I have not been on here much in the past few months. We finally closed on a new property at the end of 2013; and the move was less than smooth. Here is the bad luck rundown.

It took two truckloads to move all of the plants, as well as another truckload for the household things and numerous side trips with the cars before and after. The move was performed by me alone, except for my wife on the back end of the sofa. She had her hands full with packing and keeping our son occupied. No family here and friends were otherwise busy. We are avid readers and crafters, so there were no lightweight boxes. I got a good workout for sure.

The move was the tip of the iceberg. I broke my finger in the truck door. My newly-created greenhouse failed during the ice storms, killing about 90 percent of my tropical plants. The washer and dryer were broken. The fridge was in need of repair. The ancient electrical panel (fuses - haven't seen those since the '70s) needed repair. My vehicle died. And our landlord refused to let us out of the old lease. Adding insult to injury, resolving all of these issues involved clashing with all manner of idiots and obstacles.

Well, we survived; and the tide has finally turned. The repairs are done. Everything now functions. I have seedlings growing in the revised greenhouse. My finger has healed. We got a new (at least, new to us) truck. And I finally managed to get the landlord to give up the fight, so we are free from future obligation and even getting our deposit back.

It was all very stressful and exhausting. However, when I see the sunlight coming through the Spanish Moss on our big oak trees in the morning and hear absolutely nothing but birds singing, it was all worth the hassles. I have a half acre of good soil to play with and have already started setting up beds. It looks like most of the figs and other plants made it through OK in the carport. I'll soon start unbundling them all and get things installed in permanent homes.

Glad to be back.

Sorry your move was so hard, but happy to have you back and happy you found a really neat place!

Moving can be stressful.  We are still working on our 1.5 acres.  Been here since June of 2013.  House got remodeled, but the land....... YIKES!

Congratulations on the new place! 

Suzi

Thanks, Suzi! Haven't heard from you in ages. It's all very exciting, as you well know from your new venture. We are located on the edge of a forest preserve, on former farmland that has not been planted in about 50 years or so. The soil is like walking on fluffy loaves of bread in places.

I am plotting a permaculture setup, using ollas for irrigation (uses about a tenth of the water of surface watering) and plantings in the manner described by Masanobu Fukuoka in his book "One Straw Revolution." I am growing lots of perennial crops and want to save annual seeds and develop landraces for this location. Chickens, Muscovy ducks and perhaps a pig are in the near future.

Welcome back, John. It's amazing how your life can change when you wind up where you belong. We've been here on the farm for almost 3 years now. I still get the same stupid grin on my face when I walk outside each morning that I did on the day we moved in. Don't look back. Blue skies ahead!

glad thinks worked out

Whoa John! Sorry to hear you had such a rough time during the move :-/ . Sounds like it was one thing after another. A move alone is hard enough work, let alone all the other stuff you had to deal with. Knowing a little about what was in some of those boxes, I'm sure you did get a "paleo-style" workout ;-) ! Maybe you could market a new DVD workout along those lines - "The Caveman Workout 3000" - LOL!  Glad to hear that things are leveling out for you now though.

Sounds like you've ended up with a really nice place. If it were me, I know I'd be out there exploring that preserve with my son. Sounds real nice.  When you get time maybe you could tell us a little more about the watering system your gong to be using - ollas? I did a quick search on the word. Looks pretty interesting. Sort of like an in-ground SIP huh? I'd sure have to make a ton of them though.  

Here's one link I found about them: http://suburbanfarmonline.com/2010/08/09/make-your-own-ollas/ 

John,  Geeez that's really been a tough time for you guys.  It sounds like just about everything that could go wrong, did go wron, so the bad times are behind you.. So sorry about you lossing your tropical plants. Let me know what I can replace of what I'd sent you.  The other Coral Tree bean has sprouted long after I gave up and stuck a chrysanthmum in it's pot.  I'll save it for you if you want it. 
Spring is the time for renewal. I wish you good luck in your new place and with extra land.  
Soni

Welcome back, John!  Glad you got through the rough phase.  Hope you get to thoroughly enjoy the new place from now on.

John -

    Quit doing that.

John,

Glad to see you back.
Time to put the issues behind you and move on. You have figs to grow.

Thanks, everyone. We've been wanting this for a long time. Wilmington has gotten pretty violent in recent years (gangs, drugs, human trafficking), so this is a nice change, especially for our son. We are now 25 miles off the coast. Good land and our own well. If we can convert to solar in the future, we'll be totally off the grid.

Dale, am I setting a bad example with all of this botanical madness? :)

Soni, I appreciate the offer. One of the few that did survive is the Coral Tree you sent me. It kept growing as everything else fell. Tough plant. My hope is that some of the rhizomes will regrow. I brought my cinnamon tree inside just in time. The tragedy just made room for new plants.

Bill, I am sure the neighbors thought a caveman was moving in. Lots of grunting (and swearing). And as an occasional flintknapper, I toted around 500 pounds of rocks from Point A to Point B. Glutton for punishment, as if the pots and books were not enough. By the way, I've got your box packed and ready to go. Just need to get over to the Post Office. I'll give heads-up.

Rafed, you are correct. The trees have buds.

Welcome back!  I hope you don't get any hurricanes for at least 3 years.  Glad you're past the worst.

Welcome back John. Good timing to catch up with fig friends(or fignuts).

btdt.. i hate moving. took me 2 weeks moving by myself last time. all those that i helped never even showed their faces. i didn't ask and i didn't expect. still sucked. had to move two maple trees and one of my best friend helped me on that. i just got a israeli cuttings that's been in the country for last 60 yr. he's getting a tree. maybe i'll grow one for his synagogue too. 

John, congratulations of getting some room to spread out. Zone 8b, sounds like you should be able to grow things all year long with a bit of planning. Hope you will have things under control enough to be able to make this summer's fig gathering. 

Glad to here from you again and happy to have you back...good luck with the new homestead.

Good to see some old friends back......John.....Suzi......Anthony. : )  Feels kinda like a high school reunion.