Demolishing a single-wide trailer: Part II

Holy moly - the rural life has many pros, but it also has serious cons.  I tend to forget after living in the city, how inefficient, unorganized, unconcerned, and nonresponsive many of the service providers are in this neck of the woods.  Worst customer service skills, super difficult to make plans.....it's very frustrating.  We've spent a lot of time waiting for calls/texts back.  Asking if we could count on work happening on any particular day....we can't BTW.....it's stressful, especially when you are trying to coordinate multiple services (more on this later).  

With that said, some progress has been made on getting rid of the mouse house and we are two days away from our two week allowance of renting the large roll-off dumpsters.  It all comes down to tomorrow and whether our demolition guy will come and complete the work.

On the first day he worked, we were shocked that the machine he brought was just a bobcat - we thought there would be a backhoe or some other similar, larger machine for this job.  However when he got to the property he was very positive and said he could have it done in a day.  His first visit to the property was one full week after the dumpsters were placed, he did about an hour of work and then he had a mechanical problem with his bobcat and had to stop working for the day.  

Four days later he was back and he worked for four hours - the wind was crazy and the debris was blowing all over the place.  It looked like a very unpleasant job from a distance....around noon he was gone and he gave us a call on the way out saying the wind was terrible and that he would be back to finish the job.  Husband reminded him that the dumpsters were only there for two weeks and he said, "oh right, no problem, we will get it done."  No doubt the progress on day two was significant!

Speaking of trying to coordinate multiple services....In addition to the destruction of this trailer, we also wanted the guy to do some road work for us.  Rancho Status Quo is approx 5 miles off county maintained roads, and when the monsoons come the road are terrible.  We have a plan to improve two particularly bad parts of the road with a culvert and gravel.  The culvert was delivered shortly after the dumpsters and has been sitting by the road where we want it placed since the delivery driver dropped it.  The gravel was delivered today.  It too was dumped by the road where we want it spread.

The plan is for the bobcat guy to finish the mouse house, install the culvert, grate some road, and spread gravel.  Will that all happen tomorrow?  I do hope so!  About 10 years ago we installed a culvert in another troublesome spot and to this day it is always dry and easy to drive through (as opposed to being the place where we got our vehicle stuck in mud)  In the picture below the culvert is about half way down the road.

Anyhow, it will probably all come together exactly as it needs to - we probably spent time worrying over nothing and I look forward the mouse house being a memory!

Solar pump panels finally have a home

We have two solar panels that are supply power to our submersible DC pump.  It's a pretty cool system, when the sun is bright the flow from the pump is stronger and when the sun is behind clouds the flow is reduced.  Our well is very deep, ~500 feet and our static water level is around 150-170'.  We have the pump submersed at around 180-190 feet.  At peak flow I think we can get 3 gallons per minute.  We will show much more about the water system in future posts - this one is about the panels that have provided the pump with power for so many years!

For twenty years we have been hauling these panels around!  We used to store them at our house in the valley and bring them up whenever we went camping.  They've been at the land for many years now.  We bring them outside then put them back in the building when we leave.  When we use them they always have been placed on the ground.  

This might be the earliest picture I have of them (though they are covered by green blankets and leaning against a tree.  The electrical box is sitting on top of them.  This is from 1999 shortly after the well was dug!

Here is a picture from 2006 prior to our ill-fated shed being built and after the installation of the hand pump (Simple Pump).  

Oh!  Another from 2006 when the foundation of the first building was poured, you can see the solar panels in the background (to the right)!

Here's a 2020 picture of how we've been using them this summer.  

These two panels cost $750 for 150 watts (back in 1999)!  These days you can get one panel that puts out 350 watts for $200 - solar has become a lot more feasible and cost effective.  Nevertheless, these panels work great and we want to continue use them to power the submersible DC pump.  So our most recent project was mounting these to the roof of the garage.  We used some scrap steel to fashion a mounting system and I think it came together really well.  

To complete the project we had to use one of our coolest tools - metal shears - you can slice through steel!

