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| Stall fronts before - no access from the front |
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| Stall fronts after - DOORS! |
We are a diversified micro farm with a new location just outside of Boise, Idaho. Come learn about us, the Norwegian Fjord horses, the Irish Dexter cattle, Jacob sheep and more about all we do here on the farm ... loving farm life! We believe YOU can farm too - join with us today!
4/30/12
The Rebuilding of a Farm: New Stall Fronts
The farm has been vacant for at least a year, but seems to have been run down for many more than that. Repairs abound! We love it though despite all the little kwirks and needed repairs. The Visiting Barn has some new stall fronts - in the front of the barn. Go figure! In addition to beefing up the structure to make sure it lasts another 30 years (it was missing vital, structural supports), we cut some openings at the front for entrance both front and rear to the stalls with their runs. 2 stalls had front openings and 3 had rear openings. Sorry, I am way to fussy to waist time running front to back to retrieve horses and access stalls.
I have such a great hubby! He made some great stall fronts for us. They're not done yet, they are getting the big cross in the middle for additional support, but he wanted to wait until I picked out the paint colors for the barn and trim before he finished them completely. By the way, we're going with a little richer red and black trim around the doors and posts with the white gutters. I know it will look nice when we get it done ...
4/28/12
The Herb Garden
It started it's life as a big weed patch, but today, we have the start of The Herb Garden.
We added a few scoops from the compost pile. The compost pile we un-earthed while scraping weeds off this "mountain" we found. Underneath, a small gold mine of well rotted, very nice composted manure.
It's not big by any means, but it gives us a small area for kitchen use herbs.
For the moment we have: chives, rosemary, lavender, basil, oregano and Italian parsley. We bought most of these as starts and will be adding more in that we've grown here on the farm soon. We've left room for access to the air conditioner (I can't believe we have an AC) and the propane tank, all neatly tucked into an area about 8' x 10' with tons of room for more.
We added a few scoops from the compost pile. The compost pile we un-earthed while scraping weeds off this "mountain" we found. Underneath, a small gold mine of well rotted, very nice composted manure.
It's not big by any means, but it gives us a small area for kitchen use herbs.
For the moment we have: chives, rosemary, lavender, basil, oregano and Italian parsley. We bought most of these as starts and will be adding more in that we've grown here on the farm soon. We've left room for access to the air conditioner (I can't believe we have an AC) and the propane tank, all neatly tucked into an area about 8' x 10' with tons of room for more.
4/25/12
The Stallion Pen
Not some fancy pen or play place for Scott and the guys to hang out, but an actual stallion pen or "run" for Ole, our beloved Fjord stallion.
Fair Acres Ole will be arriving at his new home here in Idaho after having spent close to a year in Montana with the ladies. And the wonderful people at Wild Hair Ranch. Thanks Michele!
Ole has a 16 x 16 covered run in and a 16 x 64 paddock waiting for him when he's not in the arena, out driving or having a date with one of his favorite ladies. Yes, that is green pasture out behind him. Sheer torture for a Norwegian Fjord.
Fair Acres Ole will be arriving at his new home here in Idaho after having spent close to a year in Montana with the ladies. And the wonderful people at Wild Hair Ranch. Thanks Michele!
Mad Cow Disease - Overcoming
You thought pink slime was bad and now, back in the news, is more bad news for the American public. Watching TV this morning, I hear it may be "unbelievable" that we "still" have Mad Cow disease around and am baffled at how someone could make that comment.
Mad Cow disease comes to cows that have eaten other dead animals, that are ground up and served to them on their buffet line. Unbelievable? No, that is reality. In the commercial meat industry, the cow factories - I really hate to give them any correlation to a real farm, so I call them factories - they are constantly on the lookout for how they can reduce their costs and increase their bottom line. You say, "heck, we all do that". OK, but will you do it at the health and safety of your neighbor? your siblings? your child?
