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Homestead Rescue (2016) Season 13 Episode 7 - Misery on Miracle Mountain

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Transcript
00:00:00A winter weather alert is in effect for North Arkansas, bringing extreme
00:00:05temperatures and whiteout conditions. Officials are urging residents to remain
00:00:09indoors and avoid driving due to snow accumulation and ice. Please stay off the
00:00:14roads.
00:00:16Let's get out of here!
00:00:17Everybody is just kind of scattering. Full-blown state of emergency. It's really
00:00:23starting to come down. We gotta go. It's like no time to waste.
00:00:27Hurry up! We don't want to get stranded on this homestead.
00:00:34Here we go.
00:00:36When it comes to the basics of homesteads, these people are striking out.
00:00:42You don't have water to even water a plant. No.
00:00:44I can feel water falling from the sky right now. You're drowning in water, but dying of thirst.
00:00:51Our dream is to have our multi-generational homestead.
00:00:54I want to have our own produce and be able to live off the land, you know?
00:00:58These boys are invested. They are putting work in.
00:01:01We built the cabin in a short amount of time.
00:01:04If this house was in town, they would condemn it.
00:01:07We are not too proud to say we don't know everything. We want to learn and we need help.
00:01:12There's no future homestead unless we figure out water.
00:01:16What do you say? Looks pretty dry.
00:01:18The animals' lives are at stake. Whoa.
00:01:21We need to help them now. There's a full-blown blizzard on the way to the homestead.
00:01:27We're gonna help this family or we're gonna die trying.
00:01:40It's good to be in a new state. Arkansas is the land of extremes.
00:01:55This place gets all four seasons in one day.
00:01:58It's 33 degrees now. It's gonna be 14 degrees tonight. Pull up your homesteader pants,
00:02:07because it's gonna get cold, wet, and right now, it could snow. Yikes.
00:02:13It's late winter, and the rainies answer a plea from deep within northwest Arkansas,
00:02:22where a young family's struggling homestead is besieged by Mother Nature.
00:02:28Situated in the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains, the area is known for its rich timber
00:02:34and milling industry, owing to the region's dense forests and plentiful rivers.
00:02:39However, the weather extremes make it a gamble for the unprepared. Unpredictable forecasts are common,
00:02:49and harsh summer droughts turn to frigid winter storms, bringing up to 50 inches of annual rainfall
00:02:57and severe flash flooding. And without fundamental survival needs, northwest Arkansas can quickly
00:03:05break determined, but inexperienced homesteaders.
00:03:11My name is Ashley Curry, and this is my husband, Chris Curry. We live on a 40-acre homestead in northwest
00:03:18Arkansas with our two boys. Baylen and Malachi. We moved out to our homestead at the end of 2020,
00:03:25and every day we all wake up feeling blessed. And so this property was our miracle, and we named it
00:03:33Miracle Mountain Homestead. We have goats here, chickens, quail, a couple guineas. We sell the
00:03:40goats offspring and sell eggs and chicks. The quail are a good meat source because we want to be
00:03:47self-sustainable, and our dream is to have our entire family on this homestead, meaning my parents,
00:03:55my husband's parents, and our children, and for this homestead to provide for generations to come.
00:04:01I'd love to inherit the homestead and build upon the homestead myself. Just having all the animals
00:04:08is really cool, and having all this place to explore. When we first purchased the land, we built
00:04:16the cabin in a short amount of time before winter hit. We did what we had to do, and we didn't think
00:04:22it was going to be permanent. But northwest Arkansas is completely unpredictable, and we have gotten
00:04:27in a little over our heads. We have a lot of flash flooding, and that essentially has tore our
00:04:34foundation up. We have jacked up the house at least three times to try to level it out where we can just
00:04:43open our front door without issues. And over time, it just keeps settling and drooping, and we're having
00:04:49to spend the time fixing that instead of working on permanent housing. And now it's just been one
00:04:56problem after another. Another big challenge right now is water. I'm positive that there's water here.
00:05:03Unfortunately, it's very expensive to dig well, so we started collecting rainwater. But the catchment
00:05:08tanks, they're not completely enclosed. They're exposed to the elements. We have found frogs in our water. We have
00:05:15found disgusting algae, and now we haul water two to four times a week. We have barely enough water to
00:05:24sustain our daily needs, so we are unable to grow any food. And the amount of money that we're having
00:05:30to spend for a family of four each week at the grocery store is a huge weight on our shoulders.
00:05:36We've been motivated. We've tried. We do our best every single day. But the dream seems harder to reach with
00:05:42each obstacle we have to overcome without water security, shelter security, and food security.
00:05:51I'm not sure how much longer we're going to be able to survive out here.
00:05:54Rainius, please come save us.
00:06:08Hello. Hello. Welcome to Arkansas. Ashley.
00:06:12Christopher. Christopher, nice to meet you. Marty Rainey.
00:06:14How old are you guys? Eight. And I'm 13.
00:06:18How long has this family been on this property?
00:06:20Four years.
00:06:21Has anything ever gone wrong in the last four years out here?
00:06:25A few weeks ago, one of our goats had babies, and some have been frozen, and now some of our goats
00:06:31are depressed. Oh.
00:06:34So that's not good news. No.
00:06:36What is the goal here?
00:06:38The goal is to be self-sustainable, but we've never been able to grow any food because we don't
00:06:43have a source of water. I can feel water falling from the sky right now, right?
00:06:48Most of our water that we wash dishes with, feed the animals with, comes from the rain.
00:06:52Okay. We just don't have enough to catch the rain.
00:06:55We are not too proud to say we don't know everything, we don't know what we're doing,
00:07:01and we want to learn and we need help. That's a good place to start.
00:07:07After we met, both of us just knew we were each other's person and that the future gave us two
00:07:14beautiful boys and led to us starting a business.
00:07:18In 2013, we opened up the first organic juice and smoothie bar in Arkansas, and we successfully ran it
00:07:26for nine years. Running the business was exactly the example that I wanted for our kids to show them
00:07:33how to chop the fruits and vegetables and run them through the juicer, and it was a beautiful thing to
00:07:39watch. And then when 2020 hit, we struggled through COVID. And we had to shut down the business.
00:07:48I felt like a failure, but I had to stay motivated and stay positive. We had lived out here for a few
00:07:55months and it was very sad closing the juice bar, but we started to be able to focus our energies on
00:08:02the homestead. I always wanted that juice bar to provide financially for my mom and dad. And so it
00:08:11became vital to us to be able to still use the homestead to support and help both of our parents
00:08:20to provide a place where they could build a home and not have to worry about paying for their
00:08:25care. It is a way to provide and connect everyone. My dad actually had started building
00:08:32his cabin for one day in the future, but without a source of water, it is not even an option.
00:08:44All right, what am I looking at here, sir? So this is the rain catchment system that we first
00:08:50started off with. And so the water catches on the bottom and then we have a sump pump that pumps it
00:08:57to the top where we have an inline pump that pumps it to the house. Are you hauling water too? Yeah,
00:09:02if it's too dry, then we haul it from a spring eight miles down the road or so. Okay. Have you looked
00:09:09around here for water? I personally think there's water right here. And the sycamore trees just keep
00:09:14on coming back. I heard that that's a good sign of water. They need a lot of water. This part of
00:09:19Arkansas got 50 inches of rain. Wow. So if you've got a couple sycamore trees, that doesn't mean anything
00:09:25to me. In a small tour of this property, I'm seeing rain water everywhere. But when I look at the water
00:09:34they're catching in those tanks, it's certainly not potable. The really big question is what's going on?
00:09:42I knew we got a lot of rain because we lose so much water. What do you mean lose it? That one
00:09:47overflows. This one overflows. We had these two. Yes. But these got busted and frozen. Okay. If this
00:09:54fills up with water, it just goes over the top. Yeah. That concerns me a little bit because your house
00:10:00is right here. What kind of a foundation does this have? This is a pallet foundation.
00:10:05Hold on. There is no such thing as a pallet foundation.
00:10:15It wasn't the plan. Our plan was to live in our camper and save money and then get a traditional
00:10:20foundation. And then my father-in-law said we can build you something to live in. I'm just going to
00:10:25say it right now. You've got a problem. This pains me. It's just a matter of time with the water
00:10:32overflowing just coming this direction under the house. These pallets are on the clock right now.
