A Makeover For The Pod

Weathered gray...not for long!

We've been just as busy as we have been silent! Sorry!

Dan and I have been working like mad on a variety of things- mainly items related to my new business and getting the outdoor area into shape. One of the big undertakings of this spring/summer was to sand and stain the siding. I still pout as I think back to that beautiful blonde smattering of colors. Alas, unprotected wood does not stay so bright. Over the last year, as it sat in the beating sun, the Pod has taken on a gray weathered look. Don't get me wrong, there is a certain charm to weathered gray, but to me, it belongs at the beach- and it certainly isn't the color for us. 

As daunting and tedious as it seemed, this particular project isn't taking nearly as long as we expected. I credit that to having a lot more free time. I can only imagine how long this would have taken, on top of everything else we have accomplished since March, if I was still working 40+ hours a week. Makes me cringe actually. 

Anyways! My arms are getting quite defined and the house is looking fine! Over a few different days we have managed to complete the end wall, utility closet, and about 85% of the front wall. The new stained color looks AMAZING, especially after looking at the ratty old gray for so long. 

We have also been working away at making the space around the Pod more "human putter" friendly. I am not a fan of lots of clothes and footwear. Every summer as a kid- I wore as little as possible. If only I could run around naked like I once did- too bad it's only acceptable until about age 5. Ha!  I prefer to let my skin and feet breathe. So as soon as it gets warm enough, I move to shorts, tanks, and flip flops. That has not been working to my favor here. I already have dealt with poison ivy this year. My butt of all places. I think it happened while I was resting on my heels and my shoes must have had some of the oil. Needless to say I was very aggravated and after a couple days of dealing with an itchy fess, I clothed myself from head to toe, put on rubber gloves and went hunting and yanking. 

I have learned that we do not have "a patch here and a patch over there"...we have poison ivy EVERYWHERE within our area. ALL OF IT. Some places are more dense than others, but I was not happy to discover this fun little fact. Once I had ripped up as much as I could, I started laying cardboard. I want to be able to have a space to walk around and wear my sandals without checking every little step I take. 

I had to lay on the roof to stain the top 2
feet of siding. SO MUCH POLLEN. 

This past weekend, we took advantage of that nice low 60s weather we got and did a bunch of shoveling, hauling, and spreading of chips. Hard work on hots days is the worst! Cooler weather made is somewhat enjoyable! I also weed-wacked. Things are looking much cleaner and sandal friendly now. 

What a contrast eh?!?

The roof containers are exploding, the trellis plants are starting their first little grasps up the vertical surface, and the straw bales....well they are doing alright. They actually require the most attention from me as they need watering and weeding most often. 


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Our Tiny Indoor Greenhouse - Under $25

New outdoor light!

This past weekend we put together a temporary green house setup for seedlings!




I'm already a few weeks late, but hey, the plants will still grow! I'll just get my harvests a little later than the rest. I've been doing a lot of reading on different gardening techniques, with a focus on gardening that takes up minimal ground space and provides other benefits to growth and thriving. Vertical gardening has caught my eye and I cannot wait to grow some plants upward! There are many great benefits to growing upward.

Some Benefits to Vertical Gardening:

-minimal ground space used

-more efficient watering directly to the root systems, less wet leaves

-minimal ground cover leaving less places for pests to take cover and wreak havoc

-less chance for destroying your plants as they sprawl on the ground

-physical support system for the plant, allowing for 2-3x more growth and produce  

I also have some fun visions of setting up a semi-living roof. Most everything will be in containers, whether on the roof or on the ground. We recognize and respect that this is not our permanent space and want to be able to easily dismantle and leave the area as close to the way we found it as possible- when the time comes. Additional benefits to a living roof include some level of climate control. We have a black top roof that is sitting in the beating sun all summer long with zero trees or other relief. Even a few beds of soil  as a mass and some bushy plants for shades could greatly help our cooling efforts. The vertical gardening will also be strategically placed in front of the house to shade the utility closet most of the day. Now that we have very expensive batteries in there that cannot over heat, providing shade is a high priority this summer. Needless to say, I'm quite excited to experiment and grow food once again! Hooray! 

We bought some basic hardware at the big box store ($12) that will allow us to put up temporary shelves in the spring. They are simple racking bars with slats for arms to lock in at different heights. When not in use, they easily tuck away behind the curtains. The pine board we had under the house. Instead of the pricey seed starter containers, I got some tinfoil pans and covers for about $2.00. Some all natural seed starters ($6) fit nicely in each one. Now just add soil, seeds, and water! I ordered some heirloom seeds from a great group called the Seed Savers Exchange.

In other news, our outdoor light has been broken for about a month. I should clarify- the wire hanging off the side of the house with a cheap light bulb fixture coming right off the end, no longer had a working light bulb. We bought a basic mount fixture and flood lights. The back half of the farm, and the county for that matter, is lit up. JEEZE. I'm not sure I like how bright they are...and they pull 8 amps! Wooh! That's hefty. Our fridge pulls 3 amps when it kicks on. 

Finally- a little note about my week days. I've been baking up a storm and hope to develop a line of gluten free breads! I'm doing the research in the kitchen and on the business side. I've started putting together a list of the forms, licenses, and certifications I will need to get. Some of the breads have turned out surprisingly well, and I find myself more excited and hopeful than I have been in a long time. 

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