MMM 291: Gumballs

Watch this and be infuriated.

That’s all I’ve got.  No preamble today.

I miss the gym.  Weights are easier than calisthenics.

MMM 290: Now the real work starts

We close on Thursday, so that alone is going to be an ordeal as wife, Possum, and I spend hours in the car getting the cashier’s check and then signing all the documents.  After that, eesh.  Gotta plant some trees, find a builder, talk to the engineered septic guy, find a guy to lease some acreage for hay planting, make some plans, get a building loan, consider borrowing from my 401k since the market’s sure to tank next year anyhow, get the landscaping in shape here, get the house and barn and fencing built and the well dug, sell this house, move 2 horses and 2 dogs and 13 chickens and 3 cats and a house full of stuff, and keep my awesome job going long enough to pay for all of that.

Next year at this time, hopefully, it will all be okay, but right now I feel like I’m going in for major corrective surgery or something.

Motivational statements in photos are sooo 2009.

MMM 289: F*ck the commies, get some work done today

Seriously.  The only real way to protest a holiday is to ignore it or substitute a new meaning.  If the regressive left can ignore Columbus Day and celebrate conquered peoples and turn Christmas into Giftmas, I say we can turn Labor Day on its head.  If you can work, take shifts and wear an anti-commie t-shirt while you do it.  If not, work like hell around the house getting ready for winter.

Or, you know, just fire up the grill and drink some beer because you earned it.

Doing some hanging leg raises.

MMM 287: All I can see is the moon

Well, that’ll be true for some folks.  Up here in the awful, frozen north, the sun will do it’s usual tumble across the southern sky and briefly warm the day, and we’ll be none the wiser about the lunar transit.

So let’s look at butts.

MMM 286: No new land yet

Seller on the current land declined to counter, so we raised the offer and are waiting to see if we hear anything back.  My guess is that they aren’t terribly motivated, so we might have to keep looking.

Not gym attire.

MMM 284: Buying the Farm (again)

I’m hoping that the next move is the last one.  It’s definitely enough land to live off of, even with the (essentially) worthless horses.  The question is how fast I can get to the point of food independence, should I have the wherewithal to do so.  Going to be a lot of work getting it into shape for that, so I have to hope my body won’t give out on me before the systems are built up, and that I can make steady progress toward it as the years pass.

America.

MMM 283: time to flee?

Not yet.  It’s just land.  We could buy a camper tomorrow and head over, and while that has a certain appeal, it ain’t happening.  We’re looking at house plans now and should start looking for a hay farmer this week.  Paperwork for my HELOC extension (i.e. my new land loan) goes in today.  If the stress doesn’t kill me, this should be fun.

I wonder if fitness photography is a good lifestyle, or if Andrew is bored to tears of looking at booties.

MMM 282: New fence, new farm?

Going to go look at the acreage on Tuesday.  Gotta call fence guy today and schedule that install, which will set us back a bit on the cash on hand.  I’m in a weird place with whether I want to leave or not.  All the talk over the fence actually has relations pretty amiable with the neighbors, and we’re yet to find a place where the land and house are an actual step up for us.  About the only way it seems we can make that happen is to buy land and build, but that makes this a multi-year process, and there may be some lean times in the middle when we’ve got 3 mortgage payments.  Adventure, yay!

Tiring exercise.

MMM 281: Am I moving?

None of you care, but I need some content so I’m going to write a little.  In any given moment, I can easily talk myself into it or out of it.  The biggest consideration is work.  There aren’t as many backup plans if I move over there, I’m basically all in on my current job or some sort of gig work of the same nature for as long as I can maintain it.  Next is community.  I have a network here thanks to my parish and former colleagues, people I can ask for help or advice, trade favors with, etc.  OTOH, most of my nuclear and extended family is over there.  I’m also eager to get away from my neighbors and not share a driveway or pond with another household.  Plus, we’re out of room in this house.  Me working from home puts us down one bedroom.  One more lucky pregnancy and we’d have to move anyhow.  I’ll miss a lot about this place if we go.

Okay, on to what you’re expecting.

There are things to like about crossfit.  Okay, one thing.

MMM 280: Slowest work day of the year

Well, for those of us who actually work, it’ll likely be a painful crunch as we try to get things accomplished while 60% of the staff is officially out and 20% are just keeping their desks/cubicles/booths filled until they feel like they can duck out.

I had a weird dream.

No, it didn’t look anything like that, it was about moving/replacing part of my fence that the idiotic former owners put across the property line.  Neighbor says he’s building a garage and the two things might end up too close together.  Time to build a privacy fence on that side or just sell the place.

Thick and monochrome.