We’ve been in the cabin and on our retreat property now for a little over two months. It’s been great and a ton of work. Moving in the middle of a Maine winter with feet of snow on the ground and it still falling from the sky provided a lot of challenges. MPG had moved to Maine back in early December and my date to follow only was an estimate. She had brought some of our stuff as well as I when I traveled up there at Christmas. All the rest of our possessions were later stuffed into a 7′ x 16′ cargo trailer we purchased a couple of years prior which I pulled to Maine in early February. We are still emptying the cargo trailer and getting things organized.
One of my priorities has been to have a place where I can write articles, work on books, and make videos. We haven’t been able to get this set up but getting close.
So – here are a few updates from our life in the cabin……
Internet was a major issue when we moved onto the property. Very weak cell phone signal and no local internet provider made doing anything on the ‘net difficult. Being that I have an online business as a secondary stream of income this was more than concerning. I signed up for Starlink and got put on the waitlist. After a few short weeks, my area received satellite coverage and the equipment arrived shortly after that. It has made a big difference!
The shudders on the cabin were far from attractive and largely falling apart. We removed all of them from the downstairs and the idea came up to repurpose them into raised beds for flowers or some other plants. We are on a tight budget with so much to do and keeping costs down allows us flexibility in completing projects. Using these shudders rather than buying lumber – WINNING!!
There were two grills that came with the cabin. Neither was in very good shape and both had a variety of varmints living in them. Out with the trash they went. We planned to spend $300 or under to get something decent along with a cover. Maine Prepper Girls’ son gave us their grill which was in great shape. Interestingly we are the third owners of the grill. Someone had given the grill to MPG’s son. We were beyond thrilled and avoided the spending.
Spring has arrived and the snow is gone. Grass is starting to pop up as well as lots of weeds. The cabin came with two lawnmowers – a push mower and the riding mower above. I worked on the push mover cleaning the air filter, adding new gas, checked the oil, and cleaned the air intake. A few pushes on the primer and vroom!!! It started right up. So far it has run like a dream, although the deck is rusted out pretty good. I’m looking at taking a couple of aluminum cans and some short self-tapping screws and repairing the rusted-out holes.
The riding mower above I’ve not had any luck. I’ve worked on it but have not gotten it to start. I have a few more things to do then to a shop I’ll take it. It’s definitely worth putting $100 or so into.
There are populations of deer, bear, and moose in the area as well as fishers, porcupines, skunks, and tons of turkey. I’ve seen one deer so far as well as heard turkey. I’m going to put out some bait to attract the deer and turkey and have started adding trail cameras on the property to see who stops by for a visit. I would really like to do some turkey hunting this year(coming up VERY soon) but doubt I’m going to have time. Deer? Absolutely.
I plan to have plants and seeds in the ground for this season’s garden within the next 10 days. The growing season is shorter here than back in South Carolina and need to get on it. My garden area is approx 40 feet wide by 60 feet long. I need to measure it. One-half is going to be full of raised beds and containers. The other half will be an in-the-ground garden. MPG pointed out that where I will be tilling the soil there are already a couple of rows of onions coming up. Love it! I guess the previous owner(who sadly passed away) must have planted onions and never harvested them. I told her I’ll till around the onions – no problem!
I’ve started building the raised beds. I picked up some 10-foot boards, 12 inches wide for $7 each. Cheap!!! There are lots of sawmills in the area and I’ve been able to find some good deals. These boards are rough-cut which is exactly what I wanted. All the raised beds will be done and full of my soil mix by the end of this upcoming weekend.
Here are a few of the beds I made so far. I’ll add at least one narrow board across the middle to prevent the longer beds from bowing outward when filled with dirt.
The Gerber multi-tool above is at least 20 years old. I used it in its early days at my job and used it frequently. It’s ridden around in vehicles, toolboxes, and get-home bags ever since. I came across it when unpacking stuff in my garage and it brought back memories. It has been faithful and has worked well. I’m going to continue to use it.
That’s it for now. I’ve got so much planned for this website as well as other platforms such as Youtube to share the message of preparedness – and thoughts on life….and more. This will start soon after I get situated in the cabin.
Let the adventure begin!!!
Take care all –
Rourke
Fallout Protection - What To Know And Do About Nuclear Attack
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During the 1950s, civil defense was a major concern of the United States government. In response, the government launched a nationwide civil defense program that included the building of nuclear fallout shelters, the stockpiling of food and medical supplies, the creation of evacuation plans, and the creation of a nationwide alert system. The federal government also worked to educate the public on how to react to a nuclear attack, including the basics of sheltering in place and responding to radiation.
Citizens across the nation under the threat of nuclear war had one thing on their mind......
Be ready.
This manual was developed by the Office of Civil Defense within the Department of Defense. According to the note inside the manual written by Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense, the goal of the publication is to provide the American people with the facts they need to know about the dangers of a thermonuclear attack and what they can do to protect themselves. He goes on to say that "the factual information in this booklet has been verified by independent scientific authority."
The threat of nuclear conflict is ever present in these modern times. Since the 60's many more countries have developed nuclear weapons including North Korea, Pakistan, India - and likely Iran. While this guide was originally published over 6 decades ago - it remains valid and important today.
Whether you are a historian, a history buff, or simply interested in preparedness this guide is a great read and full of beneficial information.
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