Surviving Minnesota!

[BantyChooks]

Sounds like you had a busy time.

Did you see, (speaking of lumber) Menard's and Home Depot are being sued for 5 million each because their 4x4's are only 3 1/2 x 3 1/2... DUH..

The lawyer suing claims all three men around the same time bought them for "home improvement" projects. Got them home and measured them and found out they were gypped..

All 3 happen to go to the same lawyer at the same law firm to file the suit...amazing isn't it?

(Speaking of frivolous lawsuits)...commentary is free today.

I saw that!!

A more ridiculous thing I have never seen.... Everyone knows that 4x4s aren't actually 4 by 4.

 

[duluthralphie]

I saw that!!

A more ridiculous thing I have never seen.... DUH... Everyone knows that 4x4s aren't actually 4 by 4.

Well, they are until they are planed, otherwise it would say 2x4 rough sawn or some such..The sad part is the lawyer and those guys will get a few hundred thousand to make the suit go away. Menard's and Home Depot will have no say in it, some bean counter in their insurance company office will.

 

[BantyChooks]

Well, they are until they are planed, otherwise it would say 2x4 rough sawn or some such..The sad part is the lawyer and those guys will get a few hundred thousand to make the suit go away. Menard's and Home Depot will have no say in it, some bean counter in their insurance company office will.

Yes, I mean the average ones you pick up in HD aren't actually 4 X 4 or 2 X 4. I was shocked to read that customers didn't know that. What rock have they been living under?

 

[BantyChooks]

BBL.... I need to make some waterer stands out of 1.5 X 3.5s.....

 

[bobbi-j]

Hello! I have some time, so I thought I'd try to catch up a bit today.
Siggie - so sorry to hear of your loss.

Does anyone want to talk to me about outdoor dogs? If you live on a farm, or hobby farm, do you have a working dog? Does it sleep inside or outside? Any good/bad experiences with outdoor dogs to share? We currently have 2 older pet dogs, and will likely get a new one soon. I never thought I would consider having an outdoor only dog, but moving to our mini-farm has me thinking about dogs in a new way. I anticipate having poultry, some goats or sheep, and potentially a small qty of pigs or mini cattle if we can save our barn. I've been reading about LGDs and thinking maybe a great pyrenees mix would be a good option - I was presuming it could sleep in a doghouse if it preferred outside, but would be open to it sleeping inside. I was reading that someone else prefers smaller farm dogs, and they sleep in the barn with the other animals. It's just different to think about having a dog being outdoors in out winters, but then I realized I'll be expecting the other animals to handle it too... I just haven't known anyone with an outdoor dog since I was little, so I figured I should try to gather some location specific input.

Our dog would love to be an outdoor dog. I make him sleep inside if I have to get up in the morning, because he takes his job as guardian of the homestead very seriously. Unfortunately, when he's outside he sleeps right under our bedroom window, so when he hears something, he launches from there, barking and baying. (On Mother's Day weekend he killed two coons in two nights - right under the window. It was open at the time.)We got him as a pup from a shelter. Supposedly Lab and Golden Retriever cross. Nope. By the looks of him, and his personality, we have determined that he's a Red Bone Coonhound cross. He's very territorial and will kill anything that he can catch. So far he has raccoons, muskrat, squirrels, rabbits and a stray tom cat on his kill list. These are what we've either found around the place or witnessed. He's a short-haired dog, though, so he can't be an outside dog in the winter. That is one sticking point DH and I have had. He's a farm boy. "Animals belong outside." I was raised in the Twin Cities area. "Animals are our friends. They're part of the family. What's the point of having a dog if it can't come inside and keep me company?" (We won't discuss the 20-lb. cat that also lives in the house...) As far as having a dog outdoors in the winter, if you have a dog that will grow a coat that'll protect it, and give it a place to be out of the weather, they adapt just fine. Just like our chickens. As it grows colder, they grow more hair to keep warm.

Morning all . I am back home . Project is coming along . They dropped off a mixer and tools Thursday afternoon . Should have started laying blocks yesterday . We left before anyone showed up . Chuck's concrete seem to be very good people and workers . I gave him wiggle room on finishing . He has a couple contractors on him . So no harm as long as it is done by my return on July 15 . Peterson excavating was a pleasure to watch work . They showed up and the excavator removed some trees . One guy was ready with the chainsaw . Excavator would swing the tree to him and he cut off the stump and log to length . Bobcat pushed stumps and tops off into the woods . They pushed topsoil into piles . Bobcat got rid of dirt into low areas as quick as it was dug . Left enough of a pile of dirt to backfill . 8 to 5 and the hole was finished .

