So much has happened

In the past few weeks this ol' farm has been a busy place.

The siding project is almost done; just need some facia nailed on and the washroom is completed, next is the west end of the house under the porch.

A new roof was put on by a local carpenter as I have a thing about heights ( I get dizzy licking an airmail stamp). Also the carpenter rebuilt the mudroom porch for me as it was about to fall down do to rot. Gee, owning an old place is so much fun one gets to meet so many nice people who will cash your checks :) Carpenters, Electricians, Plumbing supply stores etc.

I have had an electrician wire the wash room for electricity and put in a 200 amp panel and service for the electric Co-op. The electric Co-op stake engineers, two guys in a truck, came by three times to figure out how to bring in the electricity. The Co-op construction crew came ned this Thursday. I noticed that they had left and I went into the wash room and tried out the electricity..... ha! I couldn't get it to work. G r r r r eat, I was a more than a bit frustrated and gave the electritian a call and told him that I couldn't get the electricity to work. As usual I ended up looking rather silly; I hadn't checked all the electrical outlets just the GFI one. All I had to do was reset the GFI plug by pressing the aptly named reset button and Viola, there was electricity. I then tried the plugs and the switch for the florecent shop lite and everything worked. I had to apologize to the electrician for bothering him for nothing, he took it well and to his credit didn't say something condencending.

Friday I went to town and bought some wire and other electrical stuff and wired a light in over the kitchen sink. In the process, I had to crawl through the attic over the kitchen where I discovered to my dismay that the previous owner thought that just putting small buckets under a leak was fixing a leak in the roof, one bucket was full by the way; from now on he will be referred to as the DPO, D....n Previous Owner. That just means one more thing to be fixed; sighhhh. Any how I got the light over the sink to work. I am so proud of myself. I also put a bigger bucket under the leak and will seal the roof when the weather warms.

Saturday, today, was the big sale and auction that had been advertised for some time here. We thought we would be early by arriving a half hour before the scheduled opening.....nah things were in full swing and had been for some time. The weather was cold, windy with snow fluries, I was cold all day, but determind to come home with some stock for the farm. I missed out on the chickens I wanted but got twelve pullets (females) black stars that supposedly had started laying and two geese mating (I hope) pair; goose and gander known here after as Frick and Frack( no I don't know who is who). The gander, the big one that hisses, is not impressed with me or anything else, he and his mate are in the barn tonight; they are making themselves at home by strutting about and making threating sounds if anyone comes into their part of the barn. The geese have water and some cracked corn to keep them overnight. Sunday I will let the geese out and see what happens. I may be running for safety when the gander gets loose :(

The hens are in the hen house with feed and water and one hen has already laid an egg, a double yolker.... I thought she was going to lay an egg by her behavior pecking at and arranging the hay in a nest. Sure enough there was an egg! I have to get to the feed store tomorrow and get some chicken gear; feeder, waterer, and some nutritional stuff so they can lay good eggs.

This place is beginning to look and sound like a farm now and in a short time smell like one too!

The auction was a marvel of sights and sounds; livestock of all description: hogs, horses, hens, dogs, calves, ducks, tools, farming equipment, lumber, household stuff including the kitchen sink. A great cornicopia of all the things needed in a rural society. There where hundreds of people there coming and going buying and selling at the various auction sites, there were at least four auctions going at the same time. There also were individual sellers as well as food stands; don't forget the snow fluries and cold and standing in the muck wishing you could take a break, but can't or you might miss the the item you wanted to bid on.

Being a community with Amish, Horse and buggy Mennonites and very conservative Christians as well has a host of characters that might have steped out of a ninetenth century scene complete with costumes and manners. This was a muck boot, mud splattered cross section of rural America. I loved every cold shivering minute standing shoulder to shoulder with farmers of all varieties and persuasions today. My body aches, I'm tired and I have been thankful in my prayers for such a wonderful day.

To top off the day I got to listen to my favorite radio program the Prarie home companion with Garison Keelor. I like sitting and listening to this program on radio, it is like an old friend my favorite part is the news from Lake Woebegon.

Well the birds should be on their roost with their heads tucked under a wing and I am headed for my bed also. What a day, what a week.....
I hope all will be well for the night; remember lots of things like chicken.....