# 530 - Barn Improvements - Concrete Flooring!

The barn that we have had for about a year needed a concrete crust floor so badly.

Since we no longer live in the suburbs of Greater Houston, we no longer have a large garage to hold all of our tools and machinery. Anything we put inside the barn was subjected to the high humidity that came from the earth and the dirt...that came from the earth.

Needless to say, our tools our in the worst shape they have ever been in.

However, time is a commodity around here...between Sgt. Dave's long commute to and from work, five days per week with some double-shifts here and there, we aren't left with much time to do above-and-beyond chores. If we can keep up with the daily chores, that has been good enough for us.

But, we have to step things up a notch. Sgt. Dave has been taking a few days off over the past few weeks so that we can get on top of things.

One of the items he wanted to tackle was to put down that concrete crust in his barn. He pulled everything out of it and began laying a concrete floor upon the dirt he'd leveled. It is a much thicker and more sturdy concrete floor than I imagined would be in place.

Of course, Sgt. Dave grew up working construction for his dad's company in the Greater Houston area, doing commercial construction, so he does have some great skills. He was able, by hand, to level the ground, get the concrete poured and then leveled with a board.

He went through bags and bags of concrete.

This was the first section he tackled. The cement floor set up perfectly.

It will be so much nicer to step into the barn and not have to worry about mud puddles or worry about setting something down straight upon the dirt floor. From now on, the concrete will protect our tools and machinery from moisture, rust, and dirt.

Today, Sgt. Dave finished the entire floor of the barn...giving it a nice concrete base that will make being in there a delight.

The barn from a distance looks okay, but within the next couple of months, we will be painting it a barn-red color with white trim. I believe it will look fantastic.

Sgt. Dave is a hard working man.

I see him in the back! There he is, working to set up a new burn site for our trash.

# 459 - Celebrating Country Life!

The deck building process exposed a visitor, a Black Widow.

My husband tried to hold it still for a few shots. I found it oddly beautiful. After the photo session, he let it go in the woods.

Lions, tigers and bears. Well, not quite. However, we do have cougars, spiders and snakes. And, the bears are in these woods again because of a re-introduction plan that has now prompted official sightings in the area. Black bears.

For now, I am adding Black Widow spiders to my list of creatures and insects that city-life did not expose us to quite as much.

Also, the deck construction is finished. We are still going to add lattice to it, but this beauty is wonderful to step out onto instead of cinderblocks and indoor/outdoor carpeting that quickly gets clogged with DIRT GALORE.

Here is a photo, at night, of my mother-in-law standing on the deck.

I will be landscaping around the deck, so stay tuned. Of course, Beaker, the chicken missing the top beak, has already found her way to the top of the deck, but that will soon be off limits with the finishing touches that will be put onto the deck.

My huge picnic table fits on the deck and we certainly enjoy sitting outside while soaking in the peaceful view and country sounds.

Another great bit of news today that we received had been our electric bill. First of all, at this time of year, we would be getting an electric bill at the big city house that would be at least around $400.00 because of the days on end that were in the high 90's and right at 100 degrees.

The chickens are hanging out beneath the RV.

Here in the RV, we are in the shade for part of the day, but the hot days find the air-conditioning unit in the RV to run non-stop, so we were DREADING the moment the electric bill arrived.

You can imagine our high-five celebration as we opened the bill to discover the charge for a HOT month in Texas to be approximately $140.00! So, we are paying more for gas and commuting to Downtown Houston on a daily basis, but the overall break from "big house" bills is very nice.

It's so nice to have affordable electricity with this country electric co-op.

It's so nice to not be air-conditioning nearly 3,000 square feet of house.

It's so nice to be able to step out my front door and be in the midst of nature.

It's so nice to no longer share a front curb on a street without adequate parking space.

It's so nice to live on land that has trees instead of in a development that is just over ten years old and struggling to grow trees because the developer bull-dozed everything before construction began.

It's so nice to not hear police sirens throughout the night, every night.

And, it's so nice to see the beauty in nature, even if it includes a Black Widow every now and then.

# 454 - Future Country Workshop Needs Work

Years ago, Sgt. Dave began a foundation for a structure and it has sat on this land for so long, waiting to be finished.

We live here in the country now, so this structure is getting attention.

All of the growth through the boards, the debris that had been left in the middle of the mess...it had become a site of wreckage.

However, this area became my mother-in-law's mission to tackle.

Day by day she worked on this area and pulled away the junk for the trash pile, then she cleaned out the de-composing parts of nature and also tried to clear out as many of the stubborn roots as she could pull out. And she even confronted one snake in the process.

Now, it's looking pretty darn good and getting ready for more wood to be added so that a framed wall with a roof might be put into place. Then, Sgt. Dave can bring his workshop tools to the land and these tools will provide him with the ability to get things accomplished. I can hear the table saw right now!

And, we specifically put these two structures close together so we could benefit from their proximity, keeping us from having to walk across the land to do this or that. Also, if Sgt. Dave wanted to put in a small bathroom area with toilet and shower, the septic is close by, so this would be possible.

For you to gauge the size of the structures, the metal shed is 10x14. I'm not sure the size of the unfinished workshop, but it will be roomy enough to get us started. Sgt. Dave has never had his own workshop, just for his woodworking, so this will be nice.

