Joe On A Hot Tin Roof

I felt like superman on the hot tin roof because that is my kryptonite – heights.  Every since my sisters tried to throw me out a second story window when I was kid I haven’t cared much about heights. So when the green girls said we were gonna roof the barn my heart started racing.  Lucky for me Tonya had no fear of heights which is apparent in the photo below.

We tore off the old tin roof and found that the rafters needed replacing. After we got our materials, I donned a safety harness and we got to work.

Tonya was like a cat moving around the bare rafters, while I supported from anywhere I could hook my harness to. Finally the roof was ready for tin and  Gina and Tonya went to work and quickly screwed the roof on.

 

 

We were excited to get it done because the greenhouse rafters were to be delivered Monday. Sadly they arrived yet again damaged and sent back to Farmtek. However this will give us time to work on their micro aquaponics system. Until next time, peace!

Greenhouse delays and Re-roofing a barn

Things are plodding along here at the Green Acre ranch. There is currently a delay in building the green house due to Conway damaging each shipment that has been sent so far – we are now waiting on re-shipment number three.

In the meantime, the girls and Joe are re-roofing the barn.

             

And this is what Jadyn does when I’m out there helping with things – playing in the water.

               

The main thing I do here though is keep everybody’s tummy happy.

            

And after a particularly hot and hard day’s work a swim in the pool is needed.

Now…..I’m off to make an Italian Crustless Quiche. YUM!

Green Acre is the place to be.

Green Acre Organics located in Brooksville Florida - is the place to be. We arrived to a warm welcome even though the owners were busy supervising the digging of trenches and working on the layout of the aquaponic greenhouse. Gina Cavaliero and Tonya Penick, owners of Green Acre Organics located just 300 yards from Withlacoochee State Forest, are the most dynamic and wonderful people you can ever meet. As soon as I got the bus parked and the electric hooked up I asked them where could I help.

I jumped in on the layout setting string lines and drilling holes for the post.

Watching Gina and Tonya work together was amazing, they are the dynamic duo!

The next day it was time to run plumbing and electric out to the greenhouse site which was a day’s work at best. Jeanne and Jadyn did some grounds keeping picking up pine cones and sticks in the horse pastures. Gina and Tonya graciously opened their home up to us and Jeanne soon became the ranch cook delighting our palettes with her culinary arts. We are treated to two delicious and healthy smoothies between meals each day by Jeanne (the Smoothie Queen). While I worked on the electric the ladies worked on the plumbing. The days have been hot here and one point Gina and Tonya said it was time for a pool break, how cool is that!  I ran the electric to a temporary service at the greenhouse site.   However before they could lay all the pipe Gina had to dig out where the vehicles were crossing the trench. It was hot and tedious work however she was a trooper.

Speaking of troopers, Jeanne backed filled all the trenches which added up to over 500 feet! We have the corner post set and plan on finishing the rest on Monday. Our deadline changed because when the greenhouse parts arrived it was short the rafters. Gina called the company and apparently the transit company lost them. They finally found them and delivered the missing rafters. Gina and Tonya refused them because it looked like the parts had been ran over by a forklift! So now we are waiting for new parts that should be here on Tuesday.  More to come later.

Going Green – Going Organic!

We are currently staying at Green Acre Organics to help build their aquaponic organic farm which will grow organic fruits and vegetables, edible flowers and fish. What is aquaponics you say? It's a system that duplicates what nature already does - combining the growth of fish with the growth of plants in one integrated, soilless system. Water from the fish tank circulates to where the plants grow, they use the nutrients and then give fresh water back to the fish. 

Our not-to-distant circumstances have lead us to food pantries to get additional supplies and it makes me so sad and angry that what is offered there is not really food, but just chemical concoctions that are supposed to keep hunger at bay. Which I guess it does, but what is really happening is your body is starving for nutrients!

That's why I am so digging being here because I believe in what they are doing and it is wonderful to be a part of something that can change the world! Maybe you've heard the saying, "You have to be wealthy to be healthy." In a sense that's true because being able to afford to eat high quality food is beyond a lot of people. It's so much easier and cheaper to go to a fast food restaurant to feed your family and buy the highly processed foods full of chemicals. The mission of Green Acre Organics is to help stamp out the obesity epidemic that is taking over our nation by offering high quality, whole, organic foods at a more affordable price. I don't know about you, but this is something I have been waiting for!

