Winter 2012 October - Saturday Update

It might be done, it might not. I will update if it changes.
Updates for every day this week.
Nothing dramatic to see here. Just melting snow.

3pm Monday

Just getting started.

8am Tuesday

Just blowing snow now.

3pm Tuesday

Sun has heated up the rock in the far yard 

and the guys have been running around feeding the cattle.

Wednesday 630pm

We have a driveway! 

Thursday 6pm

Things are melting, but still snow hanging off the unheated porch roof.

We don't have any gutter on the front, so at least we don't need to worry about it tearing off because the snow slides off so much better with the metal roof.

The back of the house and east side do have gutter. 

Might have to keep an eye on them.

Friday 530pm

And the snow is almost gone. 

The outside animals are doing well.

Poochy likes to lie in the snow. There is a dry spot to the side, but she is happy.

Slinky enjoys sitting up on the wood watching the dogs and looking for dinner.

This never happened before the metal roof.

Snow is sliding.

I guess that is what the "snow hook" things are good for.

Another new problem - put in a sidewalk, somebody has to shovel it.

3pm Monday

Not much to show for the storm.

8 am Tuesday

Overnight accumulation.

3 pm Tuesday

Sun has been out a little bit.

Wednesday 630pm

Snow is off the trees now.

Thursday 6pm

The ground is almost clear.

Friday 530pm

And we are clear.

The deck doesn't get much sun and will take a while.

That is all the updates. 

Waiting for the next storm.

Snowed Goats

The girls don't really like snow.

The big girls and Tyson have their building to sleep in, under and around,

but they do wander in the snow sometimes.

The little girls have a smaller yard, but a more open space to eat and sleep in.

They can get in the dog house or pile up next to the wall.

The big girls are still using the barrels for their dinner.

I had to dig them out of a snow bank today. 

The goats didn't care, just feed us.

200,000 Ford

Thursday, 25 October, 2012, 430 PM.

2001 Ford Sport Trac 

Most of those miles had this for a view.

His and hers.

Driving Home to a Storm

We went to Mom's in Georgia for the weekend.

Shorts and t-shirts all three days. Very nice!

This morning because of the impending storm we left for WV at 6 am.

Driving these interstates on Monday morning is not nearly as bad as some other days!

Well, except when you find a rush hour at 745, that is a little busy for us.

This is looking east from I-485 near Charlotte, NC at about 920 am.

Nice sunny day. Bit chilly.

This is looking north on I-77 at about 1015

Still a nice day where we are, but not up there.

This at about 1145 am near the southern I-77 tunnel. 

There is snow on that ridge!

This is about the point in the trip where our travel buddy gets bored.

Are we there yet?

Through the tunnel is looking foggy.

Not looking good.

At 1206 pm we headed through the East River Mountain tunnel.

Snow is all the way down the hillside.

On the other side of that tunnel we found home even more covered.

And a sand/cinder/plow truck! 

We also saw many utility company trucks staged at hotels through Wytheville.

When we got up on our ridge at about 1230 we found some chilly cows.

We got to the house and found out the power is still on. 

The garage door opened, Yay! 

We did pick up something on the way home. 

You know, for just in case, a generator is a good thing to have.

It is good to be prepared.

Honestly, I hope to never use it.

We can always use a generator around the farm.

The goats came out to greet us too, but didn't pose for any pictures.

They yelled at me, chased me, ate their dinner, and went back inside.

We didn't spend much time out there either.

Monster in the Goat Yard

Tyson came home this week.

Remember this cute boy from last year?

Tyson in late September 2011.

So cute and friendly.

He grew up.

Still friendly, but oh does he STINK!

But he is happy.

He came over to tell me thanks for bringing him home.

Then he ran off again.

He was talking and fussing at the girls.

Trying to figure out which of them wants to be his friend first.

His horns have really turned out nice.

Need to keep an eye on them though.

The way they are curling around they will catch the back of my leg.

Already learned that from Sunny.

That is her in the background.

Sunny and Flower have sort of been ruling the goat yard.

Today they had a sort of confused look.

Tyson is home.

Did I mention he smells?

We had it good last year. 

Made friends with him before I can't stand to be around him.

I am done wearing clean clothes near him.

Yes, that bad.

Last fall, though he was a couple months younger, he was about the same size as the yearlings.

This year everyone is bigger, but Tyson grew the most.

That is the goat update.

There are three more girls in the yard behind the goat shed.

Two are are the new babies and one is getting over an illness.

2012 Taters, at least that many

The potato haul for this year is pretty good.

Good size and numbers.

Tomatoes on the other hand won't ripen.

I know they were planted late, but come on!

We just might have to eat them all green!

Home Improvements Part 2

When I went to work this morning we had a shingle roof that really needed replacing.

When I got home tonight we had a new metal roof!

Molly seems to be pretty happy with it.

This has been a very productive month!

FabHub gets to stay another year.

He is awesome!

Sunday Drive and the Spa Dog

This weekend we needed a reason to get away from the farm and all our projects.

