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.

2012 Garden

 Last year I had some really big sunflowers in the garden.

I left most of them with the seed heads for the birds.

The stalks survived the winter and even a couple of the volunteer seeds grew up.

I would have gotten rid of them, but I had an idea.

I have lots of ideas.

What if I planted pole beans under the stalks?

Would they vine up? Some of them are figuring out the system.

Some of the bean vines are going a little wild.

I have since tied them with some twine to see if they figure it out.

The rest of my garden is pretty much behind the curve.

I got things planted late.

These are red potatoes. The guys planted white potatoes up on the hill.

I wanted some variety. 

These are banana peppers.

Kinda funky looking. I keep trying with them.

  

In the front bed I have some yellow squash and zucchini. They are small, but growing.

In the back are my tomatoes. The boards are what is left of my old ladder cages. Since we are using the raised beds now, the cages didn't really work. So I took them apart and have been meaning to rebuild them so that they work better with the raised beds. There is my first one in the back. That is a single tomato, the other two piles are two plants each. I really need to get them fixed up. The hole in between them is where the wind ripped two more out of the ground on the 29th.

Maybe before winter I will get some vegetables out of there.

I have fun goofing with the garden. So that works.

Fencing and Dogs

The guys have been working on repairing and upgrading the fence around all of the property to be woven wire with three strands of barb wire. This is the interior and exterior lines, including ours, the BIL's, and the neighbor's since he lets our cows graze that property. That is a lot of fence line and has been a two year project so far. I know if I can't find FabHub he is working on fence somewhere.
Because of the goats all of the fence around our property has also been upgraded to include electric since we want to keep them from sticking their heads through the woven wire and getting stuck. We also want to deter the neighbor dogs from coming under, which has entirely annoyed our dogs too.
They have managed to find away or two of getting out of our house yard to get into the pasture, which isn't really a problem since the goats haven't figured it out yet. I do expect the day to come when I arrive home to find some plants missing and a goat looking at me from the front porch.
All that being said - when Mom's dog comes to visit, because she is a very curious runner who might get lost, we have always had to keep her tied up or in a yard pen. Now that we have all this fence we only need to put a temp gate across the main driveway and she can run all over the place. She loves it.

The problem begins when there is a hole under the fence...

Because it can lead to a muddy foot print in the creek swamp...

Which can only mean...

Molly is one happy dog loving life on the farm. 

Luckily, other than the mutual fear she shares with the goats - them of her and she of them - there really wasn't a problem or anywhere she could go.

She also gets to enjoy the awesome redneck swimming pool. 

After a dunk, some vigorous scrubbing, and a rinse in a second pool of water...

Molly is looking much better and ready to do it all again.

She does miss her mama though.

And her cat.

Remember when they were little?

Back in April things around the goat yard were pretty calm.

And then they grew up.

Petunia and Peony

Eating has gotten a bit more difficult the taller they get.

Jack and Jill

Sweet William

Ace

 

Huey, Duey, and Louie

There are 10 more of them running around, but you get the picture.

When they were little they stayed around the goat house because momma would be back.

Now that everybody is big enough to follow their mommas around,

the day care center is closed.

The 5 Minute Post Hole

This post is here because other people aren't so lucky to have real dirt for post hole digging.

Start with a Post Hole Auger imported from the great state of Kansas.

Make sure the inspectors have signed off on the work before you start. 

Otherwise they just get in the way.

By the way...

These pictures are from the beginning of May when the inspectors were only a week old.

It was their first job.

They have moved onto another position and are now learning the fine art of landscaping.

Back to hole digging.

Press down and turn the handle around and around  to dig it into the dirt.

Lift the auger out of the ground.

Dump the dirt out of the auger basket.

Repeat.

Oh look! 

A rock. That added 30 seconds to the dig.

Don't forget to get the post hole digging inspection completed.

Depth measurements are important.

Then take the inspectors for a ride... 

yeah, that didn't last long. They jumped out.