Carport Almost Finished!

We have as in Brian has been working on our carport very aggressively. It only needs the roof and it will be done.
We have had an incident with our water pipe and it has to be repaired and re-buried. We thought we had more time. However, it has frozen twice! We have had to turn our water off for a couple days. We filled up a few water containers and made sure we have water for cooking. Brushing teeth etc.

SO! We may have to take care of the water pipe situation before moving on to the next project which was a strawbale solar equipment shed.
Hopefully everyone is staying healthy and safe out there.
I made a Halloween video on my channel Simply Pam. and will include a link. Thanks so much y’all!
https://youtu.be/tyRmJhccLHs

We had a big storm!

some of you may know that we had a big monsoon storm and our road was washed away. It is now fixed which is great. Our waterline burst and we got that put back together but some of the land that it was buried in got washed away. Now it is just kind of hanging in midair in some places. We will get it buried sometime in the future though.

we are now starting to work on the carport and Brian has the land kind of leveled out and I painted some emulsion onto the bottom of some posts. Now we will have to dig holes and install the posts and then we will put the rafters and roof and we will have a carport.

We have also gone to Bisbee Arizona to help our friends Craig and Nicki to finish building the earth ship garage. I made a video about it so I will include a link to that.

What’s Goin’ On

It is August and guess what? It’s hot! No duh!

The new solar system has been put off for a while. I have driven Brian crazy because I don’t really understand it and I ask him almost every day what’s going on. He can’t really explain it and even if he did I’m having trouble understanding. Our neighbor Derek is building his house so doesn’t really even have time to help and Brian tried getting his advice but that didn’t really turn out. He still doesn’t know any more than he did. Derek is the one who originally helped us with our six panels that we have now. It has been really nice but it’s just not enough power for this time of year when it’s super Super hot. Plus we really have to watch our usage and we have to use the generator part of the time. I will never take electricity for granted again!

What we are doing now is planning the carport again. LOL we had planned the carport a while back and actually had all the materials and everything and we ended up changing our minds and took everything back. This time I think we have a good plan. He has it drawn out in sketch up and we will probably be getting the materials in the next few days.

In the meantime we have been using Tires to fill erosion cracks. It’s working well! It has been sweaty, backbreaking work. I have also been trimming up some trees and bushes. I am doing a project with pallet wood too right now. I am also putting out videos every other day on my Simply Pam channel.

Our friends Craig and Nicki are building in earth ship garage in Bisbee, AZ out of tires and cans and we have helped them a few times. We are going on Saturday to help them again. They are almost done. I will be working on a video for a 500 subscriber giveaway on my channel. Our other channel, MidlifePrices is doing well with over 3000 subscribers! We have actually made a little money from it.

I hope everyone is doing well and that the pandemic has not affected you too negatively. The only thing we have noticed is that we wear a mask when we go out and in Benson Walmart there are many people who don’t have masks on even though it says out front I don’t get it.

Hopefully we get this carport finished and eventually a house will be in our near future. The RV is fine for a roof over our heads but I really miss my kitchen and my normal oven. I can’t even use the oven in here because it is so hot!

Thanks everyone who took the time to read this. I appreciate y’all!

Pam (and Brian)

Will we ever get this solar thing figured out?

Brian is very close to getting the wiring figured out. This is a very big deal because once he is done he is going to know solar inside and out and be able to help other people if they want to do their own solar. He is a very good teacher and I think that the videos that he makes will be very popular. The shed videos are very popular. One of them has over 90,000 views.

I have been making a lot of videos on my Simply Pam channel. Three months ago I only had 33 subscribers and now I have 170. Before you can make any money you have to have 1000 subscribers and 1000 hours of watch time. That is a lot of Watch time! I think as long as I keep coming up with interesting content, I will achieve my goal. The question is is it that interesting. I’m not so sure. LOL. However, I am having a good time doing it.

Monsoon season is here but we have not had much rain at all.
Brian has a large trench dug across the yard and he is about to order the wiring but it won’t be good if the trench gets filled with water. He will order the large pipe first and put that in the ground so he can cover it up. Then I think the rest of the wiring will be pulled through the big pipe somehow. I’m not exactly sure. I am not the expert. Ha!

Right now Brian is on top of the RV trying to repair a leak that is going into the shower. Again we are expecting the monsoon rains, so he wants to try to fix it before that happens.

I hope everyone is surviving the Covid epidemic. Stay healthy my friends !

Thank you very much. Until next time! 😊

Pam

No Solar Yet

In my last entry I talked about how the solar was coming soon. I was so excited because Brian thought he had everything figured out. Just seems like it is one thing after another.

So! Still waiting on the solar to happen. It’s in the works, however, things never really go as planned do they? Brian has the panels mounted and dug a giant trench from the big purple shed to the RV. I haven’t fallen in YET by the way. Miracle.