00:10:41Building your house on these pallets, they're going to pay for that someday. So this homestead
00:10:47has some issues. So we cleared this area and in my mind it would be a good spot for a garden because
00:10:58it has the potential for a lot of sunshine. Have you attempted to garden before? We have not because
00:11:04you can't keep a plant alive. You can't water it. So you don't have water to even water a plant? No.
00:11:10What was the dream initially? We wanted this to be a multi-generational homestead. We wanted to
00:11:17provide a place where my parents and Chris's parents could live here. But again, when you don't have the
00:11:23basic necessity of water, it's not possible. This is a lot of pressure. This homestead is pretty
00:11:30concerning to me because not only do I see a big family, a ton of animals. For a homestead with no water,
00:11:39it looks like there's water everywhere. And right now I'm realizing there's no future homestead unless
00:11:46we figure out water.
00:11:52This is the goat barn. You're having babies in the middle of winter? How did that happen?
00:11:57We really need to separate the boy goats and the mama goats from all the rest of them. But you didn't.
00:12:04There was actually more goats and they ended up freezing because it was too cold.
00:12:07Mm-hmm. We've had to actually bring in the mama and baby new goats inside because how cold it's
00:12:13been. Do we have to do that tonight?
00:12:15Yeah. Yeah. Holy smokes. There might be a hundred
00:12:21animals on this homestead. They've lost count at this point. Some of them are very young goats and
00:12:27they're all in danger of the wet, cold weather. And tonight it's supposed to be 17 degrees. And right
00:12:33now we have no way to save any of these animals. This is our quail run slash coop. How are these
00:12:42quail doing in the cold? Not very well. Whenever it rains like this and gets really muddy,
00:12:49they can get sick that way. Quail, when healthy, are a valuable homestead resource for quick egg and
00:12:57meat production, providing not only protein but also a potential income source. Because of their small
00:13:04size, quail costs less to raise than traditional poultry, making them an efficient option for small
00:13:11scale farming or homesteading. I definitely think it needs a lot more protection from the elements.
00:13:19Do you have some hay? Yeah. Can you go get some? Yeah. Okay. Let's go do it right now.
00:13:28I think that's about enough. I'll tell you what, I feel like the temperature's dropping as we speak.
00:13:33Oh yeah. Just get all in those egg crates.
00:13:44You think that one's alive in there, sleeping, or you think it's not? I think it passed. Okay. All right.
00:13:57I'm really worried about the loss of life on this homestead. This is a food source for them. This is a
00:14:03source of income. And Balin and Malachi have a lot of time invested into this livestock dream. They are
00:14:11putting work in. And when you raise livestock, a predator can come in many forms. But right now,
00:14:19the big killer is bad cold weather. A lot more is going to have to happen if you're going to have a
00:14:26better success raising livestock in the wintertime.
00:14:38Let's just cut right to the chase. Food, shelter, water. What did you guys discover when it comes to
00:14:45food? There's no garden. There's no greenhouse. They haven't attempted gardening because there's no water.
00:14:52I actually feel for Ashley. And she's definitely at the breaking point.
00:14:58There's a lot of livestock, but there's no separation of any of the animals. However,
00:15:04the quail have their own spot, but it's abysmal. And we found a dead quail in there.
00:15:13They've been here four years. They've not produced one drop of water from the ground here.
00:15:18I don't know how that's possible. Everywhere you look, there's water. There's water running
00:15:23right here. So they're not self-sufficient, self-sustaining. How are they doing in shelter?
00:15:29I would say they're in trouble. They built a house on pallets. It's only a matter of time before that
00:15:34floor does start to rot. But it's such a daunting task. I think we're going to set it on a back burner
00:15:41and try to start focusing on what? Water. Exactly.
00:15:51How are you guys? Pretty good. We've made some observations about
00:15:56the barns and the pens and the wet ground. You're drowning in water, but dying of thirst.
00:16:03Your hope is dying. It's affecting your lives. It's affecting these livestock. It's affecting
00:16:09everything. I understand something died since we've been here, quail.
00:16:13Every time it rains, we lose quail. Every time it rains?
00:16:17Every time it rains. If it's a heavy one, it seems.
00:16:20It's because they're on the ground. When it comes to the basics of homesteads,
00:16:25these beautiful people are striking out. What can we do to help them? I'm not sure I know the answer,
00:16:34because this homestead is definitely intimidating and challenging, but we'll throw everything we have
00:16:40at it. Our work is cut out for us, all right? That said, you're not happy. There's problems here,
00:16:46and that has to change. Good morning. It's day two on the Currys' 40-acre homestead in northwest Arkansas.
00:17:10The sun came out. That's good. What's the forecast? Do you know? Might be some heavier weather tomorrow.
00:17:16Okay. And on the main road to the property,
00:17:19Marty and Chris begin searching for a permanent water source.
00:17:24How's the animals? They're doing great. Okay. We put some more pine shavings in the quail,
00:17:29and then also did a wind block with some particle board around the bottom edges.
00:17:32Makes me feel good. That's good news. Thank you. Well, our mission here is to try to get that thing on
00:17:38your property. We need water. Our number one issue is water.
00:17:45I've found some areas that there could be a spring towards the cabin and towards their sycamore trees.
00:17:53So we'll start in those spots and see if we can dig a big hole that fills up with water. We'll be good to go.
00:18:01Marty will search the homestead for a permanent water source,
00:18:05digging 10 feet down in the most promising areas near the curry's cabin.
00:18:09Once he determines the source to be viable, he'll install a culvert in the spring, adding gravel to filter
00:18:17the water, before finally digging a trench towards the cabin and installing a water line to gravity feed
00:18:24the precious resource to the family's home.
00:18:30We clear? Clear. Cool.
00:18:36Marty and I were going to search for water close to the house.
00:18:40Not being able to find the solution or make this work is just something that is in the back of my
00:18:46head. I think it ties back to the business ending the way that it did. It's still hard not to feel
00:18:52like it was a failure. And if this dream of ours were to fall apart, I just don't know how I would deal
00:18:59with that. Here we go. So Christopher says there could be water close to the house. So the answers to
00:19:08all their problems might just be right here. We're going to have to dig deep, hopefully not too many times.
00:19:25It got cold last night. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully we're able to save those quail from a bad night.
00:19:30Okay. You came in here and did more. Yeah. Put some pine pellets and pine shavings. That's amazing.
00:19:42So none of them died. None of them died. You counted them? Yep. Shake my head. Finding out that Balin and
00:19:50Malachi went the extra mile and added more insulation over the night to save those quail, that just shows me
00:19:57how much they're invested in this entire livestock journey. Okay. It's only going to be a matter of
00:20:03time before the rain trickles through and it starts seeping in and all this is going to be turned back
00:20:09into mud. And so the only way we can really help these quail is by stopping that rain from coming in
00:20:16here once and for all and getting them up off the ground. Matt will remodel the quail coop by first
00:20:24removing the battered roof and constructing a replacement with upcycled materials found on the
00:20:30property. Next, he'll utilize more salvaged parts to create nesting boxes elevated above the muddy ground.
00:20:38Finally, he'll insulate with straw, ensuring year-round survivability against Arkansas's elements.
00:20:45First things first. We need to, we need to replace this roofing. I'm excited that Matt's here and I'm
00:20:55really looking forward to work with him. Lift it. Like a waterfall. Let's let it pour off this way. Pour
00:21:01this off real quick. It's not all yet. We're willing to do whatever it takes to improve the animals home and
00:21:08anything we can do to help them get better. Hopefully it'll be a lot easier around here. Now that we have that
00:21:14sagging, roofing out of the way. Let's build a proper roof on this thing. Okay. Okay. You ready to start
00:21:21making some changes? I'm ready. Downhill from the cabin. There's sun. Yes. Oh my gosh. Thank the lord.
00:21:31Ashley wants this home setting dream for the kids and the fact of the matter is it's not working. So I
00:21:38want to get her to a place where she's growing food. I think first things first for me is try to
00:21:44push out this footprint a little bit. The amount of sun that you already get this early in the morning
00:21:49is a good sign. And I feel like the options are pretty limited when it comes to how much land you
00:21:55cleared. Yeah. So this is a good jump start. So I'll take it. Okay. Ready? Do it. Okay.