So Sunday we did a little driving around on a road we had never taken to see where it went.

That is one of our favorite pastimes.

Even if we get sort of "lost" it is fun to be on a road we haven't been on before.

Usually we take TomTom, but this time we went into the wild with no map.

We found places called Odd, Josephine, Coal City, Rhodell, Amigo, Corrine, and Black Eagle.

Somewhere out there we saw this wall.

Knick-Knack Wall

I made FabHub turn around so I could get a picture.

Then we found the Wyoming county border and knew where we were again.

So we went to Mullens, Alpoca, Bud, and Herndon Heights, 

which is where we went past a very familiar house.

Grandma Rotenberry's old log cabin

FabHub's grandparents moved into this house back in the 1950's. They had huge gardens, worked the fields with horses, milked cows, the whole works. Water came into the house with a pump from a cistern for a long time and then a well was hooked up. 

When I first went to Grandma's house (1992) there was no hot water in the kitchen. Only the shower and laundry had a water heater connected. Then the county ran a water line through in about 1993 or so. That got her off the well and her boys got the the hot water line fixed to the kitchen. 

The house was heated with coal and wood stoves until about 1994, which is when propane wall heaters were installed. The heaters were easier to use than the stoves, but there were so many holes in that house her annual propane bill was about $3000. 

Anyway, I bring all that up because we were honestly shocked to see that someone is living in that house.

That house had issues. Serious issues.

They put a metal roof on, but we will have to wonder about how the rest of the problems got solved.

Or if they did. The good news is, that house isn't on our project list anymore.

So, we drove down Jug Holler where it is so steep that FabHub and his Mom slide backwards one frozen winter day, only to be saved by the bumper finding a tree.

Then we headed home and appreciated everything we have even more.

In other news.

On Monday evening when we went to feed the goats Mom's dog Molly decided to have a spa.

She jumped out when we called her.

And I guess it is our fault for leaving the water out there for her.

But she really shouldn't do that right before we go in the house. 

She doesn't like being tied out while she dries off.

Not so smiley now is she?

She has been a good dog - since we fixed all the fence holes that she found for us.

She even showed us several times that the pipe under the driveway

is clear enough for her to travel from one field to another.

Now she makes her rounds to all the corners of the yard to make sure no new holes have appeared.

Then she hangs out in the front with the rest of the dogs.

Just waiting for cookies or a chance to go in the house.

Home Improvements 2012

I got home from work last week Monday and found FabHub working on a project.

We moved into the house in 1996.

Projects never end, but this one is long in coming and I love it!

Monday Evening

He kept working after dinner to get to this point.

That pipe? 

That is the drain line left behind from when we lived in the mobile home while building the house. 

Tuesday Morning

The pipe was cut off and capped.

And my weird block and a half steps are gone too.

The dirt from the trench is going behind the retaining wall.

Relocated dirt

Filling in the rest of it is another project.

When I got home Tuesday the trench was finished and my steps are gone.

Good thing there are a second set in the backyard.

Now it is time to fill the trench back in.

Tuesday Evening

First is the weed block fabric, which is probably not doing much since the ground is so solid.

It may be keeping the gravel from sinking into the dirt though.

The next morning was foggy, but things are starting to look good.

Wednesday Morning

You know each project comes with a new tool, right?

That tamping plate was it for this one.

I got off kind of cheap this time.

Wednesday Evening

That night I got home and found a lot of work done, but he needed a dozen more pavers.

When we got back he had decided it was all wrong and needed to be reworked.

Honestly, it was a little wobbly in areas.

Site supervisor Jake

Jake was disappointed that the project was extended.

Laying pavestones does not include much Gator riding.

Thursday Evening

But due to all that experience from the first attempt, the second - or was it fourth? time,

everything went down beautifully. You can't see it above because it is covered in sand.

Friday Morning

Much easier to see in the morning after having been watered and swept a few times.

Friday Evening

And then Friday evening we had steps again.

Monday Evening

And finally on Monday we have a hand rail and the dirt piles are gone.

Now for the step on the close end we need a bit of concrete.

There is also some landscaping that needs to be done.

The dirt on the right side is higher than I can mow over, but we are having a picnic in a couple weeks and don't want that to be all mud/dirt for that day so fixing that will wait.

Check back in a few days I should have the step and maybe even another project done.

Reece's Birth Announcement

Back in 2009 my sister and her husband had a baby boy.

I made birth announcement for Garrett and have shown it here several times now.

Then in 2011 they had another boy!

So I made a birth announcement for Reece.

Luckily, my mom still had some of the denim she used to sew the cover for the first one. She happened to also have some fabric that matched the colors perfectly so that made a nice border. She had used the fabric to make a blanket for Reece too. I just noticed the same colors are in Garrett's album.

So everything matches. I like that.

I don't know if she has anymore fabric.

I also don't know if they are done with having kids.

I do know I can make another one.

Just in case.

That was why I started the first one.

Maybe I should start a girly version.