Steph's Reality Blend

Here's the mailbox! Yep, there it is. And below is a functioning source of heat!  The first time it was fired up, we wondered if there was a leak in the piping because there was a bunch of smoke inside the pole barn! Upon closer inspection, the smoke wasn't a wood-smoke smell, and it was coming directly off the sides of the pipes, not at the joints. It was the burn-off from the special paint they put on those things, and it was done smoking a few minutes later.  Below is the first investment we made for the future house (besides a building permit, and the well that will be shared between house and pole barn). There's a scratch 'n' dent appliance store nearby (obviously) and I found a fridge that's not much deeper than counter-depth. The kids really really wanted a fridge with ice/water dispenser, however long it will last, and I wanted one that is efficient and not huge. I managed to talk the price down even more. :) It's now in the pole barn with...

After the week of super-productivity with my mom and dad, we  took the first day "off" and visited the courthouse in Walker, MN,  to submit our application for a building permit for (1) a septic  system and (2) a HOUSE! And while I was at the highway  dept office nearby, the lady there recognized the address on  my form and gave me the receipt for the mailbox post that was  just about to be mailed to us. So we picked up the post at our  neighbor's place (the hwy dept shop next door) and installed a  mailbox that day! Woohoo! Now for contacting all those businesses  and getting them a new address, which barely exists and  many systems don't recognize yet. Not even USPS. Hmm. BUT! Mail will get here, even without the W. There she is. The mailbox is in city limits. Our land is not. :) And the post office is RIGHT there, so of course  I looked into getting a PO box. Bu monthly dues are greater  th...