work including a guy that could do the path clearing for me (and a septic guy 🙂 ). All set!

Once Chris left I sat with Grace and just took in some deep breaths, grounding myself in the next level of excitement.  I called the guy about clearing the path and he was great too and could get it done this coming week for me.  All good to go. 

Water … the most important thing on the property.  Water, the life force.  Water the flow. Pure, clean water … what I and Grace and all the plants and trees need to survive!  In 4 weeks I will have water on the property. It is the next beginning of everything happening and of me being able to live on the land.

I moved over to the wall of woods between the two openings and marked the path between them with stakes and orange tape on the trees so when the guy came to do the clearing he could know where to do the work. I proudly admired the spot where the well was going to go …. envisioning more the house and where the septic would be too.  It is happening … It is happening!!

I eventually headed back to where I am currently living.  Content. Happy. Hopeful. Joyful. Grateful. Time to eat and sleep and recharge for tomorrow.

Sunday I got up and headed back to the property again.  There was work to do and I was even more inspired (and I have been totally inspired the whole time LOL).  Loren and Tish were going to meet me there. Loren wanted to take a look at the property again to continue to plan.  I had never met Tish before so I was feeling happy about getting to meet her.

The Grrrrrls were there when I arrived.  I was on a client call and the minute I got off the phone there they were.  They had been there and had a little picnic.  We chatted for a few minutes.  Tish was amazing and we all laughed and hugged and they headed off.

Now that Gracie and I were alone, I took the cart full of tools into the property and set everything down in our current favorite place among a tree patch in the large opening.
Today’s goals are to clear some more between the tree patches, drag some of the debris on the property towards the limestone street and get up some of the first level of security – No Trespassing signs! O, and to play some with Birdie, the drone.

I got a lot done with the brush cutter and the clippers between the trees.  Continuing to talk to them as I cleared around them and removing moss and cleaning them up.  They are continuing to sprout new branches and leaves now.  I have made up that they are appreciative of the clearing and cleaning and attention. LOL.

I walked to the limestone road and got two different sets of signs up on that west side. More to go but that was it for the day. I learned from YouTube University that this is the first level of security.  The simple level of letting people know that this was no longer open land … that it now had an owner who was there.  I am researching trail cameras to put up next that will allowing for day/night 24×7 alerts and monitoring from my cell phone 100 miles away. 

I also have a woman, who I also vetted from several different fencing companies, coming next week who will then talk to me about pricing for simple fencing just to surround the North side (with asphalt road) and the West side (with packed limestone road).  My neighbors on the South and East side have fences on the interior boundaries of the property, so I can wait a little while for my own fencing on those sides. This is all about deterring anyone not invited vs holding in livestock, etc.  It is also another part of having myself feel safe to begin living on the property.

Birdie, the drone, and I are having a bit of a rocky relationship still.  She is allowing me to learn only a little at a time about her … mostly because we have only small amounts of quality time together.  I spend my time with her testing out new things and failing at them but making progress in my failures. Gracie has finally accepted her and no longer growls at her taking off and landing … I guess they have come to an agreement about being in the family together. LOL!

This coming week will be a big one … I will get that path cleared between the openings and I will get information about the fence and hopefully be able to sign that contract too. I have ordered a log hook and Cant hook so I can continue to pull dead trees off paths.  I get to keep searching for an electrician to pull permits and get the temporary electric pole on the property and call the septic guy that Chris referred me to.  And, of course, I get to keep studying at YouTube University … coz there is always so much to learn!

As I do every Sunday on the land, I have posted videos on my YouTube Channel from the visit … feel free to check them out by clicking HERE.  Also feel free to subscribe & you can get notified when new videos go up! 🙂

I will be back here soon!