And now I understand the reason so many people with acreage have multiple buildings.

These two structures have become part of our backyard. Over the next couple of months, I guess we will see what else pops up. I think a faux outhouse will be another structure high on the list to complete because it will hold the daily garden tools and free the utility shed from having such things tracked and inside. All the shovels, the hoe, the rakes and the tiller can be put inside the outhouse, saving valuable space in the utility shed for other items.

And here is an faux outhouse we have recently seen here in Livingston. It's a great piece of inspiration.

Day by day, things are changing around here. It's a monumental task we've taken on, especially on our tight budget, but we are making headway. Each week, I am amazed at how much more progress we're making.

Since this past week has been the hottest June on record here in our part of Texas, we have definitely been slowed down because of the oppressive heat. I saw that Death Valley reached temperatures of 124 degrees this past week. I think that is an area of our country I'd prefer to live under-ground.

Let's just say that our RV knows the meaning of "Siesta-time." Let's hope we can get through July and August! The past few days have hovered around 100 degrees with a "feels like" 104 temperature. However, we have a weather forecast or next week that will be in low 90's and our night's will be right at 70's. That will be NICE. Perhaps we will be able to move about without the pours of our skin becoming a faucet.

And I am definitely living in the country...this is what it is all about.

# 331 - Sketching Again...

My youngest daughter's 22nd birthday this past Friday presented me with a dilemma, mainly stemming from the lack of funds in my pocketbook. If I have a few dollars to my name, it often goes toward the cost of seeing a doctor ---- my 2nd life is spent in a doctor's office ---- and paying for gas, food, and maybe a small splurge here and there. This past week, a treat I splurged upon was to buy a few new art supplies.

Many artist-types have a preferred medium they like to use...some prefer oils, some acrylics, others opt for watercolors, but I first fell in LOVE pastel chalks that require intense blending and attention to color.

Working with this medium often requires that you be prepared to be covered in a mess. As I work with chalk pastels, I am holding colored sticks that are not protected by paper, and I use all parts of my hands and fingers for blending. For blending large sections, I use the lower side of the palm. My hands, arms, and front side get covered in bits of powdered chalk. Using cuts of newspaper, I lay the paper down to help me get sharp lines or a specific curve that needs to be held firm while blending takes process.

I have worked on large projects with chalk pastels to the extent of my fingers having their skin rubbed off. Nothing puts a project on hold faster than swollen fingertips and busted skin from intense, vigorous blending while in the zone.

After everything is finished, I make sure the excess chalk powder is blown away and I spray the project with a Fixative. This helps keep the chalk from coming off and sets it better than if left on its own. It's very difficult to frame a project with this medium because it will so easily smudge the glass.

Good luck.

However, since I like working with chalks, it would follow that charcoal would be right in line with my preferred art medium. Yes, it is. A mixture of graphite pencils with soft and hard charcoals is right up my artistic alley. As long as the medium lets me use my FINGERS and hands for some blending, along with other tools such as the stump, as needed, I am one happy woman.

Similar to what my hands and under parts of my forearm look like
after a session with drawing. I usually wear an old T-Shirt or a
fuctional apron while at work. This stuff does not wash out easily either.
(Photo take from public internet image.)

For Stefie's birthday, I took a photograph to use as my still art subject and I sketched it over the span of a couple hours. Sometimes I like hard lines and other times I like everything willowy and soft. For this sketch, I put hard and soft together; I love that combination. I love KNOWING it is a sketch; I don't want it to look just like the photograph. If I could get my subject to pose in the same place, during the same time of day, with the same lighting...I'd go by them personally standing in as the still subject and I've done this in my university studies for still life drawings. It can be torture to sit in front of the same object, especially if they are large, inanimate and immobile.

Of course, if I am outside among nature, I'd never get tired of the "still" life in front of me. But, don't ask me to do the bowl of fruit; I despise painting or drawing fruit, but I've done it as required while studying art at the University of Houston in Clear Lake for a few years. Good thing is, I soon forget about the dang apple or other challenge I'm working on, but having a subject that fills my heart with love is a joy to recreate. Eventually, when I am working on a project, all I see is light and shadow.

My working situation for sketching is to sit down at night, in bed, surrounded by my tools and with a sheet pulled up over the bedding to protect it. I keep a lined trash can on the floor next to me so that I can brush off residual charcoal, graphite or eraser bits that come off during blending.

I turn on the music --- to Stefie's project, I listened to Rod Stewart classics. Usually, by the end of the album, I am finished with my project. If not, I start on the next album, perhaps Billy Joel or the Police. Something to get my blood pumping and help get me into the "zone" of creating art.

It works for me.

Of course, I can easily work fast, furious and intensely on a project while listening to Tchaikovsky. Wow, that always does it for me!

My daughter sat opening all of her gifts at her birthday party and she finally opened the bag holding the sketch I'd drawn. I felt nervous and nearly held my breath. What would she think? Would she be embarrassed? Would she feel it even looked like her? The truth is, you never know how a person will respond to how your artist's eye sees that person, even if using a still photograph as the "model." It's the main reason I've been hesitant to sketch people I know and love.

