I really wanted to help, as completing the kitchen is the new goal, but I was not very good help today. Mr Experience was not coming out till the afternoon so I had plans to fix the front fence in the slim hope that it would contain Zeke and to drag the barn lot and horse area for poop. I was waiting for it to dry out for just a few days to make this task easier.
Last night it started to poor down rain and did not let up today. So I ended up putting on all my water resistant, as there is no true water proof clothing and proceeded to head out and fix that front fence. Annmarie doesn’t want me adding any boards to impede our view so I ended up install some upright eye bolts in some of the posts and got another strand of wire six inches higher than it was. I hope this is high enough to deter the dog. I also installed inline tighteners and made that wire tight! It is so tight when I came by later this afternoon I heard the wire singing in the wind.
Mr Experience got done early so I took a break and went and picked him up. I finished the front fence and drug the horse poop out of the barn lot with the tractor. It is so messy and muddy. After the poop was gone I dumped some more 3/4 minus gravel to keep the water away from their feet. We dig out their hooves nightly.
It was past lunch time so I went inside to eat and as I am zapping leftovers in the microwave I notice the back creek running! Now this is a bad thing as it means I must go out immediately and move the fence off of the creek crossings. We have had so much rain that the ground simply cannot absorb any more. So I sit down to eat lunch and notice the wet spot on the floor in the living room by the freestanding propane heat stove. I was informed there is a leak in the ceiling! I popped ceiling tiles out until we figured it was leaking around the vent pipe. So now I need to get access to the stove pipe without falling off the roof. I still finished my lunch and went up to the master bedroom. The roof vent is reachable from our window I just need to pop the screen out and lean out the window a few feet. I got some 100% clear silicone caulk and a couple of rags and some tools and Mr Experience. After the porch incident I was not hanging out the window without someone to catch me or hold onto my feet. Turns out I didn’t need any help but I made sure he was right there just in case. I am still dressing my left shin every day and the front of my neck feels like someone throat punched me several times. My back and shoulders don’t even bother me any more. We lit the stove to heat up the caulk in an attempt to get it to dry faster. I will keep the stove going all night. 
I went outside finally and started lifting panels off the creek bottom. I hang them in the air. At two crossings I had to dig out the pile of tumbleweeds as they cause dams. I picked up some trash along the creek and down near four corners I found a small old shelter that someone built out of a cardboard box and some remants for a cat. Who does this on someone else’s property? Please don’t throw away your unwanted animals, be they cats, dogs, raccoons, possums, or skunks. We don’t want them either and depending on how they interact with the livestock or chickens they may not live long. I will need another teenager to troll the creek banks and do some cleanup this spring and summer. 
On the way back to the house I stopped by the machine shed to drop off two large containers when I heard a noise. I thought it was Bob, our adopted cat we started in the shop. Nope, it was the barn owl!! It was up in the rafters above the hay flitting from one end to the other. It didn’t want to go out in the rain. I left it alone after dropping off the buckets, it was too dark for a picture.
I went through three pair of gloves today trying to keep my hands dry. It didn’t work, they kept getting soaked. I am definitely going to have to dig out the irrigation ditch again soon and install both of the culverts. That needs to happen if it doesn’t freeze in the next two weeks. 
I felt so guilty about not helping Mr Experience today that I spent an hour tonight scraping up the floor and prepping it for wonderboard tomorrow. It should not take us long before we start laying board. We will need to move the safe out first! That will be a challenge. Annmarie and I emptied the rain gauge tonight and dumped out 1.9 inches of rain out and it is raining again. 
Stewart Creek Somethings 