The problem came when we realized how hot it is inside that shed. It’s been in the triple digits lately. Brian has been talking to different people and getting different opinions because this is a very expensive set up and we don’t want to go and blow our stuff up. Now he’s talking about just moving the whole trailer with the equipment inside up to where the panels are and in the meantime we will build a little strawbale structure to house the equipment and it will stay nice and cool. Right now, the batteries and inverter and all the things I don’t understand are in that little trailer. It’s not cool in there but it’s not super hot.

Anyway, he is still trying to figure out the wiring that he needs to run in the trench. That is the next step and then to order all of that.

We also have been helping out our friends Craig and Nicki who are building a garage from old tires out on their land in Bisbee, AZ. It is SO much work. We made a video about it on our YouTube channel MidlifePrices. Here’s a link to the channel.

https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlifePrices

Hopefully that will work! LOL

We went out to eat for the first time in 3 months. It was so nice! This covid thing hasn’t really affected us too much since we are out in the middle of nowhere. Except for the condo in Mexico which I went over in my last entry.

So far we seem to be healthy! Y’all be careful out there and stay safe and healthy if at all possible!

Thanks!

More Solar!?! Yes Please. 😊

Hello everyone and thank you for continuing to read my rants. 😂 Things are getting very exciting out here.

Brian went and got all of the materials for the solar mount. We will be adding nine more panels. We have six already. This is gonna make our lives a little easier.

It is easy to take electricity for granted but when you are not connected to the power grid you realize how much you actually use and what wattage each appliance requires.

This life has definitely changed the way we look at using electricity!

So, the solar mount itself is fairly simple to complete. The wiring for the whole system is another story. Brian has been doing lots of research. He is going to try to do it himself and then have our neighbor Derek come and make sure it is done correctly. Derek helped with the system we have now. It’s mounted on a trailer. Now it will be tucked away out of sight in the new location. We can move the trailer and have extra space.

The wheels are really in motion! I’m so excited that we now got a little washing machine! We did our first load of laundry in it the other day and hung out on the line. It smelled awesome.

After Brian gets done with the solar system then we will begin working on the strawbale bathroom/shower. Then the long awaited carport. No more 200 degree car in the summer! I’m SUPER excited! Stay tuned.

Also I have been putting out many more videos of every day life and behind the scenes, on a second YouTube channel called Simply Pam. I hate the name but that’s all I’ve got for now. We’re also still putting videos on MidlifePrices. Lol.

Thanks y’all!

Social Distance

By now we all know about social distancing. Many people are out of work. It seems to be a very bad time for the economy from what I am hearing. Life out here hasn’t really changed all that much.

The greatest change we have face is when we go to the store. Over the last few months the shelves were empty in many places. Toilet paper, paper towels, rice, soup, alcohol, and hand sanitizer seem to be out. In the last few weeks however, they seem to be making a comeback.

We are still very busy out here. We worked together to build a clothesline. We ordered a washing machine as well. I can’t believe we went two years without a washer and dryer. It really wasn’t that bad. We are very lucky to have friends that would always offer to let us come and do our laundry at their house. Thanks y’all!

I feel like I’m getting better at editing videos. I also think that we are both getting more comfortable on camera.

We just finished making a video about how we are making bricks out of sand and clay. We are planning on using these bricks in our bathroom/shower we plan to build. We are going to be ordering the materials to build a structure for our solar panels and to begin the shower /bathroom base. We can’t wait to get started!

Our neighbors Bill and Yvonne, have broken ground on starting their straw bale home. It is very exciting to see. I’m sure we will be helping them out and learning things as we go.

One way the COVID-19 virus has affected us is the border to Mexico is closed. Therefore we cannot go to our condo in Mexico. The beaches are also close. That means no one is able to rent our condo at the moment. We have a monthly payment and the way we were able to afford it was by renting out the condo. Now that that is not happening, it is a real problem. We have some savings, but that money was going to be used to build our house. There is really no way to make up that lost money other than getting a job. I have been selling a few small things on Etsy but it’s not enough.

Hopefully soon all of this will blow over and life will go back to normal. I think it will take a while though.

Thank you everyone who is taking the time to read this. We appreciate the support.
We make a little bit of money with YouTube. So if you go and check out our videos please watch the commercial because that is the way we make a tiny bit of money. Thanks again very very much! Take care and stay healthy.

It’s 2020!

Hello everyone! I have been really bad about updating this blog because I just assume that since I get no feedback, that no one is reading this.

This is the first installment for 2020. We have been out here for two years now. Brian has completed a shed and has done a very good job on it. It has been doing very well on our YouTube channel. One of those videos has over 25,000 views on it. We have reached our goal of 1000 subscribers and are finally making a very small amount of money. Hopefully it will continue to grow since we don’t have jobs or an income.

Since the coronavirus outbreak the border to Mexico has been shut down and no one can go to the beach so our condo isn’t renting. We used to almost break even this time of year so now we are having to pay out which is very bad for us. Hopefully this will all blow over soon.

The next thing that we are hoping to do is to install some additional solar panels. They will be installed out behind the shed. Brian has cleared a spot to put them. We are also going to build a bathroom/shower out of straw bales. We are hoping to do this in the next month. Brian has already drawn this up in sketch up and it looks like it will be pretty simple. I can’t wait to get started.

