The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes
What a start to the new year. I can hardly believe today is the first day of February. In just a couple of weeks Crystal and I will have been married two full years. We will have located first from Brooklyn to Barnesville, GA and then from Barnesville, GA to Pink Hill, NC. All the while picking up valuable information and lessons on how to live more sustainably, how to preserve a way of life, how to deal with what is ahead of us and not what we have no control over. It has been an adventure!
Of course the largest transition has been the decision to build Tiny House and leave the family farm in Georgia to set out on our own homesteading adventure. All of that has become more real in the past two months and as this past weekend came to an end and Crystal and I stood at the edge of what we now call Tiny Lane and stared into the clearing we had freshly cut, it became very real. With the help of my daddy and her brother-in-law (as well as some assistance from our nieces) we had carved out about half of what will be our home from this year on.
As best I can count we took down nearly nine Elm trees and almost 70 saplings of one sort or another. My father proved to me yet again that having the right tools can make the job at hand so much easier.
Armed with his 24″ bar, commercial, chainsaw, he made short order of the larger trees and matchsticks of the younger growth. By early Monday morning we have burned all of our piles and had left little more than a solid pit of pot ash that mixed with chicken manure is going to really give a great start to our raised beds.
I have to admit that it was emotionally difficult to take down the trees we did, but I know that we spared as many as we could, left as little footprint as we could, and will augment the land with some fruit trees, plants, and native grass, among other things.
Perhaps though the largest accomplishment of the weekend is that we got the chicken coop (The Coop de’Ville) set in place. The road proved no obstacle for its construction and it made the journey without so much as a ding. It looks beautiful in its new home, just as I thought it would. In just a couple of months our
So here we are, back in the Bungalow, working steadily to finish clearing the land, save money, pay off consumer debt, purchase building materials, and stay happy and healthy all the while! No one said it would be easy as the scrapes, cuts, and burns on my torso show, but a real life adventure is worth its weight in blood, sweat, and tears!
I can only imagine how clearing the lot can really make things a concrete realization. Congrats!!
Speaking of concrete…..we confirmed the backhoe and operator yesterday. He is going to pull up the remaining stumps as well as level out some areas. I would say at that rate we will have the concrete pad poured by June 1.
When Matt and I got married (it will be 4 years in June), we exchanged gifts (as per our tradition). He gave me a bracelet, and I gave him a chainsaw. True love! That’s the only chainsaw story I have.
Wanna get married a second time? I have my eye on a 20″ Husqevana. HAHAHAHA
How exciting, even for a city dweller like me! Congratulations 🙂
Thank you so much Sergio. Thanks for stopping by.
I can feel the rip and tear over cutting them down –we have the same process going here, but as you say and I agree, replacing some of those trees and saplings with fruit trees and a garden helps ease the pain. But grass? Even native…. Okay, my prejudice is showing here, but I really HATE grass.
We plan to gather moss and strategically place it around path stones. Then we will plant low growing mints and other useful herbs as ground cover. Finally, we will use sand and pea gravel for open and well traveled areas.
We considered using recycled tire pellets, but decided their petroleum base would not be good for our free ranging fowl –you know how they love to peck and search gravel, not to mention any wild animals that may come into contact with the stuff.
But not grass –that gas guzzling, water thieving, Monsanto promoting, parasitic status symbol of suburbia! Did I mention I really hate the stuff?
Grass is my enemy too! I can’t stand it and I can’t stand lawnmowers even more. We are looking at naturescaping and planting food in place of all the grassy spots.
Hi Andrew,
I love your blog – thanks so much for sharing all of your knowledge and experiences with those of us who hope to to achieve a similar lifestyle someday (hopefully) soon! 🙂
Forgive me if you’ve already covered this in a post I may have missed, but do you have any advice on how to go about finding land? I read that you have an acre of your own. My husband and I are in the Northeast and have been mostly searching remotely online. It’s been a challenge!
Thank you so much!
Sarah
Sorry, should mention that we’re also searching in North Carolina. 🙂
If you want to email me personally (drew@anotherkindofdrew.com) and tell me where in NC you are looking I may be able to help more. I must warn you first that you won’t want to disclose too much information if you are building tiny because more hoops will be presented in which to jump through.