The green gate needs a new panel wired to it to prevent sheep from escaping but the hornets built a nest inside the pipe gate and we were out of spray so it had to wait. We moved inside and ripped out the overhang above the new stairs. While we were there we installed a new floor on the landing after tearing out the old one.  It was dry rotted 1×4 waiting to collapse at any moment.  I used the 2×6 tongue and groove that was used on the barn floor.  It is starting to get low but I think there is more than enough.  We attached a sheet of plywood to the back of the stairs and it stiffened them immensely. I have been thinking about a railing but not sure what I am going to use.  I am starting to get very sore.  Crawling around on the barn roof takes a lot of energy and muscles I am not used to moving.  

Milk lean to old opening on barn.

Today was HOT!!  106 F for most of the day.  We worked for 12 hours to get a jump on needed tasks.  Mr. President’s brother is still helping me out.  We started at 0600 in an attempt to beat the heat, but it did not stay cool long.  We installed a hay gate on the machine shop.  I used a pressure treated 4×4 and also drilled a hole into the concrete on the latch side to install a permanent latch attachment.  There is no way the bull is going to get in there now.  All that tasty hay just out of reach. 

Horse snack time.

After the gate was done we moved down to the cattle guard.  I wanted to get the woven wire and barbed wire done on the left side of the gate.  That way when it is safe to weld we can just install the iron tires and weld them in place.  The fence works great as an initial stabilizer and allows us to wire the wheels in place until they are welded.  I don’t want to leave the rims out by the road without them being welded into one massive immobile fence.  It was getting very hot so we cleaned up and went in to eat lunch.  I ate 30% of a watermelon.  It tasted so good.  I had plans of going out to the road and installing the two 18 foot gates but it was too hot.  I did not want to stand out in the sun.  So we went back to the barn to move the milking lean to access.  This way when we shut the green gate the animals can just run out to the square pen without us having to wire in the cattle panel to make the corner. 

We ended up ripping up some of the floor and changing out the entire corner beam as it was rotten on the bottom.  It did not help that it was the west side of the building in the hot afternoon sun.  It was hot!  I drank over a gallon of water today. 

We had to move the pickup into the barn lot as it had all our tools in it.  It only took the shop one day to the fix the pinion bearing in the rear end.  I got some twine wrapped around it when picking up the hay and it ruined it.  Not too expensive and very timely.  We had to keep chasing the horses away as they wanted to sample the paint job on the pickup.  I missed them once.  The pickup has two bite marks in the hood.  I have no idea why they like the paint off of vehicles.