Fall came and went as we focused on the big move. Although less than a mile to the farmhouse, moving animals with their pens along with all of us was a lot. The heavens opened up that week producing a thick muddy mess which slowed things down. Probably less crazy than the move from Arizona to Tennessee, but it had its challenges, nonetheless. We finished up in time to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in the new house and completed dozens of projects as we entered in the Spring. As typical we failed to update the blog until now. But we’ve been kind of busy 😊

Homestead Projects

Praise God for our wonderful new home! The list of projects has been renewed and we’re checking them off quickly. The first to be tackled was the out of control mud. We shoveled truck load after truck load of woodchips spreading them in our front driveway and walkways. Next we filled giant ruts in the pasture road just in time to take our bull to the butcher.

We had help installing egress windows in the basement. The downstairs rooms now have light and a way to sneak out (in case of fire of course).

The dead hedge is taking shape with one side done and two more to go. The goats clean the branches from leaves for us to fill the hedge with. We are using fresh cut poles that will take root and sprout. As we complete a section we plant fruiting vines and trees next to it, in hopes it will become a living hedge.

We roofed and rebuilt a lean-to on the barn for our rabbit area. They have tunnels to their in-ground burrows, keeping them cool as the temperatures rise.

Barn Saga

In November the barn was hit by a snag (standing dead tree). A big storm weakened it and Dad with a friend attempted to make it safe by falling it away from the barn. The cut was perfect (according to the insurance adjuster). It fell towards the forest perfectly, but then twisted 180 degrees landing on the shed and barn. Thank God it missed everyone as it fell much too close to comfort. The remaining 6 snags were taken down in sections by a team of men with much more experience and better equipment. We rebuilt the roof of the shed and barn making some additional improvements along the way. We leave this experience with the knowledge that the weight distribution in a snag is much different than a living tree.

On the Move

In addition to some daytrips. Dad and the older girls traveled to Tampa where he recorded a new course on his book. Isa tagged along with Dad to a conference at Benedictine. 2 middle kids drove with Dad to New Orleans along with a family friend, whose navigation skills saved the day. The older boys were blessed to attend our Nano’s 90th birthday in San Diego. Another lucky son spent his birthday week in Arizona with Nana and his friends, while Dad worked. If this wasn’t enough fun, 9 of us went up to Bismarck to celebrate Annie’s graduation from U. Mary! We are so proud of all her hard work and the University did a beautiful job making the weekend special. Sadly the last trip was to attend Nano’s funeral, saying goodbye to a very exceptional man.

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In Memoriam

Sadly, our 90 year grandfather “Nano” passed away in May. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, never outdone in his generosity or love for his family and friends. His big smile will be greatly missed.

Born in San Diego on March 13th, 1932 to John Baptist Zolezzi Sr. and Mary Carmen Salmon, John grew up in Point Loma with his four siblings Julius, Michael, Mary, and Mimi where he attended Point Loma High School. In the early 1930s, John's grandfather, Julius, known as the "Rock Cod King of San Diego," started the family tuna business, reeling in one fish at a time off the shores of San Diego. His father, John Baptist Sr., expanded operations with a fleet of tuna boats which John Jr. would eventually Captain along with his brother Julius and replace with a modern fleet of tuna seiners, further establishing San Diego as the "tuna capital of the world." At the time of his retirement in 1974, John Jr. had built the M/V Mary Antoinette and turned the title of Captain over to his son John Baptist III. He continued working in the tuna industry and operating the Chevron fuel dock and the Zolezzi's family restaurant on India Street with his brother, Julius.

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