YEAR IN REVIEW PICTURES

by Robin

I thought it may be nice to put up some of the wonderful reasons I was so distracted all year!

Last fall, I shared with you that we needed to drain and take down our pool.  We were having major tilt issues.  The pool came fully down and then we had a little lag while we built our boat barn (about a month or so delay).   What an excellent decision to get all this up before the oak leaves began falling.  They make such a mess everywhere.




We also needed about 3 weeks to remove all the decking around the pool.  We had beams that were no longer attached to the posts and that too had to be address.  **As well as the sink hold UNDER the deck that kept happening because of the decomposing trash pit that came along with the house.**




But then, we knew spring was coming and the heat would eventually become brutal so we asked around at church and found a friend with a Bobcat & technician who could meet our needs.

He did a wonderful job!!!  We dug 48" down, moved the pool location closer to the house, removed all the stumps and cedar trunks over by the fence.  Found garbage and a concrete slab too!  Part of the slab remains under the former pool area.



Our pool parts were sitting in the garage since February but now we were ready to assemble.  Jack took 1 week off of work and every day was filled with physical activity and sometimes rain.  Thankfully, I am raising boys, now men!!





As it stands now, we are raising the money to replace the fence on the far side and then we can begin the rebuilding of the deck around the pool.  Meanwhile, it is nice to take a dip in the water.





As for the garden, here are a couple pictures from March.  I had a hard time keeping up with weeds and ..... everything.    My chickens were very naughty and destroyed all my heirloom beans that were growing this year.






Old broccoli was later replaced by okra and sunflowers.  Sweet potatoes were in the back.


I mentioned that I volunteer at the horse rescue and so here are some of our group.




And then, I also was adding in a lot of photography for either the rescues or clients.




God bless!!  Hope you all are having a fantastic summer.  Drop me a line to let me know you're still with me!

Robin

I'm BACK!!! - video of Scalloping at Crystal River

by Robin



Oh my......... I can't believe I haven't been here in so long.  I'd love to get this blog active again.



It was a long year of teaching at the homeschool co-op and I have since begun retirement from teaching.  My youngest is dual-enrolled at college.  My eldest is over at University of Central Florida on his last year of college.  They just grow up so quickly!!



I spend every Thursday volunteering at the rescue horse farm.  I have been building up my skills at photography and then began my own photography business this spring!!   It was a monster to create my own website but it was well worth the effort.



After that, I bought a go-pro and movie software.  Long before the business, I always had the desire to put our life into movies.  We were seeing so many cool things on the ocean and through the life around us.  It seemed like a logical step.



We've taken a couple quick vacations this summer.  I still have yet to create the movie for our Pensacola trip.  Yesterday, I finished up the movie of our scalloping trip at Crystal River from last weekend!



Here it is!









My garden is almost completely dead.  I have yet to pick the last pineapple out there and peppers and then I can till it all under.   By August, we'll move in manure and look to see what we want to plant again.  I can tell you that eggplant will be on that menu because it performed so well this spring.



What didn't work in the garden was following Jack's advice of just fertilizing with a store product.  That did not give me even half the results of just regular manure.  It pays to grab the horse poop, especially since I have such great access to it.



I'm done for now, but promise not to be such a stranger.



Blessings,

Robin