Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

We had tp gather everything and put it in a bucket. The hanging buckets at least kept supplies off the barn floor but crazy charging sheep could knock the buckets off the rail. And we always forgot a vital item. The best thing will be when we have the small fridge with meds in the feed room so I don't have to trudge back to the house for "just one more syringe of something" because I either miscounted or decided that a ram lamb was nice enough to keep for another month or so and needed a flock tag and to be docked. Oh yes, and with DS1 whining about my inability to count and yelling at me to hurry up. Not so bad in CA with the barn only 35' from the back door, but now in TX the barn is 300' from the house.

Tomorrow we may tag and dock in the barn. There are 7 lambs to get done. I think we may be finished unless X087 lambs. She looked pregnant and had an udder but I have not checked her since that preemie was born. However she looked like she had twins so I will try to check tomorrow.

I am still working on how to pack it, what to put in the drawers, etc. since I think that large plastic tub may be too heavy to lift on and off the lipped lower shelf. May prefer to have some sort of wire baskets to stand the marking paint up in with a smaller covered bin for towels during lambing season. Or could have different bins for different jobs that would go on the bottom shelf at different times. Choices, choices . . . .

Friday the well drillers are bringing out their big semi with the drilling equipment on it. Bryan will be laying out the new 10' x10' pump shed/storage shed. DS1 and DHwil have to tear down the old pump shed. That will be easy since it looks about to fall down anyway. LOL The exterior is made of AG metal panels in fair condition though so I want them to save those for future building projects.

We know why farms always have a large "junk" pile behind the barn. We had one in CA too. It is not junk, it is actually odds and ends of building materials that will be needed eventually. The pump shed materals will go in that pile for future use. Farmers and ranchers never throw away anything that can possibly be useful since buying new stuff is so expensive! LOL

 

[Baymule]

A well on Friday! Once again, your DH has outdone himself. Friday is Valentine’s Day! Who needs a box of chocolates? They are fattening. Who needs a bouquet of flowers? They shrivel and die. Who needs jewelry? Where are you gonna wear it, out to pull a lamb? But a WELL!!!!! That’s a Valentine’s Day present that will keep on giving! When we become ranchers, we tend to see the world differently.

A big huge YES on the “valuable materials” pile!! All the scrappy stuff I build around here comes from tearing down something else and free pallets. I wring every bit of value out of those valuable materials, that is possible!

 

[SageHill]

Friday is Valentine’s Day! Who needs a box of chocolates?

ROTFL!! Priorities!!

 

[Ridgetop]

My darling scores again!

Huge gust of wind woke e ast night followed by intense rain. Thn God kept turning the light on and off outside - lightning every minute but no thunder for at least half an hour. This morning wet and puddles everywhere but the rain has stopped temporarily. I am going to take advantage of no work to be done outside to wash down the bathroom walls finally. My knees and back are feeling better so I need to hop to it. Next week we need to tear down the pump shed.
I think I was gettig low on Vitamin D. Joint pain, extreme tiredness, and some forgetfulness all the same as when I had a major Vita D defficiency. Thinking about it I did not get out much in the sun last summer since I was laid up with my knee surgery. Then I also realized that my knee replacement was only 7 months ago!
Here I was feeling when I was actually not completely back to normal. DUH! No wonder I am having trouble getting up and down from kneeling! LOL

The bottle babies are 3 weeks old today and growing well on 3 bottles a day. They are nibbling hay a bit too since they are next to a ewe and her lamb. The ewe reaches over and eats from their feeder too. Not looking forward to turning all the ewes and lambs out with the others and eaving the twins alone in a pen in the barn. Maybe when they are a month old they can go join the other lamb s an mamas. By then we will have the creep up so they can escape from any mean ewes.

 

[Ridgetop]

Finished washing the bathroom walls and woodwork. Then used joint compound to even out the walls, patch holes, and cover the areas where the paper on the drywall tore off when removing the wallpaper. Also filled the extra holes in the cabinet doors and drawers. Tomorrow I will caulk the woodwork trim. Then I will caulk aound the top of the shower tile where there are gaps, and the window where the old plaster has come loose and is allowing air to leak in. I got some silicone caulk for those areas. Then I'll prime the entire bathroom tomorrow. Hope to have everything painted by Friday evening. We need to pull the toilet out and replace it since it seems to be leaking around the seal. While it is out I can prime and paint the wainscoting behind it. The toilet water shutoff also needs to be replaced and Bryan can do that while he is here. After the room is painted, I will replace the cabinet knobs with the pulls I bought on sale last year, and DS1 can install the new black faucet (also bought last year on sale). Rehang the towel rods, etc. and put up the pictures and towels and presto - a brand new bathroom!
Another room finished.

Next project will be the pump shed and putting storage in that building. Got to move the Christmas decorations and tree out of the front hallway. LOL Then the tool shed lights and storage. We have the storage cabinets but they need to be installed in the tool shed once the electric lights and outlets are in. Then a major rearrangement of the storage shelves ssorting out of the tools and supplies in the tool shed. After that we will have to remove the outsode wall on the barn fed room. It is falling off anyway, and we need to rebuid it with new studs and siding. DS1 wants to put up the concrete board siding used on MJ's Pump Palace. It goes up easily and we can salvage the corrugated metal currently on the wall for future roofing. I found heavy duty wire grid shelves that mount on brackets installed into the studs at Home Depot. Between those shelves and the heavy duty shelving units we will have good storage in the barn.

