NE side of the barn, 100% recycled roofing.

It really happened, I finished the barn roof!  Mr. President and I got out there first thing this morning.  The wind was worse than when we quit yesterday but I was determined to get it done.  We managed to install two pieces of tin before it got so bad I was afraid I was going to get blown off the end of the barn.  I had to hang off the edge to get the end piece on.  We got down and went out to the gate opening near four corners to hang the double gates going into the old barley field.  I managed to get one 4×4 attached to a rock crib and started on the second one when Mr. President made the keen observation that the wind was dying down.  We dropped every thing and went back to the barn roof to finish the job.  Three hours later it was completed.  No reason to get on the roof again.  Annmarie was thinking about another weather vane but I am thinking the next one needs to go on the old lamb shed/tractor shed not the barn. 

I am very glad we are done.  I would have had to take tomorrow off, I ache all over.  The fear of falling and the wind made me very nervous causing me to tense up every muscle in my body.  Having to reach over the side of the roof to put in screws made me stretch out also.  I have about eight different cuts and scratches all over my arms from the tin and the screws.  Tomorrow is Mr. President’s last day.  We are going to finish the gates and spend about three hours putting all the tools away and finish up the barn cleaning.  I still need to make a spot for the three tons of straw I am going to get next week.  I will break out the flat bed trailer for that endeavor.  It took two years to complete but it should buy the barn another 50 years of life.  Not bad for a building that is over 110 years old already. 
 

Inside of turbinator, leading into our grain storage bin.

Mr. President was late this morning.  We had a discussion last week about timeliness.  It has not really sunk in.  He was 45 minutes late this morning.  I know I am getting old now that I lament the youth of today!  Luckily for him and I, his greatest asset is his flexibility.  I need the help and he is good help. 

We had 250# of stock and stable and 250# of wheat for the animals.  We ended up pouring them in simultaneously to mix them as we filled the bin in the barn.  500# of grain barely made a dent.  I think the bin can hold 2000# of grain, more than enough to get us through a winter.  Now I just need to find it on sale and buy a whole winter supply at once.  I am on the lookout.  I need to cut a metal lid for the turbinator, a metal plate for the 6 inch vent and metal trim to go around the gap in the wood lid.  Hopefully, this will keep the mice out of the feed.  I think it is totally doable. 

We made great progress on the barn roof this morning.  I am sure it can be finished in two days.  We are going to hit it hard tomorrow and finish up on Tuesday.  I really, truly hope this will happen and I can be done with the roof!

Buff Orpington chicks.

We went to town and snagged the two porch chairs on sale!  Annmarie grabbed them as soon as the store opened and paid for them immediately.  Once that was done we continued our shopping.  D & B had over 200 baby pullet chickens.  I heard the peeping from three aisles away and drug Annmarie over to look.  They had ten different varieties.  I opted for Buff Orpington babies.  We don’t have any left out in the coop and they lay brown eggs.  We now get fewer brown eggs than any other color.  So after bleaching out the brooder the chicks are now ensconced in our dining room for the next two weeks until they are big enough to go out into the coop in their baby pen.  This works out great as they will be laying in full swing by April of next year.  My favorite time to buy chicks is in the fall so they can be deadbeats all Winter long. 

After lunch I went out with Zeke and we hopped on the tractor.  I hopped on the tractor and Zeke terrorized every living creature on a 20 acre stretch of land.  I was just going to mow but the irrigation ditch is dry on the lower end by the school house.  I thought if I got the weeds out and cleaned it all up it would run better.  It worked in the spring.  Unfortunately, I did not do the upper field ditch just the lower ditch.  It is running better but I still need to clean the upper ditch.  I started an experiment by mowing part of the hillside covered in sagebrush.  I am hoping that it will not grow well after getting chopped up by the mower.  I am thinking about discing the patch up and throwing some drought resistant pasture seeds.  Not sure it will happen as I need to do the exact same thing in the barn lot, upper prime pasture and parts of ram pasture and orchard.  I am going to have a busy vacation cycle over the next three months.  I am taking six weeks off throughout my next work schedule cycle to get the farm ready for Winter. 

I cleaned off the grill of the tractor and still managed to get it clogged up and overheat the tractor.  I am going to have to add getting off the tractor every hour and cleaning off the screen to my tractor duties.  That was the real reason I did not get the upper pasture ditch cleaned out. 

More progress on roof.

Mr. President and I went to town on the roof again today.  It went a little faster not having to work around the cupola.  It still takes time.  Lifting and moving the ladder while sitting on the peak of the roof is not easy.  We counted the new pieces of roofing and I am short two pieces.  I finished up around 1300 today and got down off the roof for lunch.  Zeke had been missing for last 1.5 hours and he was waiting for us in the yard.  He limped over for a hello.  I have no idea how he hurt himself.  He is always doing something.  Now he is under house arrest, a few days of imposed rest.  He will hate it.

The 80 acre pasture was fertilized this week and should be planted late fall.  The upper prime pasture still looks very damp after being disced last week.  I am surprised how much moisture is still in the ground.