00:22:00Woo. Woo. Back uphill towards the family's cabin. That's not good. I don't see anything.
00:22:18It's not happy.
00:22:19That's deep. There's nothing that resembles a spring. Definitely empty. I think what we'll do is
00:22:34we'll fill this hole back up. Before it gets dark we'll try to find one up there. It'll be a miracle
00:22:39but guess what? I'll take it. Coffee breaks over. Back to work.
00:22:48Malachi. Grab it and bring it up there. It's pretty light. While Balen and Malachi gather material to
00:22:56build a roof for the quail pen, Matt second guesses his game plan. My first priority is protecting the
00:23:03food sources for these homesteaders. But me and these boys are going to take two days,
00:23:09making these quail safe and we're not going to have done one thing for the goats. Usually I wouldn't
00:23:16have time to build a structure but on this property it's getting very cold. I'm really concerned about
00:23:23these animals and I need help because I want to be able to save them all at the same time.
00:23:29Hey Misty, can we talk? Yeah. What's up? This might be the craziest request. It's going to be colder
00:23:39tonight and I don't have time to save both these quail and goats. Okay. And so I am asking for your help
00:23:48to literally stop working here and come and help with the livestock. I do think the animals lives are
00:23:58at stake and it's very important that we drop everything and we help them now. This is just one of
00:24:05those homesteads where we're not going to just go on with business as usual when animals lives are in
00:24:12danger. And this is one homestead where they might not get a greenhouse. I mean like
00:24:21now it's just sinking in. Yeah it's starting to sink in. Okay. Life takes priority over everything else
00:24:31so let's go take a look and see what we can do and come up with a plan. Okay let's save some livestock. Let's go.
00:24:42Let's talk about a few things. What are you doing right now with temperatures this low with kids
00:24:50that young? We do a deep litter method where the manure gets covered with fresh straw so it radiates
00:24:57heat at night but we have some that were born just four or five days ago and so we have been bringing
00:25:03them in at night and putting them in a dog kennel to keep them safe. Newborn goats or kids require
00:25:12special care in their first few weeks of life and since they are especially vulnerable to hypothermia
00:25:19winter is among the worst times for breeding. Because of this breeders will strategically separate
00:25:25males and females to keep from mating year round. Where are they right now? Whoa those guys are little.
00:25:38Kids in the dead of winter time. Yeah it's awful. I'm so glad Matt called me over because what is
00:25:44happening at the livestock pens is not good. We have four day old baby goats in freezing temperatures in the
00:25:52dead of winter time and it's this full-blown 12 alarm situation that one person isn't going to be able to fix.
00:26:00He's shivering. Yeah this is way too cold for these four day old kids. We're going to change some things starting today.
00:26:09This is full-blown emergency.
00:26:19Oh yeah it's okay.
00:26:24So we have some four day old kids. The temperatures are eight degrees last night. It's about 20 degrees
00:26:30right now in the sun. There is not going to be loss of life on our watch.
00:26:34All right what did you find? Found some heat lamps that we used for our brooders
00:26:40last year with the chicks. Okay well we'll take what we can get. Okay. Okay.
00:26:47When we started homesteading it was all excitement and tackling one thing at a time and after four years
00:26:54of it the long-term vision is getting harder to maintain because the weight of everything just
00:27:01is so heavy and the goats are a very large part of our homestead so knowing that they can survive
00:27:08through a night of cold is exactly what we need right now. I think we block this off from anybody
00:27:16getting in. Right now this free-for-all breeding program leading to the consequence of having babies
00:27:21born in the dead of winter time is not great. We want to prevent this from ever happening again
00:27:27right which is separating this buck. So starting with a structure and a permanent fenced-in area
00:27:34I'm thinking like a shared space when it comes to this barn and then a separation pen for the buck.
00:27:40Perfect. Okay here we go. Misty will build an eight by 20 foot barn to house and divide the goats.
00:27:48First she'll mill cedar trees from the property for dimensional lumber including the corner posts and
00:27:55frame. Once the structure is enclosed she'll put in separate stalls for the buck, does and baby goats
00:28:01in order to control breeding and prevent unnecessary loss of life.
00:28:06Okay first rock in. Better than a pallet. Better than a pallet. First step we're good and right now we need to figure out what this framing is.
00:28:23But the good news is I look around and I see a ton of materials that we can use and the next step will be to start sourcing lumber.
00:28:31All right, I'm gonna just kind of backfill a little bit and then we will set the next one. Here we go.
00:28:46The morning of day three on the Curry's homestead.
00:28:49Nice and clean.
00:28:50Marty, Chris and Foreman Clint shift gears momentarily from the water hunt to source lumber for the livestock builds.
00:28:58Just a kiss. That's it.
00:29:07Need another hand?
00:29:08Who is this?
00:29:09This is my father, Rick.
00:29:10Oh, nice to meet you. So you come here to work or you're just stopping by, passing through, what's happening?
00:29:15Well, I come here to work.
00:29:17This homestead would not be possible without my dad. He helped us build our small home and he started
00:29:25building his cabin on the homestead. But if there is not a source of water, there is no way he could
00:29:33stay here forever.
00:29:34I can do anything.
00:29:35You can do anything.
00:29:36Anything.
00:29:37We're doing a little bit of logging. We guys want to stake these logs out. You interested?
00:29:41I'm ready to hit it.
00:29:43Let's go.
00:29:43All right.
00:29:44Okay, that's two. We're going to start speeding up.
00:29:57Later that day, Matt, Bailey, and Malachi salvaged materials from the homestead to fortify the quail coop.
00:30:05The salvage is going really good. The boys are working fast and we're definitely finding enough
00:30:11materials for the roof rafters and every screw that we've taken out, we're going to use again.
00:30:18And so, I mean, heck, we got a box of screws here that's worth 20 bucks and we pretty much
00:30:23have all the fasteners we need, all the framing we need. So we're going to have a roof on this thing
00:30:27before the sun goes down. We're just going to butt this up just like so.
00:30:31Screw it to one of our scrap pieces.
00:30:40Matt is teaching us about building scabs for the wood to expend it,
00:30:44for the roof to have proper shelter for the quail.
00:30:47Let it rip and then bring it up to the wood.
00:30:49Let it rip!
00:30:53One day I hope to build like my own little place on the homestead.
00:30:57So I think it's cool that we get to learn more stuff to be able to help any way we can around
00:31:04on the homestead.
00:31:07That's good.
00:31:08Malachi and Balin are really good to work with because they already do their chores.
00:31:13Okay, don't drop it.
00:31:15I'm not!
00:31:16They just need a little direction on where to put their time and efforts in, because those skills
00:31:22are just little building blocks that build into greater confidence to help the homestead.
00:31:27All right, now that we've raised this wall up five and a half inches, let's get the raptors on here
00:31:32and let's put a proper roof on this thing.
00:31:34We're pretty excited.
00:31:35This new roof is going to block the quail from the wind and the rain.
00:31:40I think we're going to have no more quail deaths.
00:31:43All right, let's keep working.
00:31:44Back uphill, Marty's water search pushes on.
00:31:59As he breaks ground near the sycamore trees, Chris suspects are a sign of an ample water source.
00:32:07I'm looking for a water source close to the house.
00:32:10I've spent more of my time than I expected, but I'll never sleep well at night if I don't try.
00:32:18What we're trying to do right now is follow up on your sycamore theory.
00:32:24There's a sycamore, there's a sycamore.
00:32:27We're digging right between them.
00:32:28We'll give it a little bit more.
00:32:32We dug probably deeper than we dug the first time and so far,
00:32:36we found a bunch of clay that wasn't very promising.
00:32:39But hopefully we can find a large quantity of water,
00:32:42so we can actually survive and keep going on the homestead.
00:32:47Look around this edge, is anything seeping in anywhere?
00:32:53What do you see?
00:32:54Looks pretty dry.
00:32:57All right, this is the second hole I've dug.
00:33:01It's not promising.
00:33:03I appreciate your trying.
00:33:06There's nothing in there.
00:33:07No water.