Composted cow manure, and the manure of other animals, is a regular component in the feed of the meat that you eat. So is ground up, dead sheep, which is where Mad Cow comes from. Let me say, I don't remember exactly how he explained it, so I'll do my best. Back in the mid 1990s our butcher came out for our sheep, and explained to us that we had to keep the heads because the brain matter of the sheep is where cows get Mad Cow disease from. He didn't want it their heads going off to the rendering plant and asked us to compost them instead. No problem. (For those who think you can't compost meat, I have a whole other story coming about what you really can add to your compost pile).
I think it took a while for that to sink in. Cows get MC from sheep. Sheep brains. How do cows get sheep brains??? It wasn't until later on down the road, I started doing some research.
Wait! If you think these practices are limited to just your beef, let me stop you right there! It's not. Not even close. Pork and chicken are on that list as well. UGH!
So, if you're like my momma, you ask, "Well, what AM I supposed to eat then?" Two options: go to your grocery store and buy organic. What if they don't have it? Ask for it. Tell them you won't be buying anything less now that you know. Or change stores. Plenty of grocery stores are selling organic options. I can already hear a few of you saying, "Oh my gosh that stuff is CRAZY expensive!" Is it really? That beef was fed with carcasses of dead animals, their own poop that was "composted", corn that makes them bloat and get sick, fed a boat load of antibiotics to keep them from dying while they are in the feed lots and kept in a small space so tight that they can hardly move around. Is that really cheap? Do you seriously think that this will create good beef?
OK, I said two options and here's your second. Go directly to your local-ish farmer and buy a cow. Or a half. Go in with another family member or friend and share a half. In most parts of the country, you will pay $3 or less per pound for premium, grass fed beef. $3 for hamburger? Yes. And $3 for T-bones, filet minion, gorgeous roasts and some other amazing cuts too. Let me add in here that typically, it will not, yes NOT be organic. Who needs to be certified organic if all your feeding is good, old fashioned grass. But wait! You need to be specific in what you are asking and I'll share that with you right here.
1. Do you raise your cows from birth? Not critical, but it's good to know a supply line.
2. What do your cows eat? This is critical. Grass and hay should be the only answers.
3. Do you finish with grain? If yes, how long and what kind? Really, this is a stopping point for me. If the answer is yes, I say thank you and end the call. Typically the feed/grain will be a corn/soy meal mix and it's bad for cows, but will fatten them up quickly & cheaply.
4. What are you fertilizing & controlling weeds with in your fields with? I said before you probably won't get organic, but I feel it's important to know what your cows are eating. Chemical fertilizers are out, composted manure is in. Letting the animals do it themselves (by pooping in the fields) is better.
5. What age are you butchering at? Typically 18-20 months max. The younger, the more tender typically. You'll also pay more for really young, sometimes called "Pastured Veal". But instead of being locked up in those horrible, tiny crates, they are out on pasture and just butchered earlier.
I hope this gives you hope for healthier food. It IS out there!
Mad Cow disease comes to cows that have eaten other dead animals, that are ground up and served to them on their buffet line. Unbelievable? No, that is reality. In the commercial meat industry, the cow factories - I really hate to give them any correlation to a real farm, so I call them factories - they are constantly on the lookout for how they can reduce their costs and increase their bottom line. You say, "heck, we all do that". OK, but will you do it at the health and safety of your neighbor? your siblings? your child?
Composted cow manure, and the manure of other animals, is a regular component in the feed of the meat that you eat. So is ground up, dead sheep, which is where Mad Cow comes from. Let me say, I don't remember exactly how he explained it, so I'll do my best. Back in the mid 1990s our butcher came out for our sheep, and explained to us that we had to keep the heads because the brain matter of the sheep is where cows get Mad Cow disease from. He didn't want it their heads going off to the rendering plant and asked us to compost them instead. No problem. (For those who think you can't compost meat, I have a whole other story coming about what you really can add to your compost pile).
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| One of the hundreds of feed lots we drove past in the mid west |
Wait! If you think these practices are limited to just your beef, let me stop you right there! It's not. Not even close. Pork and chicken are on that list as well. UGH!