My main effort had been to capture my daughter's eyes in the sketch...if you can capture the person's eyes, you've got the hardest part figured out. I know I could've worked longer on this sketch to make it better, but I've been babysitting a five year old for several weeks and this leaves me truly worn out at the end of every day. So, I don't have much umph to put into extra things besides watching the next movie on my list.

Still, I try to pull it together and to produce a new sketch on a regular basis...even if it ends up shredded, never to be seen by another person.

At her birthday party, Stefie pulled the framed sketch out of the gift bag, stared at it for a tense moment, then she lifted the frame and put it against her face so that everyone could see her big smile next to the sketch for comparison. I must say, the real deal is such a beauty...I could never capture all that Stefie radiates.

I love sketching. Photography is wonderful, but it is a direct medium. It can be altered here and there, a little burning there, a little dodging here, but it's the camera's eye directed by the photographer's eye that gets the image. I want my hand to replicate the finished image instead of an actual photograph. Yes, I use either live "still" art or a photograph for my drawing, but I believe, instead of photographs, from now on, my family will get some kind of sketch from me as a gift. Well, either a sketch or a warped poem about some embarrassing event in their life.

Also, for my blog buddies potential question, I sign my family's works with my middle name...the name they call me, "Rayshel." For obvious reasons, I don't use that name on a daily basis with blogging or with new friends because hardly anyone can even say "Rayshel" correctly, let alone spell it. Yes, I had Hippie parents. The "y" is not pronounced in a hard sense. My middle name sounds like Rushell. However, many of my art pieces, even those that were on gallery exhibit with the university were signed with my first name, "Lana."

My identity crisis continues.

But, my art is moving forward, into the hands of others. They might choose to use it as kindling, but at least I am focusing on doing something different that I love and that keeps the mind and hands busy doing something productive.

I hope to keep sharing some of my work with you. I think this next week will be dedicated to sketching chickens and dogs. Besides, if my feathered or furry friends don't like the results, they can't exactly be offended! What chicken is going to complain that her beak is too big? Such criticism might get her into the chicken-n-dumplings pot. The nonspeaking subject, that's the best kind to sketch.

Yes, my daughter loves her sketch...she has a special token of my love to mark this amazing time in her life. I look forward to presenting many more gifts that come from myself instead of a department store...it feels right. Life is good.

# 322 - Too Much Partying!

The Houston wedding shower is now over. Everyone pulled together to create a wonderful event that brought special family and friends together to celebrate Heather's upcoming wedding and to "shower" the engaged couple with amazing gifts.

My sister held the shower at her house and it was jam-packed, literally. We had over 50 people in attendance. The house was busting at the seams with laughter and good times ready to be converted to life-long beautiful memories.

Heather is approximately six foot two inches when she wears heels. Here, she is looking down at my sister with love as we all laugh about the height difference. Robin is the best sister and aunt a person could have in their life! I am very blessed to have Robin for a sister!

My oldest baby is definitely not a baby any more. But, she's always going to remain my precious child, no matter how old she gets!

 

Heather and I soaking up a moment together.

All sections of the house was full with people enjoying themselves...inside, outside, upstairs and downstairs.

Searching for the perfect cake to go with our wedding shower theme of "Alice in Wonderland" was turning out to be a challenging feat. Not to worry, Deputy Dave came to the rescue for his daughter. With Heather's assistance for the fondant decorating, he made the cake(s) to perfection. There was even a layer with raspberry filling.

The engaged couple is all smiles on their special day!

At six foot five inches tall, Henry's height was made over seven feet while wearing his Mad Hatter hat. It's a good thing the ceilings are high or he would have been scraping the texture above him all day.

Stefie and Brice were adorable. This little sister did her best to make this wedding shower a coordinated hit.

Brice even made his own Mad Hatter hat to wear for the party. This guy cracks me up!

With several tables heavy-laden with food and drink, there was not desire for anything better than the wide variety of delectables within reach!

 

Never ceasing to amaze me with his wood-crafting skills, my Uncle Billy made Heather a one-of-a-kind piece of outdoor furnishings to honor her and Henry's Texas A&M days. This is probably one of the best wedding gifts they'll get to enjoy for many years to come. Since my uncle was raised in Austin, the land of formidable A&M opponents, we know how difficult this gift must have been for him to create!

Yep, they got started with enjoying their gift in the middle of the street.

I forgot how fun it was to get married!

October 13, 2012 is the wedding day and I can only imagine how much fun we'll have on that date. This Houston wedding shower definitely gave these two kiddos a chance to get the most incredible gifts that a couple could hope to get...such generous hearts surround these two kids.

For me, I'm ready to get some rest. It won't last long, my niece Shaye will be here around 6:30 in the morning and this week is already jam-packed with busy activities in store for me. Life is like that sometimes. I'm thankful all the things we're doing that are filled with beauty.

The kiddos have left town again. We watched them all drive away, along with three dogs. Not having five dogs in the house surely isn't the part I will miss, even though I love each one of them dearly!  It sure is quiet around here this evening.