00:33:08And they haven't even begun to figure out a way to fix their pallet foundation.
00:33:15At this point, we will need a miracle.
00:33:18Okay, now it's raining.
00:33:29Not my favorite conditions to find water.
00:33:32After striking out twice in their hunt for a dependable water source,
00:33:37Chris leads Marty on the far edge of the homestead for what might be their final hope.
00:33:42I'm looking for a spring that's so deep, that's running on top the bedrock,
00:33:48that I can convince myself that it's not surface rainwater.
00:33:54So these logging roads were already here.
00:33:57Oh, nice.
00:33:58They must have just timbered it a couple years before we got here.
00:34:02This was just forest floor this time last year.
00:34:04Oh, wow.
00:34:05It's really flowing there.
00:34:07I mean, look at this.
00:34:08What's going on here?
00:34:08Where's that volume coming from right there?
00:34:12I think that's coming out of the road.
00:34:14It looks like it, yeah.
00:34:14Looks like there's more.
00:34:15It's kind of trailing.
00:34:16Okay.
00:34:24Hey!
00:34:26Look at this road.
00:34:28Where's all this water coming from?
00:34:32Correct me if I'm wrong, but that looks like a spring.
00:34:35It does.
00:34:36When it dries up, we're not sure.
00:34:39I mean, if you go deep enough, that could be still there.
00:34:41But if we could find water right here, is that better than what you have now?
00:34:45For sure.
00:34:46Look at this.
00:34:47Look at it bubbling.
00:34:49So this is where you find springs, on the side of a bank, on the side of a mountain,
00:34:54on a bench where the water settles.
00:34:57I think it's just shouting at us to investigate.
00:35:01So let's do that.
00:35:02Let's do it.
00:35:06It's coming up right here.
00:35:12I didn't realize that rock was so big.
00:35:16It's in the road, so it's got to go.
00:35:25That thing looks a little wet.
00:35:30That looks like a lot of freaking water.
00:35:32That is a lot of water.
00:35:33It's gushing in.
00:35:36I mean, a five-gallon bucket would be overflowing right now.
00:35:38Well, that's a really good sign.
00:35:41We're going to keep digging.
00:35:42All right, let's go down, bud.
00:35:44If we dig a big hole, maybe it'll fill in.
00:35:48And if it does, we might create yet another homestead miracle.
00:35:54Man, are we glad to see you.
00:36:05Over in the new livestock grounds, Misty brings in help to get the goat barn started.
00:36:12Misty, how's it going?
00:36:13Dave Burns.
00:36:14Dave Burns.
00:36:15Nice to meet you.
00:36:16This build is all about using materials on hand.
00:36:18So we called in this guy who does a mill.
00:36:21And I see an opportunity to teach Ashley how to mill the trees on their property.
00:36:25We actually have a bunch of trees already bucked up and ready to mill.
00:36:29We're ready.
00:36:29Okay, I'm going to grab you some logs.
00:36:31Have you ever worked on a mill before?
00:36:33No, this is awesome.
00:36:34Okay, is there any hydraulics?
00:36:36This is just manpower.
00:36:37This is full manual.
00:36:38Full manual.
00:36:38Yeah, full manual.
00:36:40It's what separates the women from the men.
00:36:45Okay, I'm going to grab the first log and come right back.
00:36:47All right, let's make some sawdust.
00:36:53Misty and I are working on a barn to keep all of the goats in but separated at the same time
00:36:58so we won't have unplanned kitting in the middle of winter.
00:37:03Yeah!
00:37:04We've had 10 kids die this winter because they were born in the middle of the night.
00:37:10So the thought of that never happening again is so encouraging.
00:37:14All right, we're going to make a pass so I'm about to engage.
00:37:18I'll walk you through it.
00:37:19Okay.
00:37:20When I pull this lever down, that drive belt right there is going to engage.
00:37:23Okay.
00:37:31The moment you show Ashley how to use a skill saw, a drill, how to frame a wall,
00:37:36she does it to perfection.
00:37:37Perfect.
00:37:38She's becoming a part of the solution and we're changing this homestead together.
00:37:50It's awesome.
00:37:53That felt like the first step to really being self-sustainable was taking resources from our
00:37:59property and turning them into something usable for a need that we have.
00:38:05So exciting.
00:38:05Thank you so much for coming.
00:38:07You're welcome.
00:38:09It's only getting colder this week.
00:38:12Now there's a full-blown blizzard on the way to the homestead.
00:38:15So for me, there is no plan B. This is all we have.
00:38:18Every single second is a make it or break it moment when it comes to this livestock.
00:38:23And that is pretty alarming.
00:38:26I think the buck does not get the whole space.
00:38:29No.
00:38:30It'd be great to have a spot to have the mom and the babies together.
00:38:34Yeah.
00:38:34Separated from everybody else.
00:38:36Yes, I agree.
00:38:43Looks good.
00:38:45I'm moving in.
00:38:46Woo, woo, woo.
00:38:50Okay, boys.
00:38:51I still am going to stand by the fact that I don't want any of these quail to be on the ground,
00:38:57at least during the winter.
00:38:59See where this chicken is?
00:39:00Uh-huh.
00:39:01This area is going to be basically like a little bird cage where those quail will live.
00:39:08I think it could work pretty well.
00:39:09Yeah.
00:39:09When it comes to livestock, bigger is not always better.
00:39:18And so right now, the boys and I, we're building a coop within a coop.
00:39:22This right here will be our insulation that we use.
00:39:2521 inches, boys.
00:39:26Not every type of livestock bird needs a big old coop.
00:39:31These are very small quail, and this is all the space we need.
00:39:37And if it's dry out here, it gets warmer, you know, you can give them more space.
00:39:40But right now, it's too cold, and they need to be locked in there.
00:39:44They're going to be warm, and they're going to survive.
00:39:46There we go.
00:39:47Looking good.
00:39:48Okay.
00:39:48Are you ready to wrangle?
00:39:49Yeah.
00:39:50We got 16 quail to catch.
00:39:58Okay.
00:40:00Moment of truth.
00:40:02Let's see how Miss Spring's doing.
00:40:06Oh, my God.
00:40:0810 feet deep on this side.
00:40:10About six feet deep on this side.
00:40:11It's 20 feet long.
00:40:12It's six feet across.
00:40:14Uh, yeah.
00:40:16Okay.
00:40:17That's a game changer.
00:40:19Or as we say on these homesteads, that's a life changer.
00:40:23I wasn't quite sure it was going to happen.
00:40:26Misty or Matt, you guys got a radio near?
00:40:29Go for Matt.
00:40:30Did you find Christopher, Ashley, the boys, and...
00:40:34All of you guys head down here.
00:40:36Okay, copy.
00:40:37Me and Ashley are coming down now.
00:40:39This is kind of an emergency, so don't dilly-dally, okay?
00:40:43Okay.
00:40:44We're on our way.
00:40:46We're going down the driveway.
00:40:48No dilly-dally.
00:40:49I see my dad.
00:40:50All right.
00:40:50Come on over here, fam.
00:40:51Check it out.
00:40:54Oh, my gosh.
00:40:55Whoa.
00:40:56Oh, my goodness.
00:40:57Whoa.
00:40:57Oh, my gosh.
00:40:59I've already measured this.
00:41:00There's over 5,000 gallons of water.
00:41:025,000?
00:41:04Wow.
00:41:05I've never seen this reaction on homestead.
00:41:07It's like last grind.
00:41:08Yeah.
00:41:11Wow.
00:41:13Everywhere we turn, God provides another miracle.
00:41:15Well, this is a miracle on a homestead without water.
00:41:18Yeah.
00:41:18How many years?
00:41:19Four years?
00:41:20Yeah.
00:41:20Four years.
00:41:21Water is life.
00:41:22It's life for us.
00:41:24It's life for our animals.
00:41:25It's the time save that we're not having to haul this.
00:41:29It's the security of knowing if we're stuck here for two weeks in the snow or ice,
00:41:34that we're not going to be without water.
00:41:36I mean, this...
00:41:37Marty, this changes everything.
00:41:38What about you, young man Malachi?
00:41:40It takes a lot of stress off my mom and dad, and I'm very happy to see this.
