The Old Folks Home

[dsqard]

Thanks @ronott1. We will be careful handling it...one of the reasons I went yesterday and got a Tetanus booster. We are just waiting for the weather to warm a bit before heading out. It's only getting to 35 here today. We had high winds all night and woke up to the trees being stripped bare of leaves. Quite a shocker to see things change that fast.

@dsqard, that picture is great! I am sure they will love it. I'm certain you put a lot of love into every inch of it. I'm hoping to do a portrait of a friend's French Bull Dog. They have 4 or 5 of the little tyrants and one is the husband's particular favorite. I know how much time and effort goes into something like that.

Thank you Microchick! This took a few hours and I got some tips from a painting group I follow. Really nice and helpful. Would love to see your work once you paint it.

 

[microchick]

Thank you Microchick! This took a few hours and I got some tips from a painting group I follow. Really nice and helpful. Would love to see your work once you paint it.

The Frenchie portrait that I'm hoping to do will be pencil and possibly charcoal. I've done inks also but haven't picked up a paint brush other than to change the color of the living room for about 25 years so I'm rusty. I used to do a lot of watercolors and acrylic painting. DH bought me a new set of water color tubes, brushes, charcoals trying to poke me with a stick and get me back to doing my art passion again. But life keeps getting in the way.

So is this painting group a forum or a Facebook group? If it's a forum I'd love to take a look at it....nope, don't do Facebook.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Facebook has gone like the others I have well over 120 cousins spread in Wisconsin really no idea of who many are also their is a branch of partial siblings who have many times tried to get me or my brother to send money We shared a sperm bank named Kevin Britton

 

[CapricornFarm]

Today the barbed wire goes away. The problem with it, well there are a lot of problems. 1)we did not put it up. We are trying to eliminate it. 2) there is too much of it to rewind it and besides, have you ever tried to wind used, rusty barbed wire? It has a tendency to return to it's coiled state even when cut into manageable lengths and when it does it doesn't really care who it tangles around. 3) nobody wants it. It's rusted, patched and totally nasty stuff. IMHO, all barbed wire is totally nasty stuff and and I don't understand why the previous owner used it instead of regular field fencing. I mean seriously, we must have taken down miles of the stuff in the past 10 years. Some of it is breaking on it's own from rust.

4) It's dangerous. Yeah, seriously dangerous. I've cut my shoulders and back on it as has DH and we want it gone. I'm not a kid anymore and as a result, I cannot climb through the stuff like I used to. Better it be gone than up posing a danger to our dogs or ourselves.

5)We have no way to get this much barbed wire to the recycler north of Kirksville, 30 miles away from us. We do not own a trailer or pickup truck and our van would be ruined if we stuffed it into the cargo area.

As to where we are putting it. I seriously doubt if anybody is going to be endangered by it by dumping it in a ravine with steep angled sides that is 25 feet deep. We don't climb down in those ravines, it's too dangerous and if anybody does climb down any of our ravines, they are trespassing and that is another bag o worms all together.

But the barbed wire, thrown into this deep ravine with deadfall logs dumped on top of it, will help control erosion on our property. The torrents of water that cascade down these ridges during heavy rains has to be seen to be believed. Think rapids in a canyon and you have a close picture. deadfall that is washed into the ravine will catch on the logs we put in along with the barbed wire and create a natural cofferdam.

Nobody will encounter it down the line as it will be rusted and non existant unlike the plastic and glass bottles previous owners have thrown into the ravines as a way to get rid of their trash. We pay 85 dollars a month to have our trash hauled away but the garbage man does not want to deal with a dumpster full of tangled barbed wire and he is too nice of a guy to expect him to. Nor are we out to endanger future generations. We wouldn't think of putting this wire in an area where kids or livestock would encounter it unlike some people who just put it in a pile out in their timber and let nature take care of it.

Sorry for the rant. I guess I accidentally created the false image that we are irresponsible land owners. We aren't. If anybody has a better idea of how to dispose of it and wants to come get it, they are welcomed to it but mailing it is out of the question. I don't think anybody makes a box big enough to hold all of it.

Are you guys up to date on tetanus vaccine? Never mind, I was reading backwards.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have been working on extending the shelf under the workbench. Of course, first I had to put in the insulation and put plywood over it. I got the back wall done, next comes the side wall. Then I can add the shelf. I have about half the shop insulated. Always doing some other project.
My hubby put the new gate up.

The gate is right behind the chicken.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have leaves galore here now also BF took most to the chickens small yards
broke two new pumpkins for them they liked that I actually have 3 eggs from my main coop so far

 

[CapricornFarm]

Hubby cut down a bunch of trees in the second garden area.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Nice work opened up allot should have nice garden there

 

[bruceha2000]

Parents not too happy about pants until I asked for help to deal with flesh wound

I guess they go with the "No blood, no foul" rule. And you clearly had a foul!

IMHO, all barbed wire is totally nasty stuff and and I don't understand why the previous owner used it instead of regular field fencing.

Because it is WAY cheaper and easier to put up than field fence.

Nobody will encounter it down the line as it will be rusted and non existant unlike the plastic and glass bottles previous owners have thrown into the ravines as a way to get rid of their trash.

I still disagree with the idea that it will be rusted and non existent. From what I know of this place no one would have put up the stuff I am finding since the early 1950's. It is brittle but it is clearly still there. Some of it is several inches into relatively slow growing trees.

HOWEVER, given the depth and steepness of the ravine you are dropping it in and the deadfall on top of that, I agree that it is highly unlikely to ever be a danger to others.

We pay 85 dollars a month to have our trash hauled away

Whoa, that is pretty expensive. The town we live in now has it is in the taxes, voted on a couple of years ago, approved by 66% of the people who voted. Runs about $28/month for our house (*). It is cheaper than if everyone contracted with whatever hauler they wanted since the company does every house in the town rather than having to hopscotch through based on which people chose them. IF the town belonged to a solid waste district (like EVERY other town in the state), I could drop off my trash and recycles every 3 or 4 weeks for about $5.

* based on grand list value of course so we get to subsidize the people who generate a lot of trash and recycles. We went with the 32 gallon can size, most got the default 96 gallons. How the h-e-double hockey sticks can people generate that much every week??!!

 

[bruceha2000]

Exit 8, and back atcha.

I waved! I thought maybe you'd be standing by the side of the road to wave back but I didn't see you. I understand the trip back since it was dark and snowing, but it wasn't at 11 AM on my way down