Good Day! As of now..., we have cleared the land, put in lanes of fruit trees and bushes, established electricity and our well. However..., the economy in the Panhandle of Florida has slowed down to a creeping crawl. My hours have been cut from my job, and hubby has had only small projects to work on that just pay the bills. We need the foundation materials, trusses, some insulation, and drywall. We have started demoing the old house, but without the foundation we can not finish the project. I am looking for a second job, but with the economy the way it is here... they interview and you hear nothing. We have been working on preparing the ground, laying compost, hilling mounds, and planting plant cuttings to rather go in now due to their cold tolerance or working on the tropicals for greenhouse. Either way... we still are pounding dirt.

While not yet on our property at 8000 ft in the arid climate of Colorado, I am constantly thinking about how we are going to develop the soil and help the land hang onto the meager amounts of water that falls from the sky. There are no trees and it’s pretty windy. Any ideas on how to start? We will not have a well for a while so irrigation won’t initially be very doable.

I just wrapped up the spring development on my homestead. If you have water on your land but haven't tapped it yet, this video is for you. We needed a system to catch "infinite water" and move it to our swales. Here is the breakdown of the build: - Excavation: Cleared the source to hit the flow. - The Box: Used a modified plastic tote as the waterproof barrier/gravel cage. - Filtration: 2" pipes with drilled holes, surrounded by 5,000 lbs of gravel. - The Test: Clocked in at 15 seconds for 5 gallons (20 GPM). This setup saved time compared to concrete but required massive back-pressure with earth to stop leaks. Check out the full process (and the messy install) here: https://youtu.be/0nI6U0Xopf4

I just released a new video documenting a full sauna build using an unconventional material: sawdust mixed with lime and cement (often called dustcrete). This wasn’t a weekend experiment. The build took about four months, and the video walks through what worked, what didn’t, and why the system functions the way it does. What the video covers - Why sawdust, lime, and cement work together - How the structure, bond beam, and walls interact - Thermal performance and moisture considerations - What I’d change if I built it again This is a detailed, real-world build — not a highlight reel or a quick how-to. If you’re experimenting with alternative materials or unconventional building methods, I think you’ll find this one useful. – Stefano If the button doesn’t work, copy/paste: https://youtu.be/SLBBcj23T6o

We are getting ready to plant 100 onions! We are also going to plant potatoes in this area. There are some fruit trees established in this area, but the pine tree roots were horrible. Tomorrow... we begin the ground breaking in the third picture for the corn, pumpkin, and green beans. We purchased a paw paw tree to plant in this area also.