The Pickled Prepper
You can see where the ford has washed away. We can still drive around the hole, but no one wants to be there when the side gives way any further.

Heavy Rains Damage our Temporary Repairs

Despite more damage from heavy rains, work on the homestead continues. If we are going to be stuck at home, we might as well get some chores done.
Two truckloads, about 35 tons, of ballast, a large kind of gravel, were spread on our private road. We are delighted to see work starting on the road repair and rebuilding project.

A Month of Wind, Water and Sun on the Homestead

march was a busy month on the homestead with road repairs, solar power, water issues, and wildfire preparation all underway.
This is one load if firewood, 10 feet wide and two rows deep. I had to re-split about a third of them.

Spring and Winter Duke it Out on the Homestead

Spring finally arrives, but winter won't be pushed out so easily. The warm weather lets us do long-awaited chores while the freezing rains drives us indoors.
If you look at the back of the rooster's comb, you can see the black section we think is the result of frostbite. It doesn't seemed to have slowed him down.

A Good Week for the Chickens, but not the Bees

Egg production has risen with the temperatures, but the flock is not entirely unscathed. The bitter cold we experienced also hurt the bees.
We had a load of red oak delivered are are stacking it on pallets to dry. This is intended to burn next winter, but if it continues to be this cold, we may need it this spring.

Fire, Water, and Chickens

The road thaws out enough to become passable, the pipes are no longer frozen, and we take the opportunity to stock up on some critical items.
Splitting firewood on a cold day.

The Big Freeze and Southern Snow

We don't get much snow, but our water freezes. We re prepped for that, but it is still an inconvenience. Nonetheless, live goes on.
A side-by-side or UTV might be just what we need for our steep terrain.

Evaluating Transportation Options for Post SHTF

What kind of vehicle do we need that would be useful now and after the SHTF? Pete evaluates at several popular options.
A stack of firewood in the snow.

Bad Weather and Good Work

Bad weather limited what we can do outside and resulted in yet another power outage, but it was just as well. We needed the rest.
Seeing the fellow at the top of the landslide in Samaritan's Purse orange T-shirt helps put into perspective how large our landslide is.

We Tackle the Landslide and Make other Repairs

Twelve weeks after Hurricane Helene tore up our mountain, we continue to make progress with the cleanup. This time, we tackle the landslide.
This is a cluster of three intertwined fallen trees that were knocked down by Hurricane Helene

Eight Down, a Few Hundred to Go

Hundreds of fallen trees litter our land, making parts of the mountain impassible. We got some help removing some of the trees that blocked our access road.
The Pickled Prepper Blog
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.