What a year !
The modification and challenges we present in 2020 were like nothing we ’ve ever find out before .
I first mentioned the Corona computer virus in my post from February 19th . We started prepping for its arrival before then , but we get very serious in February , plant most of the ground on our tropical homestead with staple crop as well as stock up on lots of canned and dry goods at the local supermarket .
It was a good thing , too , because the lockdown on the island were preposterous . We did n’t even go buy at for calendar month , but by God ’s grace we always had enough to eat . Once a prepper , always a prepper . You look like you ’re crazy … until you look like a genius . One affair we miss enough of was meat , until a local sad sack repulse up our road one day with his motortruck and say a friend had sent him to betray meat to us . From that period on , we had mountain of center , as he would come by weekly with more pork barrel , mutton and beef .
All through the early months of 2020 I worked on our big backyard garden , digging up boulders , burn limb , clearing brush and digging beds . It was the best garden we ever build , and by the middle of the twelvemonth it was astoundingly beautiful and fat :
But life sentence on the island catch tough . Our neighbors incur uncanny , and BLM started protesting near us . Anti - lily-white sentiment was climb and execution were up . It became obvious that we were n’t wanted .
So despite all our concentrated work , the theatre we ’d built , the gardens we ’d implant , the church we ’d joined , the food wood I planted … everything we were leaving behind , including the lovely tropical beaches … we left .
Though the drome was still locked down , the US consulate facilitate us get our paper together and we will always be grateful for their precaution and hard body of work to push thing through in the midriff of a pandemic . I was able to get off Rachel , my eldest son , and our youngest daughter on an expatriation flight of stairs they had format to New York . Unfortunately , that left eight of us behind – but my booster Beau and Andy were able to send a charter flight to get the rest of us a duad week later .
And then we were in Florida .
One hebdomad after I acquire back , I was picked up in Ft . Lauderdale by a man working with Beau to set out a old stager ’s ministry in Alabama . They want me to look at land with them and give suggestions on which pieces might be better or worse for land .
I did , though I was beat and spooky . I desire to get a house take and get settled in Florida again before the election .
God had other plans . On the way to Alabama I curb out a planetary house in the Ocala sphere which I think we were going to rent . It was a mess and not livable . Plus , the yard was suspicious ( no sound garden space ! ) and it was on a officious highway . Nope . We continued on to Alabama and I implore God would help oneself us find something .
Alabama was like being in a dissimilar world , specially after living on a tropical island – which was also heavily locked down ! We could still go shopping and the stores were stock , I could open convey my handgun , masses were favorable … it was endearing and I immediately felt at nursing home . And then a champion of a Quaker asked if I would be interested in renting a house from him . A 4/2 on 30 acres . I looked at it and was n’t ’ sure . It was a retentive way of life from my kinsperson in Florida and my connexion there . Yet Rachel had been trace for dimension back in the Sunshine State without portion . We did n’t want to be in the city again , and nothing was coming unresolved .
So after some unhurriedness , I said yes . And we moved up .
And head for the hills into a hurricane on the agency there , getting in just before it slay , thanks to help from our friends Sam and Shannon . Our first week in Alabama we pass without power , but we did get a generator that worked sometimes . And neighbour bring us food . What an escapade !
That was in August . We left the island and have a new house and got come to by a hurricane , all within that calendar month .
In September , I was able to borrow a tractor and put in a not bad big fall garden . I by choice tilled up more space than my old garden in Grenada , partially because I was sad about leaving that heavy , beautiful space behind and felt like I needed to recreate my achiever .
Unfortunately , the grease is much bad here , as is the climate , so it will be an acclivitous battle . At least we do n’t have uncollectible neighbour now .
On the down side of being here , we are rent again instead of owning . It ’s strange to be charter . I have terra firma for years , then go overseas and had to rent for three geezerhood , then living on my own position for less than a year … and now I ’m hire again . 2020 was a heckuva ride .
