I know I haven't been posting consistently lately and I apologize for those of you who keep up with the farm. Between harvest season and trying to keep this building project moving along I haven't had time to do much else other than work! On top of everything else going on, I managed to come down with bronchial pneumonia and strep throat last week as well. Makes for a miserable week!
I haven't had a chance to take a picture of the inside painted yet but the wife and I spent several days and nights last week getting the inside of the new building painted. We used a mold inhibiting water sealing paint so we can wash the walls and keep them clean.
There is a reason why mostly women do the painting,
This was literally within 10 minutes of me starting painting the second day. I know have three pairs of pants that have paint all over them. I also destroyed one sweatshirt that will now be permanently a barn sweatshirt!
This picture isn't the most recent but it does show close to what it looks like right now. The roof, gables, ceiling, and insulation are all done. Andrew Hostetler will be installing the windows and doors tomorrow and the garage door comes in a week or two. Once the doors and windows are in I will start working on lights, heat, and water! Going to be basics until I get caught up. Need to get the building shut in and clean the floor so it can be sealed. Once that is done then I can run some of the main water and gas lines and then I will get the tanks moved in before it gets too cold!
Some sad news to report. I received a call late Friday morning asking me to come home quickly. The neighbors house had caught fire and they needed me to help make sure all the gas was shut off.
The fire started near a boat and some other items stacked at the corner of the house. Everyone got out ok and the only loss of life was two cats that wouldn't leave the house. Most other items in the house were lost. They did manage to save some stuff but 75% of the house was burnt before they could get it out. This house was over 100 years old and once a fire starts on one of these they go quick. They are very dry and did not contain many of the fire retardant materials of today's construction materials.
On Saturday I did have the opportunity to once again do something I always wanted to do as a child. The local Ruritan had an antique tractor pull. I took the new tractor down and ran pull back tractor for them. I was extra happy to have my daughter and one of her friends stop by to ride for a little bit after their round of trick or treating in town.
For those that do not know much about tractor pulls you can google it and get all kinds of pictures and videos. With the old school tractors and sleds, someone needs to pull the sled back to the beginning of the track for the next tractor. Below is a picture of me following the sled down the track while someone was pulling it.
I wanted to show off a couple of pictures of this years heifers. First off is 50's daughter. This is her first calf to Legacy. She looks just like her mother other than being completely black. She is growing quite well and will make a great mother in a couple of years!
The other girl I wanted to post is Fuzzy Wuzzy. She was our first calf of 2015 and was born on January 5th. Her mother is our biggest cow and is named Beefcake. The best part is that Beefcake is also due to have our last calf of 2015 near Christmas!!! That doesn't happen very often!!
I will try to get some pictures this weekend once the doors and windows are in showing the progress. I am greatly looking forward to getting this building done so I can get a break from the rushing pace before the snow flies!
Have a great weekend everyone!
Kenny