I built a pizza oven/Cobb oven and it was a failure. I plan to build another in the near future. I learned a lot and I’m hoping that this one will be usable. LOL

We have some groceries now and are going to try to make them last as long as we can. I hope everyone will try to stay home so we can get this coronavirus under control. I don’t understand why people go insane when things like this happen. If everyone would just stay calm and stay home I think that this would be a non-issue after a couple of weeks. But I don’t know what to think anymore. I worry about everyone in my family because we are all kind of spread out. I miss everyone so much. Especially my son and my daughter who live in Mesa, Arizona. I haven’t seen them since Christmas and we were supposed to visit them next week but now we can’t. We are going to be doing FaceTime so that will be nice.

My goal is to try to keep this updated. I also plan to write a book. It will be on my experiences growing up. I want to try to write at least one installment a day and we will see where it goes.

Thanks y’all!

Rest In Peace Dallas

Some of y’all may already know we had to say goodbye to our Pekingese Dallas. It was a difficult decision but she is at peace now.

Today is November 6th. She would have been 14 today.

She had been sick for a while. She was having seizures and she was on medication for a heart problem. The heart medication was helping with the seizures somehow. Towards the end she got to where she didn’t want to eat. If she didn’t get the medication then she would have more seizures. The seizures would take a toll on her body every time she had one. It was horrible to see. She was to the point she could hardly walk. We decided we couldn’t put her through any more.

Neither Brian or I had ever had a pet put down. It was actually a very easy and quick process. Still very sad to say goodbye, knowing you’re never going to see them again.

They asked if we wanted to have her cremated or take her home and we chose to take her home. We buried her under the tree and made a grave for her. Complete with a small tombstone with her picture. I made that.

On a more cheerful note, the big shed is now finished. We are a little behind on making videos about the building of it. Brian is working on that.

We both have a giant list of projects that we want to get done. But we also like to travel and visit family and friends and our condo in Mexico. Trying to squeeze in projects here and there. I am trying to focus on finishing one project before I move on to another project. In the past I have started a project and then quit and then start another one and never finish. We were gone for a week visiting family in OK and Texas and since we’ve been back I’m trying to focus on better time management. I really don’t know how people with jobs do it! 😂

I have art projects, building projects, food projects and various other projects that I want to work on. Not to mention trying to put together videos and keep myself in shape. I notice if I don’t exercise and stretch, I don’t feel as well.
Trying to come up with healthy meals that both of us like is also very challenging.

I plan on doing some artwork on the shed. Now that it’s basically completed I feel more hopeful that we will have a straw bale home in our future. It is still going to take a lot of research and work before this comes pass. Lots of planning and watching other people who are doing the same. we hope to help people in our neighborhood and learn as we go.

Also, some great news. We are finally monetized on our YouTube channel. We made it to 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time! That’s what you have to do to get monetized. Now if you watch a video you will notice an ad at the beginning of it. If people watch the ad then we will get a small amount of money. Very very small. LOL Eventually, that will start to add up. In a couple years maybe we will be making a little more. Hopefully every year a little more! So please let the ad play! 🙏

Thanks to everyone for taking time to read this. We appreciate it!

The Shed is Almost Finished

Hi Everyone! We have been very busy out here in St. David. Brian has been working hard on finishing the shed. He was going to install the doors today but it’s been raining non-stop. We are hoping this is the end of the rainy season.

The “garage in a box” has housed most of our belongings but it’s beginning to wear and rip. We will be able to move things into the shed probably in the next week. It’s just finding time to do it!

We have had one problem after another. Not sure if I can count them all.

New hot water heater had to be installed.
Ants have gotten into the RV 4 or 5 times. We have tried many different things and we think we got em licked!

My tooth got an infection, had to have it removed. Now I’m getting an implant and they had to do a bone graft. Not fun!!

Our daughter’s car was wrecked and on the way to help her our car overheated. On the way back from Phoenix it overheated again. We made it to Tucson and found we need a new radiator.

Just found another leak in the RV. Water coming in where they installed the new water heater.

Mice have found their way into the small shed and garage in a box. Not surprised. I don’t want to kill them because we moved into their home. I want to seal it so they can’t get in. We will attempt that when the big shed is finished.

Meanwhile, I have been trimming trees and trimming bushes and placing all of the branches in cracks that are opening up and eroding the land when it rains. It has been hot, sweaty, backbreaking work, and you know, we are still lovin it out here!

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The weather is a little cooler than in Phoenix and Tucson. Just the small town feel is really awesome.

We also have made it to 1,100 subscribers on YouTube and are very close to being able to make a little money on there. They put ads at the beginning and end of your video and when people watch we will get a small amount. Hopefully it will add up since we don’t have real jobs, we are going to need this income. We need more people watching our videos! It’s watch time we need to get there. We have enough subscribers just need people to watch for longer.

Many thanks to those of you who are suffering through some that weren’t the most exciting. As we get better at making videos, hopefully they will be more fun and entertaining to watch.

The next project will be adding more panels to our solar system. Stay tuned!

Thanks y’all!!!