So, if you're like my momma, you ask, "Well, what AM I supposed to eat then?" Two options: go to your grocery store and buy organic. What if they don't have it? Ask for it. Tell them you won't be buying anything less now that you know. Or change stores. Plenty of grocery stores are selling organic options. I can already hear a few of you saying, "Oh my gosh that stuff is CRAZY expensive!" Is it really? That beef was fed with carcasses of dead animals, their own poop that was "composted", corn that makes them bloat and get sick, fed a boat load of antibiotics to keep them from dying while they are in the feed lots and kept in a small space so tight that they can hardly move around. Is that really cheap? Do you seriously think that this will create good beef?
OK, I said two options and here's your second. Go directly to your local-ish farmer and buy a cow. Or a half. Go in with another family member or friend and share a half. In most parts of the country, you will pay $3 or less per pound for premium, grass fed beef. $3 for hamburger? Yes. And $3 for T-bones, filet minion, gorgeous roasts and some other amazing cuts too. Let me add in here that typically, it will not, yes NOT be organic. Who needs to be certified organic if all your feeding is good, old fashioned grass. But wait! You need to be specific in what you are asking and I'll share that with you right here.
1. Do you raise your cows from birth? Not critical, but it's good to know a supply line.
2. What do your cows eat? This is critical. Grass and hay should be the only answers.
3. Do you finish with grain? If yes, how long and what kind? Really, this is a stopping point for me. If the answer is yes, I say thank you and end the call. Typically the feed/grain will be a corn/soy meal mix and it's bad for cows, but will fatten them up quickly & cheaply.
4. What are you fertilizing & controlling weeds with in your fields with? I said before you probably won't get organic, but I feel it's important to know what your cows are eating. Chemical fertilizers are out, composted manure is in. Letting the animals do it themselves (by pooping in the fields) is better.
5. What age are you butchering at? Typically 18-20 months max. The younger, the more tender typically. You'll also pay more for really young, sometimes called "Pastured Veal". But instead of being locked up in those horrible, tiny crates, they are out on pasture and just butchered earlier.
I hope this gives you hope for healthier food. It IS out there!
4/23/12
Vertical Gardening
I've been waiting for my Vertical Garden for at least two years now. Right after I saw them in British Columbia on a farm tour, I just knew this would be an amazing addition to our micro farm operation. They had a small farm in which they raised many things, but they had these amazing, vertical gardens - rows and rows of them - for their organic strawberries. [photos and instructions below]
Given the extensive use of pesticides and fungicides on today's strawberries, toxins which end up being consumed by our bodies, organic strawberries are top on my list. Yes, you can buy organic strawberries. They are on many of the "Dirty Dozen" lists (see this one as a great list); produce to always look for organically produced. Locally, they cost about 6 bucks for a quart size container. OUCH! That hurts most people's pocket books, but the alternative is expense on the back end in the form of added health care costs. So, here is my long awaited answer to both organic strawberries as well as a new alternative to gardening in general. Vertical baby. Sky's the limit.
We used:
3 - T-posts (available at your local farm and garden store)
1 - hog/horse panel, cut to 8'
2 - 10' long, 3" round drain pipe (white only - NO black. it's too hot)
2 - 3" end caps
4 - screws, self tapping
Potting soil mix and compost from the farm
Hole saw, drill and 1/4" drill bit
Start by drilling your holes evenly along the top of your pipe with your hole saw. How far apart really depends on what you're going to be growing. For strawberries we are going about 11" apart.
Turn over the pipe and in between the big holes on the top, you are going to drill the smaller 1/4" holes for drainage.
Attach the end cap and with your self tapping screws, one screw on each side.
Take your pipe, with the holes on top, and fill it with whatever mix you decide to plant in.
You'll want to keep tilting up the pipe so the soil mix will all fall down to the end. Keep filling, but do not take your hands and "pack" the soil in. Once you are full to the end, attach the other end cap with the two other screws.
Now it's time to place it. Two people are better on this job.