GPS Gets Revenge

Here’s a funny little story. We were trying to find a particular grocery store in a city we’ve not been in. We found one on our GPS, but Joe decided he didn’t want to go to that one since it was in the opposite direction we were going so he ignore her directions and continued the direction we were going. We saw her reconfigure our route so we thought she found another one on the way. Well, she had us going in a big U-shaped route and Joe was like, “she better not be taking me back to the one I didn’t want to go to!” We kept driving and things were looking a little familiar. Joe started having a not nice conversation with the GPS even using threats if she were to be taking him to the store he didn’t want to go to. Guess what. She took us there. I thought Joe was going to throw the GPS out the window, but then he started laughing because the GPS got her revenge on him for not listening to her. Just like a woman huh?!

Here’s a pretty picture I took of the clearing we stayed in at the cattle ranch. I decided not to write about it since Joe pretty much covered all bases on it. I took this picture the morning we left there.

Now we are at a place helping set up an organic farm. More to come on that. :o)

Horseflesh and Leather

Joe blogged his version of our stay at Ace of Hearts, now I’ll do mine. We had an awesome time staying there for a week. Here you can see the beautiful surroundings our bus was set in, and the resident alarm clock.

 

My friend Sandy (the owner of the ranch) and I met years ago when I volunteered there with my first daughter. Here’s Sandy and I. She’s dressed for a Parelli demo she was going to that day with her beautiful horse Spirit (named after the Disney animation).

While we were there, Jadyn rode a cute little pony named Lisa, fed goats,  and she took a liking to Sadie, an 1800lb Belgian draft horse (she’s holding her lead in the picture). Our new friend, Joyce, also taught her how to make a horse back up using a natural horse training technique called Parelli.

I was privileged to ride Sadie. Here’s pictures of me combing her mane and then out on the trail – oh….and we saw two hummingbird’s nest and got a picture of the teeny little eggs inside.

We were able to watch a Ferrier take care of the hooves of all the horses. I’m glad I got to see him do his work because we witnessed what a thorough job was supposed to look like.  Jadyn even helped by holding the rope of one of the ponies.

One of the days we were there it rained really hard – while the sun was shining!  Jadyn had lots of fun with her umbrella and after a different rain shower we saw a beautiful rainbow.

  

Here’s pictures of my happy girl and of one of our picnics at Ace of Hearts.

 

Last, but not least: the inside of our bus.  :o)

Great memories at Ace of Hearts ranch. We will cherish them always!

Central Florida Cattle Ranch

We arrived on a gorgeous Sunday late afternoon to a Central Florida cattle ranch. It looked beautiful and we were excited about work camping and seeing the cows. The owner was polite and took us on a tour of the ranch assigning task for Jeanne and I. Jeanne got a gravy job inside and with air condition to boot. Me, I was assign outside grounds duty which was fine. Our campsite was nestled under enormous oaks and a stone’s throw from the bathroom and laundry room.  We could look out of our bus windows and see acres of cow pasture.

Plus we had AC hook up, which meant we would get to try out our air conditioner! The night went well, however the little air conditioner couldn’t cool the whole bus. My solution though, was to divide the bedroom from the rest of the bus, but I wouldn’t test it till bed time. That morning I awoke to see a calf being bottle feed, which was a cool way to start a day. I made oatmeal and coffee for Jeanne and I and prepared to start the day. The owner left me a truck and tools for the day’s task, the bonus was a dog who hung out with me most of the day. I went about my digging and trimming, breaking for a chicken salad lunch. I finished up with my chores and took a nice warm shower! We left the ranch and headed out to the grocery store for water and supplies. The store was only a few miles away which is good because of The Great White Buffalo’s gas consumption. That night the air conditioner performed beyond our expectations! We were covered up to our necks in blankets thanks to partitioning off the bedroom. The next couple days went pretty much the same including seeing lots of wild turkeys and deer. The owner treated us to dinner at a local restaurant and when we got back we all took turns bottle feeding the calf. Soon we will strike camp and head out on another adventure.