Few more photos from last trip

As of this week, the red metal roof is on and the windows & doors are being installed...I will be back on the farm Monday morning and will have current photos that evening. The heating & cooling folks start on Monday, and hopefully we'll start putting up fencing and some gates as well.

Regarding the photo at the left - K8 stepped on a snake, after which he walked around with a small wooden board in his right hand and a knife in his left. He said, "I'll whack it with the stick and cut its head off with the knife". I told him that he is only allowed to kill poisonous snakes. Leave the good ones (non-poisonous) alone.

K8 liked it up on the roof...no snakes!

More photos from last week's trip.

Construction Update...some good news and some bad news

The good news is that Alan has a rock solid house up and ready for the roofers. We also now have all the sub-contractors lined up, and they are all great guys who do excellent work - fairly important when I am coordinating this from several hours away from the construction site.

The bad news is that the house won't be ready until September. Oh well, it will be a grand house whenever it is ready. And then there are the cost over runs, so delete the window blinds (there are no other houses around us, so why bother); we'll keep our older appliances instead buying all new; and we will finish the basement ourselves.

Look who is up on the top with the roofer - K8

He asked Dave if he could go up..."If your Dad says its okay." He is almost 11 years old and an accomplished climber. I didn't hesitate, "Sure". That's part of the reason we are moving here - we want our boys outside and learning all they can to become self sufficient.

Dave soon put a nail apron on K8 and put a hammer in his hand, then showed him what to do and put him to work. Three hours later they were finished putting down the waterproof membrane.

The Pond's first water

We had a little rain recently, and as a result, we have a little water.

Once we start operating the geothermal pump and dump system next month, the pond should be full all the time...then we can add the fish!

Sunday Afternoons

K8 and K7 spend a quiet Sunday after church today reading and drinking hot cocoa (never mind that it is 96F outside!)

Here is granddaughter "S" celebrating our nation's birth on the 4th of July last weekend wearing a shirt that her Mom K1 made.

Got Water?

We had a new pond built last week, now all we need is water...but we don't want too much rain until we get the metal roof on the house in the next few weeks.

This giant old oak has branches sticking above the pond and

should be perfect for a rope swing out over the water.