Well it has been a while since I last posted. Been busy here at the farm. I painted the upstairs bedrooms and floor, well just three of the bedrooms, still got one to go. I had some carpenters come in to replace some windows, hang some doors, reconstruct the stairs to the upstairs bedrooms and fix the door not opening right in the kitchen.
As with most things around here it didn't turn out the way I thought it would. The windows didn't show up the doors were a pain in the rumpus bumpus to get hung the stair project went well and I got a closet under the stairwell. Then everything went to H.E. double hockey sticks when the carpenters got to the kitchen. Turns out the reason the door wouldn't swing correctly was that the sub floor and sill for the kitchen had rotted. Also the structure over the cellar stairs was infected with termites. The door had to come out, the sub floor and sill and structure had to be torn out and all new treated wood put back in to replace the rot. The house had to be jacked up while they maneuvered the beams in place and cut the bad stuff out of the good stuff. They worked their rear ends off.
I also started getting all the old wood out of the cellar and bought a dehumidifier and got it working drying out the cellar. At one time there was a wood stove or wood fired water heater in the cellar and firewood was stored there, just the thing for termites and other bugs to get a start. Also the cellar is damp from water seeping through the walls, that causes other problems with mold and rot.
Looks like we have the situation under control, the cellar has never looked so dry. Still there is half of the cellar without a floor and that could be problematic, so I guess I will spend more money having a cement floor put in to cover the gravel and dirt (sigh).
In the mean time I put the goats up for sale as I wasn't doing anything with them and they were getting out and causing mayhem. I thought it was just a good business like decision and when it came time for them to be picked up by their new owners I even helped load them in the truck. Everything went well untill the truck started down my driveway and my does started calling to me Maaa, Maaa. I must tell you my heart was in my throat and tears were welling up in my eyes. I didn't realize how attached we had become. It was the longest walk that evening from the barn to the house. (sniff)
I also sold the ducks no sniffing there caught 'em and shipped 'em right quick.
5 comments:
H.E. double hockey sticks?? My, you have become a country girl.
Bet that wasn´t what you said when you found a suitcase full of undeclared cocaine at the airport. Or was it border crossings?
It got so common to catch contraband or people trying to enter illegally it just didn't light my fire. Unless they decided to put up a fight or flee. Then life got interesting.
Sorry to read you had to sell your goats. Mine are what keep me going when I want to tuck my tail between my legs and give up. With all your house projects I can see you have been one busy lady! Hope fall and winter are a quiet relaxing time for you.
This is my first time to comment to your blog, although I've been reading about your adventures for the last year. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon it. well I thought that the possoms must have come back in force and did you in. it had been so long time since your last post I was really concerned that something had happened to you. Glad to see your back and ok. It's just that house that you keep plugging away at that's taking all your time.
If they poor cement in the cellar make sure they put down plastic for a vapor barrier under it. For the rot,mold, mildew,carpenter ants, termites, oh and also it will make this fire retardent. Look for a product call Tim-Bor at google. The cheapest I have found it is $4 a pound. It works very good it an all natural borate salt mined out west. Anyway glad to see your back. I live on a small 6 acre farm in southern Illinois probably not to far from you. got a wife , twin sons that just started jr. college, 3 dogs rabbits, chickens, a steer called tumbleweed(cause he's gonna be steak I don't care how attached the family get to him) Also got a British White cow with a hiefer calf , hope to start raising the breed they are rare around here. Well I'v talked enough, bad habit for a guy that pastors a small country church. Glad to see your back.
Because He Lives,
Pastor Van
Thanks for all the lovely comments they keep me wanting to continue with the blog.
Hugs,
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