Yes, I am grateful to have these treasured moments, even if they are filled with more activity than I can keep up with. How come we increase in years while decreasing in energy? It's not fair! I'll be remembering this, especially at 6:30am tomorrow morning while I am making chocolate milk for a five year old who has more energy than I can muster in a week's time!

# 294 - Small Steps Toward the Country

The backside of our property has a springfed lake and it makes for the perfect picnic spot. I look forward to the day a table is sitting near the edge of the lake, under a shade tree, and fresh fish is on the lakeside grill.

Who could want more? We always wanted waterfront property...well...we've got it. The problem is being able to relocate to our acreage so we can actually enjoy it on a daily basis.

Winter shot of the lake at back of our property.

This economy is making it more difficult for us to sell our house. Due to several points, it seems to be wise for us to temporarily take the house off the market. First, our oldest daughter's wedding is coming up in October. We are having a wedding shower at our house in August --- we need a house for us to hold a shower for the entire family to attend. Also, we don't want to end up selling in the middle of August and trying to move a household and start the construction process during the worst heat of the year...August in Texas can be brutal. Finally, we think it's best to at least have the barn constructed before we get into a contract to sell this house. We're going to build the barn/workshop with an "apartment" so that we can have a place to stay WITH the animals out on the acreage while the house is put on the market again. Having to deal with three dogs and six chickens for every showing is very stressful.

So, we're going to focus on barn/workshop construction so that we can be on the property more often and make a smoother transition. Everything happens for a reason.

That being said, we've had a young couple very interested in our house. We decided that if they made an offer that is solid, we will move forward with selling right now. However, if that offer doesn't come through, we will give ourselves a bit of time to construct the barn...after the high heat of summer is over. The good news is that the barn site already has major preparations ready for its construction...the septic system is in place, the utility poles are nearby, so we will only have to be concerned with digging a well.

And, I will have a bit more time to keep working on trying to purchase the acre and a half next door.

That little piece of property would be worth the purchase because it would cut down on fencing issues, access road issues would be greatly reduced and we'd not have to worry about someone constructing something so close to our home-site.

Anyway, there's so much to do still. We need to make a daytrip to the property very soon or get an a/c unit to hook up to the generator so we can have cooled air on the nights when it will likely be around 90 degrees. Depending on the heat of the summer, we will see how it goes. It will be a good time to get the foundation for the barn/workshop poured because the summer heat makes the access road more stable for the heavy equipment that would be needed for this stage of construction.

I have a feeling it will all work out perfectly. Even so, I wish the acreage was my permanent address, starting tomorrow morning. However, all of the things we have approaching in our lives makes this a more difficult time to sell the house. If it had sold back in April or the start of May, it could have been more manageable. I hope we will be able to start finishing the barn by the time Fall is beginning to arrive and after my oldest daughter's wedding has taken place, we will be able to focus more fully on the other construction efforts that will follow.

Meanwhile, I am grateful for each step along the way. Selling a house these days is not always an easy task. Truthfully, if they raised the interest rates a tad, there would be more banks willing to make loans because they would actually be making a good income on giving out those loans, in addition, our investments would be increasing at higher interest rates. Not that I want a HIGH interest rate, but just high enough to stimulate the economy into having the motivation to bankroll loans.

This past week, we had a potential buyer ask us if we'd personally carry the loan on our house for them and that they'd pay a balloon payment at the end of a three year period. No thanks.

Regardless, with a daughter getting married, things are very busy. On that front, our family is set to air on TLC's show, "Randy to the Rescue" in the next week or two. I'm not exactly sure. We sit down every Friday night to see if our family is going to pop up. They did extensive filming of my daughter at various locations, so we're curious to see how they will put it all together for the show.

I'm sure it will give us lots of reasons to laugh with gusto. We'll see...we'll see.

Okay, barn/workshop plans are the priority for our transition. Gotta get that barn built. Then, we can put in fencing for the dogs and start on a chicken coop so we can get the chickens moved.

I think we're figuring it out...each step is important. Sometimes, jumping in headfirst is not the wisest way to jump. Since I can't really jump any longer, I'm all for taking lots of small steps!

# 278 - Barn Site Selected - Red Heaven

Deputy Dave has decided where he wants to build the barn/workshop. Out of nearly ten acres of wooded land, it can be difficult to make this final decision, but it's done!

The picture below shows the area where the barn will be located. It's near our camping zone. There are a few perks with building our first structure in this spot. We have a septic system in place, there are electrical poles, a security pole is installed (just needs a new light fixture), and the area is partially cleared.

Now, that leaves us still needing water. On this side of the property, the only way to get water is to truck it in or dig a well. Looks like we'll be digging a well.

In the shot below, behind the electrical pole and behind the truck area is where the barn/workshop will be built...somewhere in that zone to be close to the septic and electric hook-ups that are currently in place. We are expecting to meet with our concrete guy someone over this next month to discuss this part of our land and the possibility of building the barn here. If he thinks there might be a problem with the soil, we want to know now, not later.

Of course, we want to get started on the foundation as soon as possible. One thing is for sure, this barn will have an awesome view. I'd love to build a barn with a small look-out deck on top with the weather-vane. From up there, we could see out over our cabin in the woods (once it's built) and all around us for a good distance, to include the lake.

