Can't believe it has been so long since I last wrote.
We have accomplished so much. The ordinance passed. It is overly regulated but nothing out of line. Our guests are so nice that there will be no problems enforcing such things as quiet time. We are in the process of getting our conditional use permit but hopefully we shouild have that in hand by mid June. There were actually residents of Pennington County that opposed vacation home rentals. Here we are in the prime tourist county (Pennington County is the home of Mount Rushmore) and there was an actual statement that tourists and residents next to each other is a "lose lose situation". Our job is to make up for that lack of hospitality. Tally and I have always believed in making others welcome in our home and our community. I will post more on our current projects later.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What we are doing now.
We still are fortunate to get some late fall guests. We even had the good fortune to have an old friend visit us last week. It was fun to catch up on 24 years of absence. He is currently living in Germany so now we have a fun connection in Europe.
The vacation home rental ordinance draft is finished. We had a public meeting last week where it was officially presented to the public. Our first public hearing is December 12 in front of the County Planning Commission. Of course we are nervous. It has been a long 6 months and we are getting tired. To any past guests that have been reading this, any comments to the county are welcome. The following are 2 links to send any comments. Hopefully we will get the ordinance passed. If it is passed as currently written, we will need to apply for a conditional use permit and a variance. I personally feel that input from guests is fine as they have a vested interest in keeping their home away from home available to them for the future.
plz@co.pennington.sd.us
commissioners@co.pennington.sd.us
This has actually been very stressful. It has shown us who we can depend on, who our true friends are. It has been fun to debate with people and find out the points of dissent. Education is always important and I sure have been learning a lot about county government, ordinances, development covenants, etc.. Actually we know way more than we ever wanted.
The vacation home rental ordinance draft is finished. We had a public meeting last week where it was officially presented to the public. Our first public hearing is December 12 in front of the County Planning Commission. Of course we are nervous. It has been a long 6 months and we are getting tired. To any past guests that have been reading this, any comments to the county are welcome. The following are 2 links to send any comments. Hopefully we will get the ordinance passed. If it is passed as currently written, we will need to apply for a conditional use permit and a variance. I personally feel that input from guests is fine as they have a vested interest in keeping their home away from home available to them for the future.
plz@co.pennington.sd.us
commissioners@co.pennington.sd.us
This has actually been very stressful. It has shown us who we can depend on, who our true friends are. It has been fun to debate with people and find out the points of dissent. Education is always important and I sure have been learning a lot about county government, ordinances, development covenants, etc.. Actually we know way more than we ever wanted.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Fall
The leaves are starting to change and we have had a few light frosts. The sumac is beautiful and is usually the first to change, poisen ivy is a pretty red right now too.
Finally the garden is winding down. The final tally, not including those eaten, was 25 gallons of raspberries. I will get a squash count in a few weeks. Want to keep those guys on the vine a bit longer. I was impressed that 21 edemame plants produced a large ice cream bucket (5 quarts) of beans. They are nicely blanched and safely in the freezer. Between jelly and pickles I am running out of pint jars and smaller. Luckily I just have applesauce and a small batch of jalepeno jelly left to make. We still have the beets, carrots, onions, squash, parsnips in the ground. We'll let them sweeten up a bit more then spend a day in the garden cleaning it up and putting it to sleep fort he winter. To stay true to form we should wait until the ground starts to freeze and we get a snow. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
Tally is out of town for a few days and of course I have high hopes of getting a lot of things done. Reality is a bit different than the high hopes. He has been gone 4 days and I have barely touched the house projects I have planned to get done during his absense.
Weekends are still full of guests with weekdays a bit sparse. As long as the weather holds, people will still come. It is a great time of year to visit the hills.
Finally the garden is winding down. The final tally, not including those eaten, was 25 gallons of raspberries. I will get a squash count in a few weeks. Want to keep those guys on the vine a bit longer. I was impressed that 21 edemame plants produced a large ice cream bucket (5 quarts) of beans. They are nicely blanched and safely in the freezer. Between jelly and pickles I am running out of pint jars and smaller. Luckily I just have applesauce and a small batch of jalepeno jelly left to make. We still have the beets, carrots, onions, squash, parsnips in the ground. We'll let them sweeten up a bit more then spend a day in the garden cleaning it up and putting it to sleep fort he winter. To stay true to form we should wait until the ground starts to freeze and we get a snow. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
Tally is out of town for a few days and of course I have high hopes of getting a lot of things done. Reality is a bit different than the high hopes. He has been gone 4 days and I have barely touched the house projects I have planned to get done during his absense.
Weekends are still full of guests with weekdays a bit sparse. As long as the weather holds, people will still come. It is a great time of year to visit the hills.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Raspberry update
We are up to 20 gallons and still counting. They are still ripening and more to come. One doesn't even need to bend over to pick ( great for backs). The jelly is all made for next year, I just keep making more. The leaves are drying and soon they will be turning. This year in addition to tilling I think we will put in some fertilizer. Nothing better than a sun warmed raspberry freshly picked.
The season is winding down. We have a few more long weeks and we will be getting the more last minute rentals.
The ordinance committee is going to go through the first rough draft at the next meeting.
The season is winding down. We have a few more long weeks and we will be getting the more last minute rentals.
The ordinance committee is going to go through the first rough draft at the next meeting.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Finally
Finally updating our post.
First order of business.... the raspberries are doing great. They are as tall as I am and this year they are extremely fat and juicy. We have had to call in the recruits to help pick. Not counting what has been eaten, we have picked 15 gallons and still counting. The jam is all made for next years guests, if I ever forget to put a jar in a cabin please come over and ask for one. It is our special treat for guests. The bees are close to the berry patch and I am hoping that is why they are so successful.