00:41:49I'm so happy.
00:41:50Let's leave.
00:41:51All right.
00:41:51Let's leave you guys.
00:41:52Okay, guys.
00:41:53This is 100% life-changing.
00:41:55This changes everything.
00:41:57Sometimes it's worth having years of hardship to really, really appreciate something that so
00:42:04many people take for granted, like water.
00:42:07This makes us sustainable.
00:42:09Yeah.
00:42:11This is so much bigger than we ever hoped for.
00:42:15I had no idea.
00:42:19He made me keep it a secret.
00:42:21You knew?
00:42:22You knew?
00:42:24It wasn't filled like this, though.
00:42:25It was just trickling in.
00:42:27Oh, my gosh.
00:42:28I could have never kept this a secret.
00:42:32This is amazing.
00:42:35The governor of Arkansas has declared a state of emergency.
00:42:38Word on the street that this is going to get worse.
00:42:41Everybody has just got scattering.
00:42:42It's really starting to come down.
00:42:44It's really starting to come down.
00:42:45We're out of here.
00:42:46It is really, really cold this morning.
00:43:04It's day four on the rescue of the Currys' homestead, where freezing temperatures remain a concern.
00:43:12As you can see, it snowed some last night.
00:43:15The weather is not supposed to be good for the rest of the week, so we're just really praying that we can get through some of these projects.
00:43:22And this morning, Misty checks on the goats to see how they've fared in the cold snap.
00:43:28Thank goodness we were able to keep the baby goats warm enough with the heat lamps,
00:43:33but that's just a makeshift daytime solution.
00:43:36It's too cold today for the babies to be outside.
00:43:39The temperatures have dipped, so the baby's got to be moved inside.
00:43:43Okay, here we go.
00:43:45So now they're inside the house 24 hours a day, and we got to get this barn done quick.
00:43:51So right now, I need a bunch of lumber.
00:43:54The mill's not running.
00:43:55That's not a good sign.
00:43:56No.
00:43:58Yesterday, it rained on us all day while we were milling.
00:44:01Oh, man.
00:44:02But I think a lot of the water that was on the equipment froze last night,
00:44:06and the whole machine is just froze up.
00:44:09The cable system's froze.
00:44:11Drip tank, water lines, everything's frozen.
00:44:15Well, that's not good.
00:44:17No.
00:44:19I think if we got a space heater and dropped a tarp over this and fired it up,
00:44:24or we could hold that heat inside of there, I think we could probably thaw these parts out.
00:44:28Okay.
00:44:29It's worth a try.
00:44:30Yep.
00:44:31I'll grab a space heater, you grab a tarp, and we'll be right back.
00:44:35Sounds good.
00:44:35Here we go.
00:44:36Thanks, Dave.
00:44:36I'm a little bit frustrated.
00:44:44Right now, the mill's not milling one board, so it's a rough start to the morning,
00:44:49but hopefully, we're going to thaw some things out and get back to work.
00:44:53Hopefully, it doesn't take too long to thaw out, and we'll check on you in a little bit.
00:44:56Okay.
00:44:57Okay?
00:45:00It's going to be a day, folks.
00:45:01It's going to be a day.
00:45:08All right, that's music to my ears.
00:45:11A spring producing so much water, you can hear it.
00:45:16Now, the next challenge is how do you get this water from here all the way up to that homestead?
00:45:23We got some sun.
00:45:27You can just set it down there, big guy.
00:45:29That is a huge culvert.
00:45:32One system that we use on homesteads is a culvert.
00:45:37Three things are going to happen.
00:45:38We're going to take the culvert to the spring.
00:45:41We stick it down into the ground, and then we'll use gravel and fill around that culvert up to the
00:45:49water table, giving the water, giving the spring a place to travel, to move, and make its way inside the well casing.
00:45:58Watch out.
00:46:00Then dig a trench and put in a water line.
00:46:05Do me a favor.
00:46:06See if we can start rolling it down.
00:46:09Thank you, sir.
00:46:10Thank you, sir.
00:46:10Just this morning, I was thinking that this is not going to be possible, but it looks like we're
00:46:18actually going to have water straight to the house and not have to transport water ever again is what we're hoping.
00:46:28The last couple years, I felt powerless in a way because I would like to get my parents on this homestead.
00:46:34About six years ago now, my dad had a severe stroke.
00:46:38That provides a lot of challenges for my mother.
00:46:40She needs a lot of help right now.
00:46:43And it's been really important for Ashley and I to try to make this a place where they can move,
00:46:49and then we can provide help for them.
00:46:51And I wasn't exactly sure if we'd be able to accomplish our goal of having a multi-generational homestead
00:46:57because of the water situation.
00:46:59So right now, I feel a lot more positive on how the future is going to be on this homestead.
00:47:17All right.
00:47:17Woo-hoo.
00:47:20The mill's up and running right now.
00:47:22So the buck has his little zone, and then we really went all in on with this wall.
00:47:28Hopefully, he can't bust through it.
00:47:29He has shown how strong he is.
00:47:32We got lots of work to do, and we're one step closer to keeping these babies warm and out of our house.
00:47:38In the world of stalls, ideally, it'd be this whole back row.
00:47:42Yeah.
00:47:43Eight feet that way.
00:47:45I'm going to grab some two-by-fours.
00:47:47Now, we are going to set up three kitting stalls, and I'm just praying that we're going to finish some stuff today.
00:47:52Okay.
00:48:10Hang on.
00:48:10We've got to listen to the forecast.
00:48:12We have winter weather alerts in effect for north Arkansas.
00:48:16And right now, we're dealing with freezing rain and snow in downtown Little Rock.
00:48:20Arctic air is moving in from north and northwest.
00:48:23All right.
00:48:24I never thought in a million years it would be this cold.
00:48:34Halfway through the rescue, an imposing weather report forces the Rainies and Currys
00:48:39to game plan next steps.
00:48:41People are saying the words polar vortex.
00:48:45What does that even mean?
00:48:47I don't know.
00:48:50A polar vortex is a massive rotating band of winds that circles the poles.
00:48:56When arctic air unexpectedly surges south into the states, it can bring dangerous conditions,
00:49:03not just for the unprepared, but also for weak wooden structures,
00:49:08which risk collapse under the strain of rapidly shifting elements.
00:49:15We haven't even talked about this house.
00:49:17Yes, it was built on pallets.
00:49:20We're not going to sit here and criticize it or be judgmental.
00:49:23But if this house was in town, they would condemn it.
00:49:29As this cold temperature has descended down upon Arkansas, I can see there's another problem
00:49:37on this homestead as life impacting as no water.
00:49:41The real problem right now in this homestead is unsafe shelter.
00:49:46In spite of an impending polar event, I want to put some type of solid
00:49:52foundation that is going to be safer than that building on pallets of footprint for a new
00:50:01cabin that could withstand any storm Arkansas wants to throw at it.
00:50:08Tonight, you probably could get by just fine.
00:50:10But how does this house fare during cold snaps?
00:50:15As long as we have firewood, we've never been cold.
00:50:17Do you have firewood?
00:50:19Yeah.
00:50:19We got to work on some today.
00:50:20Okay.
00:50:21Let's be honest about this.
00:50:22If there's a one day, two day, three day storm, I'm just reminding everybody to,
00:50:28you know, let's take care of animals and each other.
00:50:31And for now, we'll get back to work.
00:50:35Our house is by no means safe in a storm.
00:50:40One wall is almost completely glass windows.
00:50:43The foundation is on pallets.
00:50:46And so literally when sirens have gone off, all I've been able to do is just sit on the bed in
00:50:52the middle of the night and pray that God protects us.
00:50:55And now that bad weather is coming in, everything is really overwhelming right now.
00:51:01There's just a lot to consider.
00:51:10Oh, my gosh.
00:51:13As temperatures continue to fall and the weather worsens.
00:51:21State of emergency.
00:51:22Let's go.
00:51:22Misty and Matt, get over here, please.
00:51:27Family.
00:51:29The rescue hits a crisis point.
00:51:32The governor of Arkansas has declared a state of emergency, mainly for the highways and
00:51:38transportation and moving people around.
00:51:41All of our team has to leave.
00:51:43That's protocol.