The shot below is what it looks like as we drive up to the part of land that will have the barn. I have a feeling that after building the barn, then putting in the white fencing, we will have us a piece of property with a market value that has significantly increased. The improvements will be stark and fitting for this acreage.

Once we build the cabin in the woods on the other side of the creek, we will be able to walk out the front door and look over the land in the distance to see the barn sitting there looking completely picturesque. We're putting our "Master Construction Plan" to work with practicality and aesthetics.

No doubt, I will have the barn insured. We will keep the barn fairly near the animals, but not too close to bring in smells and flies because the barn will also serve as a workshop.

Animal shelters will be separate structures built within their specific area and designed to withstand the strengths of the particular animal...we haven't gotten that far yet. But, we think we know where the pigs will happily live. That's for another day.

For now, we need to find some kind of prints to purchase or have some drawn up. Deputy Dave needs to decide upon the size of his barn. I know he doesn't want anything scrawny because it's going to be a multi-purpose building.

It's a B-A-R-N folks! It can't be an itty-bitty thing!

That's where we are on this barn construction end of things. We're getting there. Deciding upon the spot was half the battle. It's all downhill from here on out.

Once the barn sitting on that land, you can only imagine all the photos I'll be taking of that big beauty!

I think it might be lovingly referred to as, "Deputy Dave's Red Heaven."

Till next time!

# 277 - Barn Lover

I've figured out that either you're a barn-lover type or you're not. Some people are barn experts and help to revive a barn's history that captures the intrigue of passing time. Barns are one structure that weathering seems improve, time multiplies an old barn's magnetism.

Other people are happy to go the modern route with a colder approach to building a "barn" with metal. Shockingly, some aren't even concerned about the Barn-Red color that is IMPERATIVE to a true barn appearance!

Well, to be fair, there are "true" barns that are brown, white or grey. However, the red barns seem to have most of us hitting the brakes for a closer look at a slower pace. I guess old farmers had a racy side to them that was safe to express in their color choice for their barns. I've also heard other reasoning for barns being red, but they aren't as exciting as thinking about the farmer pulling out a pair of fancy underwear and being inspired to take it further.

This past week, Deputy Dave and I happened to come across a WOOD barn that appears to be either fairly new or renovated beautifully. It believe it's a pole barn. All I can say is that I was dreamy-eyed when this barn came into view. We pulled over to the side of the road for a few shots.

I loved the accents around the windows alongside the barn...pure perfection.

The wood siding gives an incredible texture and warmth to the barn. I think it'd even be nicer to have the double-sided large barn doors that swing open instead of these overhead aluminum garage doors.

The only difference we'd need to adopt in our own barn is to add overhangs for outdoor coverage along the perimeter of the barn, either on each side or on the front and back. I don't know. I'd love to actually see a variation of this kind with this type of structure. I might have variations of these barns in my photo collection, but for today, I'm focusing on this beauty.

I hope that June will allow us to find a day to drive to our land and meet our concrete guy so that he can start preparing the land for the spot we have chosen for our barn. I'm beyond excited at the prospect of standing on the concrete foundation of our barn/workshop and continuing the dreaming as the structure is finished. I hope to one day be holding a paint brush in hand...or an electric sprayer...and covering the wood sides with a double coat of barn RED richness.

Then, I can be in love with my own barn. Deputy Dave might have to shake me to pull me out of my trance.

I might think that old tractor is sexy, but a barn...well...a barn is downright mesmerizing.

# 268 - Reality Writing - Back to the Plan!

Writing a blog affords you to enjoy many benefits. One of the best parts of blogging is that each entry is sort of like a journal entry...with photos. I think of my blog as electronic journaling or technical scrapbooking. No, I don't scrapbook in real life; I'm the kind of person who uses the old-fashioned black corners on the scrapbook page to hold in the photo and I write next to it. No fancy paper, no big effort, but I do LOVE to look at other people's scrapbooks. Blogging is sort of like piecing together your favorite or notable subjects.

I think of blogging as "Reality Writing" and "Reality Reading" at its finest. We no longer have to be stuck behind that book or magazine about people moving to the country because we can BLOG about it, read about it, and even participate in back-and-forth comments about it.

For me, I love it when I have huge "A-ha" moments after reading a blog buddy's comments, such as what happened to me with yesterday's blog (#268). Your blog buddies can sometimes serve as a committee, helping you to stay on track. Sometimes, I read comments and have to sit back while shaking my head at my own tendency to veer off the planned path because of current stresses. The comments helped me to think more deeply about reasons for our order of construction. The comments definitely confirmed that I needed to slow down and not feel closed in or in a rush to build structures out of order. Doing things out of order would probably bring a lot of misery.

This past week, I had been overwhelmed by the process of selling our house for several reasons, my attitude and fortitude began to waver because...