We used some of the scrap steel to mount the rain tight box with the electrical components.  We decided not to drill any holes in the building to mount this - we just use the existing bolts and drilled holes in our scrap steel piece to match.  

Lastly we have to add some conduit below the box as that cord is not meant to be in the sun.  Though it took us some time to figure out all the parts we needed and find all of those parts from our collection of components - we did it!

Anyhow, it is amazing to consider the long journey these panels have been on!  It's rewarding to see them finally mounted in their permanent spot.  

Down with the mouse house: Demolishing a single-wide trailer - Part I

Rancho Status Quo is actually made up of two parcels.  The first we purchased in 1999, the second in 2007.  Each parcel is 36 acres and the second has an old single-wide manufactured home on it.  We think the manufactured home is useless, and an eye sore, and a harborage for rodents - hence it has acquired the name "mouse house."  

When we purchased it we always intended to dispose of it - but obviously it has taken us some time to figure out how to do this.  Today, after many phone calls and arranging, we had two large dumpsters delivered.  In the next week a man with a backhoe (or some sort of machine) will come and do the demolition!  Recently, my dad helped us take down quite a bit of the barbed wire fencing around it so that the trucks could get back to it. 

 

Unfortunately, when Husband was leading the trucks back to our land our truck got a flat tire.  As a result he had the adventure of riding in one of the big trucks today.  

Since this is the first and (hopefully) only time we will engage in this sort of demolition we had to ask a lot of questions - even now I hope that what we have will hold the remains of the house.  We have two "roll off" dumpsters which are each around 50' long.  We think this single-wide is 70' long and hope that when destroyed it will fit into these two.  We were charged $250 to bring the dumpsters to the property and we will be charged $60/ton to dispose of the remnants in the landfill.  We think it will cost around $1500 total in landfill charges.  The machine operator charges $95/hour and he said it should take about a day.  So we are hoping to get rid of this abomination for under $3000.  

So, it is ready for demolition and we look forward to seeing that happen this week!

Pandemic: For the love of god, please stay home!

I am not sure why a virus ended up being a political issue, but let's be clear - coronavirus does not care who you vote for. In fact, infections are reported in all age groups with the age groups 40-59 having the highest incidence (making up 34.8% of positive cases). Certainly deaths are most common in the oldest age groups, but they are occurring across all ages.

The safest things for you to do is remain socially isolated, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask in public if you have to go out, and practice social distancing (at least 6 feet between you and the next person).

In Arizona, "Since May 17, cases have increased 138% (3,061 to 7,286) while testing has increased by 17% (46,206 to 54,078) providing compelling evidence that increasing case counts largely reflect increased community transmission- not increased testing." -AZPHA Mass gatherings at protests, efforts to re-open the economy, and a general sense of it's over, have permeated the climate in AZ and it is all founded on wishful thinking. Nothing has changed. There is no vaccine.

In St. Johns, AZ one must have a PO Box to receive mail - visiting the post office with a mask we are met with disapproving looks, sighs, the shaking of heads - this is foolish and misguided. Small towns without hospitals should take this seriously. Let's also remember that hospitals are not allowing visitors to protect the health care workers and other patients - tens of thousands of Americans have died in hospitals alone without their loved ones near them over the past few months and many more will meet the same fate.

Our public health agencies should be stepping up. Testing should be followed by contract tracing, education, and quarantine for individuals testing positive. But our leaders are giving up. The state health director (a governor appointee), Dr. Cara Christ, said "we are not going to be able to stop the spread..." when clearly it is possible with proper political will and leadership.

Don't sacrifice your health or the health of your family members for the benefit of oligarchs who care about profit over humanity. The government is supposed to guarantee the right to life - but instead our policymakers are sacrificing the vulnerable, the poor, the elderly and making monetary justifications for it. We must save ourselves in the absence of sound leadership. We have to look to ourselves to protect our families. In this case we protect ourselves by staying home as much as possible, washing hands and surfaces often, and wearing masks when in public. Do that and you have taken as much precaution as you can during these difficult and uncertain times.