The ordinance is now in the drafting stage. The draft puts everything on the table and the next order of business is to go through it and add and cut as the committee recommends. It has been fun yet exasperating to be a part of the process but it will also be nice to be done and have a working ordinance for the county to enforce. I also personally think it has been a conflict for our committee of 7 to have a mother and son appointed. I feel they have the same interest and are actually one person when it comes to a vote. They have already shown that they do not think independantly. Maybe some of you out there can comment on that.
The chickens are molting but still laying. Production is down when they molt and they look ugly. They have had to stay within the fence this summer. I know there are a lot of guests that enjoyed them wandering around, you can still visit them and throw any food into their pen, remember, they eat almost anything.
Our guests this year, as usual, are a treat to meet. One guest commented that he was glad they did the inner tubing as the last activity during their stay. If they had tubed sooner it is all they would have been doing.
First order of business.... the raspberries are doing great. They are as tall as I am and this year they are extremely fat and juicy. We have had to call in the recruits to help pick. Not counting what has been eaten, we have picked 15 gallons and still counting. The jam is all made for next years guests, if I ever forget to put a jar in a cabin please come over and ask for one. It is our special treat for guests. The bees are close to the berry patch and I am hoping that is why they are so successful.
The ordinance is now in the drafting stage. The draft puts everything on the table and the next order of business is to go through it and add and cut as the committee recommends. It has been fun yet exasperating to be a part of the process but it will also be nice to be done and have a working ordinance for the county to enforce. I also personally think it has been a conflict for our committee of 7 to have a mother and son appointed. I feel they have the same interest and are actually one person when it comes to a vote. They have already shown that they do not think independantly. Maybe some of you out there can comment on that.
The chickens are molting but still laying. Production is down when they molt and they look ugly. They have had to stay within the fence this summer. I know there are a lot of guests that enjoyed them wandering around, you can still visit them and throw any food into their pen, remember, they eat almost anything.
Our guests this year, as usual, are a treat to meet. One guest commented that he was glad they did the inner tubing as the last activity during their stay. If they had tubed sooner it is all they would have been doing.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Spring in Custer State Park/Mothers Day
What a wonderful Mothers Day. We touristed in the Southern Hills. The family and extended family started by caravanning to Hot Springs. The first destination was the Mammoth Site. It was very cool. The amount of bones is amazing www.mammothsite.com.
We took our time and as we had 11 in our group we took up almost half of the tour group. It was fun to stay after and take it all in at a slower pace. It was such a nice warm day that we decided to take advantage of our proximity to Cascade Falls. The water was mild, the day was hot so the kids went in. We found a cray fish, enjoyed the sound of the creek, kids playing and the beautiful scenery.
Of course on such a warm day ice cream is necessary to cool us all off. The Dairy Queen was perfect and what a nice surprise to have free Sunday's for all mothers. Off we then went to Wind Cave Park. The Buffalo were serene nibbling on the grass and rolling in the dirt. I was hoping to see some new calves and we were not disappointed. They were so cute staying close to mama. Autumn was loving the Prairie Dogs. The only thing we did not see were elk. It was fun stopping in the Needles and climbing on the rocks. We made so many stops, that was what made it fun. We would all pile out of the cars like a fire drill. The final stop of the day was Sugar Shack for a big juicy burger. We were all tired and hungry.
Perfect day for a MOM.
Of course on such a warm day ice cream is necessary to cool us all off. The Dairy Queen was perfect and what a nice surprise to have free Sunday's for all mothers. Off we then went to Wind Cave Park. The Buffalo were serene nibbling on the grass and rolling in the dirt. I was hoping to see some new calves and we were not disappointed. They were so cute staying close to mama. Autumn was loving the Prairie Dogs. The only thing we did not see were elk. It was fun stopping in the Needles and climbing on the rocks. We made so many stops, that was what made it fun. We would all pile out of the cars like a fire drill. The final stop of the day was Sugar Shack for a big juicy burger. We were all tired and hungry.
Perfect day for a MOM.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
County Ordinance and spring
The work we have been doing for the past 5 months is paying off. We officially have a committee formed and blessed by the Pennington County Commissioners. The task of this committee is to formulate a vacation home rental ordinance to address the current overly prohibitive ordinance.
Government wheels turn slow, our first informal meeting - not to be confused with public meetings - is Monday, May 16 at 2:00 pm in the courthouse. All other meeting will be public and public input is welcome and encouraged.
It will be nice to have our Log Cabin and Boxcar Cabin compliant with county regulations. Keep tuned for the latest.
On another note. Spring is here!! Dandelions are in the yard and the chickens are happy. Six eggs from six chicks. The cat is getting fatter and the dog is happily following Tally to the burn pile as he gets pine needles cleaned up from the yards. I am almost finished with the Cottage spring cleaning. I have the kitchen floor, table and lower cabinets left. We finally got the microwave up on a shelf. It looks great and feels good to take care of our babies (cabins).
Our daughter took up golf this spring and is on the team at her school. She loves it and is actually improving. Time for me to get back to work.
Government wheels turn slow, our first informal meeting - not to be confused with public meetings - is Monday, May 16 at 2:00 pm in the courthouse. All other meeting will be public and public input is welcome and encouraged.
It will be nice to have our Log Cabin and Boxcar Cabin compliant with county regulations. Keep tuned for the latest.
On another note. Spring is here!! Dandelions are in the yard and the chickens are happy. Six eggs from six chicks. The cat is getting fatter and the dog is happily following Tally to the burn pile as he gets pine needles cleaned up from the yards. I am almost finished with the Cottage spring cleaning. I have the kitchen floor, table and lower cabinets left. We finally got the microwave up on a shelf. It looks great and feels good to take care of our babies (cabins).
Our daughter took up golf this spring and is on the team at her school. She loves it and is actually improving. Time for me to get back to work.
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