00:51:44So we don't really know what's going to happen.
00:51:45The word on the street, this is going to get worse and worse.
00:51:49We were praying for the best outcome for the weather.
00:51:52And the morning started really well.
00:51:54And now it seems to be coming down at the moment.
00:51:57So we got to think about the safety of everybody out here.
00:52:01I feel like we just try to get as much work as we possibly can until we got to get out of here
00:52:06because we don't want to be stranded here.
00:52:07Let's move these animals under proper shelter.
00:52:10Let's get them in the new barn so they don't freeze to death.
00:52:13Sound good?
00:52:13All right.
00:52:14I'm going to grab a heater.
00:52:15I'm grabbing some of those heaters for those babies.
00:52:18We're going to...
00:52:22Are you filming anything with the goats?
00:52:24Are you guys done?
00:52:25Are you out of here?
00:52:25I've got to get people out.
00:52:26Okay, fine.
00:52:27So, yeah.
00:52:31Everybody is just kind of scattering.
00:52:33So our production crew doesn't get stranded.
00:52:36It's really starting to come down.
00:52:38We're going to focus on these animals, move them inside,
00:52:41and then set up these little electric heaters.
00:52:44Okay, we're moving the kids into the new barn.
00:52:48Almost 60 degrees inside the barn.
00:52:53So we did good.
00:52:55We moved all the kids inside with the mamas.
00:52:58But we got to go.
00:52:59It's like no time to waste.
00:53:01We're out of here.
00:53:02Good morning.
00:53:19This weather is definitely slowing us up.
00:53:23It's another cold one today, a little bit colder than the last day.
00:53:28The roads into our homestead are still pretty covered.
00:53:33I'm not exactly sure when the rain years are coming back.
00:53:36I can't really complain.
00:53:37A lot has happened.
00:53:38We're going to see how the rest of the time goes,
00:53:41if we're actually going to be able to finish, or what's happening.
00:53:56We're going to be able to do it.
00:53:57Fire it up.
00:53:58Fire it up.
00:53:59With a day's worth of work lost to the storm.
00:54:01Okay.
00:54:06Mid-afternoon temperatures warm just enough to resume work.
00:54:10But now, with 36 hours remaining in the rescue and critical projects yet to be completed.
00:54:17Have you given any thought to a place you might build your home on this 40-acre piece of land?
00:54:24We've got a few thoughts.
00:54:26Marty, Chris, and Ashley scramble to identify the location for a new, sturdier cabin.
00:54:34One's right over here.
00:54:36We've pointed out that their cabin doesn't have the best foundation,
00:54:40and that we would help them build a foundation that would be solid,
00:54:45it would be permanent, to withstand the extreme weather.
00:54:49We're trying to stay conscious of how far the water and electricity were.
00:54:54On this homestead, we started out looking for water,
00:54:57and we didn't know that the weather would completely shut down on us.
00:55:02Do you have a tape on you?
00:55:04Okay.
00:55:05What would be wrong with...
00:55:11There's 16 right there.
00:55:13I've been on many a homestead where the cabin was 16 by 16.
00:55:18Or, what do you say we try to push it to something like 16 by 40.
00:55:24Wow.
00:55:24This would open up a lot of possibilities.
00:55:26There's just something about this already existing area that's staring me in the face.
00:55:32To provide a head start on a future cabin,
00:55:35Marty plans to leave the Currys with a finished foundation.
00:55:39First, he'll grade a 16 by 40-foot footprint, making sure to stay close to the planned water line.
00:55:47Next, he'll stack cinder blocks in all corners and load-bearing points,
00:55:52creating a solid framework for a future home that Currys can complete.
00:55:57You could use a septic, we still have the view, it's already flat, it's compacted,
00:56:04and that's all good when you're talking about a foundation. However, I feel like we're going
00:56:09to let you down a little bit because of the weather setback and such.
00:56:12You haven't let us down.
00:56:14Well...
00:56:15Even if nothing happened from this moment forward,
00:56:18you have put us years ahead.
00:56:19We're going to get as much done as we possibly can.
00:56:22The last 36 hours kind of put a real damper on our timeline.
00:56:28Our biggest concern is how long it's going to take for us to frame up the foundation itself,
00:56:32but we're ready to work, and I've got the faith that either way of where it's left,
00:56:37we're going to figure something out.
00:56:38This is your new foundation.
00:56:41We promised them a better future, but I'm not sure what we're going to leave them with.
00:56:47One more miracle.
00:56:48So check this out. Now that we've rescued all the bird livestock,
00:57:01we're going to help Misty out, we're going to help your mom out,
00:57:04and we are going to build a greenhouse.
00:57:06I'm excited. I want to be able to have our own produce and be able to live off the land.
00:57:12You know, next step. I'm happy that we are going to have some food and be able to sustain ourselves
00:57:19that way. I've wanted a greenhouse since we got here and be able to grow food, make dinner for our
00:57:25family, and that's been one of our goals. So I think it'll be definitely really cool to have that here.
00:57:32Matt will take over Misty's build to construct his first ever greenhouse.
00:57:36First, he'll measure a 10 by 12 footprint south facing for optimal sun exposure. Next,
00:57:43he'll use milled cedar from the property for the posts and frame, before enclosing it with clear
00:57:49roofing and side panels to ensure sun warm. Finally, he'll add raised beds using donated topsoil
00:57:57and produce to provide food security for years to come.
00:58:00With the quail coop, we started from the roof down, but now that we're building the structure
00:58:08from scratch, we're starting from the ground up, and we're going to square it up right.
00:58:12I've been working alongside with Malachi and Balin, and it's been a lot of work. Start with you.
00:58:18Right there. I just, right there. Just pound one in. Perfect. But they're also vested into this
00:58:26lifestyle, and that's what this homestead needs. You got these young men that are getting close to
00:58:32becoming adults, and they have dreams, they have goals, and getting to know them really shows me
00:58:39just how much they care about this homestead. Okay. Just kind of eyeball, put that stick right there.
00:58:45That's good. All right. Hammer, hammer, hammer. It's snowing outside, but, but I'm excited to get
00:58:51working with Mac on the greenhouse. The weather doesn't discourage me. Let's talk about getting
00:58:57some building materials right off of your property, all right? All right. Follow me. Where's the chainsaw?
00:59:11Okay. A couple inches of snow on the ground. Let's see how the babies are doing.
00:59:15Over in the new barn. Hi, guys.
00:59:18Misty checks on the goats to see how they weathered the storm in the new structure.
00:59:24Those little guys in the back are so pumped. They're just warm. They're alive. They're tucked
00:59:31in. We kind of built this pen within a pen. We got the heat lamp on the four-day-old kids,
00:59:36and we just went with what we had, but we weathered the storm. Everybody's fine, and now it's time,
00:59:41once and for all, to finish this build. Hello.
00:59:46Yo! Come on in. So a few things have changed in here. We created this little milking station
00:59:56that you can fold down. It's good to hear that Malachi and Valen have such an active role in the
01:00:01homestead with the livestock, and hearing things like milking these goats out in the rain, in the mud.
01:00:07They're managing livestock in less than ideal situations, and just changing that and setting
01:00:12them up so their day-to-day is that much easier is my ultimate goal here.
01:00:17What I like about it is you just grab your little stool, you milk your goat, and we got you a little
01:00:24present. That amazing simple pulse, two goats at a time, milker that is going to take you to the next
01:00:31level. That's incredible. To have a dry, clean space and do two at a time, it's remarkable, Misty.
01:00:40Thank goodness we had gotten the barn finished enough to be able to bring the mamas and the babies in,
01:00:46and having a separate, safe, warm place for them to go. That is just a dream come true in itself.
01:01:10Ready? Only 12 hours remain to rescue the Curry family's
01:01:1540-acre homestead. Quick, quick, quick! And while the crew installs the culvert to be used as a well casing,
01:01:24on the other side of the property, freshly cut cedar trees are being milled.
01:01:31Okay, you ready to pull? Lift it. Grab one of that thing. Lift.
01:01:35Which Matt and the kids were used to build the new greenhouse.
