Gone into hiding

For the last two weeks it would seem like I dropped off the face of the earth but luckily that is not the case.  For the last two weeks at work we have been working overtime to try to catch up on our workload.  We have had a couple of big jobs that have been dragging on and were on a timeline so we finally kicked into overdrive and wrapped them up.  We are still working a lot of hours but Allyssia got done at her part time job so we have been able to get done earlier at night and get into the house.  We have a lot to catch up on since I have been gone but in a few short blog posts I will try my best!

This may not be exciting to most of you but finally having a rain gauge was a big thing to check off my list.  The wind took my first rain gauge, and I am pretty sure it ended up at my neighbors.This new gauge is staked into the ground well and I don't believe it can blow away!  Also in the yard we finally got out mower out and started cutting the grass. 

Allyssia decided to mow the lawn and she found the wettest part of the lawn and got just a little stuck. Okay, maybe more than a little stuck - I had to fill in some pretty big ruts once we got her out.  Until the rain lets up and it dries out we had to abandon mowing that part of the lawn as well as a few other small parts.  Stay tuned this week and weekend as I recap the past two weeks and as always leave me a comment!

Saturday and Sunday's Ramblings

 This post took a while to come up with because I have been working really late at work trying to finish a project for a deadline.
This weekend was a beautiful few days but as every weekend with Owen they have been busy.  We never have a shortage of projects on the farm but sometimes we have projects off the farm to work on.  First thing Saturday morning I was up and about helping to pour concrete for the new addition on to Castonguay Meats.

Uncle Donald is building an addition to the retail part of the store.  He is expanding to put some more coolers and freezers in. Stop in to visit him and see the construction in progress. 
By the time I got home we did not do a lot but Allyssia the dogs and I went for a nice walk. 

Allyssia found a nice natural seat to overlook the river.  We set there and let the dogs swim and have a good time in the stream.  Then Sunday we went to Gramie and Grampa's.  I brought my steam cleaner with me to wash the shady side of the house and garage. 

There was a lot of moss and grime on the house but with a coat of soap and then the steam cleaner basically wiped the house clean.  Now it was not a super exciting weekend but I had a good time and very soon I will have to show off the new toy I hauled home.  Until next time stay tuned and check back often. 

Hopefully a Happy Mailman

Since we moved into our house the mailbox has been the same.  The mailbox is a simple black plastic box screwed onto a 3x3 landscaping timber.  This winter the frost finally tipped it way back so it must have been getting difficult for the mailman to reach it.  So with my fathers tractor and the post hole digger that my Father-in-law was awesome enough to let me borrow I went to work.  Originally I was going to just set one post for the mailbox but my brother Trevor, gave me a bunch of short telephone pole chunks so I figured why not make a wide mailbox stand. 

I used all repurposed materials, but the mailbox is only temporary.  I also have filled in around the posts more since the first picture was taken to help sturdy them up even though they are four feet deep!

To add some color to the mailbox stand Allyssia set up this beautiful hanging planter to keep the place looking nice.

Lastly I did have to go out and get the big oversized mailbox for two reasons.  The first reason is that we used to have a big mailbox when I was younger and secondly so the mailman has more room when Allyssia is getting all of her LuLaRoe.  This was an exceptionally fun little project and I have a few more like this planned for the summer.  Stay tuned and check back often!

Starting on the New Focus

When most folks buy a "new" car they go to the dealer pay for the car, hop in and drive home.  Around here we haul the car home on a trailer and do some minor repairs to it and then we have a sweet running car for much cheaper.  For the past two nights I have been starting on the list of repairs that the dealership sent us with that are keeping the car from inspection.  With the exception of the drivers side rocker panel they are all simple fixes.  I started with getting the rear tires off as they were bald and while I had it apart I changed the leaking rear shocks. 

