Turn Here Rose

Okay, I know I missed Thursdays posts, and I apologize profusely, but let me try to explain.....

On Wednesday night, I went out to Turn Here Rose farm, (that isn't much of a farm yet, but hey, its a work in progress) because I had found a plot map online that gave a satellite view of my property lines. Got out there about 4-4:30, and spent the evening looking for the survey markers. ANY of them. No luck.
Well, I always keep enough supplies in the car to be stranded somewhere for a while, so on the spur of the moment, I decided to camp out, and start again on Thursday.

Here's my sleeping setup:

A burned and rusted bed frame I propped up with a couple pieces of cement and a few lengths of paracord
 

My tarp was a little short, so I used it as my ground sheet, with a light plastic painter's sheet above, Tarp is pegged down, and sheet is tied off and logs holding the rear down.

My wool blanket, spread out and ready to roll up in.

 Okay. Normally, I'd use the plastic sheet as a ground cloth, and the tarp over top, but it was a fairly small tarp, and a calm afternoon, so I went the other route. BIG mistake! Around 9:30, it started sprinkling, so I called it a night, and because Scooter had decided to stay the night with me, there wasn't room to 'wrap' up in my blanket, but folded it in half with him on the inside of the fold, and my butt hanging out the outer edge because the little shit wouldn't move over.
No problem so far. Wind was from the south, opening was to the north, and I lay there listening to the sprinkle of rain hitting my tarp, and thoroughly enjoying my evening.

Drifted off in a short time, and was awakened at around 11:30 to a complete and major thunderstorm. Rain was coming down in sheets, but all from the rear of my lean-to, and although the temp had dropped a bit, I was still good.
Until a small branch nub I hadn't seen when putting the logs on the back of the sheet tore through it, and the wind tore it away at the back left corner.

Here's a warning to all those survivalist 'experts' out there. The next time I hear someone say how nice and snuggly warm you stay in wool regardless of how wet it gets? I'm going to make it my life's mission to hunt you down and stick you in a freezer wrapped up in a wet wool blanket. Good luck.

The rest of the night I maybe got a total of a half hour sleep. Wet, cold, dog whining every time I try to pull this blanket further over myself......
Note to self. ALWAYS put the heavier tarp on top!

So, the next morning, I got up around 6:30 as the sun was coming up, and got my fire going again. I had had the good sense to put a deal of wood in the old chimney fireplace, and of course had my fire materials with me, so restarting a fire on the soaked ashes was simple enough.

 

So, after I spilled two pans of water in the fire trying to make some coffee, I found a piece of half inch rod about four feet long, heated one end red hot, and used the hammer in my tool pouch to shape it into a hook. Hung my water on it, and finally, around 8:30 had my first and only cup of coffee that morning.

 

I spent some time looking for the markers again, and finally had to give it up as a lost cause. Way too overgrown after 2 years of laying fallow.

 

So, since Rose wouldn't be back until after 3PM, I figured I'd try a new project:

Before. You may recognize this photo from last weeks post.

After. That's the slab where the chimney rested, with a pile of the bricks landing where my fire was. It sat and smouldered the rest of the day, which is why those middle bricks are blackened.

Behind the foundation. The metal is the fireplace itself, and the pile of rubble is the chimney. Made a pretty spectacular crash!

Took me all day to bust that down, with a short pause before my firepit got buried to heat up some beanie weenies for me and Scooter.

When Rose showed up around 3:45, I just packed everything up and left all the bricks laying where they fell. With only one good shoulder to handle the crowbar, and even though I had to take a LOT of breaks and a few pain pills, I was still pretty wore out.

 

But it sure was fun!