Alpaca's!!!

Not sure how else to title this post, I am in LOVE, big love with these neat creatures.

I better learn how to knit.

Meet Foxy, Jewel and Shenai.

Trusses and Doors!

Pictures say it far better than words, lots of progress!

Coming Along!

Despite the rain and slippery conditions, work on the barn is really flying along!  The only hitches we have had so far was a concrete pad that was beneath the grain bin - and right in the way of a footing that needed to be poured - so Chris rented a hydraulic breaker for the skid steer, which promptly blew a hose first thing this morning, holding up production slightly.  The pad was successfully broken which then revealed an old barn foundation....... that will be incorporated, not removed.

So, the trusses, lumber and steel is here for the addition and now the remaining holes for the footings can be dug on Monday.  Inside the barn, the plexi windows are complete, the interior and exterior walls are built and the sliding doors are assembled and ready to install when the hardware arrives and we are hoping that the steel grates for the interior walls come soon as my equine-wannabe-beaver is already having his way with the exposed wood.

As Winston Churchill Said......

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man"

And he is right.

Nothing to Report.

No progress on the barn makes Andrea a very dull girl.

The bunnies sure are cute though.

An Update On Progress.

Well, we knew that we would only have the crew for a day before they returned to another job, but what a lot they accomplished in a day!! New ridge cap and vents on the roof, repaired the rolling door, the flashing around the man door and partitioned the horse stalls.

East Side of Barn - Before

Interior of Stalls - Before

Interior of Stalls - During

Interior of Stall - During

Flashing and Door Repaired

Future Tack Room

Exterior of Tack and Feed Room - Before

Tack Room - Before (Will be Feed Storage and Small Animal Room)

Here We Go Again.

I think change is compulsive, and our barn is not immune.

We have decided to expand our horse boarding to offer indoor stalls. They won't be the traditional 12'x12' box stall, but our our current 16'x24' pens built in, this can allow us to offer a "buddy system" because after all horses are a herd animal and don't usually like to be alone. The stalls themselves will have all of the components of a standard stall, sliding wood doors, metal grate bar systems - but with the luxury of rolling the exterior door open to still allow for easy outdoor access. "The Plan" also includes adding more light by replacing some steel sheeting with clear inserts, new steel flashing where needed, repairing the rolling entrance door, removing the steel silo and last but not least, building Chris a workshop off the West side of the barn. The space in the barn that is currently used for Chris' "man space" will be home to a new tack room and the spot I am currently using for tack, will be the feed storage and small animal "nursery".

Although it is not a huge project, it is a giant leap. It is making the decision to take a chance on something that may or may not pay for itself, and that is always a potential pride killer, but the bottom line is this. We have this little piece of the world, a passion and the chance to do something with it and nothing is without risk.

Quote me on that in a year to see where this new venture goes.

First Babies of 2011

Well, it seems I was correct in my assumption that our female rabbit was due to have babies any day, this morning brought 7 new pinkies to the world :) It is quite cold and mommy rabbits can be quite brutal, so time will tell if they will all survive, but for now they are warm and vigorous.

Happy Friday!

Inspired to Blog Again.

I follow a few blogs and some of them are so moving and well written that sometimes I feel like I am lacking structure or purpose here, thus the poor upkeep of my little cyber spot.

Although today, I literally have very little to say - other than I am feeling quite frustrated with the amount of dog hair in the house, especially since the dogs only go in the laundry room so I have put in a wasteful afternoon online........ however the dishes are done, I am out of laundry detergent, the child is napping and Chris is taking us out to dinner so really, my hands are tied here.