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2022 Frozen Tundra Farm Report

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sKePTiKal:
Been a busy stressful week. B is making plans to leave and get the next load organized; he'll only be gone a month and then will be back in time for my birthday and may stay till January. We are working on a plan/checklist for making that next load - the LAST one.

For several years now, I've been looking for a clean and solid 4 door hardtop wrangler to replace the grand cherokee with all it's electronic doodads of distraction and startling "command center" demands and warnings. The car beeping at me, can scare the bejesus out me at the WORST possible moments because I'm an active, engage driver who actually ENJOYS driving. I don't often just toodle along casually, especially on our two-land twisties. There is also less to troubleshoot and fix on the older models - and because of our terrain & weather & open roads - I wanted a manual again. I love driving Rudi, but B has one more change to make that will solve the problem Mike created when he put such large tires on it.

Finding one has been a needle in a haystack search. Most had already been customized by guys who grew up with the Transformers movies... and had just as much electronic junk on them as the new ones. Price tag reflected it, too. Others were driven into the ground with high mileage and needing a LOT of work to be reliable. So, last week on the way to the grocery, I spotted one at place that usually has all kinds of interesting vehicles/equipment for sale. We stopped on the way back to look it over. Everything on my short list was there; B approved the work on the suspension & lift kit... and the price, while high for it's model year, was fair given the lift alone was worth $5k and was recent. Drove it the next day and bought it.

And I've been driving myself half-mad being conflicted about spending the money right now - because the roofers started the very same day I drove/bought it. B and I talked through the pros & cons of the simplicity of the wrangler over the higher cost & complexity of the newer cherokee... and that helped. But we also need to get some kind of equipment & wood shed built/constructed to protect the investment in our "tools" and to minimize propane usage through the winter. Electricity hasn't gone up much here yet. There is also the problem of state inspections for "modifed" vehicles - ie, lifted.

And we've been SOOO busy lately, that I'm having to push driving miles & miles to a DMV until B leaves... and then I have the problem of having a driver when I sell the cherokee to the dealer over the mountain. The dealer has been calling me multiple times a day to make an appointment for them to look at it and price it for me. SIGH. Top that off with the insurance agent calling asking me to pick a time to review my insurance needs........... !!!!!! I've got too much on my to-do list already to be dealing with all this admin crap.

But it looks like Hol and/or S will be around now. So I won't have to deal with their animals - that's one relief. Unless Hol gets the coordinator position pushed on her for this production. She is the only one on their crew that CAN, but she doesn't want it. Even if she does like the paycheck. She's framed it as beating the crap out of her body just to make tv content for people who never get up off the couch. And she is resenting it. As would any sane person who only got 10 hrs of sleep in 48 hrs.

I am truly spoiled having B here. So many things are getting done, and by coincidence he had mechanical work to do on all the vehicles & equipment that would've been beyond our capacity to deal with when they failed. The yard work has been neglected but in the scheme of things, that's not terribly important right now. Roofer is going to pull his trailer in front of the porch Monday anyway. And I'll need to do a thorough walkaround looking for loose nails on the ground - even tho he picked up the majority of them. He helps cook, he's not a messy guy either - even though it looks like things have exploded in the garage, barn & shop right now while he's moving, organizing and working on the last bits of things. There is going to have be some more inside the house projects too over the winter.

OH... and I'm still working on an interim window project in the studio (and organization) to help manage heat and cooling out there too. The site environment wasn't at all considered in the design of that building - nor insulation or heating/cooling. But that project is probably going to have to wait till 2024. And we must needs do a little road/ditch work this fall before things get worse. Rick left us in pretty good shape before he moved; there are a few places that need attention though.

Wheeeeeee!!!!! this is the crazy stuff I have to try to ride herd on around here... like trying to corral tripping squirrels that have had too much coffee. And it's why I alternate between exhaustion and sleepwalking... and running my ass off.  LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

lighter:
I think you're happiest when you're busy, Amber.  Sounds like you're grabbing life by the hand and running.

Very glad B seems to be healing up.

Lighter

sKePTiKal:
I'm working at trying to stay centered in all this. My irritable button has been pushed a lot lately and then the internal conflict over spending money on the jeep also contributed to being off balance. So I'm taking a couple days to REST and do things I like to do before dealing with all the other stuff again.

Hopalong:
I was thinking when you got the Wrangler you'd sell the Cherokee which, being newer, and given the sky-high values of cars these days...you'd come out ahead?

Couldn't agree with you more about the annoying/intrusive electronics. My 2008 Prius has what I consider a dang TV in the dashboard, though it isn't anything like, and I've never once figured out how to work the radio. One station all day because if I hit the wrong button I'm lost. I extra-loathe its charming habit of emitting a very loud beepbeep every single time I'm going in reverse, to which I screech in my head: If I don't know I'm driving backward, take my keys. But noooo, I gotta listen to the damn UPS-truck reverse beep every time I leave my driveway or park anywhere. (Not removable by mechanics, either...I've asked.)

I hope it's mostly happy-busy, Amber. You've waited a long time for some peace and quiet. Sorry B has to be gone for a month. Then one more absence in January and he's home with you for good?

Hope so. Keep on truckin' but try to enjoy the drive.

hugs
Hops

sKePTiKal:
Oh yes, the plan is to sell the cherokee. I do NOT need to support this many vehicles - I can only drive one at a time! LOLOLOL. I do need to hand wash the dang pollen off and clean up the inside tho. And that's not happening real quickly right now. Roofers' tools are blocking access to the garage/hose. I MIGHT get a chance to do that today, depending on how warm it gets. I did just run it through the local car wash.

Next week is going to be busy, because I have to get insurance, tags for the wrangler - run over the mountain & pick up the rental with B on Wed... and then hopefully, have B follow me to the dealer for the appraisal. I think they think, they're selling me a new car... even though the website clearly states they will just buy "your car" from you. So we'll see. The new jeeps are even worse than the cherokee for "bells, whistles & beeps".

Right now, I'm just having a lazy morning catching up on my doom scrolling. Hol was flat out exhausted when she got home - and she didn't even try driving after she got off work Fri. night. So I'm giving her time to hang with S this weekend... and her dog (who was ever so good on a difficult day!) and remember she lives here. LOLOLOL. There's more craziness than usual going on with this job - but there are two new guys working in her department, so she's less needed. Think she'll be home at LEAST two weeks, before S finishes up working and gets to stay home.

Well, I dunno how much I'm getting done today... but it won't be much unless I get moving. Roofers are going to be here (and banging on the part over my bedroom) at 7:30 am tomorrow. I'm really over contractors right now... but I really needed to get this done and the dark green metal looks good!

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