Another busy week. This time we got some actual work done on the property.

Last Sunday, we put out a call to friends and family to help us get the rest of the ash and debris bagged up and ready to cart off to the nearest recovery dumpsters. The snafu, of course, was a lack of keys. We thought we forgot them. Well, as we were leaving, First Reader found them. We decided to go back another day. That other day turned out to be Thursday. With the help of another family member, First Reader and I made sure the load was centered correctly on the trailer; then we made the slow descent down the mountain.

The nearest recovery dumpsters are located at least 16 miles (almost 26 km) from our property—a third of which is an unpaved private road. So, we settled in and enjoyed the ride into the mountains. After about fifteen minutes of wrestling the heavy construction waste bags, the trailer was empty, and we were on our way to the nearest family restaurant to fill the pit. We still have at least two more loads of waste to haul away, but we’ll get to that soon enough.

The other thing that happened was that we received notification our federal disaster loan contract paperwork is not only in the mail, but our loan amount has been increased to help pay for the utility repairs we will likely need to undertake. We already have an electrician lined up to begin the work required to get power to the property. As soon as “Handy Andi” has a hole in her schedule, we’ll be able to get that ball rolling.

The veteran’s group that reached out to help us find a shed contacted me to let me know that the funds have been allocated to the supplier. I should hear from them sometime next week. It’ll be a relief to finally have a building to store our growing supply of tools and the few keepsakes we managed to keep from the landfill. The warmer weather means that the current storage space—our trash trailer—is beginning to get a bit fragrant when we open the hatch.

We still have a bit of work ahead of us, and the weather is getting warmer by the day. Before long, we’ll need to decide what the footprint of our new abode will be. With luck, we’ll be back on the mountain by Christmas. Only time will tell.