Place your T-posts 8' apart with the 3rd in the center.
Now you can lift up your pipe and attach it however you wish. You could use zip ties, but we're using up some bailing twine. We've got lots! Ask someone from a farm, if you can have some baling twine. They'll try and make you take 12 pounds of it. :-)
We packed bareroot strawberry plants in each hole and THEN packed some extra soil around each plant. Water very well and watch them grow. And produce.
We've started with just the two pipes for the moment. We'll add 2 more on each side, giving us a total of 6, yes, SIX rows of strawberries in the same space of one row horizontally. Talk about efficient! For those of you who have slugs and bugs eating your strawberries before you get a chance, this will drastically cut down on those guys! And really, it was pretty cheap. We recycled old T-posts, the panel and twine. We bought the pipe, caps soil and plants. That's what I want for my farm. For your garden as well.
What is your most efficient garden tip or technique? I'd love some more projects to add to our list ;)
Given the extensive use of pesticides and fungicides on today's strawberries, toxins which end up being consumed by our bodies, organic strawberries are top on my list. Yes, you can buy organic strawberries. They are on many of the "Dirty Dozen" lists (see this one as a great list); produce to always look for organically produced. Locally, they cost about 6 bucks for a quart size container. OUCH! That hurts most people's pocket books, but the alternative is expense on the back end in the form of added health care costs. So, here is my long awaited answer to both organic strawberries as well as a new alternative to gardening in general. Vertical baby. Sky's the limit.
We used:
3 - T-posts (available at your local farm and garden store)
1 - hog/horse panel, cut to 8'
2 - 10' long, 3" round drain pipe (white only - NO black. it's too hot)
2 - 3" end caps
4 - screws, self tapping
Potting soil mix and compost from the farm
Hole saw, drill and 1/4" drill bit
Start by drilling your holes evenly along the top of your pipe with your hole saw. How far apart really depends on what you're going to be growing. For strawberries we are going about 11" apart.
Turn over the pipe and in between the big holes on the top, you are going to drill the smaller 1/4" holes for drainage.
Attach the end cap and with your self tapping screws, one screw on each side.
Take your pipe, with the holes on top, and fill it with whatever mix you decide to plant in.
You'll want to keep tilting up the pipe so the soil mix will all fall down to the end. Keep filling, but do not take your hands and "pack" the soil in. Once you are full to the end, attach the other end cap with the two other screws.
Now it's time to place it. Two people are better on this job.
Place your T-posts 8' apart with the 3rd in the center.
Now you can lift up your pipe and attach it however you wish. You could use zip ties, but we're using up some bailing twine. We've got lots! Ask someone from a farm, if you can have some baling twine. They'll try and make you take 12 pounds of it. :-)
We packed bareroot strawberry plants in each hole and THEN packed some extra soil around each plant. Water very well and watch them grow. And produce.
We've started with just the two pipes for the moment. We'll add 2 more on each side, giving us a total of 6, yes, SIX rows of strawberries in the same space of one row horizontally. Talk about efficient! For those of you who have slugs and bugs eating your strawberries before you get a chance, this will drastically cut down on those guys! And really, it was pretty cheap. We recycled old T-posts, the panel and twine. We bought the pipe, caps soil and plants. That's what I want for my farm. For your garden as well.
What is your most efficient garden tip or technique? I'd love some more projects to add to our list ;)
4/21/12
Crisis Time: Equine Pemphigus Dermatitis
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| Welts/bumps covering her neck, under belly and some on the legs. |
Another week later with no results from the first vet's diagnosis, we went to the Idaho Equine Hospital for further evaluations. Further evaluation$...blood work, skin biopsies, hair folical exams and a team of specialists working on her ca$e. Can you $ee what's frustrating me? ;) In addition to this, she was also diagnosed with 3 bacterial infections. Yes, THREE.
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| This was where it started, with hair coming off by the handful on her back leg |
I'm not at all convinced that this is a correct diagnosis, so I'm asking for help.
