In other Homegrown news...

So the hot topic is the shanty, but there's lots of other homegrown things happening around the property!

1. We built the chickens a new run. It's made out of panels that can be attached to different sides of the coop so they can get to fresh grass and bugs.

2. My favorite neighbors (the sheep) had their lambs!

I could watch these guys all day.

Nursing. Adorbs.

3. Rosy's gone broody. I put her out in the chicken tractor to try to snap her out of it. Not working.

Rosy. Very unhappy that I've moved her off the nest.

4. I'm getting ready to till up the garden this weekend! Hopefully I will have time to at least get the corn planted. It's roughly 30'x25'. 

The garden patch will be around the chicken run.

5. The apple trees are blooming. My favorite.

6. I bought a goat baby. His name is Felix. I am going to have him wethered, and he will be the companion to the dairy doeling I am currently looking for. Goat cheese, this time next year? I think so.

Felix.

*Updates on the Shanty progress will be coming soon!

the perfect weekend.

Half of the floor joists are up! I don’t know if I am just getting better at this house building, tool slinging thing or this was just a beginner level job, but it went superfast and didn’t give me much hell.

Pneumatic nail gun, you are my BFF.

As you can see, I decided to go with untreated 2x8s. I think it should be fine.

Next weekend I will be finishing up the joists and working on putting some cross bracing in.

Morale is high, and I am AHEAD of schedule. #goshawty

 

And since I finished up early on Sunday afternoon, I got to enjoy a seven mile hike around Dow Lake at Strouds Run. Amos enjoyed it too; he even jumped in the lake with some dog friends we met on the trail! It was pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. Ever.
 

I think I could sit here forever and never get bored.

 

 

Successful weekend!

I woke up, busted ass, and conquered all three beams by Sunday at 6 p.m.

Everything is level, and I have a great big smile.

All-in-all, it took me one month of weekends and evenings to get 15 6x6 posts cut and up, notch them all, and get the 2x10 beams bolted on. Pretty pleased with my little.lady.self  ;)

Here’s some photos:



By the end of Saturday, had two beams up.



Sunday: All up and bolted on!



Another view.



Yeah, I couldn't help myself. Probably not the last dorky picture you will see of me during this process! Get used to it.

Here's an update.

I have one row of posts left to get notched. I have been making the cuts with the circular saw and sawsall while the posts are standing, because I refuse to take them down and have to put them back up – Putting them all up plumb and level so I could snap a chalk line took way too many hours, and I don’t want to do it again! Even though it would be easier to do this notching business on the table saw. If you are wondering why I am even doing this notching business in the first place, it is because I am cheap and don’t want to spend $300 on post-cap hardware.

I’ve been making score cuts with the circular saw (blade set to 1.5”) and then making the vertical 9.25" cut down with the sawsall. So after about three posts, I start getting a little sloppy with the saw. For the sake of retaining 10 fingers during this process, I’ve just been doing a little each night after work.

 

 

And then… I am going to get all of the beams up this weekend. I repeat, I am going to get all of the beams up this weekend.

We are getting so close to putting down the floor joists and subfloor, and when it is done, I am going to roll around on it and giggle. I may even set up a tent and camp out for a few days.