To be completely honest, the farm is a shambles. It's so overgrown out in the orchards that neither B nor myself can travel through to get a good look at how much damage was done by the hurricane. We attempted to on Tuesday morning, but as B doesn't have a pair of non-open shoes with her, we didn't get far, and in the distance we did manage, she tore her legs up pretty good. A few things have thrived, such as the dogs, the noni tree next to the back stairs, the trees over the septic tank, and the edge grove around the area that's going to be the herb garden. Of course, all the weeds and undergrowth out in the orchards have thrived, too.
Plants - We haven't had anyone from CGA out yet to let us know what state our citrus trees are in. From what I can tell, the orange trees definitely look sickly, but that could be due to the fact that they haven't been properly fertilized in almost a decade. As it isn't orange season, there's no way to get an idea of how much, if anything, the trees are producing fruit-wise. Further back, where the grapefruit are and where we just barely managed to make it to, there's no sign of fruit either, despite it being in season. However, most of the trees around here dropped everything when the hurricane came through, so it's completely possible that everything they had dropped into the undergrowth; either way, we can't tell production there, either. We haven't been able to see the areas that we've been told our trees are down in; apparently a twister came through during the hurricane and took out a large section. We haven't been able to make it out to the other trees either, so we have no idea if our lone lemon tree has survived, or the state of the others.
Roads - The main road leading through Frank's Eddy Village is in serious need of filling, which will require us to get a community effort going if we're going to get it done, as our funds are so short that we'll have a time just focusing on our own inner roads. The dirt road from the gate up to the house has several deep ditches in it, and one of the previous caretakers had left a burn pile where it continues up to the gate of the orchards. The undergrowth is so dense after the gate that we can't tell what state those sections are in.
Buildings - When we first arrived, somehow the house had lost part of its power, including that which went to the waterpump, so we were only half lit, and we had no water. By Tuesday night, we finally had water. Almost everything that had been left here has been taken or damaged, and the house itself is in serious need of a wash and a new coat of paint. The internal stairs leading to the second floor are akward even for a young person to maneuver, and will have to be redone before we can move B's parents in. The plaster floor on the first story is cracked and warped, and either will have to be redone, or we'll put tile down instead. We'd still like to build a deck encircling the house, but a lot of work will have to be done on the house itself first, and we're debating whether we're going to cut down the trees at the front of the house in order to encircle the entire thing, or if we'll leave them be and simply end the deck at that point. We haven't been to the caretaker's cottage yet, so we don't know what state that is in; we do know that we want to paint it the same color as the main house. The palapa, or little thatched hut, behind the house was damaged in the hurricane, so that will have to be repaired as well. Unfortunately in this area the thatching is hard to get a hold of, so that will be expensive.
Animals - There are now five adult dogs and six puppies. Apparently the three female adults have been popping out litters, and the previous caretakers have had to give a lot of puppies away, so we're planning on spaying all of the females. We haven't decided yet how many of the dogs we'll be keeping, though I've gotten rather attached to one of the male puppies. The cat who once lived here and took care of the rat population had run off shortly after B's husband passed away, so we're currently in need of a new ratter. A few turtles remain in the turtle pond, though it's unclear as to whether the ones no longer there simply died, or became somebody's dinner. The horses we had sold are apparently still at the location down the road, instead of having been moved out to Banana Bay like we had thought, so it's possible that at some point, when we have more funds, we can repurchase them.
Yard - In addition to the burn pile, there's a dumping place to the opposite side of the house, as well as general debris littered around. What was once neatly trimmed and almost lawn-looking is ankle deep with greenery, making it difficult to see how much trash is really out there, and giving the entire place an abandoned appearance when you first approach. The dogs have also taken to doing their business wherever the mood strikes them, so we've got to watch where we step, lest we discover a fragrant mound of last night's supper. We'll have to be careful when we start mowing it down also, as B has seen a lot of broken glass scattered about.
Plans - We're definitely cleaning and repainting the house, as there's no way we can move B's parents in here in the state it's currently in. We'll also have to redo those odd stairs inside. Once we have the tractor and bush hog back, we can start mowing out the yard, the road into the orchard, and the area inside the hedge grove where we'd like to put the herb garden. Of course we'll need the deck, both to shade the first story and to provide extra "chill" space. As part of making it self-providing, we'd love to build a henhouse and get some chickens for their eggs, and possibly a cow or a goat for milk. Horses are a definite need as well.
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