I ’m glad to be back in the USA , though . I love America , despite all its troubles . I taste to escape from the problem I saw coming , but learned there really is no place like home .
At the offset of 2020 , I list my goals for the yr . Let ’s see how I did .
1. Hit 150k Subscribers on YouTube
Nope . But I did hit 112,000 . Started the year at 76,000 , so that ’s a good start .
2. Plant a Coffee Plantation
I got about 20 new trees planted , but that ’s moot now .
3. Make the Food Forest AWESOME
I arrive up with a really nerveless method of direct - seeding nitrogen - fixing trees in with my corn . If I had stuck it out , we would have made this destination . I added a quite a little to the food wood in the first one-half of 2020 .
4. Grow 1,000lbs of food
Not certain if we made this end or not . A friend on the island has been glean lots and mountain of cassava and sweet murphy from the gardens we allow for behind . He also says my banana tree trees are now loaded . It is painful to think about what we left .
5. Finish the Main House
As the pandemic arrived , I decided not to do any more building . I just was n’t feeling settled . We put the land up for sale instead – at a loss .
6. Get Jack Broccoli II in Print
This is actually happening … but more on that in a moment .
7. Launch a New YouTube Series
I had this idea of doing 10 - second segments where we see what we can get done just in that time period . I did n’t do it . Pandemic again .
8. Get the Current Buildings Waterproofed and Painted
Well … PANDEMIC !
But I did get all the construction buttoned up and liveable before we go forth . It was a fun ride .
9. Write Another Gardening Book (or Three)
While under lockdown I wroteFlorida Survival Gardeningand got it put out in mid - June . I also re - pen my bookletCreate Your Own Florida Food Forestand expanded it into a orotund , illustrated Word of God . We ’re still working on the illustrations , but the text is stark . in the end , Jack Broccoli II is now done and off to the printers !
I greatly take care forward to that one come out . The first in the series was good , but this one is awesome .
Other Successes
So I had peradventure a 1/3 success rate on my original finish for the year . But there were other achiever .
Stats:
Blog Posts (167)
This was the worst yr of posting since this blog began , mostly because of our terrible cyberspace situation during lockdown , followed by a stretch of moving , then a hurricane . And then another hurricane . Still , 167 posts is more than most gardening bloggers . Almost everyone I used to consider my blogging peers are long gone , but I ’m still here and I ’m not take leave .
Old Scrubland Vantage , Cottage Life on Pilgrim ’s Farm , Southern Forager , Greenbasket.me , proceed ! Yet here I am .
The breakdown by calendar month :
Jan : 13February : 19March : 1April : 2May : 9June : 15July : 16August : 10September : 8October : 29November : 21December : 24
YouTube Videos (118)
Despite some gaps in the twelvemonth , we still pull off to get 118 YouTube video done . I believably would have had more done this calendar month but I expend a lot of time sick in the middle of December .
Tiny House Expat Living
Along with my YouTube video recording , I also documented the building of our cabin on Grenada in Tiny House Expat Living , which ran for 22 episodes . They are only useable at Unauthorized . TV and are a lot of sport . Kind of distressing to see all we did , but hey – we learned a ton . I can build again .
Conclusion
The big takeaway from this year is that God is in control and He hold tutelage of us in remarkable way . He even place us a free piano this month ( thank you , Sheri ! ) , which I have greatly savour playing .
I can not complain a spot . Spring gardening here is going to be a blast , now that we make love what is wrong with the ground and we ’ve seen what works and what does n’t thanks to the mental test we started go in downslope . I ’ve met some terrific people at church building as well as my new in force gardening supporter Elizabeth who lives just a few miles off and has already been dealing with the same soil issues . We have other good friend here who visited us at Christmas despite us being in quarantine – and brought presents !
The children are all healthy and strong and are very beaming to be back in a position where they can have adept friends . And Igot some nice paintings done this year .
All in all , it was far from boring and ended well than we could have dreamed . Thanks for sticking with us . May God give you a wonderful 2021 .
