Current mood:	tired
Current music:	CPU fans & ceramic heaters
Entry tags:	ar

Get Ready...

Shack to be demolished this week. (image © 2005 fugitive247) [see more]

I was looking at the info for the image above on Flickr. It states that the pic was taken January 1, 1980. That can't be correct. No way, no how. Yes, the tree, a lovely Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), is much taller now. But 26 years taller? I think not. I'll be taking some new pics of the property this week for some before & after material. Comparison will be easier then.

Anyway, that shack is coming down, baby! It's structurally unsound. There's too much that needs to be done on the property, and Pat and I will probably have at least one goofy with us whenever we're out there working. That decrepit eyesore is a liability where safety is concerned. I've got a saw (nope, no chainsaw... yet), a heavy-duty tow rope and a big honkin' van. The fire pit I started in late November is located just below the image's bottom edge. Need I say more? Also, all that rusted crap by the tree is going to the property's side access about a quarter mile back.

The property is gorgeous, but needs a major dose of TLC. The last resident was the son of the former owner. Said son and entourage were not well liked within the community. The land was abused in many ways, including having been used as a salvage yard. The house... I really don't want to elaborate. I will say that several of the long-time neighbors have cautioned Pat and I to be wary of "getting stuck" when we get rid of all the crap within. Upon cursory inspection we noticed an early 90's calendar from a nearby Missouri liquor store (this is a dry county), many pieces of assorted unemployment and public assistance info, and an empty prescription bottle from one of my former fave pharmaceutical manufacturers: Lemmon (the fine folks who cranked out Quaaludes).

Since no one has "officially" lived there in ages, the house is in shambles. Still won't know all that requires basic repairs until it's empty. The list so far:

• replace one exterior door
• board up other exterior door
• board up holes in exterior walls
• cover broken windows
• check electrical wiring
• upgrade fuse box and outlets
• install new well pump
• check and flush septic & plumbing
• install new water heater
• install new major kitchen appliances

Then there's the outdoor tasks:

• remove and burn overgrowth and fallen trees
• clear initial areas for workshop, planting and animals
• build initial pen, coop and hutch
• clear and haul scrap/debris to appropriate locations

Geez- I'm getting tired just thinking about it all. At least there's some fun "to do" things as well like hanging a tire swing for the goofies, teaching them and Pat how to put a worm on a fishing hook (not quite as fun as live shrimp a la my Florida fishing days), and teaching the goofies the fine art of roasting marshmallows over a fire. Speaking of fires...

The fire pit holds a special purpose. Of course there are the givens of providing warmth, a family gathering point, a means by which to cook and dispose of dead wood and other non-carcinogenic refuse, and keeping the unseen nearby nocturnal critters at bay (mostly 'possums and huge armadillos). It is a bonfire pit in the truest sense.

During the property's long period of vacancy much poaching had occured. The area is teeming with all manner of wildlife, especially deer. The trespassing hunters were killing then using chainsaws to remove the creatures' heads (taken for trophy purposes), stripping them of hides and meat, then leaving the ravaged carcasses for the carrion. Many skeletons have been discovered on the front section of our land.

This wastefulness and utter disregard for the sanctity of these creatures offends me to no end. Yes, deer are meat and I am an unapologetic carnivore. The non-meat byproducts are good for many practical uses. But when one finds skeleton after skeleton, each bearing evidence of a brutal end... It sickens me still. And it breaks my heart every time more bones are found for I know in my gut that the ones responsible took those creatures' lives for granted. At least in the purity of flames, their spirits are finally liberated.

There are two recently discovered skeletons near the house in need of burning. We haven't even ventured deeply into our property yet. No telling how many more Pat and I haven't found. The goofies know that meat comes from animals. They know that the hamburgers on their plates were once an animal that was killed. They know to give thanks for food, especially in an area where probably at least a dozen families don't get enough to eat on any given day. What they've not yet been exposed to are the realities of hunting and farming. Explaining how and why these skeletons came to be is not the way I want them to learn about such matters. I'm hoping that one of our friends can babysit the goofies during the next bonfire.

Well, most of the neighbors out there know us now. Good folks, too. Several have been gracious enough to offer assistance if we need it. They sure didn't like the last crew slumming there, and that the owners basically left the place to rot after their son moved out. At least the roof on the house looks good, and the interior walls seem sound. I can handle roughing it for a little while as long as the place is safe. But like I said, there's mucho work to be done before that happens.

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