Building New Coop/Barn...Phase 5 Great Barn Build, OCCUPIED! 3/6/16

[speckledhen]

A light at the end of the tunnel - life is good

Yup!

 

[speckledhen]

Only a bit more clean up of the area and things will be where I want them, other than seeding the ground under the former building. The birds get in it and dustbathe now, making craters, when they're out of the barn pen. And one iris has bloomed, actually two blooms together.
There are lots of tiny peaches on the tree, more than ever since we moved it out toward the pasture and it has more sun. Most of the garden is in.

 

[1muttsfan]

Oh that garden looks so tempting! So far only the fall Garlic is up in mine, even the Rhubarb has not shown up yet. this weekend I'm planting lettuce, and possibly seeding in some of the flower seeds such as poppys.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh that garden looks so tempting! So far only the fall Garlic is up in mine, even the Rhubarb has not shown up yet. this weekend I'm planting lettuce, and possibly seeding in some of the flower seeds such as poppys.

Our rhubarb is up big-time, but it's in another location. I did see some garlic up that I planted two years ago. Have to dig it and see what size head is on it. I did throw out a TON of seeds I got at Dad's, no idea what they are except for a couple types. A bunch went into the pasture, just threw them out. They may come up, may not, but they are mostly annual flower seeds, I believe. Have more seeds we're starting up on the deck, but we are not doing cukes this year since I have about 30 jars of pickles left still from last year.

DH loves brussels sprouts so we have quite a few of those, plus cauliflower and tons of beans, some tomatoes, but not too many.

 

[speckledhen]

Hope y'all are good today! It poured rain yesterday after we got back from our big grocery trip (payday) and, of course, DH's back was acting up so we didn't get a start on the last part of the barn aisle floor. Hopefully, today, we will. Rain is only a 50/50 chance for this afternoon. I'd love for that to be done, done, DONE! The back storage corner may get a small work surface and a shelf or two as well as a floor.

If you're wondering, the barn company never contacted us, guess we got lost somewhere down their list, however, we also have not had any other leaks from the roof so we haven't pursued it. Not sure why that is. Maybe the seals settled in better at the base of the screws with the heat? I have no idea. I have the can of Flex Seal at the ready, though.

I need to get a little more concrete mix to raise a couple low areas in the gutter that don't flow as well as they should, but we have a start-and-stop life with DH's back and knee issues becoming worse so we'll eventually get to it, I guess. Have to finish getting in the garden, though that is mostly done now. And the pasture is almost ready for the first cutting, I think. Even just riding the mower around hurts husband's back but at least it's just riding-can't get any easier unless you pay someone else to do it for you. There is not one person to help. Two sons are not here, one in S. Korea, the other 2 1/2 hrs south and a restaurant general manager (you know those hours), friends who would help live so far away, it's not possible, but we're pretty independent folks and we'll get things done, just may not be done johnny-on-the-spot.

 

[1muttsfan]

I would guess the same thing about the roof - probably it was cold enough when first roofed that the seals did not set. Hopefully that will be the last of the leaking. Don't fret about what is not done yet - it will be there tomorrow, no need to kill poor Tom

The hens and I weeded the garden yesterday, had to chase them out of the now-sprouting Rhubarb several times. Today is big dirt moving with the tractor and bucket, they will have to stay in for that as I do not trust them around the tires. Once I plant the lettuce they will have to stay in until the fence is up around that garden.

 

[Peanutsmomma]

As soon as we get our behinds up there permanently you can count on my help sweet friend.

 

[speckledhen]

I would guess the same thing about the roof - probably it was cold enough when first roofed that the seals did not set. Hopefully that will be the last of the leaking. Don't fret about what is not done yet - it will be there tomorrow, no need to kill poor Tom

The hens and I weeded the garden yesterday, had to chase them out of the now-sprouting Rhubarb several times. Today is big dirt moving with the tractor and bucket, they will have to stay in for that as I do not trust them around the tires. Once I plant the lettuce they will have to stay in until the fence is up around that garden.

