Absent Pine Farm

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Absent Pine Farm

Farm life! We're all about tractors, goats, chickens, building and remodeling, square foot gardening, tree orchards, and of course our flower farming.

17/10/2022

I shouldn’t have been out there…

But there I was. Phyllis and I had told each other previously that if there was a major task at hand, we were not to be doing it alone. But she twisted her knee the day before and couldn’t go out with me today. But I’m cutting some dead trees down, what could happen?

After cutting a few down close to the house, I headed out to the back field. I checked my phone and it was 11:20AM, still time to down a dead tree near the rear fence. I cut the front then notched the cut…

A white haze now covered the field, while tall grass was blowing in the light breeze, it was so calming. My first thought was “I’m going to die here”. As I vaguely glanced around, I turned my head to my left, and saw a green glint. I told Jesus at that time, that I wasn’t ready to go yet, as I hadn’t told my wife goodbye. How I crawled to the John Deere, I don’t remember. I vaguely remember thinking I had to get up in the cab, as my phone was up there. Mustering every last ounce of strength I had left in my legs, I could no longer move, and hands and arms that were no longer working, I somehow made it to the cab. I grabbed my phone, fumbling around trying to engage it, before dropping it to the floorboard, thinking “I’m doomed”…

Phyllis had been sending me a few text messages, but not answering the originals wasn’t that alarming, as we both frequently missed some when we were busy. But now she was sending text messages in alarm, which I was not answering. She asked Jon to look from the back porch to see if he could see me. He told her no, nothing out there. She then asked Jon to “go find him”…
I somehow managed to retrieve my phone, but just couldn’t get it to swipe open with hand’s that no longer worked. In the distance, I could now hear Jon’s calling voice ringing out “dad…dad”. As Jon got to me, and grabbed my phone, I asked him what time it was. He said is was 2:10PM…

Dragging me off the tractor and onto Phyllis’ smaller John Deere and trailer, the 911 operator told them to stop and leave me where I was. As both Phyllis and Jon were now in shock mode, things began to cloud up on them, as it did me…

Ultimately, Phyllis and Jon saved my life! Now having gone through UF Health Shands Trauma unit, and Shands Rehab unit, I was released yesterday after a month’s stay. Now having survived with a Severe Brain Injury (short term memory loss, and a loss of problem solving), and a severe spinal injury called Central Cord Syndrome, that includes a Titanium rod, bolts, and a fused neck, I have a long recovery ahead of me.

To ALL of our Instagram Friends and Followers, I wish you farewell. If you’d like to continue to follow our adventures, check out me out on Facebook at Norm Hogg.

19/09/2022

Sunday's main topic on the farm seemed to be fire. We did get in our first campfire since February of this year. Campfire coffee was a must, as were hotdogs then S'mores 😋.

18/09/2022

What is our farm plan for 2023? Flowers!

We learned a lot about trying to farm in north Florida this past year. Up to and including boiling melons in the field, which we never saw that one coming. We worked really hard trying to make a go of our vegetable farm. But between nasty weather, seed and crop failures, and most importantly our age, it was time to regroup.

Flowers I know from spending time on my grandparent's flower farm. Plus the training I got from my first job out of high school - tree and landscaping service. With Phyllis always dabbling in flowers for her various flower gardens, it seems like a good fit.

Wish us luck!

17/09/2022

Not all projects on the farm are major. Yesterday was just odd jobs like; disconnecting an irritating beeping RV propane detector, switching the tractor's 3-way hitch, and moving 3 square foot boxes to the newly created family farm garden.

It's amazing how RV manufacturers know exactly how many months they can let a device go, until it automatically becomes obsolete. The RV propane detector had 84 months stamped on the outside.

15/09/2022

It was time to remove the gate and posts in the compost area. Phyllis moved the nut trees and freed up the area we're now going to call home for the new compost area. Over the next few days, we'll be moving the current compost pile.

Fall! We're now just a week away from the official first day of fall. But we're already noticing cooler temperatures during the day, and more noticeable, during the night. It's a welcome relief getting away from the brutal heat and humidity of this past summer. The boiling melons in the garden are now behind us. We're looking forward to the new direction of the farm.

10/09/2022

It never fails. While working on finishing the floor project, two more pop up. The first one is replacing various boards on the back porch, and secondly, cut the county's tree off our rear fence.

Today, I'm trying to finish the bathroom caulking, install new mower blades, cut the garden grass, cut and remove the tree on our fence, and sow a few wildflower seeds. All before forecasted rain moves in to wash out the rest of Saturday.

