Project Barn Again Begins.

Yes, it's ours, all ours, as soon as we write the check for $1000 and mail it to the farm manger, then...it's ours. Details, details, they will be the death of me.



A couple days ago the farm manger of the land where our new building-to-be sits, called us to confirm we could have it. The tenant farmers have already moved out their items stored in there and the crew we've hired to dismantle it have submitted all their liability insurance paperwork, to the farm manager. They will begin the week of May 1 (next week!) and expect it will take 3-4 days to move all the pieces her to The Poor Farm.

So, now I have to contact the zoning and building commissioner of our county to get all the necessary permits rolling. Prior to the buildings arrival we must have two very large Elm trees removed as they sit in the spot we plan to place our new used barn/milk house. it wasn't an easy decision to make the cut with these trees, original to the property and most likely over 100 years but they are in tough shape and need to go. Lots of dead limbs. If we don't remove them then the new used building is that much farther away from electrical poles; more distance equals more money for running new lines.

The tree guy came out Sunday, gave us a reasonable estimate and he'll start that job this Sunday or next he says. In addition we've stored many other items in this area and it'll all have to be relocated before the tree limbs start falling. After they are felled,  Keith and I will use a chain saw on the bigger limbs, setting aside some for next years rocket mass stove use, and then rent a chipper for disposal of the rest. Yeah, more mulch!

To fill in some of the down time...I'm just going to let those two words down time...sit there a bit. They make me laugh to say them out loud.

Ok, I'm over myself. To make good use of our time before the BIG building project gets rolling, our friend Jay-you remember him right? Last spring he helped built our grape arbor/morning glory arbor and compost bin.

Anyway he's coming this Saturday to help us build our first tiny looney bin addition, a mud room. yes, this means another building permit. Oh joy.

The mud room will be constructed over the 6' by 7' by 8' concrete pad at our entrance door. All winter we tracked in mud and snow and dirt and had to step over our dirty muck boots and hang our crappy chore clothes in plain view and smell of guests. What a hassle. So with the money I won from the Dermot Healy Poetry Award last summer, we are building a mud room, or in non-homesteading terms, an enclosed front porch. It will be called...

The Dermot Healy Hall of course, I'm planning a hand painted sign, because in my opinion; a well built mud room with multiple coat hooks, a place for your manure trimmed boots and shoes and a bench for your keaster, is about as poetic as it gets.

In other news...the steers (all four of them) were put out on pasture, and our feed costs begin to go down. Ah, spring!