1. The phase of life we've hit with having grown children who are "grown" but not quite ready to take all of their belongings is very difficult when it comes to packing. It's a packing nightmare. It's a time in life when you feel as if you are packing things that really won't have their own place or their own "room" in the next house. In the country cabin, we will have a house that will have guest rooms instead of rooms specifically for raising children. Weird, but welcomed! We've earned this stage of life, but it makes packing more of a challenge. Well, our youngest offspring will still have a room...until she's finished with college and on her way in life with more permanent residency, other than college-revolved living. The oldest child is in a permanent, long-term housing situation since she's living with her fiance...this means that she will have to start taking her own belongings to sort through as she pleases. I'll let her make the tough choices about which school memorabilia to keep or toss. However, all of those things we've held onto since the kids were growing up might not necessarily need to be held onto for eternity!

2. Animals are a bigger part of our life since we've lived in this house. I've never lived with chickens AND dogs while having to market a house. It's a non-fun juggling act. On the same level, we would've never known we were so eager to live in the country PRIOR to actual retirement if we'd not plunged ahead with getting our chickens while living in the city. We LOVE our chickens!

3. I do not have the energy to keep the house in show-stopping condition day by day. I was around 37 years old when we sold our last home and there's a big difference in how I feel from 37 to 44 years of age. The staircase also slows me down. The size of this house makes it very difficult to maintain; hence a BIG REASON for wanting to sell it. The house is simply too big for me to keep up with on my own. I'd rather spend extra time on a lawn tractor than behind a vacuum cleaner.

Those are part of my reasons for struggling more with this particular move than our past moves from house to house. Like many people, I have health issues that get in my way. Even so, I keep plugging along!

My last blog post had many great comments that helped me to remember "the plan" we have had in place this past year...such as building the workshop/barn first, then build the house. My blog buddies helped to to recall that I need to remember the ORIGINAL plan instead of feeling trapped and panicked about needing to get out of the city house. The process of getting out to our land will be a difficult process, we're doing all we can to make it happen, but I need to remember to not rush it.

I feel as if I can see the finish line and am getting tunnel vision!

As for building a barn/workshop, I have been seriously considering sticking with wood construction. Perhaps we can do steel beam supports, but I love the look of a wood barn. We currently live in a VERY heavily industrialized area and are surrounded by metal buildings, so I don't think I'll be very happy with a metal building on our land. We do have a metal storage building out there now, but I don't think I can deal with building more of them, especially when I'm trying to get away from all of these metal buildings. It works for some people, but not for me --- too much metal will remind me of the industrialized area we're trying to leave behind.

If we build a barn/workshop first, as planned, I believe we'll go ahead and build something similar to an efficiency apartment within the structure itself instead of purchasing another RV, especially since we already have the refrigerator and such. Setting up a little kitchenette area won't be difficult, putting in a window unit won't be too challenging and installing a basic bathroom setup is no problem, especially since Deputy Dave will probably use all of these areas as a big bonus to his workshop. When the guys come out to the property...and we do have a LOT of guys in our family...I'm sure they will thoroughly enjoy all of these conveniences in the workshop area. We've considered the RV angle over and over...we had an RV on our property for years, but it is something that comes with its own maintenance issues. In the end, I believe it will be nice to not worry about storing an RV, keeping insurance on another vehicle and not having to sell it. Bottom line, I'd rather put every dollar toward a solid structure that we will need for the long-term plan.

I appreciate all of you for helping me to get back on track. The stress of selling sometimes makes you want to go in circles and to forget the path of your well-thought out plans that have been in place. As you get closer to the reality of moving, there's a sense of urgency that increases. I've got to keep my head on my shoulders!

Thanks to my blog buddies for helping me stay on track! In fact, if you have any barn structure ideas or pictures, PLEASE SEND THEM TO ME!! I don't know how to link up a photo, but if you know how, feel free to do so! Also, if you email the photos to me (FarmLifeLessons@gmail.com) --
please give me written permission in the email to post the photos on my blog.

We are looking for a barn/workshop with an exterior overhang, such as in the photo above. Of course, we can work that into many construction plans.

Barn tips of all kinds are welcome, such as pros and cons of one type of barn over another. I love Pole Barns, but wonder if I am limiting myself? I have no idea. I'm listening to every word you type!! We're the thick in this midst of this transition with all the madness it entails. However, I'm back on track; back to the original plan...

Thank you!

# 253 - Chick Quarters

After the "incident" with the chicks and Belle the Yorkie which resulted in a chick losing a beak, Deputy Dave decided it was time to build a proper chick cage.

It looks like our days as being chicken owners have settled into our bones. We've now had chickens for over a year and it appears that we LOVE HAVING CHICKENS!

However, since the two new chicks we've recently acquired must be separated (the injury to one chick causes the other to incessantly peck the flawed chick with vicious involuntary action) Deputy Dave knew the cage needed to have two separate holding zones.

We needed a chicken quarantine cage as well, for sick chickens and for other chickens that might be added to our current flock at a later date.

I loved his design so much that I can think of a few pieces of furniture for the house that would do well to incorporate this rustic design. Honey, we're not buying any more furniture...I love this country appeal! My next coffee table. sofa table or component stand will NOT come from a furniture production line, it will come from the Deputy's own hands.

The top part of the chick cage has a nice lid-top that is hinged and opens easily, with a chain in place to keep it open without falling backward all the way. It also now has locks on the front, so we can use it when traveling or to keep nimble raccoon fingers from opening it.

Yes, raccoons can figure out how to open just about anything.

