Technically my house was one story but it flooded in 1985 for Hurricane Juan and we had 4 inches of water. After that every time it flooded I was stressed because of worrying it would come inside so after Katrina knocked us a little sideways and the house blocks were all tilting to the west, we borrowed $20,000 in addition to $10,000 we had and hired a contractor to elevate us 8 feet and put us on pilings that were anchored to the ground in concrete....not just put in mud. We later had a concrete slab poured downstairs to add more strength to the house. The house originally just sat on blocks so it could move but once it was bolted to pilings it was better so the walls pretty much flew apart...probably because of a tornado but the floor stayed put. I only have 2 rooms left standing and one of them has a little sunshine in it. My youngest daughter has her room and the hall in front of it.
Really it is discouraging but I will soon be at a point where I can pry plywood from walls and start cutting them for fires in a pit or make rabbit nests or whatever. I plan on reusing the studs and sheet metal to just close in downstairs. Once we set up the greenhouse we will still need a place to protect the plants in the event of another storm. I can also use it as emergency shelter, office or workshop or all of the above. If I can rescue some of my stuff before it’s ruined I can freeze dry food and store it there because I sure can’t do a lot of stuff I normally do in this little house or the camper. Sigh....it’s hard to be me. Most of my coworkers have found jobs. I am not even looking because it’s pointless. No more money than I have received, I would have to give it all away and hire someone (which there isn’t anyone) to clean up and demolition means heavy equipment pushing everything to the roadside for pickup and then I will just have a floor and whatever is left downstairs. They will just push my stuff down and haul it off. This is probably my best shot at independence. I seriously just need to grow food, raise meat, preserve food, store food, sell food, grow fruit trees, sell fruit trees, graft fruit trees. Hmmm. A week ago I went to get my daughter and DH wanted to get some cabbage plants from a greenhouse halfway between. While I was there I looked at the prices of orange trees they were selling. It was $35 each and they were in some 2 gallon pots. Walmart probably can beat their prices but man!!! That’s more than I was expecting. I would be a fool to not start some rootstock that I can later graft and pot. Even if it’s a three year investment...even if I start rootstock every year and have to wait 3 years to sell the first it will be worth it. I have so much to do that it’s ridiculous but I think it’s safe to say I can’t allow myself to become discouraged to the point of stopping.
. So glad he is finally on the mend. Finally went to the house because the coop needs repairs and we losing expensive animals. I am down a goose and two turkeys and several French ducks. I know I am planning on chipping most of the branches but I made a fire pile in the barnyard while I heard DH working the chainsaw near the house and eventually he joined me and lit the fire. It was getting dark and I worked by the light of the fire for a while. DH burned the goose with the branches. I was hoping the fire might scare some predators. I asked DH to pee near one of the entrances of the coop. It looks like most of the flock is high and dry. Whatever wants them either has to fly up for them or climb. So I wanna make repairing the coop a priority and bring the incubators to the little house because no telling when or if I will have electricity on the place. I did just order 5 outdoor solar motion lights so animals safer and we can extend our work time. If I like them maybe I will get more. Really tempted to order one of those really big kennels. I think they like 20 X 30 or so. I know DH has at least 3 pregnant does. If I can take one and give her some hen friends and cover it and haul in weeds and grain for her and the girlfriends I can milk her later and I don’t have a job that will interfere!!! Maybe even two goats. I don’t mind milking so long as my hands fit the teats. If too little I need a machine 
. Plus I am doing good if I have a quart. My nephew made me a milking stanchion years ago and it needs a little love but it was such a lifesaver. I needed help holding a doe steady and he came over. I explained that if I can make a stanchion that I wouldn’t need help and he asked me to explain and it was hard but I started talking about it and about a week later he showed up with one he had made. Got to love people like that. I don’t know what the weather is doing. Looks kinda like an old English movie out here. Maybe we can locate mushrooms later. While burning the sticks and palm branches last night I pointed to a tiny tree we have growing in the nooks of the palm tree and I told DH in addition to the other fruit trees we can grow date palms. Inspiration.
