Moving "home" to the homestead has been hectic and a little discouraging once daylight savings time kicked in. It's a constant battle to get home from work before the Turkeys roost on the barn where I can't get them off. Glad the Solstice was a couple days ago and the days will start getting longer.
Laura and I did buy a sweet Suzuki King Quad 750. Very nice, and it looks like Laura fits it just right.
5 Aug 2013
It is hard to imagine our big boy Kiaser the 9.5 year old Great Dane passed away almost 2 weeks ago now. Our little house seems very empty without him. He is buried under the old Jack Pine with Solstice (Luna's brother, a 10 week old Beagle pup who was born with a bad heart) We were all in a bit of shock for several days, but things are slowly getting back to the new normal. Fortunately we are so very busy it keeps our minds occupied.
It has been an exceptionally busy few weeks, we did buy a hard framed pool which fits the bill perfectly. It's still a tiny bit off level, but it will do for this year. Next spring it will have a railed deck and DIY heater. I have also completed the new chicken tractor, and it looks great. It will be home to a small flock of 7 or 8 Chanteclers. I will hopefully be selling eggs and chicks starting next spring in an effort to help revitalize this Canadian breed. I do have a couple more coops to build but they will be smaller and intended for 5-6 birds.
The big good news I guess is that this week the new propane range got hooked up, so I can cook with a great deal more convenience. I have Apple Butter on the go right now that will be a base for Apple Butter BBQ Sauce. I have no real recipe yet, I am in the trial and error period. It will be interesting to see where that goes. The pond should be completed next weekend I hope, and we have a tech coming next week to give us a quote for a Ductless Mini-split Heat Pump installation.
20 July 2013
Yup, we need a new pool. Hard sided next time. I have filled the blow up one 3 times and now it's empty again thanks to a water loving English Springer Spaniel!!!! !
24 June 2013
Pool is up, but I think Herne may have poked a hole in the bottom of it. We will have to get a better pool and system for next year.
Summer 2012 Update.
My family from Alberta came for 2 weeks and they were working machines. Here are my new kitchen cabinet colours, a newly antiqued hutch, new double sink and a sweet 1940's rocking chair I bought to 35 bucks, and my sister made look like a million bucks!
Earlier in the summer I had started a bunch of reno's, after finding out there was no insulation in the house...............at all. So down came all the walls upstairs, so I could insulate, the problem is due to some big vet bills. There has been some slow downs in the reno department. These are all bathroom shots, and a bit blurry because I have a habit of only using my Blackberry for pictures.
14 Aug 2011
Since Laura and I are future small holding farmers I decided that I absolutely had to have at least one piece of equipment. Someday it will mostly be a pasture with livestock to trim the grass and chickens to eat the bugs, however right now its a beautiful, but completely tick infested meadow. So, to turn the lovely meadow into one of the least productive applications for land, I bought a *gasp* Lawn Tractor. I hate lawns, but I hate picking ticks out of my dogs and myself even more. Anyways, here it is, my new Red Snapper!
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June 2011
As part of the purchase price and mortgage, Laura and I are having some of the larger projects professionally done, including all new windows, and new back door (it's so skinny now!!). Also we are having the roof on the house and barn replaced. The house because there has been some water damage in the past, an the barn because it's 100 years old and I would like it to last another 100!
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As I mentioned we are replacing all the windows and roof, as well as painting. I am pretty sure it's going to be a bright sunshine yellow with white trim and red doors. Why? I don't really know, it just sounds bright and fun.
I plan next year to put a sunroom and deck off the bottom floor right where that window is, this side of the house faces south west over the meadow and creek, so it will be a perfect place to sit and chill. If I get really ambitious I will put a walk out deck ontop of the sun room exiting from the soon to me master bedroom upstairs.
The house came with this small wood/coal burning stove, but I will have to get it WETT certified or replace it for my insurance company to be happy. I hope I can get it to pass an inspection because its a nice little secondary source of heat and cooking. Actually if it stays (or replace) it will be turned to have it's back facing the outside wall and the majority of the other wall with the cabinets will be removed. Again, the bottom floor has a kitchen, dining room and living room, all tiny.
Now for the upstairs.......
Two major issues here, water damage and ugly papered paneling. Hence the roof replacement.
More lovely wall paper. Here you can actually see all three rooms. You have to walk through two of them to get to this one. This area is going to become a laundry and linen room on the way to the washroom. Also this view gives a good idea of how low the ceiling up here is. Maybe 6 feet, I think they kept it low to be more heat efficient. I will remove the entire ceiling and vault it a tiny bit to give about 7'6" at it's peak. Still low, but the best I can do without actually raising the roof.
Here is the current bathroom, not much is changing shape wise, but everything else is going to be replaced, including putting in a shower rather than a tub.
The following 2 pictures are my vision of what I plan on the interior layout being.
The 2nd floor, beadroom, washroom and linen / laundry room
And the main floor, kitchen and living room.
It's a small 880 sq ft house so as many walls as possible are coming down, this will open it up a fair bit.
And here are some land pictures. For me this is the real draw to this property.
Part of a beautiful 3+ acres of meadow, that we will be fencing putting some livestock on eventually. There are all sorts of options, but until I actually do retire I think we will settle for some chickens, and maybe if I have my way several Beltsville Small White Turkies. Someday I really hope to have a few Tamworth Pigs and a small herd of Goats, if I can find one I will buy a Boer x Nubian Buck and 2-3 Nubian Does. I am extremely interested in Heritage Breeds and specifically a few that are critically endangered as described by the Rare Breeds Canada Website .
Here's the little pond area. So nice.
Here is a Google Earth View of the property lines and my plan for fencing.
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