Gail,
Everything is going well. I have been doing a lot of plan changing, but I am still on track. I am going to hire a contractor to build the house and lay the slab for the barn, cause I don't have the equipment necessary to do the work. I have also found that I can have it done with a loan from the Texas Veterans Land Board that currently has an interest rate of 3.750% interest and I may be able to get it lowered by as much as 1.000% by using a special program that they have called the Green Building Program. That is a program where energy efficiency is rewarded by lowering the interest rate. My design exceeds their requirements by over 300%. Now, I just got to get the loan.

The place is really starting to look good, I have cleared the area for my home, a 400' X 400' area, completely surrounded by woods. The Catfish pond is in and I am stocking it real soon. The road to the house is almost complete, I now have to add gravel from the common road to my house area. The well is in and it is an artesian well, it has a natural flow rate of 3 to 5 gallons per minute, and boy does it taste good. There is a pump in the well, and it will provide water at the rate of 25 gallons per minute once the electricity is available. Electricity will be in real soon, I think that I am going to have it done with the contract for the house.

I hope that everything will be complete by the time that the unit personnel arrive, but if not, the party is a campout and you will be able to camp with me. We should at least have good water and the bath area near the barn should be complete. I may even have my garden partially operational by that time.

Take care,
Dave