The only things that have changed for her since coming to our farm, is new hay, which she wasn't thrilled with, new grass pastures (to her), she was also de-wormed. Her prior owner said she's never even had a runny nose in her 11 years (she has owned her since a weanling), so this is as much a mystery to her as well.
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| All those black spots are the hair folicals waiting to come off with hair attached |
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| Those aren't shadows, they are the lumps/welts/ whatever you want to call them, all over her neck, shoulder and chest |
She is now getting 250 mg of Prenisolone once a day (noonish) for the dermatisis, and 8,000 mg of Sulfamethoprim twice a day (morning and evening, 16,000 mg total) for the bacterial infections.
She started here about 250-300 pounds overweight. Her weight now looks normal at around 900/925 lbs, but she was about 950, 10 days ago when we went to the vet, so she has been losing weight. We have upped her hay so she always has it in front of her now to keep her from loosing too much weight as can happen with the meds.
Anyone have any thoughts?
4/14/12
Ever Have One of Those Weeks
WOW, has it been a busy week. Started off having to have our brand new mare tested and skin biopsied as her hair is falling out if tufts. We had one of the vets out early last week, but just didn't see any improvement at all. She has been diagnosed with Pemphigus Foliacious - an auto-immune disorder. Lovely. The vet said she has only seen a handful of cases in her 30 some years as a vet. Truly a disappointment and so sad to see her so miserable. We're working on a few paths simultaneously, but for now, she's on daily steroids.
On the positive side, we finally got a desk to fit in our house and start unpacking the office supplies, we built a couple dutch doors for the barn as well as finished supporting the barn in areas where it was really desperate for it. We celebrated 2 birthdays, Good Friday, Easter and some family movie time. We've also found a great little place here on the farm for our herb garden. It looks so nice and is a happy spot on the way to the barns.
We also built 4 of our raised beds this week and look forward to planting seeds this weekend. We also picked up 3 apple trees and 2 plums. Oh, how I can hardly wait for late summer! What is the most exciting part of both the herb garden as well as the garden/orchard, is that it will become a showpiece for teaching others about gardening and how little space really is needed.
It's funny how we hear so often from people about how they don't have room to grow anything. We're here to tell you - and show you - that YES, you can. It doesn't take nearly as much room as you would think. Tired of mowing your yard? Guess what? You can turn all that mowing time into weeding and harvesting time! And then go inside and truly enjoy the benefits of a little bit of work!
Enjoy the sunshine!
On the positive side, we finally got a desk to fit in our house and start unpacking the office supplies, we built a couple dutch doors for the barn as well as finished supporting the barn in areas where it was really desperate for it. We celebrated 2 birthdays, Good Friday, Easter and some family movie time. We've also found a great little place here on the farm for our herb garden. It looks so nice and is a happy spot on the way to the barns.
We also built 4 of our raised beds this week and look forward to planting seeds this weekend. We also picked up 3 apple trees and 2 plums. Oh, how I can hardly wait for late summer! What is the most exciting part of both the herb garden as well as the garden/orchard, is that it will become a showpiece for teaching others about gardening and how little space really is needed.
It's funny how we hear so often from people about how they don't have room to grow anything. We're here to tell you - and show you - that YES, you can. It doesn't take nearly as much room as you would think. Tired of mowing your yard? Guess what? You can turn all that mowing time into weeding and harvesting time! And then go inside and truly enjoy the benefits of a little bit of work!
Enjoy the sunshine!
4/7/12
Garden Design
Joy, oh joy it's really almost here: Gardening Time! This year, it's also garden designing time as well. Every year, about the end of January, I get the gardener's itch to start planning and preparing for the seasons bounty. I dig through the catalogs, which interestingly enough, come at just the right time! This year though, instead of a few, smaller raised beds for our family, we're going to step out a little and go for the College Fund Farm.
Yep, the boys are so excited and have been asking on their own about gardening, that we are going to let them set up one of the long beds for themselves. To sell on their own and save some money for their future...college funds hopefully.
