The Shed

The trouble with organizing a thing is that pretty soon folks get to paying more attention to the organization than to what they're organized for.” 

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

Arron is off to build a shed and get organized!

This is the building site.

These are the materials.

Now get crackin'

Laiken sure loves her dad.
 She drove all the way out to the Villa so she could give him a hand.

Once they got going, it all went up pretty fast.

It was still cold out when the shed was built.
We wanted to have it up before Spring.

Jon came to help put up siding.

We installed windows that were purchased off Craigs List.

Because building something from scratch, and from the ground up, is sooo easy, Arron made his own trusses.

(seriously, if only the Villa could have been this easy!)

I married a Trophy Husband!

He is so Awesome!

Taking a pizza break, after putting on the sheeting for the roof.

Saw horses and plywood make the best dinner tables.

After the roof is covered with tar paper, Laiken and Jon cut the metal roofing.

Arron waits for each piece.

Then screws it down.

Arron built the swing doors.

Skye clocked some hours in after school.

The total project took less than 80 hours.

Here it is complete with cupola!

I told Arron that was not negotiable.

I can't wait to get a weathervane on top!

The shed still needs painted and I have some fun landscapeing ideas, but there's no need to wait to get settled in.  I have a basement that needs emptied!

Here's moving day.

I no longer store tools, extension cords, lawn care items, trim, paint, paint sprayers, air compressors, motorcycle parts, lawn furniture, tarps, chain saws, ladders, canning equipment, ski gear, camping gear or Christmas decorations in my house! 

Hallelujah!  Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?

We built the shed 12X16 and extra tall so it would get us by until we build our big shop.  We even have room inside for two of our street bikes!

Arron was trying to roll up a tarp to store on a shelf in the shed but Olive wouldn't get off so she got packed up too.

A Poodle burrito.

We are so happy with our shed.

Arron did a great job!

We are now looking forward to finishing up our basement.

One project at a time, the Villa is coming along nicely.

I really do love it here.

VPV Garden

I recently told Arron I needed a garden bed...

I guess I should choose my words more carefully.

He even carved in a VPV in the headboard!

Topping it off with some compost.

A few finishing touches.
Two end tables and a bench.
Now it's a regular bedroom set.
Maybe I should have been more specific...
and asked for a queen sized garden bed?

A Tale of Two Turkeys

Their meager beginnings evolved into a life of luxury
but ultimately came to a tragic end.

It all began when Big Momma the Buff wanted chicks.
All the other hens in the coop laughed at her
sitting on her eggs all day.
They knew they would never hatch.
All Big Momma's hard work would be for nothing.
She would not eat, or drink for worry her eggs would get too cold.
Everyone felt that Big Momma would make a wonderful mother,
but how could we help her dreams come true?
Something had to be done.
There must be baby chicks in need of a good mother...
or even baby turkeys.

Big Momma was so proud of her new family.

She would take them out of the coop with such care,

making sure no harm would come to them.

She heroically chased off the other hens, dogs and even

people from getting too close to her babies.

Her little chicks and baby turkeys knew how lucky they

were to have a mother like Big Momma,

 they followed her everywhere.

The turkeys grew and grew.

Soon they were twice as big as their nest mates.

They didn't know they were turkeys and not chickens.

They just kept on growing.

 

Until one day, very close to Thanksgiving,

the farmer decided they were big enough.

To the very last day the two brothers had always

been together. Whenever you would see one turkey

the other was never far behind.

But their fates in the end were much different.

You see only one turkey made it to the farmer's table...

The first turkey was a delicious 22lb. addition to the

Thanksgiving feast.

The farmer was anticipating how wonderful the second turkey

would be, brined to perfection on Christmas eve.

But fate had something else in store for the remaining bird.

One cold and windy November morning,

 a coyote found his way to the farmer's villa.

The coyote was caught red-handed

eating the last of this poor turkey.

Now all the farmer wants for Christmas is

a Ruger mini 30 rifle with a Redfield scope.

All the farmer's wife wants for Christmas is

a new coyote fur rug so she can wipe her feet on it

when she goes out to feed her sweet chickens.

To be continued.......

Water Works

It's amazing what a little water will do.

Even the desert can bloom.

Arron and Olive trenched in our sprinkler system.

Devin helped install a new pump.
Arron had to run power from the house out to the pump site.
This will also be helpful when we build our shop.

After replacing the entire main line down the lane,
we have a water system!
Grass was planted just early enough that we won't
be dealing with mud all winter.

But that's not all...

Skye purchased a sail boat over the summer so...

We dug in a pond!

We get a lot of run-off during the summer months

when the irrigation water is on.

Now instead of marsh at the bottom of the hill we

can divert all the water to this pond.

Next summer we can focus on plantings,

sculpting the bank, and overall beautification.

Maybe even put in a walking bridge going across the water.

Landscaping

We rented equipment to landscape the yard.

We also used it to mow down all the suckers

from the new acre we purchased.
We got our beautiful view back!

We pulled out loads and loads of concrete from the old garage foundation.

We also decided to pull out the old barn floor.
What a dusty mess! Olive is in heaven. So is Arron.

Skye helped put in a new pathway down to the goat pasture.

We still have a few days before we have to return the loader...
I wonder what else we could use it for?

I always planned on moving the coop to the new piece in the backyard.
Arron threw a chain around it, wreath and all!

I love the new location.
I can see the chickens out the kitchen window.
It has really kept the chicken poop out of the yard too.

Those chickens free-range all over the back hill.
I love to watch them march back and forth from the pasture.
( I think the goats enjoy watching them too )
Occasionally, I will open the slider door and call them
'Chick, chick, chick' just to watch them run up to the house,
then I will throw food out to them from the second floor window.
I feel like a real red-neck when I do this, but it's so fun.