The Front Porch Swing

[pysankigirl]

We have one end of the barn that has been trouble for us, we keep using it for space and guess what, when it rains it pours. Well one of our stalls is getting a concrete floor and will be used to brood in. The other will need about 150 feet of gutter replaced.

can you build a raised floor in there for them?

 

[pysankigirl]

I am banging my head against the wall for not getting a dutch door for out front door.
Here is a cool place to order them in case anyone out there is building a house:

http://www.vintagedoors.com/dutch.html

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

yep, raising the floor and pouring concrete and adding drainage. Or at least fixing the drainage that was there once upon a time.

 

[babymakes6]

Hope you don't get sick Laura. Try not to stress too much.

TNBear-hope you get the floor problems fixed and don't lose any more birds.

We are busy here-gardening, housework, chores, children, doctor appointments, and going to PA in two weeks for a week.

I have a HUGE garden, so I am trying my best to keep it as clean as possible before we go so I don't come back to a weedy mess!

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Gardening is for sure a never ending project. We could weed the garden every other day and still not get it all done.

 

[mzstre]

Laura - I feel for you. It's always stressful to me to host a gathering because I have always have pages of preparations to complete. It's exhausting! Take care of yourself so you don't get sick!

Heather - do you have anyone who would do some minor weeding while you're gone? It's such a chore when it gets away from you.

I didn't even plant a garden this year. I garden in large raised beds because they are so much easier to tend, but some of the boards on the beds need to be replaced. I made my hubby build them out of untreated wood because I didn't want the chemicals leaching into my soil, but untreated wood doesn't last long in the humid Louisiana climate. DH doesn't want to have to rebuild them again in a couple of years and wants to use treated lumber this time. Surely there's a better option, right?

 

[babymakes6]

Actually, I have the weeding almost completely finished, and the planting is all done finally. I am cheating and putting Preen down, because otherwise it WILL get away from me!

Preen doesn't take care of everything, but it definitely helps a lot.

Just acquired another cat and 7 more kittens tonight!

A deaf lady stopped and asked if we knew anyone who would take them because her neighbors children were brats and already killed one kitten. They were just born last Saturday. She had a tablet she wrote everything on because I don't know sign language at all. She was thrilled when I told her we would take them and gave me a hug and told me she had been praying for someone to take them. She was sad to part with "Darla" the mother cat and I told her she could come get her when the kittens are older. She is a little shy, but a sweet cat. She is a black calico. The kittens are all colors! One is black/white, two are pure white, two are torties like the mother, and the other two look almost Siamese! I want to keep those two for sure! They are adorable!

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Laura - I feel for you. It's always stressful to me to host a gathering because I have always have pages of preparations to complete. It's exhausting! Take care of yourself so you don't get sick!

Heather - do you have anyone who would do some minor weeding while you're gone? It's such a chore when it gets away from you.

I didn't even plant a garden this year. I garden in large raised beds because they are so much easier to tend, but some of the boards on the beds need to be replaced. I made my hubby build them out of untreated wood because I didn't want the chemicals leaching into my soil, but untreated wood doesn't last long in the humid Louisiana climate. DH doesn't want to have to rebuild them again in a couple of years and wants to use treated lumber this time. Surely there's a better option, right?

Hubby built my raised bed of concrete block. The planting area is four feet across, and it's twenty feet long. The best part is that it is high enough that I can sit on it. Or I can plant things in the holes of the blocks, like herbs, and still leave seating spaces. I love that bed. Even though he built it for me as a handicap accessible bed, we've found that putting low growers in it reduces bending for him, too.

 

[NotAFarm]

HOF, On the concrete block bed, did he dry stack them or use mortar to hold them together? Are there braces done the length to keep it from "splitting" in the middle? I'd like to use some concrete blocks that I have sitting around but didn't know if putting soil into the center would cause it to fall.

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

HOF, On the concrete block bed, did he dry stack them or use mortar to hold them together?  Are there braces done the length to keep it from "splitting" in the middle?  I'd like to use some concrete blocks that I have sitting around but didn't know if putting soil into the center would cause it to fall.

They are mortared together. No bracing. It's been up....hmmmmm......eight years? Nine? We bought this place ten years ago, and I think it went in the following summer. We had a load of soil delivered, and there were no fences up yet so they could dump right in it. Then we added manure and worked it in.