Here's to New Barn Doors and Great Neighbors

If you have ever read our blog you are well aware of how awful our barn looks. It is no surprise. However, it was one of the main buying factors when we looked at this place 2 years ago. The sill needs to be replaced. There was a leak in the roof for only God knows how many years. It was let go and not repaired. Hence, we are going to have to put in some major rehab into the barn. We have had one contractor that came out last week and basically told me that it would be cheaper to tear it down. He didn't act very interested. He is also the contractor that never bothered to call me back with an estimate on the barn or work on the house. So, pfft to him. To the women out there. Do you ever talk to a contractor and he just blows you off like you don't have a brain in your head. You have no idea what you want or need. Yes, he is the same guy at the car dealership or the tire warehouse or the auto mechanic shop. You know the feeling you get. Like you want to smack them in the back of the head and say "Hey, take me serious, I'm not stupid". That is the feeling I got with this contractor. We always try to get local people. We are still looking for someone who is competent and able to replace the sill on our barn. It is old, post and beam. The roof is now good and so are many of the beams. If there is any way possible to repair it we will. In the present time we have to get it ready for winter. The ever present looming of WINTER! Buying doors was just out of the question. We have learned to either build or buy used whenever possible. At one time the barn had nice sliding doors. Where they went is anyones guess. We now have animals who need a nice cozy place to winter. Mainely 3 spoiled little goats, many hens and guineas.

So off to Parker Lumber in Bradford, Maine. (again we always try to buy local, not to mention that their lumber is half of what Home Depot costs) Alex spent the last couple of weeks laying out and framing in three barn doors. She designed the doors to be sturdy and long lasting.

We put everything together with deck screws. Both sides are the same. Strong and heavy!

What a nice design. Even unpainted it really looks good.

Of course the color is "Barn Red". This will be the same color we use on the exterior of the barn. We just love red barns.

We were so fortunate to have our neighbors Kevin, Cheata and Nikia over to help hang the doors. The hardware went on without any problems. I don't know how, but there just happen to be beams where the rails have to go. The lower doors went on without a hitch. Each door weighs about 200#. We were able to lift and place the rollers into the rails without too much strain. The top door really worried me. I just didn't know how we would be able to get the door up, much less how to slide it onto the rail. Kevin kept telling us not to worry. He had ideas. Sure. Us of little faith. He was able to install the top rail using a ladder and hanging out of the door. I need to stop here and tell you that Kevin is not a fan of heights. That was putting it nicely. He is a great neighbor and really worked hard here getting past the height issue.

We will work on the framing in of the top door later when we have more time. We just have to block snow and rain from damaging the hay.

Cheata has driven tractors all of her life. A real honest farm girl. The plan was to raise the door and Kevin up to the proper height and slide the door in. This is where I really started praying.

Ted and Kevin are really strong and able to lift this door. I watched from the porch and took pictures. Nikia and I were the official cheering section.

After much maneuvering they were able to get the door to slide onto the rail. There for a while I didn't think it was going to go on. It was getting dark by this time. But with skill and determination the door gave in and went to it's new home.

The doors look great. The barn is kinda tired but the doors look wonderful.

Compliments to the designer, builder, and painter. Alex what a wonderful job!

The production crew, Kevin and Ted. Cheata refused to get into the picture. Excellent work to all. Thank yous all around.

It feels so good to have everyone pitch in and help. Neighbors, family and friends. This is what it must have been like 160 years ago when the barn was built. I can just picture an ole barn raising. Well, minus the John Deere tractor. Thank you Mr. John Deere whoever and wherever you are. The barn was cozy and comfortable tonight with the animals safely abed. Thank you all.

Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Fall is in the Air

We awoke to temps in the low 50's this morning. I got up and ran around closing windows and turning fans off. Brrrr..... We didn't have summer until 3 weeks ago, then we hit the high 80's to 90's and thought we were going to die. Friday's lows in the 30's-40's. Who forcasted this weather? I want my money back. I feel like we were ripped off. Okay, so it's not so bad. Actually it made me want a cup of hot tea. Now that I think about it, I love fall weather. It was kind of nice being in the 70's today. I could wear jeans without feeling like I would melt. The cooler temps made us think about the things we needed to do to get ready for winter. Our chicken coop is in the barn. We had the door opening on the side last winter. We really realized what an error that was with the 3-4th snowfall. When the snow sheds off the barn it piles up in front of the door preventing us from being able to open it. This year we wanted to move the door to the end of the barn. Now we can use the snow blower so the girls can come out and get
some sunshine on warmer days.

Ted worked all morning opening up a door on the end and closing the existing door. It ain't pretty but you just wait till spring. The barn is on our to do list. Ted had plenty of company from the girls. They gathered around checking out his work.

The goats, sheep and llama are really coming together as a flock. They enjoy the pasture and all the new weeds that are available for grazing.

We are still giving Edward his meds. He hates the pill. I fight with him each morning to get that big honking tablet down his throat. He hates his Bio-Sponge paste, gags, slings his head from side to side and then runs to the water trough to drink. He loves the Pro-Bios. He will attack you for a taste of that. He is still having some diarrhea. We are waiting for goatie pellets any time now.