Most of our attention is going to the outside buildings and pens right now. Next house project will be removing the peninsula and making the island. I will start sanding and revarnishing some of the kitchen cabinets too. DS1 wants to replace the kitchen fluorescent light fixture with an LED fixture. The dining room has a flat ceiling fixture. Newish but ugly. I have a new chandelier in the barn which I will put up in the dining room.

The spare bedroom is almost cleared out now. Then I can paint it and we will order a Murphy bed for it. We wll have to assemble the Murphy bed but not a problem and it will give us a double bed spare room which can also be used for sewing, crafts, exercise, etc. as well.

So many projects, so little time. LOL Last on the list will be our bedroom. I hope my list is not longer that my life span.

 

[Baymule]

That’s what keeps us going, more on our list of things to do than we’ll ever get done. I can’t wait until next week, when I go pick up chicks. I’ll swing by and see all the work and improvements yall have done.

 

[Ridgetop]

Worked on caulking the window frames and shower with silicone caulking. Will do the rest of the room with standard fast drying caulk. Bryan is here today taking down the pump shed and setting the forms for the base. When he is finshed he will come in and sweat the new shutoff on the toilet line. Last year I had a plumbing company come out that was supposed to change out all the shutoffs. DH was talking to them and when they left and I checked the bill I paid for the work but they did not change the shutoffs! We did not find this out until later but naturally I never hired them again. Will start the priming after Bryan is finished in the bathroom.

Went out this morning and finished the vaccinating, worming & docking on the final group of lambs. We had an oops in one set of twin ewe lambs when it was discovered that one ewe lamb was a ram lamb. LOL I must have checed the same ewe lamb twice. That last group of ewes and lambs have been turned out with the others in the bg field. DS1 said that he move the alfalfa bales over to that side tomorrow and we will construct the creep pen tomorrow. The bottle lambs are enjoying a larger 5' x 10' jug and have been moved further into the interior of the barn to avoid rain being blown in on them.

I have gotten a set back in the bathroom painting. Bryan found an issue with replacing the shut off in our bathroom. The copper pipe to attach the new shut off was behind the wall and the valve was on the outside of the wall. Poor design on the part of the builder. First DS1 had to run to Lowes for extra parts, then Bryan had to cut into the wall to sweat the copper pipe since the copper pipe did not reach outside the wall. Old houses suck. Anyway, I think I might be able to repair the hole in the wall with the shreds of paneling left and a piece of baseboard. Luckily I have some extra baseboard from where I removed a piece in the laundry room to fit in the new cabinet shelves. I hope I can fit it together, then will fill the gaps with wood putty and paint it out.

 

[Baymule]

Just think how much BETTER it is that Bryan found the not properly done copper pipe than it would have been if your two HEROES were working on it.

 

[Ridgetop]

I am thinking on how to repair the wall now. DS1 said he will pull out the toilet so I can get in there for the repair and to finish the painting behind the toilet. Then he wants to put in some sort of special collar ring before setting the new toilet. Somehow the toilet barely leaks dampness along the floor.

Last night I was not sleepy so I put new paper down to paint today. The old paper was nasty from the wallpaper glue and vinegar water, and the tape wouldn't stick to the floor. I pulled up the old paper earlier and washed the floor then laid the new paper late last night. This morning I have most of the wainscoting primed. Still have some of the cabinets to do. I am considering removing the doors from the cabinets to make it easier to prime and paint the cabinets. This bathroom is smaller than the main bathroom and it is harder to move around in it while painting. Once the cabinets are primed I can roll the walls with the primer. I tried to caulk everything yesterday, but today with the white primer I see spots in the woodwork and moldings that need to be caulked. I will get in there with more caulk once the primer dries. I am taking a break now after crawling on my knees priming lower cabinets.

Weather report says that we are suposed to have "light snow" on Wednesday. Apparently DS1 and DH are true Texans now because they are worried about the snow. After much discussion DS1 ordered a water tank heater for the ewe and lamb pen. I told DS1 that he should move a heat lamp over the bottle lambs in their pen in the barn. Now that we have electricity he can do it. I was busy painting so dd not mention that they had already ordered a big propane burner to heat water for the barn.

DS1 plans to get into the jug side today and set up the creep for the lambs. Some of them are a month pd and need to start on grain as well as the hay and pasture. I want the rams large enough to go to auction in March and April for Muslem holidays as well as Easter. Some of the lower quality ewe lambs can also go in the Easter sale. In April we will put a selection of ewes with the black head ram. Everyone incuding the rams will get a Bo-Se shot. Last years lambs will be 11+ months old, they and any ewes that didn't settle and lamb year can go to him too. Then we will sort out any ewes with older 3 month lambs. Spmoe of them can go to him too. I have a list of special ewes that I want to breed to Junior for breeding stock.

Better get back to my painting.