I finally bought a house in Cave Country! W00T!!!

[Bubblesong]

I thought I was a Gardening God with my hockey shin guards protecting me from The Shamrock Shrapnel of my weed whacker, then I check in here and find you guys getting chased around by chainsaws!

 

[markmud]

Hey Big Kahuna, not a good picture of Hercules Club!

In person it looks much deadlier! The few specimens you introduced me to were wicked, I now wonder how it looked before you cleared it out.

Was Mischka the cat who followed us around the ranch? I enjoyed that cat! Was Natasha the cat you told me to give wide passage to?

That whole trip was incredible. Every stop along the way is now imbedded in my memory banks. Florida is one cool state. It is quite diverse. Your part of Florida is beautiful.

Seeing the projects that you accomplished in person added to the enjoyment. I enjoyed reading your thread but now I can say I felt it, smelled the trees, the grass, the clean air, and saw it for real. Thanks bro!

I started work again. We are doing practice runs in our buses. I saw some of my riders. They were happy to see me as I was happy to see them.

Because of SARS-Cov-2, I had the best 3 months of my life and got paid to enjoy myself. So far, no one close to us has suffered greatly because of it. Some have had flu like symptoms at the worst, others had mild cold symptoms. We are lucky,

Thanks again for allowing Cathy and I to share a day with you and yours!

Stay Well,
m²V2

 

[The Chairman]

Ma~ (pronounced Matilda) was our guide and companion on that walk.

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By the time you come back through, I hope to have Harriet's Greenhouse built. Here's a picture of most of the frame, with a few elements missing. It will be 11'x12'.

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I've still trying out new dishes. After I saw a bit of a video of Pineapple Upside Down Squares, without an actual recipe, I decided to try it out. This is the first time I did something perfect on the first try.

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The other cat I believe you are referring to was our poly-dactyl kitten, Tinkerbell. It's not that you had to give her a wide berth, it's that she was going to avoid you at almost all costs. Look at them paws! Those are 24 sharp claws which made us nickname her our Sabre Clawed Kitty.

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It was great having you and Cath here for a bit. Sorry I had just twisted my bad leg and couldn't join the fun. You both are welcome any time and we'll have to share some Scotch!

 

[markmud]

I love pineapple upside down cake! And that looks really good!

Is Sabre Clawed Kitty growling or yawning? That's a good picture. I remember her that way. A little scary!

So, The Macallan is always welcome at Rancho de Big Kahuna -- I love that scotch. Although, I am not a scotch snob, so there are many others that I enjoy. And Rum, and Tequila, and never forget Bourbon. I have seen you imbibe with rum.

Next time, I am bringing ammo. I had so much fun in the UP of Michigan for three weeks. I went into the woods and target shot every other day. It was beautiful there. The Ruger SR40 and S&W model 627 got the biggest workouts. Cathy and I hunted for waterfalls in the woods (more like jungle) the rest of the time. Lots of hiking. Lots of wildlife including a wolf and a juvenile Bald Eagle. Trumpeter swans and sandhill cranes. Yeah, next time I am bringing ammo so we can have a shoot.

I am sure Harriet can grow veggies all year in that hot house. Is it for ornamentals or food? Homegrown veggies next winter?

cheers,
m²V2

 

[The Chairman]

Cathy and I hunted for waterfalls in the woods

You didn't shoot them did you. They're out of season.

If you want to see some offbeat Florida, The Florida Cavers are about 3 hours away and there's a Mediterranean Restaurant there that's a five star...the Mashawy Grill. Truly delightful food, truly delightful people who own and run it.

Another hour or so West and there is Falling Waters State Park, which might be the only natural falls in Florida.

 

[The Chairman]

Harriet and I want to grow orchids, especially the Vanilla orchid. We also want to grow more veggies. A greenhouse will allow us to start seeds earlier. Last week I learned I could plow with a trenching tool on my tractor. Kind of crude as well as too deep, but it's quick and easy.

Oh yeah, While it looks like she is roaring, Tinkerbell is indeed yawning. But her paws are what make that picture.

By the way, we've connected the barn, the workshop, the agshed and the house with fiber optics. I got the trenching tool to allow us to lay conduit between them all and it works great. The run from the house to the barn, about 200 ft, was done in 6 minutes. It's not that I timed it... well that's exactly what I did. Not to let anything like that go to waste, the hooligans have been playing in the trenches and were miffed when we filled them all in.

Kitten in a fox hole. ​

 

[markmud]

Were Harriet's grand kids target shooting at the time? They have become good shots, but maybe this picture was taken early on?

Your soil seems to have lots of sand in it. Do plants grow well in it or do you have to fertilize and water a lot? I assume it drains to well. Hercules club likes your soil.

Cathy and I need to explore Florida more. Those are really cool sites pictured above. I love FL. Does that waterfall end in a sink or river?

You didn't shoot them did you. They're out of season.

Yes we did, with a camera!

cheers,
m²V2

 

[The Chairman]

All these pics were within the last month or so. She's playing around the trench we dug for the fiber. It's since been filled and we now have WiFi over most of my 10.82 acres and plans are in to extend that to include all of it. The kids practice behind the workshop, shooting into the pine farm. They're in the plinking stage still as they have fired less than 500 rounds each. The closest house is about a half mile away, in a different direction and they're mostly popping off 22s from my Rugers. Maybe one day I'll put in a berm in that corner and make it a bit more formal for shooting.

This is Florida son, home of sugar sand. That's why my land drains so well during the thunder boomers we get. Being in the Ichenetucknee Spring Basin, I won't ever fertilize and am stingy with insecticides and such. I don't ever water my lawn either, though I have been watering the veggies a bit. You've seen it... did it look like it needed to be watered? Yes, she drains well and that's one of the many reasons I chose this place. River fronts are fine, but they tend to get flooded from time to time. The springs are close enough to go diving where I'm at, but I don't have to keep waders on the porch.

 

[markmud]

This is Florida son, home of sugar sand. That's why my land drains so well during the thunder boomers we get. Being in the Ichenetucknee Spring Basin, I won't ever fertilize and am stingy with insecticides and such.

And that explains why the Ichenetucknee River is so clear, even during a high water event. The rain water is sand-filtered. Like a giant sand filter at a water treatment plant. I still can't believe how clear that water was when we were tubing down the river, even though the docks and shoreline were inundated. I agree, living in a flood zone would not be for me.

Why do you need WiFi on the whole 10+ acres? Do you hang out at different locations on your land and read SB?

I can see hanging out under those trees on the west end (?) of your property. Sitting in a comfortable chair or chase while using your computer over there would be relaxing. That and a rocks glass with an adult beverage -- nice way to spend a cool afternoon. Very peaceful.

cheers,
m²V2

 

[Akimbo]

She's playing around the trench we dug for the fiber.

Fiber direct to your house? I bet you can't wait to get rid of that satellite dish. What kind of upload and download speed to you expect to get on Ethernet?