Back into the bathroom the chicks went, but they have moved up in the world to enjoy a roomy, plush pad of their own.

Chicks are separated by wire, but close enough to no longer cry
at their separation.

Not to mention, the cedar smells great. Fresh cedar has such a clean, refreshing smell of outdoors. I love it. However, it will be nice to eventually get the cage moved outdoors so they can be acclimated to the outdoor environment and to the current flock, in a cage that offers a safer transition. 

I can only imagine all the good uses that we will be able to enjoy because of this new bit of construction that Deputy Dave felt compelled to build over the weekend.

Next on the construction list...our cabin in the country and perhaps some new furniture.

# 202 - Storage on Top of Storage

A death in the family is something that will shake you up and turn you upside down. Even though our family is not directly involved in the activities required for these funeral preparations, etc., we are still impacted in other ways. Deputy Dave has been asked to be a Pallbearer for the funeral this coming Wednesday at noon; however, he is not allowed time off from work for a death in the family unless it is an immediate family member...aunts and uncles are not considered immediate enough.

Also, the Sheriff's Dept. is short-handed about 600+ Deputies, so time off is not something that comes easy these days, even with seniority. So, it doesn't look as if he will be able to attend the funeral, but he will be going in uniform to the wake on Tuesday, today, to pay respects to his Aunt Shirley.



My mother-in-law and father-in-law will be staying at our house during the days of the Wake and Funeral. My father-in-law has lost a sister. I know this is a tough time for him to lose more of his chain of history...more connections to his past are disappearing. I feel for him.

Saturday night, my in-laws came over and we played Dominoes for a few hours, a game I love to play called "Chicken-Foot." I guess it'd be natural that I'd like that game, considering I have chickens in the backyard. It's nice to be able to visit with them, especially since they like playing games. Everyone in my family loves to play cards, dominoes, and board games; we are very competitive. My daughters knew how to play Poker by the time they were in Kindergarten. Yep, they sure did. Five-card draw, Seven-card stud, Mexican Sweat, and on and on.

Our weekend family gatherings included each adult bringing their money jar so we could play some penny-poker. That penny-poker sometimes graduated into higher coins...nickels, dimes, quarters and the pot would grow and grow. We always joked that we were gambling away our kids' college funds. At least all of us adult siblings would have the chance to spend quality time together, with good home-cooked food and laughs that went into the wee morning hours. Our children, all cousins, were able to play together for hours as us parents roared while playing our games. There is no doubt, we adults were the biggest kids of all.

I think about all of these wonderful times we've had with our brothers and sisters, then I look at my father-in-law and think about his sister dying. It must be terrible to lose a sibling...someone you played with during childhood, someone who likely drove you nuts, someone who knew all the good and the bad of home-life. That person becomes a touch-stone, a reminder of where you come from. For them to pass away, it must seem as if a part of you and your past are also dying.

So, I tried my best to distract my father-in-law over the weekend. I made him dinner and we all ate together in the formal dining room like a good family. We told too many jokes that made my side hurt with laughter. We played Dominoes and us girls whipped the boys butts...I have grace, but not SO MUCH that I will lose on purpose. No way! And we just enjoy being with Deputy Dave's parents for the short time we get to see them.

They are full-time RVer's who long ago sold SOME of what they had and the left-over things were sent to the homes of their four children. None of us children with our four separate households realized that we would be enlisted to keep so many of their belongings in our attics or in our living rooms, or bedrooms or wherever a place could be found. None of us realized the lengthy commitment we'd be making in taking in large pieces of furniture or big bulky boxes that we certainly didn't want to add to our own crammed attic and closet space.

But, those parents were tricky. I think my mother-in-law tried to convince everyone that they were fortunate to "babysit" these things.

It got worse, once their own children no longer had extra room for all of their belongings, then the RVer's shoved a few straggler things onto the one grown grandchild who had a small house available. There was no shame in spreading all their stuff around so that they would, essentially, still have all their stuff around.

So, there is a BIG hitch when they say they sold everything or when they claim to live with minimal "stuff." That's not exactly true...well...yes...THEY are living with minimal stuff in their RV while the rest of the family is crammed in with their things. If the in-law's things were collected and put into one area, it'd be shocking to see how significant their things would add up to be when not separated...all of us would have to confront how we've been totally suckered into this "free-storage" plan of theirs over the past 15 years.

I guess they had us all figured out. It's been a good one. They are two smart cookies those in-laws of mine.

It's kind of funny. How can people who live in an RV have so much freakin stuff? Sometimes, I think we all just want to say, "Get a house already and come take your stuff back!"

They aren't exactly the "free" snowbirds they had pictured themselves to be. If you are having someone "babysit" your furniture along with boxes and boxes of your belongings, then you aren't really doing anything other than temporarily living without your belongings while someone else is forced to live with them.

If any of us have understood these "retirement" plans beforehand, the in-laws just might have been required to get a nice climate-controlled storage facility to hold all of their things. Each Christmas, we have to listen to someone mumble and grumble about having to push aside the RVer's boxes and boxes of things so that the household could get to their own tree and decorations. It's comical.