This is the area where we are going to start with our new garden design ... it will have a total of 3 or 4, 4' wide by 40' long, slightly raised beds. It will also be the area that we will put in a few dwarf fruit trees as well as our vertical garden are for the strawberries (and who knows what else).
We've already started by using the tractor to scrape the grass and weeds, but before we put down one shovel full of dirt, we'll also put down some of our leftover newspapers to help kill off everything in the most natural way we can. We found the prior owners manure pile, which has been sitting for at least a couple years, and is perfectly rotted. Yes, there will be weeds, but easy enough to control as they start out.
Is the spring garden bug getting to you yet? How are you preparing for your garden? And remember - a garden can be anything large, but most assuredly, it can also be a few pots on your patio! Don't think you don't have room. Go for it!
Yep, the boys are so excited and have been asking on their own about gardening, that we are going to let them set up one of the long beds for themselves. To sell on their own and save some money for their future...college funds hopefully.
This is the area where we are going to start with our new garden design ... it will have a total of 3 or 4, 4' wide by 40' long, slightly raised beds. It will also be the area that we will put in a few dwarf fruit trees as well as our vertical garden are for the strawberries (and who knows what else).
We've already started by using the tractor to scrape the grass and weeds, but before we put down one shovel full of dirt, we'll also put down some of our leftover newspapers to help kill off everything in the most natural way we can. We found the prior owners manure pile, which has been sitting for at least a couple years, and is perfectly rotted. Yes, there will be weeds, but easy enough to control as they start out.
Is the spring garden bug getting to you yet? How are you preparing for your garden? And remember - a garden can be anything large, but most assuredly, it can also be a few pots on your patio! Don't think you don't have room. Go for it!
4/1/12
Farm Update
It has been a whirlwind of activity around the farm over the last 6 weeks, but it was a particularly busy week this last week. Although the boys were on Spring Break, we managed to just about finish up the house and have started work on the outside buildings.
One of our new neighbors stopped by and we were talking about all the projects we did this week. I had mentioned that we got quite a few things from our list done and she said something about keeping a list of all the projects we complete as we go. What a fun - or completely exhausting - idea!
So, here are some of our accomplishments...
Let me start by saying the house was not liveable when we bought it. Actually, I won't go into the gory details.
Scrubbed down all the walls, cabinets (inside and out) and bathroom
We painted the interior of the house, including ceilings
Carpeted the bedrooms and hallway
Installed a new wood floor in the living room and dining area of the kitchen
Put in new floor trim
Got to install a cool, new mount for one of the TVs to hang from the wall
Installed the new floor in the kitchen and entry
Installed new mini blinds and wood blinds in all the windows
Installed closet organizers/systems in 4 closets
Ran wires for the TV antenna to 2 rooms
Modified some of our old furniture and re-purposed it to new uses
Put in a new refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer
Installed a water purifier under the sink
Removed the leaky kitchen faucet and the sink a facelift
Repaired the water softener - it works now
Unpacked most of the 2 horse trailer and half the 6 horse (that is where we stored our household when we moved out)
Installed new kitchen lighting
Removed some rotten drywall and replaced it
Put in some pretty wainscoting
Closed off and sealed up 4 floor vent openings that were not functional
Installed a bathroom fan - nope there was no ventilation in there
Put an attic fan in and added a vent opening in the opposite end of the house
We put in driveway alarms on both driveways
Had some new wiring done inside the house
Made 2 runs back to Seattle - one to get more of barn supplies
Culled a lot of clothing, kitchen wares and linens that won't fit into our new, smaller home
Outside, we mowed all the pastures. Almost 11 acres.
Bought a new tractor.
Scraped a lot of ground clear for reseeding
Cleaned out 3' tall weeds from the paddocks of the small, 5 stall barn
Repaired 2 water leaks, 3-4' under ground
Had the Breeding Barn completely wired with some new lighting for each stall, the walkway and the upcoming vet area wired with separate lighting and GFI plugs
The garage got a new wiring panel and a plug for a welder
We put in a special RV plug in for the camper to have it's own spot
A motion sensor light was installed by the garage and one of those big, dawn to dusk lights out in the middle of all three barns
Got a new Propane tank installed outside
Wiring to the Big Barn and the arena was repaired - WHOOHOO!