One shock was still "good" but the one on the left was definitely leaking.  I like to change both because I feel that is one goes the other is not too far behind it, and they are cheap especially if you can do the work yourself.  Then I changed the passengers side lower ball joint.  The ball joint was bolted in so it turned out to be around a twenty minute job. 
That leaves me with getting two tires on it and the rocker panel.  I will have the tires tomorrow but the rocker panels could take me a little longer. 

Here is my after picture where I cut the old rocker out exposing the inner rocker panel and frame.  This is the second Ford Focus I have done rockers on so it should be a breeze.  I am going to bend the rockers up at work this week and hopefully start installing them this weekend.  Overall this project is going very well and I hope to have this car on the road in a week or two.  Allyssia will be so happy to be back in her Focus and it will be a little better on fuel.  Until next time remember to check back often and leave us a comment. 

An Amazing Warm Weekend

Allyssia and I had an amazing weekend to go along with the awesome weather that we were graced with!  On Saturday we attended a birth class at the Farmington hospital.  We both really enjoyed the class as well as the tour of the birth wing at the hospital.  After that we did not do much but we fired up the grill and had our first burgers of the year on the grill!

Allyssia and the dogs were anxiously waiting for the food to come off from the grill.  Emily always thinks I might feed her and if you look in the corner you can see that Cricket was staring at her Frisbee not the food.  Sunday we had free so we really moved along and got quite a bit done.  With the awesome weather we also did a bit of relaxing!

 Cricket is the best at relaxing under the tree that she always loves to lay under.  We have dubbed this little pine tree the "Cricket Tree".   When we were not relaxing we got a lot done! For starters I got my little electric fencer sheds set on the frost posts and almost ready to go!

Starting out with the flattest part of ground next to the paddocks I used the borrowed post hole digger and set four foot chunks of telephone pole.

One of the sheds I set slightly taller posts so that I could have the shed up off from the ground more in case I decide to add some fill and level the ground around it out.  Before I continue I have to jump back a few months to when I built the sheds that are going on the platforms I just built. 

With only inches to spare I built both of the sheds in my garage with the furnace running because there was still snow on the ground and one of the nights it was snowing while I was out there building it.  My construction methods were not perfect but the shed is up and it is sturdy as can be.  But enough of the cold and wintry and back to today's beautiful weather where I was setting the sheds up.

This first one is right next to the barn where we already have the tape on the fence and we have a fencer.  My next bit of business on the shed is to run some conduit underground from the barn to the shed to run the fence so that I don't ruin any more extension cords next winter plowing. 

The second shed is the higher of the two and will be on hold for a bit until we get the electric tape and insulators so that we can turn horses out here.  The last thing that I did before heading in and grilling teriyaki chicken was play in the mud, oh wait I mean rototilling the garden.  The garden is still super muddy but I wanted to aerate it a bit and hopefully help it dry out so that I can rototill it again without looking like I was at the mud runs. 

The tilling did leave the garden looking better but it was still a mess. Everything is still very wet around our lawn and fields.  But with more days like today it will dry out and we will be having more and more fun exciting days like today.  As always stay tuned and check back often. 

Just Focus

After her little accident this winter Allyssia and I were left with just our truck and the minivan.  The minivan does not do so well in the snow and Allyssia really loves her little Focus.  Since then we have been on the tentative look for another Focus for cheap, even one needing work.  This past week I was driving past Bailey Brothers Ford in Livermore Falls and in the trade in lot sat a nice little black Ford Focus.  I pulled in and called Allyssia to tell her that I found her next car and she could not be happier. 

For the price we payed it is not perfect.  Just like her old Focus this one needs the drivers side rocker panel replaced along with new rear tires. Luckily I have a perfectly good pair off from her old car.  It also needs a few other odds and ends like a blinker and plate light bulb.  So tomorrow I am going to get the rear tires replaced and check the breaks and then start cutting the old rocker panel off to make a new one. I have a big day planned tomorrow so check back and don't forget to bookmark our page!