The dogs are finding all sorts of good things to smell as the snow melts:
If you look carefully (click on the pic to enlarge) there is a pair of Canada geese in the middle of the creek. All the birds are pairing up and getting it on! ;)
Yes, my friends, that brown stuff is grass, blessed grass!
Meanwhile, back in the barn basement... this is where the last owners kept meat chickens some years back. Gordon is trying to figure out how to turn it into a pleasant, well-lit, draft-free, predator-safe coop for our future laying hens:
And the rodents and who knows what else have been very busy tearing up the barn insulation all winter! We are pulling it all out anyway. What a mess! There is a sort of office above this area, which Bill insulated. But the animals have wrecked that and we won't use that area as any kind of office anyway, so we're renting a small dumpster and pulling out all the torn, animal-pee-scented insulation. What a fun job that will be!
The other night, we were woken up by a pack of coyotes making ungodly noises rather close to the house. When we get sheep, we are going to need several guard animals!
Spring is springing... bring it on!
I'll bet you don't get another winter like this for ages. Next year you'll even feel nostalgic for this year. :) good thing you have a lot of pictures.
ReplyDeleteHey you can see the deck!! The remaining snow looks kinda fake and weird, doesn't it. :)
I don't envy you the insulation clean up job. I think I'd hire someone for that. I think that stuff has fiberglass in it and can get into your skin :(
but the snow is MELTING!! YAY.
excellent pics
Yeah, it is melting! I can't wait to see your farm in the spring or summer. It just looks so peaceful every time you put a picture up.
ReplyDeleteAs for the insulation.... nasty stuff. Get one of those disposable suits and gloves & masks for that job. Like anonymous said, you will itch for days if you get it into your skin.
Fiberglass does the same.
Llamas are supposed to make good flock guardians, I've herd, I mean heard. Sorry--I'm tired and couldn't stop myself.
ReplyDeleteDonkeys make good watch animals too, and the miniature ones are so adorable. I remember as a kid when the snow started to melt and look like dirty styrofoam. It was kind of dry snow too. I'm really looking forward to pictures of the farm in bloom. It's so beautiful there. I hope we get to see pictures of the goslings once they've hatched.
ReplyDeleteWhat a yucky job you and Gordon have tearing out that insulation. Is there anything you can put in instead that won't deteriorate like that or be used for nesting by animals? I've heard that they have a new insulation made of soybeans that's green, won't attract animals, and gets blown in as foam that expands to fill in all the cracks and hardens in place.
Finally she gets her spring!! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh - and I don't know about my M&M wanting to visit Canada but I know I do!
~ Wolf Lover Girl
Who knew that barns had basements?? All the barns I've ever been in had dirt floors. You learn something new every day. Good luck with the cleanup!
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys, we'll make sure we suit up before we take out the insulation. Fortunately the whole barn isn't full of it; it's just over and under the "office" Bill put it. Blech!
ReplyDeleteGenny, that soybean insulation sounds awesome. We actually aren't going to replace the stuff in the barn, but it's good to know for future jobs. Bill worked in this office thing in winter, so he wanted to stay warm. I won't be working in a barn office in January! :)