We have started giving the guineas a small amount of white millet seed. Hopefully, if all goes well, when they are adults they will be enticed to roost in the barn at night. That is the theory anyway. We will keep you posted. Evidently, guineas can't turn down the seed. So far they act like we will chop off their heads each time we walk by the brooder or speak to them. They are eating well and growing so fast. Just skittish.

The turkeys are growing and acting like turkeys. They are friendly and come whenever we go near the garden. I know they are destined for Thanksgiving dinner but I really like the turkeys. I have to keep telling myself they have a destiny. But we will keep 2 hens and 1 tom. Does anyone know if it is ok to keep split the chicken coop between the hens and turkeys. They will be kept separated by chicken wire. I don't want the turkeys to get black head disease from the chickens.

We tried to get a video of them fluffing up and gobbling. Whenever the camera was on they were quiet. Go figure. People say turkeys are "stupid" but I don't think so. They are cute. Awww.....

With the cool weather and work going on it just seemed like a good time to bake. The bananas were starting to go past and into getting brown. I hate to see them go to waste. This is my favorite recipe for Banana Carob muffins with pecans and flax meal. They taste so yummy. We even brought in several for our nursing unit. Tonight is our first night back from vacation. If you hear a thump tonight around 3am it is the sound of my head smacking the desk. Oh, I miss sleeping at night.

I guess since we can't halt the onslaught of fall we should just enjoy the cool days. At least it is good sleeping weather. Take care, much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Whatever Weather

Tuesday evening. It has been hot and sticky all day. Yesterday I drove to NH and back (Yee hah!) and it was really hot and muggy there too. But it evidently stayed overcast with sporadic hard rain through out the day up here in Maine. Kelly and Ted attempted to get our big pile of brush to burn but it just wouldn't stay lit to finish the job. And it was still too wet to burn today. The ride home last evening had steamy roads and fog on the streams. There was the glint of standing water between corn rows and potato hills as I got further north. Still haven't seen much hay cut. I guess no one is willing to take the chance of rain when its been raining at least every other day for weeks now. And they tell us more is on the way. We may get a break the evening of the 4th and the 5th. We'll see. We would like to get started on refinishing the main room floors but we haven't sorted out how to keep the cats, dog and us off them to dry, and how to have access to the bathroom, and how to get to the upstairs to sleep, without crapping up the urethane or doing each floor in pieces. We really don't want overlap marks or paw prints or to have to sleep in the cars. And we won't even discuss how to exist without a bathroom for the number of days it will take to stain and put down 3 coats of urethane. Some of our cats are NOT barn cats and will be most put out at even being confined to the kitchen.i.e. Abby the Diva prefers not to leave Kelly's bed except to eat and hiss at all the other cats. They are after all her underlings. Max and Sara are Maine Coon Cats but both like long naps curled up inside. Beau and Sugar are both ones who prefer to be outside during summer and will not be a problem. Oreo is a big tuxedo cat who like Timba the orange kitten use us simply for cat exchange at the kitchen door. in-out-in-out. all day long. And Lastly Little Mo, our petite grey baby. She Is the mightiest hunter of them all but after having gotten lost in the woods for 4 weeks when we moved here, is not comfortable too far from the house. And then there is Ivy, our silly Pug dog, 8 yrs old deaf and sweet as they come. she sleeps with me or on the sofa 20 out of 24 hrs. What will we do with the critters? What will we do with us? We did pick up the paint for the guest room and I will try to get all the new overhead lighting fixtures installed over the next weekend or so. And we have to finish work on the next section of the barn because the new chicks arrive on the 14th . Their stall/coop still has several year old petrified cow poop on the floor and holes in the outside wall. No rest for the wicked.

Lost Days

Well we worked last night, came home , fed chickens and went to sleep. The day was beautiful they tell us. We wouldn't know, slept through the whole thing. Tonight is our second of three in a row. We should be feeling human again by Sunday evening. For all the grumble working 3 days a week lets us truly have time to work on the farm. Ted spent the day trying to locate the old water line to the barn with a pick and shovel. Its down there somewhere. We have a new draining pump thingy to put in. What do we Floridians know about water lines that have to drain so they don't freeze? What I do know is we have to break up the concrete floor in the barn to dig some kind of pit to fill with rocks for the pump to drain into. This is going to be hot ugly work, I can just tell. But we need to get water for sheep and chickens before winter and a garden hose wont do. The original line comes out just behind the stairs in the barn and the floor is broken and sunken about 18 inches. So we need to run a new line into the house to connect just after the pressure tank and out the wall where the old one was, then into the new spot in the barn and hope the front of the barn doesn't fall in on us or something. Oh, Kevin got home and says he knows what is wrong with the tractor and can fix it easily. Thank God for small favors. Made the appointment to have the chickens "dispatched" in 2 weeks. Now we seriously need to decide if we need a new freezer by then. Since the old one is pretty full we probably do. Drat.. always something to buy that is simply not fun at all. Why cant we get a flat screen TV that will store chickens? We lost a rooster yesterday and another looks poorly. They were exposed to avian encephalitis as newly hatched chicks. We lost 19 then but now this guy is doing the same stuff, walking on the backs of his legs kind of hunched down. Anyone know what this is? Posted by Alex