08/09/2022

Sometimes when you're so busy, you tend to overlook thing's that need repair. That's the case with our small barn.

Further inspection of the small barn reveals that the 4x6 vertical posts are still solid. As is the metal roof. However, the old, original wood siding, in some areas, has drastically deteriorated, as has a few horizontal cross members. Refurbishing the small barn is now on the list for 2023.

06/09/2022

Another major project was completed. Now on to the chicken house to move the nesting boxes inside the house, and put some fertilizer on the new field.

01/09/2022

We finally finished putting our new farm sign up. It turned out pretty good. We like it!

Aside from the barn junk laying around, we also found some time to put up the barn quilt that Phyllis painted.

31/08/2022

Working in the heat and humidity was stifling! But wearing our gnat protection headgear, we were able to finish the new fench. Now, on to another project...

30/08/2022

25/08/2022

Trying to finish the plumbing pipe run out to the garden and new greenhouse before rain came. I didn't make it. And our goats, as usual, trying to help me add logs to their log pile.

20/08/2022

Driveway repair and ditch digging in store for the John Deere and me.

First up was the driveway. Trying to reestablish the berm that used to exist up on the cicle road to our entrance. We had a torrential rain and a flash flood down our driveway the other day, and I'm trying to put the berm back that the neighbors tractor trailer has destroyed.

Then on to the main project, which was to dig the trench for our plumbing project. A new water line is being run from the pump house down to the kiosk which will then feed the new family garden area, and the new greenhouse area.

15/08/2022

If this barn could talk, what stories and memories it could tell...

14/08/2022

I just knew it was too good to be true that the instructions would be accurate all the way through this build.

Based on the instruction booklet, the rear horizontal braces and the connecting brackets are on correctly. However, while attempting to put up the rear gable posts, the vertical wall posts are covering the brackets. These brackets are needed to connect the rear gable post bottoms. I believe the instruction book is not correctly drawn to match the actual rear vertical support posts.

So, it time permits, I'll attempt to correct this today, otherwise it waits until tomorrow.

12/08/2022

10/08/2022

09/08/2022

Spent all day working on and leveling the greenhouse base. Until I opened the box, I had no idea it came with a foundation kit. Luckily, the 4x4's that were set previously, fit inside the base framing.

I "borrowed" some sand that was earmarked for the barn floor to lay a sand based floor for the greenhouse. I'm hoping to get the wall framing up today. It's a ambitious task considering the extreme heat and humidity, but you've got to have goals right?😀

07/08/2022

05/08/2022

04/08/2022

Yesterday was a day of tilling and disc hattowing the field. We haven't had any rain recently, so it was definitely a dusty and dirty job! Hey I'm pretty certain this is your disc harrow.

Todays task is to fertilize and water the field trying out our new sprinkler's.

03/08/2022

The field is now ready to be tilled! And while putting both garden potting benches together, it was necessary to chisel out the rear vertical boards in order to get the drawer to close properly. Needless to say, I took the 3-star rating I gave them, down to a 1-star. If you're going to sell a DIY assembly product, all of the pieces should fit together. You don't do exact measurements on a wood drawer opening, because there's a thing called expansion and contraction.

31/07/2022

We have goats here on the farm, and one of them is extremely curious and wants to help with everything. So, after looking at these chicken scratch written, micro instructions meant for someone with a magnifying glass, I turned this project over to her.

She immediately looked at the same instructions, then looked at me with those wondering eyes in amazement, and simply walked off the job.

Needless to say, if you're not a mechanical engineer, or very good with building blocks, you should look elsewhere for your garden bench. After many backward attachments and some barnyard cursing, I finally got this together.

As far as the goat, she's still here, more curious than ever, but if I need her to move to another pasture, all I have to do is wave these instructions at her! She's gone!

30/07/2022

The garden and the potting soil was delivered yesterday. And with the temperatures hovering in the mid 90's, a couple of smaller projects were completed.

29/07/2022

Change is good! And in our case, we've embraced it. Step one in preparing our garden that was used for 2022 planting for the fall and winter months to come, is to kill all weeds and grass in the main area.

26/07/2022

Needed a cover for Phyllis's new potting bench. We still had some spare metal roof pieces still laying around, so it was time to build another kiosk.

24/07/2022

Today's topic - our Nigerian dwarf goats! More specifically, our black & white goat whom we named Chubby.

