Dec 29, 2012

Some fun playing in the snow with the barnyard friends

 I run, they follow!

 The house looking warm!

Demo Day

We are finally ready.  Permits are in order, subcontractors are lined up, and Hurricane Irene granted us a free day off of work.  Monday, August 29 was demo day.

The dogs were wondering what is going on.

I had removed many of the perennial bulbs from the beds that surrounded the old addition, with the help of a great friend - unfortunately we got poison ivy in the process!!  We also saved most of the stones that were used to make the rock wall.  The electrician and plumber came to disconnect everything leading to that section, and the framer cut the roof for easy separation.

Goats don't care -

Kenny getting ready to rip & tear.  He jokingly said "Oh I read that book, "How to Tear Down a House", last night so I'm ready!".

Got a good spot -

It was a bit nerve-wracking!

But all went smoothly and the addition came right off the stone house as expected.  We tried to salvage as many of the old beams as possible.

Juan found a praying mantis - we were happy to see this sign of good luck on Day 1 of our demolition.

The symbolism of a praying mantis:


The mantis never makes a move unless she is 100% positive it is the right thing for her to do. This is a message to us to contemplate and be sure our minds and souls all agree together about the choices we are making in our lives.
Overwhelmingly in most cultures the mantis is a symbol of stillness. As such, she is an ambassador from the animal kingdom giving testimony to the benefits of meditation, and calming our minds.
An appearance from the mantis is a message to be still, go within, meditate, get quite and reach a place of calm. It may also a sign for you to be more mindful of the choices you are making and confirm that these choices are congruent.


I love what it represents and how it fits into our lives right now.


But enough with the serious stuff... celebratory champagne!

We had to start right away removing the old concrete/ plaster from the old exterior.  This wall will be our new kitchen wall, so we want to get the exposed stone nice and clean.  Minor damage above the doorway where one of the pegs was very securely in that beam.

Chris getting right to work:

 The house looks so small and cute!

Beautiful end of an awesome day!

Hee Hawwww

Introducing, Miller (Lite) & Snickers (a.k.a. Snickerdoodle) - our two Miniature Mediterranean donkeys...

and Jethro (a.k.a. Goat) & Mae, our two Nigerian dwarf goats.We got them from a friend who's moving and searching for good homes for her animals before that time comes.



Miniature donkeys are herd animals, and they should always be kept with another Miniature Donkey or other animal as a life-long friend. It is clear to see this bond between Miller and Snickers... they are literally always side by side (as are the manure piles). It has been a lot of fun to watch them and learn their personalities. Snickers gets grouchy with the goats around feeding time and shows them his rear to threaten with a kick if they get too close. Miller greets me every morning with a loud bray as soon as the upstairs lights turn on in the house, and also greets Chris when he pulls in the driveway every evening. They love attention and petting and brushing...many evenings I spend out in the barn with their big heads on my lap, just getting attention and scratching!

The goats are tricky, as one would expect.  Jethro is much friendlier than Mae, who prefers to keep to herself.  They both love to climb on things and we are always thinking of fun items to add to the pasture for their enjoyment.

We love our barnyard friends!

The birds

We got 6 chicks in March, who first had to be indoors with a heat lamp, and grew quickly to become awkward adolescents.  These shots are from from their first day trip outside -

Henrietta (pictured above), Carolyn, Ping Pong, Erin, Lady Gaga, and Copper Top were the original crew.  Unfortunately, screeching noises coming from the sunporch told us that we had some cockerals...  Lady Gaga, Erin, and Copper Top subsequently had been re-homed.  Henrietta (a.k.a. Henry) the Rooster stays to keep a watchful eye over the girls.  We have also gotten 2 more (adult)  hens, to help with the egg production since our loss of birds.  We love getting fresh eggs daily - our 5 hens now produce between 3 - 4 eggs per day, and Henrietta is my natural alarm clock :)

We bought a coop from a guy through craigslist - just $50 + red paint to match the barn-

Lily keeping guard -