The boys cleaned up most all the feathers all over the arena (for some reason, it had become a killing area for the local wildlife)
Collected a bunch of owl pellets from the Big Barn
Spread 3 yards of sand around the arena and walkway in the Big Barn
Got an extra Fjord mare for our growing herd :)
Scott, Dakota and Chelsea took their Hunter's Safety classes (20+ hours)
We took a lot of pictures, enjoyed some amazing sunshine and had our oldest come for a month long visit. We have started to make some new, local friends - one of which is from our hometown of Bothell - and have been looking for our new church home.
I know there's more, but that's about all I can remember for now. Actually, looking back at this list, I understand why we're tired. I think I will start a list for April ... this re-building is hard enough, but re-building a farm that had been run down for so many years? Well, we knew we were getting a project. We are the right people for this job.
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| Sunset at Willows Edge Farm |
So, here are some of our accomplishments...
Let me start by saying the house was not liveable when we bought it. Actually, I won't go into the gory details.
Scrubbed down all the walls, cabinets (inside and out) and bathroom
We painted the interior of the house, including ceilings
Carpeted the bedrooms and hallway
Installed a new wood floor in the living room and dining area of the kitchen
Put in new floor trim
Got to install a cool, new mount for one of the TVs to hang from the wall
Installed the new floor in the kitchen and entry
Installed new mini blinds and wood blinds in all the windows
Installed closet organizers/systems in 4 closets
Ran wires for the TV antenna to 2 rooms
Modified some of our old furniture and re-purposed it to new uses
Put in a new refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer
Installed a water purifier under the sink
Removed the leaky kitchen faucet and the sink a facelift
Repaired the water softener - it works now
Unpacked most of the 2 horse trailer and half the 6 horse (that is where we stored our household when we moved out)
Installed new kitchen lighting
 |
| Scott fixing some bad drywall |
Put in some pretty wainscoting
Closed off and sealed up 4 floor vent openings that were not functional
Installed a bathroom fan - nope there was no ventilation in there
Put an attic fan in and added a vent opening in the opposite end of the house
We put in driveway alarms on both driveways
Had some new wiring done inside the house
Made 2 runs back to Seattle - one to get more of barn supplies
Culled a lot of clothing, kitchen wares and linens that won't fit into our new, smaller home
 |
| Me & Elsie mowing the pastures |
Bought a new tractor.
Scraped a lot of ground clear for reseeding
Cleaned out 3' tall weeds from the paddocks of the small, 5 stall barn
Repaired 2 water leaks, 3-4' under ground
Had the Breeding Barn completely wired with some new lighting for each stall, the walkway and the upcoming vet area wired with separate lighting and GFI plugs
The garage got a new wiring panel and a plug for a welder
We put in a special RV plug in for the camper to have it's own spot
A motion sensor light was installed by the garage and one of those big, dawn to dusk lights out in the middle of all three barns
Got a new Propane tank installed outside
Wiring to the Big Barn and the arena was repaired - WHOOHOO!
The boys cleaned up most all the feathers all over the arena (for some reason, it had become a killing area for the local wildlife)
Collected a bunch of owl pellets from the Big Barn
Spread 3 yards of sand around the arena and walkway in the Big Barn
Got an extra Fjord mare for our growing herd :)
Scott, Dakota and Chelsea took their Hunter's Safety classes (20+ hours)
We took a lot of pictures, enjoyed some amazing sunshine and had our oldest come for a month long visit. We have started to make some new, local friends - one of which is from our hometown of Bothell - and have been looking for our new church home.
I know there's more, but that's about all I can remember for now. Actually, looking back at this list, I understand why we're tired. I think I will start a list for April ... this re-building is hard enough, but re-building a farm that had been run down for so many years? Well, we knew we were getting a project. We are the right people for this job.
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