01:01:39So this is the difference between level and plum. Level has to do with anything that's horizontal. Plum has
01:01:47to do with vertical. So that right there, that would be plum. I'm a little nervous. We're kind
01:01:53of stepping on Misty's turf, building the greenhouse without her. But Misty's all in on the goat barn. But
01:02:00we're leaving this homestead at the end of the day. And we have to build the entire greenhouse,
01:02:06but we also need to get a viable source of water up and running. And so hopefully,
01:02:12we're going to do Misty's greenhouse justice.
01:02:15Misty. Okay, this one floats. So I'm going to hold it up.
01:02:24We should be able to get this greenhouse up and running for the warmer months. Being able to grow
01:02:31our own food, it's definitely a blessing. It'll be like, as soon as you walk in, all the walls will
01:02:37be surrounded by garden boxes. Nice. A greenhouse doesn't work without topsoil.
01:02:44We're lucky to have this generous donation. Even in colder weather, topsoil can add nutrients to
01:02:51plants, prevent erosion, and add proper drainage. So what we're doing today will ensure a healthier
01:02:59garden down the road. This is going to work really well. Woo!
01:03:06Woo! Okay, the plot thickens. We got a 600-foot water line all the way to the spring, buried.
01:03:17Of course, it's got five inches of snow on it. But where are we taking this water to?
01:03:23It doesn't feel right to run it straight to that building built on pallets. Good thing we have a plan.
01:03:33We're going to take a 1,000-gallon brand new water tank.
01:03:37That's a real big tank, babe.
01:03:39Very big tank.
01:03:40That's a big tank.
01:03:41We'll keep digging the trench close to the house. Chris, other side will push. Ready?
01:03:46Easy now, precious cargo. Eventually, they'll hook that water line into the tank with potential
01:03:52to introduce that water into maybe a new cabin or house in the future.
01:03:58Okay.
01:03:58Not having to haul water and spend countless hours throughout the week and plan our life around
01:04:04having to leave the property, wait for it to fill up, come back, wonder if the roads are going to be safe.
01:04:10I mean, it's just life-changing.
01:04:20What's up, dude?
01:04:24Okay, guys.
01:04:24Wow.
01:04:25Ooh.
01:04:26We got some plants.
01:04:28The craziest thing in the world is building a greenhouse during a winter storm.
01:04:35And that's exactly what we did.
01:04:37Let's get this broccoli.
01:04:38Here, bring that in.
01:04:40Right now, it's 10 degrees outside.
01:04:42Nothing's going to survive, but we have topsoil in our raised beds.
01:04:48I think a little demonstration about how we could plant stuff in the greenhouse is very important
01:04:54for when they do actually plant these plants in the future, which is going to be when it's warm enough.
01:05:00The thing I know about broccoli is it might look small right now, but it's going to get real big.
01:05:05So the spacing on this plant is crucial.
01:05:10We're pretty excited.
01:05:14Yeah, now that we have water, we'll actually be able to have a greenhouse, and it'll really change everything around here.
01:05:21We're going to have plants every 18 inches when we go here, when we go here, when we go here.
01:05:27The rainies have helped my family a lot with the homestead.
01:05:30I'm just very, very grateful that they've been able to come here and help us in all the ways that they have.
01:05:36It changed our lives for the better.
01:05:39It's up to you boys to plant these plants in here, okay?
01:05:43And I know you're going to do it.
01:05:45And so I say we move all these plants inside and then check the coops.
01:05:50All right, let's go.
01:05:54I don't know about you, but these quails seem real happy.
01:05:56Definitely.
01:05:58We've given all the birds the best chance of survival from the cold, from the rain, from the snow.
01:06:03I'm glad we were able to do all your livestock birds justice and give them a really nice space.
01:06:11Seven days ago, the Curry Homestead had nothing but a barren plot of land for a future garden
01:06:18and a decrepit quail coop exposing the animals to deadly weather conditions.
01:06:24Today, their quail coop has been rehabilitated with a brand new roof and upcycled nesting boxes,
01:06:31ensuring their birds will thrive in any weather.
01:06:35And they have a brand new 10 by 12 foot greenhouse built from milled cedar trees,
01:06:42enabling them to grow food for years to come.
01:06:46I'm so thankful that Matt came here and helped us.
01:06:51A lot of stress has been taking off our parents.
01:06:54Congratulations on happy and safe livestock.
01:06:57And hopefully this made your guys' livestock journey from here on a lot easier.
01:07:09This is a family affair right now.
01:07:11Later that day, by the new goat bar...
01:07:14How do we wrangle the buck?
01:07:16Misty enlists the Curry's help to wrangle and separate Freddy the buck from the rest of the does.
01:07:23My idea is to open up our electric fence over there and lead him through with food.
01:07:29Okay, we got the leash, we got the feed, we got the goat experts right here.
01:07:34I'll follow you guys. We're going this way?
01:07:36Yep.
01:07:36Here we go.
01:07:38Do you see him?
01:07:40Right now, we're gathering all the goats.
01:07:42We're moving them in the barn, but they have to be separated so that buck has to move today.
01:07:48Come on, Freddy.
01:07:48Come on, Freddy.
01:07:49And we have to put an end to this breeding program because clearly having kids in the dead of wintertime
01:07:55is not great.
01:07:56Keep coming.
01:07:57Shake your bucket.
01:07:58It's okay if any does follow because they'll be easier to get out.
01:08:01Shake it. Come on.
01:08:03Go. Go. Go.
01:08:05It's okay. It's okay. Just take him.
01:08:07Stop going for the girls.
01:08:08Go now.
01:08:09Freddy's the troublemaker. He's relentless, but this is just a little bit harder than I thought it'd be.
01:08:19Here, give him the feed. Give him the feed. The chaos of the buck stops here.
01:08:30Freddy's gotta go.
01:08:32Come on, buddy.
01:08:34Come on.
01:08:35Good job.
01:08:36Keep going, Bailey. Out in front, bud. Out in front.
01:08:38Good.
01:08:39Yeah.
01:08:40Woo-hoo!
01:08:42You got it.
01:08:43Okay, guys. I've turned the fence on. Don't touch the wire.
01:08:48It's official. The buck is no longer with the does.
01:08:51You guys have a controlled breeding program just with the separation,
01:08:55and that's super exciting. So yay. Good job, everybody.
01:09:02All right. Should we go inside?
01:09:04Yeah.
01:09:04You had a lot of needs when it came to the goats, but I feel like we tackled it all with one structure.
01:09:12Yeah. We'll just be figuring out a space that's dry to put a big old bale of hay, and we'll be set.
01:09:17Yeah.
01:09:18This dream that we had really felt like it was starting to crash and burn, but the Rainies made
01:09:26us realize how miracles happen whenever our family has really come together to work hard and see what
01:09:33this day can give us. Now we've gotten so much accomplished and we've opened up so many possibilities
01:09:42for us to thrive. And I'm just so thankful and excited to see what this next year holds for us.
01:09:47One week ago, the Currys had no way to properly separate the goats, causing excessive breeding and
01:09:56rampant loss of life during cold temperatures. Today, they have a brand new goat barn built from
01:10:03cedar trees milled on the property, individual stalls to separate the buck from the does, electric heaters,
01:10:11and a new milking station, all enclosed within a new electric fence line, allowing the goats to thrive
01:10:18in the winter months. When it comes to buttoning up a few things or dialing this to your needs and how
01:10:25you farm and how you raise livestock, I'm going to leave you to it because I'm pretty impressed with
01:10:30how quickly you learn and you're going to be fine. You got it. Thank you. You're welcome.
01:10:33Look a little different over here? A whole lot different. Unfortunately, we're leaving. And even
01:10:45though this polar vortex did slow the work down, I will say this, we did our best. I think you're right.
01:10:55So right now, if you look down there. No, there's definitely water down there. Okay. So this is a 36
01:11:02inch culvert and this culvert will hold over 50 gallons per foot. So right now, this second,
01:11:12if you need 400 gallons of water, it's right there ready to be pumped. I mean, this is going to be,
01:11:18it's a life changer. Well, on that note, we got to see if this water is actually going to work
01:11:23before I drive out of here. Follow me. Let's do it. Come on, come on.
01:11:27Let's turn it on. I can hear it. Really? Okay. There you go. Oh yeah.
