Day 4 & 5: Pole Barn Build

Day 4.  Goal - finish trusses and supports.
Complete.

It's starting to look like a barn!

 All trusses installed.

 Inside looking up.

  
Day 5, was a hot, humid day AND a long day.  Not much to say as they finished what they set out to do.  Now our weekends will also include pole barn framing and walls.

John is very happy with the build.  I'd say it was a very productive week!

 As seen from the trail.

 

 With the backhoe and bucket attached, it just fits.

Timber

We don’t focus on one project at a time around the house. We like to have a couple of ‘open’ projects around the house and yard.  I guess maybe everyone does but at times, it drives me crazy.  I like to think, if we get bored we can work on one of them!  During the summer, you’d think mowing our lawn and tending the flower beds and garden would be enough.  Housework is a daily chore so that just gets done as if on auto-pilot.  Then there are projects on my to-do list.  It is a long list and every time I cross one off, I add a couple more. 

The weekend before the pole barn build, John was considering cutting down a large tree at the upper pond because it was dead.  We aren’t sure why it died and were unhappy about that fact, but it had to come down.  He was hesitant to cut it down alone and I wanted him to wait until my cousin came over.  However, he decided to just cut it down. We carried up the chainsaw, wedges, hammer and safety equipment.  Once up there, we discussed the best area to have it fall.  Then he decided not to cut it down. So we hauled everything back to the garage. 

All day he debated with himself as he gathered tools for the pole barn build.  Just before dinner, he said he wanted to cut it down.  So I grabbed the camera and Elliott and I helped haul everything back up the hill.

I was nervous. Worrying about ‘what could go wrong’ and ready to run to the phone if needed.  John took his time thinking about the tree, the method and safety.  Practice run a few times of where to go if the tree was not going to fall the way he planned.  It happens so best to plan for it.

Let me say, it took a long time to take this tree down.  He cut and put wedges in, hammered the wedges, we saw the tree shake and thought, there it goes. No go. Well, all wedges were in use so a minute of chainsaw use and Elliott got to yell TIMBER!

The view from the yard below the pond with the big, dead tree still standing.

View of our side yard from the upper pond.

Getting ready to cut the tree.

Watching from a safe distance.

The tree is down.

 Success but now the work begins.

New skyline without the tree.

What a huge project of clearing this tree but we have made a huge dent in the mess already. We spend time hauling branches over to the brush pile in the field, and we took a small wagon load of wood to our new neighbors for their fire pit (too green for this year though). We have to cut and load up the trailer as another neighbor said he’ll take a load (bartering in progress on this deal). 

We are all getting use to the new upper pond skyline without the massive dark-limbed tree in the background.

Need wood?

Pole Barn Build: Day 3

Under a cloudy, rain-threatening sky, the men continued working on the pole barn yesterday.  I was anxious to see the progress made on day three. When I arrived home, the truck was not in the driveway so I continued driving down the road and pulled in the lane.  John and Elliott were at the barn.  Elliott was tightening some screws and John was picking up tools for the day.

Here’s what they accomplished:

The reason the barn needs to be built.

Working hard and looking good!

Calling it a day.

Am I anxious to see what they accomplish today? Yes I am. I expect all the rafters to be in place and maybe (am I pushing too hard?), some roofing. Although, the workday might get rained out as the weather forecast is not good for working outdoors.

Stitches in Time

When you think of memories, what comes to mind?  For me, I think about my childhood.  I have so many wonderful memories of growing up in the country, on a dirt road, and fun neighbors. 

In the summer, we rode our bikes, swam, made forts in the woods, waved to the trains that ran behind our house, picked flowers, fruit and vegetables, played in the creek.  One family of five, had three boys, all older than us, that taught us how to play sports - baseball, basketball, football. They also helped fix our bikes and kept our tires pumped up.

In the winter, we played in the snow making forts in the deep ditches, ice skated all day and went sledding on the small hill by our neighbors’ barn.

I have fond memories of those kids I grew up with.  Some were older than me, some were younger but we had a nice neighborhood family. 

I also think of the vacations my mom took us on. Touring New York State, Hershey Park and lots of camping.  Special times playing cards when it rained, staying up late to look at the stars and catch fireflies, getting up early to see wildlife and eat breakfast cooked over the campfire.

And more memories of times spent at my grandparents’ farm with my cousins, aunts and uncles and well as my grandparents.

I can only hope my children will think of their childhood when they are asked about memories.  I know the world they are being raised in is so very different from the time I grew up in.  Good or bad, I hope they look back on their life and smile as the memories warm their hearts. 

We spend a lot of time with our children.  They are our investment.  They need to know they are loved all the time, that they have a safe place to be themselves and express their beliefs, and a home that will always be there for them. 

Parenting is hard.  I know I doubt myself about handling situations, discussing difficult topics, listening without voicing my opinion, questioning if we shelter them too much, and so many other things. 

We spend time with them and we teach them.  That is where I see a difference with some other families.  We don’t shower our kids with gifts and tech toys.  We have expectations and they understand that.  Both our children are thoughtful, intelligent, witty, helpful and leaders in their own way.  Yet they are so different from each other in so many way.  We are proud parents.

So back to memories….the boys do special things together and we girls have started venturing outside the kitchen. Last year we took course one of the Wilton cake decorating class.  We enjoyed it and our decorating skills have improved. Olivia has decorated several cakes since the class.  We need to take the second course and planned to last year but the timing of the class coincided with the end of the school year and finals. 

Recently, we took a basic sewing class.  Ah, it was fun!   We attended three 2-hour classes and sewed three projects: a tote bag, an apron and a small zippered bag.  It was a small class of 4 and Olivia enjoyed it. She missed one class due to a school trip to Atlanta, GA but she managed to sew all three items in the two classes she attended. We were not thrilled with the fabric choices we had for each project but we did the best we could matching up what we had to work with.

Here are our three projects:

And are we sewing at home?  We have each picked out a pattern and Olivia has fabric for our first home sewing project. Olivia plans to sew some clothing and I will try to make an item or two with her.  The projects will be a way for us to spend more time together (yes) and continue learning about sewing and developing our skills.

We might not sew a lot in the next few years or we might go crazy sewing, hopefully the sewing we do, will create more than articles of clothing. I’m hoping a memory or two get tucked away that will bring a smile or laugh to her later in life. I'm just looking forward to spending time with Olivia and anxious to see what she creates!