Break from "posting"

Today we are taking a break from "posting" so I thought I would let you see what we have been working on this week.  As a family, we put in some long hours. 

We had a great job foreman (my hubby) that kept us motivated.

And the second horse shelter is constructed! 

This one is smaller at 24'x10' and just the right size for this pasture.  Again, we made the sides slatted so the wind would gently go through instead of whipping around it.  It's really amazing how well it works.  If you stand directly behind it, you feel a gentle wind but if you are a few feet away, it is the slightest breeze or none at all.  Being naturally claustrophobic, the horses love being able to see through it.  It's funny to watch them on both sides staring at each other.  We are hoping that the grass this summer will continue to grow under it since there is some light coming in. 

When we finished building this one, we made some needed changes to the first one.  If you remember, it was slightly experimental.

The roof was starting to sag slightly so we removed the entire top and replaced the 2"x6" support boards that run lengthwise with 2"x10"s plus used heavier bolts to tie it all together.  I think they will do the trick.  They certainly look much stronger!

  Next step is to paint (if the wind will quit blowing).  My job of course, since no one else around here likes to paint.  We also decided to put a metal roof on them to give the horses more protection from hail, since spring storms are much more dangerous to horses around here than winter storms.  The roof will go on after they've been painted.



Cowboy is always around when I have the camera out.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, we moved on to start the goat shed.

This is where the goat pen and milking shed will be.  The posts that you see were originally sunk to make a falcon "weathering" area for my oldest son.  They have been left unattended for several months and were therefore acquired by eminent domain by me!  My goats need a good pond view, after all.  And it was the last spot large enough to put their pen.

Despite what it looks like, I had lots of help.  I had the easy job of
holding the posts level while the boys mixed the concrete.

So we did more "posting" to make it bigger.  It will be a 12'x12' gabled roof shed with a 7'x8' lean-to on the side.  That bump out will be open on the east end for the goat girls to use as their house.   It should look similar to our farmhouse only lots smaller. I may even paint it red!

Today, there will be no "posting" because of a 25 gusting to 40 mile per hour wind (remember, we live "where the winds come sweeping down the plains").  It's a bubble bath, painting fingernails and toenails, Jane Austen movie kind of day.  After all, a girl can't be expected to wear leather gloves and work boots everyday, can she?