01:11:36Water is life. It is to these homesteaders after hauling it for four years and 5,000 gallons a day
01:11:45should breathe new life into this homestead dream.
01:11:48Seven days ago, the Curries relied on rain and hauling water from town as their permanent sources
01:11:56of water contained within unsanitary, algae-filled storage. Today, they have a developed spring,
01:12:05complete with a culvert well casing and enough water line to run into any structure on the property,
01:12:11giving them and all future family residents enough potable water for years to come.
01:12:19As you can see, you got all the water in the world. For now, that's what you're looking at.
01:12:24Looks pretty good to me. Yeah, looks pretty good. The rain is coming out has really inspired me and
01:12:31made me think about family and homesteading differently. You know, the fear still comes up,
01:12:36but I feel motivated to face those fears. And soon here in the future, we are going to be growing as
01:12:43a family and as homesteaders. Did your wife say the number one issue here was water?
01:12:49No. Do you think we've maybe solved the problem?
01:12:52Mission accomplished. Okay. If that's true, I'll go shut it off and I'll meet you at the truck.
01:12:57Sounds good. We showed up here in Arkansas about a week ago, 35, 40 degrees. Perfect. But that ended.
01:13:06Temperatures of below zero nearly shut this homestead down, but we persevered. And I want to believe
01:13:14that we actually helped these homesteaders when it comes to finding water and to growing food in
01:13:19the future. But I think we failed them when it comes to shelter. It's not a good feeling. All right,
01:13:28fam. I'm standing on Miracle Mountain. And thank goodness, there's water about 600 feet that way.
01:13:38And I think all the water you're ever going to need. Right now, it's warm in the barn. And as far as
01:13:44the goats are concerned, food shelter water's there. And now, after this week, you're set up.
01:13:49I really underestimated Arkansas. It never really fazed you, though. You were just the whole time,
01:13:55right there, ready to work, happy. The week was pretty fun, but intense.
01:14:02It was definitely very fun being able to build with Matt, being able to take care of the quail and
01:14:07build a greenhouse. I'm very excited about it, being able to grow my own food. It was a good week.
01:14:13The weather could have been better, but you have just made it easier for the future. So we really
01:14:18appreciate everything you've done for us. Well, thanks for working alongside of us. But I feel
01:14:26like we let you down a little bit. Weather would not allow us to do the things that we promised.
01:14:32There's a big pile of concrete block there to put in a foundation for a home. Sorry, it's not good
01:14:39enough for me. We are scheduled to go to another homestead. They're waiting on us right now. So
01:14:48we'll see what we can do, but no promises. Here's the cold, hard facts. It's over. We're leaving.
01:14:58Be safe, guys. Could we ever break away from the homestead schedule and get back here and finish
01:15:06what we said we were going to do? Guess what? We're working on Miracle Mountain.
01:15:20We are going to build a concrete block foundation, but how can we do that in one day? I have no idea.
01:15:28That's how. Oh, my gosh.
01:15:36Can't dribble on this ground. Better make it. Hey!
01:15:42While I'm watching Balen play basketball on this muddy ground and shoot hoops at a broken basketball
01:15:49backboard, I'm wondering if there's anything we can do to help that young man.
01:15:54Family! After seeing how important basketball is to this family. We're building the basketball court.
01:16:01Thank you. You're welcome. All right, right here! Let's go!
01:16:05Homesteading isn't just about hard work. We need mud. Shovel, shovel.
01:16:10Every once in a while, you got to do something fun because embracing this lifestyle means nothing if
01:16:18homesteaders limit their dreams. Look at that thing of beauty. Now these boys and their love for
01:16:25basketball can fly on this homestead. Hope your family enjoys that. Thank you.
01:16:41Hello, hello again. So, since the rainies have left, the weather's definitely been a lot better.
01:16:52We've definitely been busy. Overall, it's been really exciting. The well hasn't run out at all.
01:16:58It's just so much water. It's been really nice not having to haul water and plan our lives around that.
01:17:03The barn's been great. It's kept all the babies warm. She's about to have her babies for you. And we had
01:17:13another that had triplets. And then we've also got exciting things with the greenhouse. Everything is
01:17:20perking up in there. So, we have so many plants that Chris built this beautiful herb box so we can
01:17:29transplant some of these herbs and have more room for the veggies. A homestead is the gift that keeps
01:17:37on giving. There's always something for you to do. And not knowing that the rainies are coming back,
01:17:43the anticipation is just killing me. Having a reliable foundation to eventually build a new house
01:17:50still is on my mind. We're hoping for the best. And right now, we have the energy, the confidence to keep going.
01:17:59Is that them?
01:18:22We're back. Welcome back. Long time no see. Yeah. A little bit better weather this time.
01:18:34Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. Last time we were here, it was below zero. Yeah. Good to see you.
01:18:39How's it going? Good to see you. Chris, how are you?
01:18:43Before we left, we lost valuable time to help these homesteaders with proper shelter. Now,
01:18:49we're back here again because we have unfinished business here. Let's just cut right to the chase.
01:18:56That's not enough block for a foundation. And so, we have the rest of the materials at the top of the hill.
01:19:02We only have one day, so we probably should get to work. Yeah. Let's go. Let's do it.
01:19:11I don't know how much in the course of just one day what can get accomplished, but no matter what gets
01:19:17done, it's going to be amazing and improve our lives. So, we're going to get as much done as we can.
01:19:22All right. So, here's what I'm thinking. We are going to build a concrete block foundation,
01:19:29but I want to take it to the next step. What's the next step after you put a foundation in framing?
01:19:37Something on that foundation. Yeah, but I mean, how can we do that in one day? I have no idea.
01:19:42That's how. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. These are friends of ours and now they're friends of yours.
01:20:03Oh my gosh. Thank you doesn't say it. Thank you so much. We just got a house. Just got a new house.
01:20:13It feels like a new beginning for the family. It's so hard to process. After meeting you guys
01:20:22and hearing how you built that home, we reached out to some friends of ours and we said, hey,
01:20:27how would you guys feel about helping us not only give these guys a solid foundation,
01:20:33but taking it to the next step? Thank you for helping us have security now. We have an actual
01:20:40stable home. Well, it's better quality than housing standards. Is this thing going to sit on pallets?
01:20:47Ah, heavens no. When they told us you had a pallet house, I was like, oh dear Jesus,
01:20:52we better get down there quick. Should we figure out where it goes? Get the thing off the trailer? Yeah. Okay.
01:20:59Coming down, coming down.
01:21:06That was amazing. This beautiful family, they're competent, they're hardworking,
01:21:11and they picked up where we left off. I think if there was ever a homesteading family that deserved
01:21:19it, it's these guys. Grab the saw, make sure we got gas and oil.
01:21:29One of the biggest challenges on this property is building the foundation on pallets. And,
01:21:34you know, we've struggled out here, and I was fearful to ask for help. But being vulnerable,
01:21:40it kind of does empty you out. Let's get the house going. With this new house,
01:21:45we can continue to survive, and we're one step closer for our multi-generational homestead. It's
01:21:51right in our grass. We made it! Let's put block on here and shim it.
01:21:58Do you need hope? Yeah. I got it. The house means a lot to us. It's definitely life-changing
01:22:05that we have a good house that's not on pallets. I thought we were just going to be putting down
01:22:11some cinder blocks and building a foundation or something. So it's definitely amazing that I'm
01:22:18ready to get to work. Oh, wow. Guys, it's big. Welcome home. The way we built our original home,
01:22:30there was a deadline of when we would have to have something else. And I really hope after the boys
01:22:35saw this gift today, they never forget to dream big. Now we can continue dreaming and can continue
01:22:44working hard to make this homestead work. We can't thank you guys enough. Well, I think you deserve
01:22:49it, and we love you guys. We love you guys, too. Group hug. Come on. Group hug. Yeah, group hug.
01:22:57These guys believe that things that have happened out here for them have been miracles,
01:23:03and I don't blame them. They didn't have hope for this homestead. You guys are always welcome.
01:23:08All right. Love y'all. Thank you for having us. Thank you so much. Thank you. Our mission was to
01:23:14get this family one step closer to fulfilling this homestead dream. Thanks again. I'd say together,
01:23:22we made this all happen through hard work on Miracle Mountain.
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