Weekly Update: 9.21.24
This summer was far from easy. It was long, hot, and exhausting. We've worked hard, but despite our efforts, we had let some things go. Wind alternating with rain storms left our supply and tool totes caked with dust. The bunkhouse was cluttered with tools, building supplies, and furniture we had recently inherited. Our tractor has been in and out of commission all summer, so the yard had gotten really overgrown. As the turning of the seasons approaches, we decided it was time to get organized. Having family visiting provided a little extra incentive, too.
We started last Saturday. Our whole family tackled the outdoors, first. Jeremiah, Levi, Chloe, and I sorted through our leftover lumber, which was scattered into several piles from various projects. We stacked what was still good into one pile, and we started a burn pile for scraps. We cleaned out our shed, making room for the stack of tools we've had piled behind it. While we worked, we disturbed several small wildlife living in our wood piles. A rather territorial prairie king snake did not want to be moved -- it took us awhile to shoo him away. Several frogs and toads willingly moved on. We also disturbed a field mouse nest. We were lucky enough to find two adults as well, so we relocated the whole group away from our project area.
While we worked on the wood piles, Grace and Erin deep cleaned our tent porch, going through deck boxes, reorganizing decor, and scrubbing everything down. Grace also helped the kids take down and clean the swimming pool. Bonnie-Jean, and Eilley-Mae took on the massive task of cleaning under the porch. We have more than a dozen totes stored under there, holding everything from leftover building supplies, small tools, camping equipment, and toys -- so cleaning there was quite the challenge. Erin jumped in and helped finish cleaning under the porch, as we found it was more than a two-person job. Our dad floated around helping, offering advice, and running the brush hog (before the tractor decided to break down again).
We finished most of the outside on Saturday -- aside from a few totes left to sort and the grass cutting. Bonnie-Jean worked on finishing the totes throughout the week. Levi focused on using our weed trimmer to cut as much grass and brush as he could.
On Monday, Grace and I, along with our mom, started deep cleaning the tent. We try our best to keep things up in there, but we found a lot more mess than we expected. We cleaned and reorganized shelves, bins, and crates -- moving several kitchen items over to the bunkhouse, since we do most of our cooking in there these days. We dusted and wiped everything down, and Grace even shampooed our carpet. The whole process ended up stretching out over several days, but the end result is both refreshing and satisfying.
Monday afternoon, Jeremiah, Dad, and I made a run to storage. We wanted to move most of my grandma's items there for safe keeping. We also decided to pick up our cool weather clothing and duvets. The cold snap we had last week made us realize we need to get ready for the colder weather. We also picked up some heaters, and a few items we plan to use later this fall (a turkey fryer and beer-making kit). And since fall is just days away, we found our box of fall decor.
Our trip to storage went fine -- until we tried to go home. My brother's Jeep wouldn't start. We had pulled our trailer to storage with it, since my Dad's Explorer is down with a cracked radiator. There we were, with the trailer loaded up, and not enough room in the storage unit to unload it (we had filled all the space with my grandma's furniture). Thankfully, Levi and Erin were just about to go by on the way home from Springfield, so they came to pick some of us up. Unfortunately, their minivan doesn't have a trailer hitch. My dad considered driving the Explorer, despite its issues, to pick up Jeremiah and the trailer. Thankfully, Jeremiah found a tow that would the Jeep, the trailer, and himself out to Dadeville.
Our final deep clean this week was the bunkhouse. Levi and Erin did most of it, sorting through the tools and other items stored there, wiping down our make-shift kitchen area, and vacuuming everything. Grace and I helped finish up, sorting odds and ends. Erin cleaned out one bedroom for her sister to stay in. She hung some paper and curtains for privacy, and she put up twinkle lights. The effect was quite cozy.
While we were working on these various projects, Bonnie-Jean tackled shampooing "the round deal" -- the ottoman that belonged to our grandma. Memaw had it since the '60s, and she had reupholstered it several times over the years. When we received it, it was in good shape -- aside from some sort of stain that went from the top all the way into the bottom. Bonnie-Jean went to work with some Oxiclean, and so far, the result is quite satisfactory.
We had hoped to accomplish all of this cleanup in a three days. As it turned out, it took us all week. Even our Mom's birthday ended up being a parade of tasks barely completed, though having everything clean and tidy for a change was worth it to her. Still, we promised her a celebration raincheck later this fall. And while we were pulling our hair out cleaning and organizing, the Ozark summer decided to make a come-back, heating us way past our comfort level. On top of the unseasonable heat, the cleaning dust and early fall allergies gave several of us cold-like symptoms and headaches.
It was an unexpectedly exhausting week, but when everything was said and done, we felt satisfied. Our homestead hasn't looked so good since our last spring cleaning, and maybe not even then. We feel more ready for the changing of the seasons, prepared for the challenges autumn will bring. And when Erin's little sister arrived yesterday afternoon, we felt ready to be hospitable.