Small space living & entertainment

Like you, we have been in quarantine since April.  Because my expertise is in public health we have not participated in the re-opening of the state in any way - we still shop as infrequently as possible; we wear our masks in public; we avoid the city.  Thankfully we have Rancho Status Quo which gives us a large outdoor space to explore, but many days we find ourselves in and around the trailer.  This post will focus on how our family of four manages hanging out in just over 300 square feet of space!

In reality, the outdoor space next to the trailer is an important part of our existence.  In our current set up I am growing some vegetables in a container garden at the rear of the outdoor space.  Our trailer has an outdoor kitchen, grill, propane burners and extra fridge - we use that kitchen often.  I cook outside when possible (especially when the air conditioner is running) and we sit outside and enjoy the space.  I especially like to sit outside when using the solar oven so that I can ensure it is oriented towards the sun.  This is also where I hang out the laundry on our drying rack and where I fold clothes.  (BTW, I still love doing my laundry at a laundry mat - the facility here is small, reasonably priced, and convenient.) 

 

The rest of our outdoor space is multi-purpose.  We eat outside, the pad is used for chalk art, we paint rocks, Sister makes mud pies, bikes are parked here, toys are brought out, the kids can play in water from the hose...when it is not too windy the awning gives nice shade,  We are outdoors a fair amount - but there are days where we are not!  For those days, video games!!  The funny thing is that while in Zoom meetings over the past months I have heard various colleagues say something about never seeing their kids because they are off in their rooms playing video games - if our family were still in our 4000 sq ft house, we would have the same situation.  However, because the kids are so close to us while we are playing the games, we are all a part of what is going on with each other.  Often, if I am working and the kids are done with school, I am thankful for the games - especially when I have meetings or am working on a project that requires my concentration.  Other time when Husband and I are playing our game it is nice to be within earshot of what is going on in the kids' games.  

The kids have an Xbox in their room and they play online with their cousins as much as they are able.  Depending on our location we have had varying arrangements in terms of internet/data connection.  When in Mesa, we had Cox cable - which worked really well for the online play.  These days, in rural St. Johns, AZ we are using Verizon hotspots from our phones - so there is a constant conversation about how much data is left.  However, with that said, the kids are currently playing on throttled hotspot data until it resets in a week or so and they are still able to make it work.  The Xbox was their present for Christmas in 2018....for Christmas of 2019, after our second summer of travel, we bought them each a Nintendo Switch Lite.  Having something portable and battery powered is a wonderful improvement to our situation.   

Because Husband is a tech geek and retro gamer, we also have a number of other consoles.  Actually, he and I have enjoyed playing couch co-ops over the years (even before having kids).  We are currently playing Divinity Original Sin II on the PS4 - which is an absolutely amazing game!  "But where do you put all of these consoles/cords/controllers/games?" Great question!  Poorly managed cords/controllers are a pet peeve of mine.  Thankfully, Husband does a great job of managing it all - the system has developed over time, and is quite efficient.  We have three TVs in our rig - one in the kids' room, one in ours and one in the main living area.  The consoles are split between those three TVs, cords zip tied and neat, controllers put in their places.   I tried to take pictures, but I'm much better at taking pictures of sunsets.

Of course we also have our laptops for work/school/entertainment as well.  As long as everyone keeps track of charging their own devices, life is good - if not, well, drama.  Controller batteries are the worst - if left to me the kids wouldn't be able to play anything because I would've given up.  Husband fights the good fight and is constantly reminding and managing the kids' devices!  As you can imagine, charging devices is a necessity for us, and was certainly taken into consideration when designing our solar system at the homestead.  

Besides video games the kids each have a bin of toys (under the benches of the dinette in their room) and there are some favorites that get played with often (like the Magformers).  They both have quite a few books - currently Brother is really into reading manga and likes drawing characters, Sister enjoys looking through National Geographic books about animals (her "biology books" as she likes to refer to them).  A while ago I made a list of things the kids can do besides play video games.  I posted it in their room and I ask them to read it when they need to take a break.  They are both good about going out for a bike ride or walk periodically during the day.  It's been three years in this small space (and our smaller first trailer), though I will value having a bit more space in our tiny house at the homestead (500 sq ft + two lofts), I do feel content with this space and feel we are able to do the things we would do in a house.  We even have a piano and a guitar!

