Well, we broke ground on tree and produce planting last Saturday. Alice, Savannah, Paul and Nate moved pea fences to the new location, planted peas and spinach, and planted and mulched 3 Chinquapins, 5 False Indigos and 3 Ninebark shrubs. This week many more trees should be arriving to plant on Saturday. We'll have more peas, potatoes and onions to plant. (Alice has been working on onions this week - great transplanting weather despite the chill for the planter). It could be a little muddy after our wet week but it should be a really nice day on Saturday.



Pond-wise, we're kinda stuck in the mud! Progress has been stalled after difficulty moving whats been dug (maybe halfway down). Some equipment repairs possibly loom as well. And the week's weather is very wet though actual rainfall still to be determined. The good news is that our pond site appears to have an ample supply of water coming into it!

The storm shelter's basement walls went in really well with great work from our contractor Andy Orngard and Caruth Construction. The house's outgoing septic lines are hooked up again after 3 weeks, which made Alice and Nate really happy. Next steps are putting up a protective plastic wrap around the foundation and backfilling with rock, straw and dirt halfway up the walls. Then we'll excavate the area under the house where the 4th wall with be, finish backfilling and begin to build up and reinforce that wall next to the house. Then its on to the floor and one-room addition. We're a little slowed now by the weather but the first important things are done, for which we are really counting our blessings.

-Nate