Sounds like quite the project!

@bobbi-j Good to see you back, Sorry I forgot this first, How was the bible school and 800 little kids?
It was great! We're headed into our last week with 37 kids going into grades 2-5. This week is usually a piece of cake as far as cooking, behavior, and everything else.

@Nikasha I want the meek mild want to serve dog, not the bull headed leader that wants to do it his way.. 9 years I have lived with this mistake!

This is our dog, too. His given name is Ruger, but we call him Booger.

Ralphie did you ever figure out what killed your one PC Cockerel? These last two kills have been just like your PCs murder scene... It happened when the birds were off the roosts but before we were out to open up the coop. The Guineas are now locked up permanently...

I hope you can catch whatever's doing it!

Sounds like you had a busy time.

Did you see, (speaking of lumber) Menard's and Home Depot are being sued for 5 million each because their 4x4's are only 3 1/2 x 3 1/2... DUH..

The lawyer suing claims all three men around the same time bought them for "home improvement" projects. Got them home and measured them and found out they were gypped..

All 3 happen to go to the same lawyer at the same law firm to file the suit...amazing isn't it?

(Speaking of frivolous lawsuits)...commentary is free today.

DH figures the lawyer and his three buddies were sitting in the bar one night trying to figure out a way to make a few easy bucks... I think any self-respecting judge would toss them out on their backsides, and tell them not to waste his or any other judge's time with this again.

Well, they are until they are planed, otherwise it would say 2x4 rough sawn or some such..The sad part is the lawyer and those guys will get a few hundred thousand to make the suit go away. Menard's and Home Depot will have no say in it, some bean counter in their insurance company office will.

And that's the worst part, right there.

 

[Nikasha]

Thanks, everyone for your perspective on dogs. There is a local rescue that has a batch of pyr puppies - but part of their adoption contract is that all their dogs are indoor dogs only and are never to be left unattended outdoors. Needless to say, we won't be getting any dog through them, as we already leave our coonhound/husky cross outdoors for a couple hours at a time in the summer, since we currently have a fenced yard. It just seems unfortunate for those dogs to be sent to homes with the expectation that an indoor only life will be their best option.

Jerry, I've seen your project mentioned several times, but no details, since I only joined the site recently. Are you building a home?

We had a birthday party today for my sons - now 5 & 2. Had some friends stay all day, and now we're all tired out and tucking in early.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Nikasha I think if you have large enough property and enough critters to protect, and time to spare grooming and bathing then Pyrenees LGD would be worth a shot...? I've heard of these stipulations that rescues have. How boring for animals to stay inside. Who was it that wanted to adopt two cats from the pound and have them as barn cats? A cat dream job! And a do-gooder group with too many weird rules says no to that good life?! Em no...

 

[jerryse]

This seemed appropiate for me . Yes the project is a cabin / house . Summer retreat . My part of our parents lake property .

 

[Siggie]

Thank you all for you kind words about my father in law.

....it has been raining non stop since early this morning...and the power was out for about 4 hours. Grandpa and I decided to camp out in the house...we made some blanket tents, hooked up the camp stove and we cooked pancakes and coffee and had a great time! (we have an electric stove - YUK!!!) the grandkids loved it...but now what, I am running out of inside fun???? The power finally came back on (obviously because my internet is working ha ha) but still cold and wet outside.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Yes, I mean the average ones you pick up in HD aren't actually 4 X 4 or 2 X 4. I was shocked to read that customers didn't know that. What rock have they been living under?

Oh Banty. LOL.

I don't think it was a rock but perhaps when I've heard 2 x 4 sold as such I was willing to invest in an accurate description of said product so much so I drew up my own chicken coop plans and made it to order for 2 inch by 4 inch boards. HOW DISAPPOINTING to realize that this was not the case!!!!





So then I just measured everything as I went and looked at the plans as a general reference only on what I was going to do. Any measurements taken from the plan were worthless after hours of drawing, erasing, drawing again.

I remember walking in to the house after some measuring and remeasuring and figuring out what the problem was and indignantly telling my husband about my discovery.

Liars.