I guess the moral of the story is that when you live in a tiny space you appreciate the outdoors and you are very considerate about how you use the indoor space.  We set up the indoor space to support the things we do when indoors.  Our possessions are trimmed down to those things we use on a regular basis.  I remember the cupboards of kitchen stuff I used to have in my house and compare it to the comparatively fewer necessary items I have now as the most obvious example.  Clothing is another area where significant reductions in quantity were made.  In the end our small space is very comfortable and our things deliberately chosen.  Even during a quarantine we enjoy our tiny space!

Collecting components, 3 years RV life, and other events

It has been a while and I have many things to report!  Since my last post we have collected most of the items we ordered with various levels of drama.  For example we took possession of the Sunbank solar water heater, which arrived via freight.  However a few of the glass tubes were broken as the box containing them was not strapped down and had fallen off the pallet.  We are in the process of ensuring we receive replacements for the broken tubes.

We drove to Flagstaff to pick up most of the components for our solar system from Northern Arizona Wind and Sun.  We knew there were a couple things on back order so a second trip will have to be made when the time comes. 

Our large order from Home Depot has been collected via trips to the store and receipt of multiple packages.  Our cargo trailer is full of stuff.  At present we are waiting for our contractor to install the garage door on our new building.  Once this is done we will begin to install the solar and plumbing systems with the ability to lock it up overnight.  The contractor said mid-June, so we are hoping that his team will be out there next week. 

Our fridge died (for the second time in a year) in April - this month it was finally repaired (delayed due to the factory being closed during the shut down), which was a huge relief.  We have been using a Dometic chest fridge/freezer, which was awesome and will be our main fridge on our land, but it took up a lot of room in our tiny trailer.  It is nice to have floor space back!

My parents, who have been in Arizona since February, left this morning.  Since April we have been parked next to each other and the kids have been able to go between our spaces.  Because of the corona virus I have been doing the shopping for both of our households and they helped us at the land and with watching the kids.  We had become accustomed to their presence and will miss them.  I also worry for their health and safety as they travel across the country - but fully understand their desire to return home to Michigan.  We had a pretty nice setup and we ate most dinners together (many outside).  

Yesterday, though Sister's BD is in July, we had a surprise party so that we could include Nana and Papa.  It was a nice event although the wind was crazy and made being and eating outside rather difficult.  I can't believe Sister is almost 6 years old.  

Our three year anniversary of RV living is this month!  Given the state of the country (pandemic, civil unrest, high unemployment, recession/depression) I am so very thankful to have the ability to be mobile.  This arrangement has also allowed us to simplify our life and finances and to pursue the completion of this long-term goal of having a self-sufficient homestead.  No one can say exactly what the future holds, but I will feel very secure having a base of operations as well as the ability to travel.

In Rancho Status Quo news, we got a new chainsaw and have been trimming trees.  As a result we have had some very nice evenings around the fire pit.

In homesteading news I have added a new set of recipes to my repertoire - spreadable cashew cheese!  This stuff is wonderful spread upon my solar oven baked sourdough.  I linked to one recipe above, but I have been trying variations with ideas from Pinterest.  

Brother and Sister are pretty much done with the Homeschooling year.  Brother has a few last math lessons to complete which we are going to spread out over the summer to keep him fresh.  Sister has come along leaps and bounds with her reading - it finally clicked for her - so we have to keep reading so that she continues to become comfortable and increase her skill.  Regardless of what happens with the public schools (and the homeschool enrichment program we were attending) we will not be returning to any public settings in the fall.  As a public health expert, I advise remaining far away from others until you can obtain a vaccine that has been sufficiently tested - that is what I am going to do - I will be teaching online only.  

I hope that you and yours are safe and healthy and that you are able to follow your bliss even in the midst of these troubling times.