What a week! It's been a rollercoaster of "downs," but we ended on a massive, victorious triumph when that stubborn bolt finally started spinning!

The bike up on the jack ~ operation tire-change begins!

New rubber vs old rim ~ ready for the local shop.

The War Report: As soon as I applied torque to that JB-welded bolt, the epoxy just gave up and popped right out. Back to square one! Being out here in the sticks means no 24-hour delivery, so I had to wait on a left-handed drill bit and extractor set from Amazon.

Disaster struck on Monday when I started drilling... THE EXTRACTOR SNAPPED OFF INSIDE! Talk about a heart-sinker. Those things are made of some kind of indestructible super-metal that no drill bit wanted to touch.

The extractor that almost broke my spirit.

EVIDENCE OF VICTORY! The beast has been removed.

Thankfully, I had access to the opposite end of the thread. I started with the smallest traditional bit I could find and slowly~step by step, size by size~drilled that monster out. Eventually, I tried one more "easy~out" and IT WORKED! I can't even describe the level of happy I reached.

I rushed the rim to the local tire shop, got the new tube and tire mounted, and she's finally back together on the bike.

"Dammit Jim, I`m a homesteader, not a miracle worker!" Actually, maybe I am a miracle worker. We had a critical system failure today in the form of a stupid stripped bolt. *grumble grumble* It refused to budge, it refused to cooperate, and it basically insulted the entire MisFit lineage. So, I initiated the JB Weld Protocol. I`ve got a bit fused into that stubborn sucker with enough steel~reinforced epoxy to hold a moon together. Now, we wait 24 hours for the cure to complete. Send some good juju, vibes, and prayers my way while the "redneck enginuityism" settles in.

Applied: One dose of hope and a lot of JB Weld

The culprit: A stripped bolt with zero chill

Teleworking sometimes has its perks ~ mainly being on~site when the utility gods decide to swap out your power pole! I managed to bribe the operators with 3 dozen fresh Misfit Farm eggs to use the boom truck to save our wireless camera rig and the "Misfit Farms" sign from a high~altitude demolition. When they asked if I wanted the old pole, I couldn`t say no to free lumber. It`s 40 feet of "I`ll find a use for this eventually." Finally got to break in the industrial tow strap and shackle. Dragged that monster into the backyard like a primitive tugboat captain. Yard might need a moment to forgive me.

25 yr old Dodge Power: Pole Draggin` Edition

The Sign (and Cameras) survived the swap!

Mood: Frustrated with busted knuckles and mechanical betrayal. Took Mine and Ma pride and joy:the 1995 Honda Shadow : into the shop area to swap out some dangerously smooth rubber. I was feeling like a pro, bolts flying off left and right, until I met the final boss: one stubborn fork bolt that decided it wanted to be round instead of hexagonal. Being the "Jack of all trades, master of none" around this homestead usually means I can fix anything... eventually. For now, the Shadow is grounded while I plot my revenge. I`ll figure it out though; Misfits don`t stay down for long!

Setting the stage for a simple tire swap... or so I thought.


Old tread smoother than a polished pebble vs. fresh, grippy rubber. Safety first!


The face of mechanical frustration + the rounded~out culprit in question.

Those old back porch steps were on their last leg ~ been creakin` since the house went up in October 2020. Grabbed my downtime, fired up the shop lights for some late~night hustle, and turned recycled rail ties and beams from the old house into a sturdy porch I`m damn proud of. No carpenter creds here, just a head full of ideas and a lot of sweat. Turned out solid ~ ready for family hangs and chicken watchin`.

From rickety steps to sturdy setup ~ built MisFit style

The new babies arrived in the mail today! Yeah, you can straight~up order baby chicks via USPS ~ they slip a note in your mailbox to pick `em up at the post office. Now we`ve got `em corralled under heat for the next six weeks before slow~intro to the flock. Fluffball chaos incoming!

Mail~order fluffballs ~ welcome to the farm!

Ma`s birthday bash! Wrapped the backyard fence project with those beastly rail ties ~ or so we thought. Squatch (our escape~artist pup) immediately sniffed out a weak spot. Combed it over to plug the hole. Peak hurricane season`s been quiet so far ~ grateful for that. Fingers crossed it holds.

Fence fortified ~ Squatch approved (eventually)

Snagged a utility trailer off Facebook Marketplace for $120 ~ wood rotten, wires snipped, but prime MisFit material. Reworked the deck, ran new lights, and splashed it with leftover paint rainbow style. Now it`s vardo~ready for beach runs and ATV adventures. Sand and trails, here we come!

From junk to funk ~ MisFit makeover complete

Kicked off the backyard fence project ~ recycled wire from a buddy and beefy rail ties for posts. Gorilla mode activated to wrestle those monsters into the ground. Crispy hot out here, could use a good soak, but the barrier`s rising. Chickens, your escape days are numbered!

Fence rising ~ rail tie fortress in progress

No ladder? No problem! Ma turned the farm truck into a mobile scaffold for pressure washin` the house today. Bonus: She`s rockin` that nearly~40 glow while crushin` it. Eye candy and elbow grease ~ MisFit multitasking at its finest.

Truck scaffold vibes ~ clean house incoming

Ma and I kicked off the raised garden bed project today ~ perfect weather for it! Dreamin` big with a future greenhouse, but startin` small since my green thumb`s more like a black hole. Smart setup: Chickens handle weeding one side. Work smarter, not harder!

Garden beds rising ~ chicken assistants on duty

Our 1.5~acre slice of SETX heaven ~ chickens ruling the roost, projects never ending, eggs for sale. Ma`s domain, but Pa`s labor camp.

Home Sweet Chaos