Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[freemotion]

I'll pass on the milk...the bottle deposit makes it too complicated. Unless the bottle is special!

 

[Henrietta23]

It's a nice glass bottle with the farm name. Don't know that it's worth $4 though! Let me know if there's anything else. Oh! Could I buy the milk, put it in something else and bring it to you?

 

[Henrietta23]

Sigh, just left the vet a message that we're not ready. Asked him to call back so we can discuss pick up time. We're going to work through the weekend until done, which may mean we're done before the weekend is over. I'm disappointed but that's really kind of silly. I don't think he'll mind too much having them for another week. I'll bring him some eggs and homemade jelly to make up for it.
On a happier note my second graders are all on a field trip!! And it's Friday!!! And I just figured out I have 8 days left in this school and only 4 more days at the high school which means only 4 more 5:30 am alarm clocks (yeah, like I'm going to get to sleep in with all these animals)
I'm taking DS to gymnastics so DH can install more fence posts. He finally hit some nasty rocks so it's going a little slower. My hope is that the fencing will be attached to the posts by midday tomorrow. Then we can get the interior wall materials. It isn't supposed to rain all afternoon even, just isolated storms. So unless it is actually thundering and lightning we'll be able to build the wall. DH has to build the gate and attach it. Those are the big jobs. There is a roost to move and the feeder to be rehung. Those are quick jobs. The door needs to be cut in the barn wall. Not too bad either. Things can be refined during their first days here.
One hour to go until I get three days of family time at home!

 

[Henrietta23]

Yay, my memory isn't all shot! That's the picture I remember

I'm sending good weather & strong back vibes your way. Hopefully you will be able to finish up fairly quickly. Is it just me or does time seem to flow faster when you are trying to get something done quickly?

Missed this one! Thanks for the weather wishes. It's looking really good for this weekend here.

 

[Henrietta23]

Sounds good! Maybe we could meet at the plaza on the Pike at...um...2:15? 2:30? You can always e-mail me, the link is under my avatar.

Exciting! Ooo, don't forget a camera!

I always forget that email can be there too. I don't have mine listed because my inbox never fills up!!

Definitely will need the camera!

 

[Henrietta23]

Here it is! I used the term "feeders" instead of "racks" so I had a little difficulty finding it, too: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3755

I'm having trouble figuring out the indoor one. Help?

I'll try to describe what you see in that picture....

It is basically a frame of wood with a scrap of fencing stapled to it. It is attached to the wall on the bottom by some bits of nylon web....leather would work, anything strong but flexible....and screws. On the top it is attached to the wall by two ball bungees (like those hair elastics we used as kids with the plastic balls on them) that go through two screw eyes. I also have a couple that attach at the top by ball bungees that loop through the fencing, then are slipped over two hooks in the wall. I screwed the hooks in at an angle so they are barely open so no one can get a body part hooked on them.

You fill it by taking the bungess off the hooks/screw eyes and setting a flake of hay in it. The elastic bungee holds it in firmly against the wall, no matter the size of the flake. Different bales can have different thicknesses of flakes, depending on how the baler was set that day. This is why I didn't use hinges at the bottom...it needs a little give. Besides, I'm cheap.

That green thing you see at the top and the snap you see at the bottom, towards the left, is just a stall chain that I used as a cross-tie for my horse, and I left it in place because once in a while I have to tie up Mya while I do something else and she is interfering. This puts her near a hay rack and she is relatively happy and quiet. That may have confused you in the photo. It is hanging slightly behind the rack in that picture.

Any questions?

I get it finally! That's a cool idea.

 

[Henrietta23]

I think the last fence post is in. Waiting to talk to the vet about when we will be able to pick them up. We're out of daylight for attaching the fencing.
Hoping to pick up hay in the morning. The guy DH knows is who our sheep owning friend gets her hay from and she highly recommends him. Local, honest, quality. Plus DH already has a rapport with the guy. $5 a bale.

 

[freemotion]

Sounds like it is all coming together!

 

[Henrietta23]

About a week behind schedule, but yes! I'll be a little calmer after I talk to the vet. He didn't call back tonight. Not much I can do about that. The fence posts are all in. The second bunch went in much more slowly. Lots of rocks in our New England hillside!
I hope to have two bales of hay stored in the shed, the wire fencing attached to the posts, the gate built and the measurements for the interior wall done by tomorrow night. Sunday morning we can start to build the wall, attach the gate, move a chicken roost and create the barn door. All around a visit to MA of course!

 

[Henrietta23]

DH just returned from his Sat. am dump run. He came home with a an old treadle sewing machine cabinet with drawers full of stuff. That will be fun to go through. He says it basically has everything but the sewing machine. He thinks someone will want it once he cleans it up.
He headed to Home Depot for fence staples, gate hardware and a new pair of work gloves. He then headed to the chain saw shop where he purchased two bales of last year's second cut hay. They opened one for him and it was nice and green and smelled good to him so he went of it. $5 a bale which is about what we see around here.
DS and I went to the lab for my follow-up bloodwork then to Ocean State Job lot where I got some bungees, a tarp and two huge clay pots for heirloom tomatoes a friend is giving to add the deck collection. I also found a pair of work gloves that fit me for $2 so I am off to help with the fencing.

I've got waffles for DS to make and freeze, yogurt to start, cleaning to do and laundry to put away. Going to be a full day!
But yay! We have hay!!