Finished barn doors, wood benches.

 

Quick pic before sun set while I was cleaning up the large mess I made doing this project.  All I have left to do is mount a door handle for the little man door and the two drop pins that will hold the bottom of the door shut.  I also built the little door on the left today and need a door latch for it as well.  Had to do some repairs to the barn frame before I could install it.  I am slowly getting it all repaired and will paint all the new stuff next summer after it has time to finish drying since it is all green wood.  There is a lot more to do but at least now I have usable doors that actually close tightly! 

 This is a bench we built for the landscape project I am working on right now.  It is made from 3.5" think cherry slab cut from a cherry tree I removed from the lawn this year.  There is two more that I didn't get pics of yet.  I have four more slabs like this one to make benches from.  These slabs are from one of the main limbs.

This is a slab also cut from the cherry tree I removed from the lawn this summer.  I have six more in the barn drying out to make tables from.  They are beautifully grained and have live edges as well.  These slabs came from the main trunk.  They are 3" thick, 5.5' long, and 20"-29" wide.


Piglet update.  Today the little ones followed mom down to the cow shed this afternoon.  They slipped out under the big gate and had a tour of the drive and outside of barn before daisy herded them back into the shed with their momma.  The cows seem interested in them but don't really bother them much.  The calves run around playing with them but don't seem to bother them much. 

As for the cows we have one of dad's bulls in with them right now to make sure everyone is bred.  I use artificial insemination but there are still a few that I either miss or don't settle.  So, after I have tried twice to breed them or I think I have them all I put a bull in with them to make sure they get bred.  I keep detailed records of who I bred when so I will be able to tell at my annual herd check who settle with the AI and who was bred by the bull by how far along they are in their pregnancy.  Furthermore, anyone who doesn't settle with the bull is then open to sell or butcher for meat.  So far he has gotten two of them for sure, hope their aren't too many as I spent quite a bit on AI this year and hope it wasn't all a waste.  He also seems quite content with a change of diet, pasture, and a whole herd of new women!

Kenny