I'm trying not to kill him, but he's his own worst enemy. He tries to make things sooooo exact, that he gives himself no wiggle room to shove something into place. Things have to be remade all the time. Same today with a small floor section in front of the bantam coop that had a jog on one side and had to go behind the roll up door frame-tweak, tweak and tweak some more. But, it's in now and the storage corner floor is framed as well. If they'd only listen to wife sometimes....

As soon as we get our behinds up there permanently you can count on my help sweet friend.

You are so sweet. I don't mean to sound pathetic, it's just that I see people whose grown kids come help get things done and I can't count on mine. I don't see it changing, either. We have always been on our own, no one volunteered to do anything to help lighten the load and I guess we'll just keep doing what we can until we go belly up. I honestly think if we both died, no one would check on us for weeks and weeks. Heck, with the kids, make that months and months. My birds would eat each other or just die of starvation and thirst or, if the barn was open, be killed by predators, Finn would have to go wandering to find another family (but he'd be better off than the chickens). I know that sounds morbid, but I do consider it a possibility.

If someone wants a cheap tiny house on acreage, one came available down the street from me. My neighbor, about my age, died unexpectedly, a single lady. Her mother lives across my driveway from me and I didn't even know she was gone until I ran into her mother at HD two months later. Anyway, this is the listing, only $59K for almost 4 acres and the tiny cabin. Donna did everything in it herself. I was shocked to hear she actually passed away, though I knew her health was not good.

Restrictions: no mobile homes and no pigs. That's it. You can have any other livestock you want.
http://www.cbhighcountry.com/real-estate/mineral-bluff-ga/residential/mountain-property/257192

 

[1muttsfan]

I'm pretty sure that if you didn't post on here for more than a few days one of us would raise the roof

I was just grumping to myself out on the tractor. My very good friend keeps 2 of her horses here (with my pony). While I was gone a dead tree fell on the fence line. She did tell me that she and her husband took the chainsaw out and cut it off. What they did not do was more than just cut on either side of the fence, leaving the rest of the tree uncut, unstacked and laying in the front field. Which means that now I, all alone, will have to take care of it

. I did expect, that since they basically use my property, my water and my electricity for no charge, that they could at least help some with the maintenance.

All my pens, coops, fences, and gardens have been hand-built by me, with minimal help. Honestly I am about done doing anything new when it comes to the chickens, I am just going to limit myself to the number that will fit in what I have now. I am doing a few new flower beds though

 

[speckledhen]

I'm pretty sure that if you didn't post on here for more than a few days one of us would raise the roof

I was just grumping to myself out on the tractor. My very good friend keeps 2 of her horses here (with my pony). While I was gone a dead tree fell on the fence line. She did tell me that she and her husband took the chainsaw out and cut it off. What they did not do was more than just cut on either side of the fence, leaving the rest of the tree uncut, unstacked and laying in the front field. Which means that now I, all alone, will have to take care of it

. I did expect, that since they basically use my property, my water and my electricity for no charge, that they could at least help some with the maintenance.

All my pens, coops, fences, and gardens have been hand-built by me, with minimal help. Honestly I am about done doing anything new when it comes to the chickens, I am just going to limit myself to the number that will fit in what I have now. I am doing a few new flower beds though

That last part I bolded is exactly the way I feel. I have a great barn with six pens, a wall separation cage and a spot for the dog kennel. I see no need to add anything more. There is the small former bantam coop with attached covered pen for a broody with chicks, of course, and that will remain a coop for whatever use we need, OTHER THAN a permanent resident.

We were just out planting some bean starts in spots where others didn't thrive. This is most assuredly The Year of the Bean here. No cukes or corn this year. Tom's friend is a commercial farmer so we can get all the corn we want to eat, though we may eventually have a spot to plant more of it. I don't eat a lot of corn, really, only on occasion. We still have frozen ears from last season which may be freezer burned by now.


As far as not hearing from me, I could count on Ladyhawk most of the time, but she has her own serious issues at the moment and I don't hear from her daily like I used to. That may change soon, but I never count on anything forever.