A few evenings back, I was walking back from the front gate with a box that was delivered, when I heard horrible sounds coming from the chicken house. As I quickly walked, running isn't happening anymore, up to the house, I noticed Chubby leaping from the front pasture wood pile and running towards the wild commotion.

As I walked from the house to the barnyard with my rifle in my arms, Chubby was now out behind the barn, obviously upset she couldn't quite get to the chicken house and run. I broke up the bird confrontation between a hawk, smaller birds, and our squawking chickens who were safely behind the fence in their run.

I fast forward to Friday evening, when I noticed Chubby defiantly standing in the middle of the paddock, bleating/maaing at the direction of a hawk that was screeching. That's when I put her on/off again bleating over the past week into perspective. Each time I've heard her, she was facing the direction that a hawk was squawking. Is she warning her "flock", and the farmyard animal's of danger? We're now convinced she's been doing exactly that!

22/07/2022

Our orders are just about ready to be called in for 2023.

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I shouldn’t have been out there… But there I was. Phyllis and I had told each other previously that if there was a major task at hand, we were not to be doing it alone. But she twisted her knee the day before and couldn’t go out with me today. But I’m cutting some dead trees down, what could happen? After cutting a few down close to the house, I headed out to the back field. I checked my phone and it was 11:20AM, still time to down a dead tree near the rear fence. I cut the front then notched the cut… A white haze now covered the field, while tall grass was blowing in the light breeze, it was so calming. My first thought was “I’m going to die here”. As I vaguely glanced around, I turned my head to my left, and saw a green glint. I told Jesus at that time, that I wasn’t ready to go yet, as I hadn’t told my wife goodbye. How I crawled to the John Deere, I don’t remember. I vaguely remember thinking I had to get up in the cab, as my phone was up there. Mustering every last ounce of strength I had left in my legs, I could no longer move, and hands and arms that were no longer working, I somehow made it to the cab. I grabbed my phone, fumbling around trying to engage it, before dropping it to the floorboard, thinking “I’m doomed”… Phyllis had been sending me a few text messages, but not answering the originals wasn’t that alarming, as we both frequently missed some when we were busy. But now she was sending text messages in alarm, which I was not answering. She asked Jon to look from the back porch to see if he could see me. He told her no, nothing out there. She then asked Jon to “go find him”… I somehow managed to retrieve my phone, but just couldn’t get it to swipe open with hand’s that no longer worked. In the distance, I could now hear Jon’s calling voice ringing out “dad…dad”. As Jon got to me, and grabbed my phone, I asked him what time it was. He said is was 2:10PM… Dragging me off the tractor and onto Phy

Odds and Ends

Not all projects on the farm are major. Yesterday was just odd jobs like; disconnecting an irritating beeping RV propane detector, switching the tractor's 3-way hitch, and moving 3 square foot boxes to the newly created family farm garden. It's amazing how RV manufacturers know exactly how many months they can let a device go, until it automatically becomes obsolete. The RV propane detector had 84 months stamped on the outside. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #farm #farmlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #greenhouse #RVmaintenance #johndeeretractors #squarefoot

Composting

It was time to remove the gate and posts in the compost area. Phyllis moved the nut trees and freed up the area we're now going to call home for the new compost area. Over the next few days, we'll be moving the current compost pile. Fall! We're now just a week away from the official first day of fall. But we're already noticing cooler temperatures during the day, and more noticeable, during the night. It's a welcome relief getting away from the brutal heat and humidity of this past summer. The boiling melons in the garden are now behind us. We're looking forward to the new direction of the farm. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #farm #farmlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #compost #johndeeretractors #barnjunk #usefulstuff #stuff

All In Days Work

It never fails. While working on finishing the floor project, two more pop up. The first one is replacing various boards on the back porch, and secondly, cut the county's tree off our rear fence. Today, I'm trying to finish the bathroom caulking, install new mower blades, cut the garden grass, cut and remove the tree on our fence, and sow a few wildflower seeds. All before forecasted rain moves in to wash out the rest of Saturday. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #farm #farmlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #diy #flowers #cosmosflower

Our Hay Barn

Sometimes when you're so busy, you tend to overlook thing's that need repair. That's the case with our small barn. Further inspection of the small barn reveals that the 4x6 vertical posts are still solid. As is the metal roof. However, the old, original wood siding, in some areas, has drastically deteriorated, as has a few horizontal cross members. Refurbishing the small barn is now on the list for 2023. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects

Garden Tilling

Another major project was completed. Now on to the chicken house to move the nesting boxes inside the house, and put some fertilizer on the new field. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #johndeeretractors #countryliving #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #tilling #plowing #garden

Finishing The Fence

Working in the heat and humidity was stifling! But wearing our gnat protection headgear, we were able to finish the new fench. Now, on to another project... . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #johndeeretractors #farm #farmlife #countryliving #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #farmfence #diy #fenceproject

Farm Fence Project

We started a small fence project yesterday, and we actually got all the fence posts set. As we did on past fence projects, I started the post and Phyllis finished them. We plan on getting the actual fence installed before afternoon rain puts a halt on our project. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #johndeeretractors #farm #farmlife #countryliving #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #farmfence #diy #fenceproject

Plumbing

Trying to finish the plumbing pipe run out to the garden and new greenhouse before rain came. I didn't make it. And our goats, as usual, trying to help me add logs to their log pile. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #diy #diyprojects #greenhouse #gardening #plumbing #ditchdigging

Digging With The John Deere

Driveway repair and ditch digging in store for the John Deere and me. First up was the driveway. Trying to reestablish the berm that used to exist up on the cicle road to our entrance. We had a torrential rain and a flash flood down our driveway the other day, and I'm trying to put the berm back that the neighbors tractor trailer has destroyed. Then on to the main project, which was to dig the trench for our plumbing project. A new water line is being run from the pump house down to the kiosk which will then feed the new family garden area, and the new greenhouse area. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #johndeeretractors #farm #farmlife #countryliving #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #diy #diyprojects #trenchdigging #roadwork

Old Barn

If this barn could talk, what stories and memories it could tell... . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #barn #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects

Too Good To Be True

I just knew it was too good to be true that the instructions would be accurate all the way through this build. Based on the instruction booklet, the rear horizontal braces and the connecting brackets are on correctly. However, while attempting to put up the rear gable posts, the vertical wall posts are covering the brackets. These brackets are needed to connect the rear gable post bottoms. I believe the instruction book is not correctly drawn to match the actual rear vertical support posts. So, it time permits, I'll attempt to correct this today, otherwise it waits until tomorrow. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #diy #greenhouse

Time To Water

Phyllis does her watering for animals, and various plants around the farm that can't be reached by hose. However, when she's not feeling good, I'll get the water tank out and get this chore done. With rain holding up further greenhouse construction, I'll be dodging the raindrops today to try and get the roof framing completed. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #watering #diy #greenhouse

Ahh, The Electric Fence

I had good intentions of starting on the greenhouse build early, but as frequently happens, some other farm activity took a higher priority. In this case, the electric fence stopped working. Not that I think one of the goats would actually jump the fence, but you never know about what kind of shenanigans they'll get into. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #electricfence #goats #farmanimals

Leveling The Greenhouse

Spent all day working on and leveling the greenhouse base. Until I opened the box, I had no idea it came with a foundation kit. Luckily, the 4x4's that were set previously, fit inside the base framing. I "borrowed" some sand that was earmarked for the barn floor to lay a sand based floor for the greenhouse. I'm hoping to get the wall framing up today. It's a ambitious task considering the extreme heat and humidity, but you've got to have goals right?😀 . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #diy #greenhouse

Let The Building Begin

Today was spent leveling the garden area that has been earmarked for the greenhouse installations. I also started the 10 x 12 foundation, using pressure treated 4 x 4's. I'll move the building materials to the garden area Monday morning, and begin the tedious task of piecing this whole thing together. Needless to say, some project cursing is in store for me next week!🤣 . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #gardening #greenhouse

Field Prep and Goat Antics

We leveled the bumpy field, spread garden soil, put down the fertilizer, and had time to water it. There's always time to stop and see some goat antics, and even in this heat, they have endless energy! . #goats #farmanimals #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #gardening

Disc Harrowing The Field

Yesterday was a day of tilling and disc hattowing the field. We haven't had any rain recently, so it was definitely a dusty and dirty job! Hey @brinlyhardyco I'm pretty certain this is your disc harrow. Todays task is to fertilize and water the field trying out our new sprinkler's. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #johndeeretractors #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #farmprojects #gardening

Tilling and DIY Projects

Small Chores

The garden and the potting soil was delivered yesterday. And with the temperatures hovering in the mid 90's, a couple of smaller projects were completed. . #lifeonafarm #AbsentPineFarm #countrylife #farm #farmlife #countryliving #homestead #homesteadlife #farmliving #farming #diy #johndeeretractors #buildingprojects

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