Brian's Finally Building in northern New Mexico

dstjohn99

Good morning Brian. It is really good to see you back here! I'm glad your health and AP system are well. It sounds like we have similar views, though I will try to keep my politics off here. Let me just say that news today is about emotion and sensationalism, and facts, scientific data and credibility no longer seem important.

boss

Thanks David,
Yes politics is awful, I wish it were better. I've got my wife Nell helping me with planting and plant needs research this year. That is fantastic. Gardening and aquaponics is so much easier and fun with her help.

Nhibbo

Welcome back Boss. I was more than a little concerned and haven't visited BYAP myself for over 6 months. Good to see that all is going well with you guys and especially with your projects. Inspirational. We've also had pretty severe lockdowns here as well for over 6 months of the last 12 including 8pm curfew, no travelling more than 5Km from home except for medical or food if nothing is closer, no fishing and mandatory masks. Work from home orders and no visitors to your home. Also restaurants and sports venues have been closed. I normally play field hockey twice a week so I was really missing that and my bathroom scales have been giving strange readings since he he. Thank goodness I had our AP system to supply protein and with the homegrown veggies and fish we could go for weeks without visiting supermarkets. I took up archery in the backyard during lockdown and am really keen to chase some deer with my traditional bow. I still need a lot more practice yet though. (We are lucky here, 6 species of deer and no bag limits or closed seasons on 5 of the 6 species). I have to echo yours and St. John's sentiments on political BS. The western world seems to have tumbled into a funk. Jan 6 has shocked the entire world.

boss

Howdy all
Things here are doing pretty well. Greenhouse and AP doing fantastic. We're really enjoying having the Koi in the 2600 gallon masonry pond. They are getting pretty large; the longest is about 16 inches. I removed the bunk bed style grow beds from the west wall. I set one of them directly over the pond.I'm into cantilevers, hehe. Lots going on this Summer, as soon as we were vaccinated and it felt safe to go for my bladder cancer checkup, they told me the cancer was back at stage 2. I freaked out at first, but managed to keep my shit together and do what needed doing. Tomorrow I go for my last Chemo. After a couple weeks rest they remove my bladder. Aw well, what am going to do, except go with the flow? The treatment hasn't been too bad, I was sick afterwards a few time and dizziness kept me smoking Cannabis . I was still able to work in the garden and some time working in the shop. I have my usual kick ass and take names attitude in effect.

dstjohn99

Hi Brian. Sorry to hear about the bladder. I use mine everyday so losing it sounds like a major lifestyle change. I hope the solutions are not too restrictive. I didn't know about your cancer, sorry to hear. Maybe I missed it in prior posts.

Anyhow, the treatments are way better today than ever before so I hope your outlook is good. Even so it is a lot to deal with physically and emotionally. I had stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1994. After 6 months of chemo it has been gone ever since; 27 years now. I hope you have a similar experience this time.

It's good to see your still in the AP game and it's going well. That's a pretty big koi!! The plants are looking good too. I hope you are growing your own cannabis. I've always wondered how it would do in AP. Thanks for the pics and best wishes for your surgery. PS: I may be in CA but if there's anything I can do to help, send me a PM! New Mexico has been on my list for a while, I've never been there. I hear there's a few good ski resorts, but not sure (Taos?).

boss

Hello friends. I suppose those of you from back in early days of this forum may wonder if we're okay; short answer is yes. Surely I posted about our house/aquaponics/greenbouse being destroyed by the US Forest Service recklessly igniting the high country forests of northern New Mexico. This forest fire burned all Summer until it finally went out by itself. Soon afterward missing the earth's ground cover even more damage was done by uncontrollable flooding, destroying people's lives and homes plus hundreds of thousands acres of land from 7000 feet to 12000 feet above sea level. Many of us lived in homes we built or our ancestors built and couldn't afford insurance. Like us they lost everything; livestock, homes, barns, outbuilding sawmills and all the timber needed to make lumber.

That initial fire was started less than a half mile from our house before it moved north into high country. We survived two evacuations intact. Unfortunately, the National fire firefighter leaders ignored warnings that a fire they ignited last Winter had reignited south of us. Fire fighters again failed to put that fire out when the wind changed direction causing a Juggernaut firestorm to move onto our land following the ridge northward. Our forest was highly pruned and thinned but this firestorm was so hot it burned straight through our refrigerated all aluminum semi-trailer from the side and gutted it of all my electronics equipment, work benches 400 LPs, and shelving right out the other side and top before it hit my biodiesel processor building, lumber shed with the chainsaw mill and finally our home all in a matter of minutes. I was there until after dark the night before refilling the fuel for generators one on the house and one on the well to keep our fish alive when the smoke and ash got so bad I had a hard time breathing, fleeing in an unregistered Ford explorer as my wife had dropped me off thinking we made it through the fire.
We retained attorneys experienced in dealing with FEMAs BS. The hope now that the president has given FEMA over 2 billion dollars to pay in full for everyone's losses which is set to happen in January. Even then it is still a little late because we're out of cash to move back with the Montana RV fifth-wheel we bought with the money FEMA quickly provided to get where we are.

We plan on buying a mobile home to replace our beautiful home. We'll also try to rebuild the aquaponics system, pond and greenhouse, except now we're older and may be unable to do what it took to create what I believe is the only handmade 2600 gallon stone pond on BYAP at the time.
We're going to try because we're sick of having to live off grocery stores, we need the aquaponics greenhouse and the food security it provided.
Somehow we've kept our chins up and our sense of humors sharp, anyway they burned up all my guns and ammo so the other option is out :lol:

Brian and Nell Rodgers

dstjohn99

Good to hear from you Brian. I am sorry for your loss and pain.

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