Things are getting done...

The chicken coop is done and occupied! Yippee!! The house no longer smells like chickens and the noise level has reduced dramatically too. I helped a little on the coop when the weather was tolerable, but Michael had the vision and perseverance. The chickens actually started venturing out of their little hatch last week. I think they are finally feeling at home since he put up the fence around it to keep the dog out. He thought it was a giant dog house with friends inside. HAHA!

Speaking of the dog..he got beautified yesterday! He is so clean, looks great and you can tell he knows it! It was funny though that when Mike found out I was taking him there, he thought it was ridiculous, but when we went to pick him up he wasn't about to let me hold the leash as he wanted full credit for the wonderful dog! Typical man! Here are pictures of our clean white ball of fluff!

I also thought everyone would like an updated baby picture of Lightening! She is filling out quite nicely and thrives on the attention of all. She likes getting her lovins in the evening, or just about any time you're around. Mama is to her left and Lilly is never far behind.

various pix from my camera

  1984 Illini and Lou

 Being an angel for a time

 The boyscout

 I needed a hug

 Game time during Super Bowl

 Deep Super Bowl conversationalists

 Meeting the new girl

 Birthday boy

 Saint's new hair color

Bookcase

I spent 4 hours in the cold, cold, cold man-cave cutting up a whole bunch of oak. I now have almost 50 pieces of oak all scattered about. Now I got to figure out how they all get together to look like a bookcase and not just a bunch of boards. Hopefully, I can get the building process started this week. 

On another note, the chicken coop is closed in except for the doors and I few cracks that need sealed.  I hope to get it sealed this week and the chickens out there this weekend. Have to run power out there for the brooderlamp and hwated water jug. Damn weather just to cold for water.

Get that done and then I have to keep working on the attic room. It is actually looking pretty good. Still a long way to go. I am putting up cheap tongue in groove pine boards (the real thin ones you buy in 14 square foot packages). It looks really good but it a bitch to install. Some of the pieces are curved, some have the grooves or tongues messed up. But the idea was to keep costs done and that was how I chose to do it. Afterall, I think Ally has gone through 6 or 7 quarts of stain so far at $10 a quart. Hell, that;s $4o a gallon. i've never paid more than $25/gallon for paint. 

Hear that sucking noise - so do I!!!

Promised pictures

Here is the newest member of my extended family. Early consensus has her named Lightning - for how fast she was born. Mama has been good to her. She is about 4 hours old in pictures. We put a little doggie sweater on her. I figure she is about 2 pounds in picture.

Only one kid but cute as can be!

I call her wee one, Mike wants to call her Justina afer a guy at work that has been asking daily if the kids have arrived. Our horse boarder that was instrumental in her arrival wants to call her lightening because she came fast and furious. About 3:20 p.m. is the time of delivery. By 7ish that evening we decided there wouldn't be a second. Evidently this happens and we shouldn't be worried about it.

Pictures will be posted soon. She is adorable!

Pictures to enjoy...

Master Saing...what a beast! He isn't done growing yet! You can tell by the picture of him and Chris wrestling just how big he is. Mike thought the ceiling was going to come down on him when they were doing this. tee-hee!

Valenino...the stud!

Valentino, Lilly, Velvet and Brownie

The coop...got the black paper on yesterday with all that cold and wind...almost inhabitable.

Mama....she still hasn't dropped the twins. We're patiently waiting.

Here's our barn kittens...Grey is our gal and black is our guy. We're sure to have others with these love birds.

Time passes...

Well I figured I'd take a bit to put a little update in here on what's happened on the farm the past couple of months. Mike has been trying to get the coop done in between wind, rain, sleet and snow. Currently Saint thinks it is a great big dog house. He wouldn't even come out of there this morning when I called him to come back in the house. Just peaked around the corner at me. All that's left is getting the black paper and shingles on the roof, a door and some interior beautification and heat. We need to get the chickens out there because they are out growing their current quarters and starting to kill eachother off.

Projects in the house have been at a stand still for quite some time. I think we just need to regroup and use our time more wisely with good weather for outside projects and bad weather for inside projects. Spring will come at us quicker than we think which will be good for getting a lot more done.

Mama is still making us wait on the twins. She should deliver any day. Signs that I've read about having completely happened yet so I suspect it will be a few more days at least. I'm sure we'll have pictures to post once they arrive. Maybe she is just waiting on us to be completely ready for this event.

Hobbitt, our boarded horse and Rachel have turned out to be great to have around. She helps in the barn, turns out the goats in the morning and locks them down at night if we haven't. We help her too when she needs to go home or to a vet activity. Chris and Hobbitt are good pals now. Mike has had his chance too to take care of him while we were in Florida. Hobbitt knows when a newby is around. Isn't that right honey? Hobbitt didn't want to come in one night...gave him the business for a while.

The kittens are growing fast and appear to be doing their job because I really haven't seen many actually any mice around since a few days after they arrived. Either they are scaring them away or getting full bellies. Saint loves chasing them around the barn. They know how to stay just enough out of his reach to make him nuts.

I'm still having sad moments on a regular basis from missing my Bogie. I'm sure someday it will be easier to handle when I'm thinking about him.

Minimal decorating occured this year for Christmas. Hopefully next year we will be more organized and I can get the place really lit up and ready for friends to come over and enjoy the holiday with us.

Happy New Year everyone and thank you so much for your friendship!