The kicker is...the stuff doesn't stop showing up. It keeps getting dumped off into Deputy Dave's garage. Our garage may be packed to the ceiling, but Deputy Dave knows exactly what is in that garage and he knows exactly what must be done to pull out his utility trailer with the lawn tractor and if anything shows up to block it, which it will after his parents have visited, then he's ready to blow a gasket. And we're not talking small stuff that you might overlook...the latest was two worn out moutain bikes with rusty parts. Uh, Thanks?

I know one thing is for sure, we've been getting rid of the excess that continually shows up in our two-car garage because we have NOT had room for that stuff to begin with and we certainly don't want to deal with having to move it all to our acreage. Once we're on our acreage, I can tell you with certainty that Deputy Dave will absolutely not volunteer his clean, organized space as extra storage space for someone else. Just because he might have a clean corner in his workshop does not mean he will be looking to fill it up. He might want it to stay cleared out and uncluttered.

I'm sure he will make it clear that his workshop is not a drop off zone and that if he hasn't purchased something for his shop after great consideration, then he will not be dedicating precious space for it to sit and get in his way. He's already a fairly organized guy; I can only imagine how he'll be happy to get his workshop in order and to keep it exactly as he pleases.

So, I guess the funeral will come and go, then my in-laws will be back on the road. I'm hoping they don't show up with yet another item to "set aside" in our jam-packed garage. It seems inevitable, yet almost like a skit out of Carol Burnette.

I know the in-laws are eager to get back to their RV that they left in Arizona after getting the call about Aunt Shirley passing away. Let's just hope our visit with the in-laws at our house brings only the two of them with their lovely stories and side-aching jokes and NO more garage stuff. Yes, I'll take the used books because I actually READ them, but Deputy Dave's garage is closed to anything extra. He's up to his eyeballs in garage stress already.

When the day comes to move out of our home, I am not quite sure what we will be expected to do with their old, bulky, out-dated, oak three-piece entertainment center that we've been forced to tote around with us for years. It's been against a garage side-wall, taking up a lot of space that would have been better suited to industrial shelving with ease of access. What are we going to do with that monstrous entertainment center that is designed for an old box-style television? I really don't want to move it to our property only to watch it sit in the new workshop for another fifteen years while in appropriately used for odd storage items.

We'll have to figure something out with the in-laws very quickly.

I don't mind holding boxes of things for my mother-in-law. She just has a lot of stuff. A lot of collectibles, all kinds of collectibles and knick-knacks galore. I love how my mother-in-law loves to tell each of her daughter-in-law's, "You sure have a lot of stuff," while we're the women holding onto the mother-in-law's numerous collections. It's really quite funny if you think about it.

When she says that to me, I just say, "Yes, I do...and look...it's all inside MY house! How about that unique concept?!"

Lucky for me, the sneaky mother-in-law also has a fabulous sense of humor. She's knows exactly what this is all about, even if she bats her eyes and plays innocent. We're onto the "storage plan." It only took us fifteen years though to completely figure it out. We're slow, but we got there! That's what counts. We've got them figured out!

I don't think she gets it sometimes because I think she has convenient memory lapses about their storage plan that's based upon their four children and one of their grandchildren. Regardless, our moving process will give us a good chance to re-take inventory.

In the opposite direction, this weekend I sent my oldest daughter to her home with another large box of things from her bedroom. It was time for her to decide what to do with those things. Did she still want the pink box full of notes from Junior High? I don't know...so I put all of those kinds of things in the big box so she can decide while sitting in her own house.

I guess our lives are full of THINGS. I look around and so much of our home is full of items that have great meaning from being passed down through several generations. Other things have served a temporary purpose and can really hit the road. Preparing for our move has forced us to take stock of what we own and what we REALLY want to take with us.

Looks like we're disposing ourselves of quite a lot of furnishings. Sometimes I'm a bit amazed at how much we're about to part with since we worked so hard to be able to buy it. However, a cabin won't be as accommodating as this house when it comes to furnishings. First of all, we will no longer need three dining areas. We won't need our King-sized bed with the large accessory pieces of furniture that goes with it. We won't need two leather seating groups. We won't need executive-sized office furniture and equipment. And we won't need all of the kitchen gadgets that have been cluttering our cabinetry and counterspace.

I guess this week has made me think a lot about life and death and the things that we choose to surround ourselves with...those things should make us smile, not cringe. On this point, I'm happy that I've put extra consideration into what we let enter our private domain. I am picky, that's for sure.

I'd rather have less in our house, but the contents should be higher quality. If it is going to come into our house or workshop, it better have a dang good reason to be there and the DESIRE to own it better be flying off the scale or it's not allowed. As for the "babysitting" of items belonging to someone else...There's no sense in adding more clutter to our lives so that others can live without it. I guess the rule should be, if it's dropped off at our house, be prepared to part with it permanently. Otherwise, get a storage facility. I don't think we want to be storage buddies any longer.

No offense, it's just...we're preparing to retire and that means preparing for an easier life...which amounts to...less stuff. Period.

One day, my kids will probably inherit a small farm. Deputy Dave and I will have nice things for our girls to have for their own households, if they wish. If not, they can ask other members in the family if they'd like the family heirlooms, if not...there's always E-Bay.