My lesson money

[Minouri]

Took pictures yesterday of where my lesson money is going to make myself feel better.

We're changing the parimeter fencing from this........step in posts
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/horses906066-1.jpg

to this much taller, much sturdier fencing...tposts with sleeves

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/house006.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/house007.jpg

Next step....renovating the barn this week into a run in situation.

[appyday]

cool

[Linda Y]

I have the t-posts with sleeves, too. Really like the look of them, except Katrina blew some of them crooked. They can't be made straight again unless we pull the posts up. But it does look nice anyway.

[Minouri]

when Tony put them in he hit some rock so some aren't perfectly straight. I asked....can we straighten them.....and he went three shades of red....lol So I said....what I meant to say honey is that they are perfect...thank you for giving up your days off to work on our little farm... :lol:

This is the side of the barn that we are going to knock the windows out of and put in two doors. We've got to cut the concrete out of the bottom. But each door is located inside the stalls we put up earlier this year.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/house008.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/scootersnowy2006023.jpg

It will be so worth it this winter when they can go inside their stalls to eat and get out of the bad weather without me having to run home and move them from the back paddock.

Eventually we're going to have a smoothly running farm. At least, I'm hoping.....lol

[Pasomom]

It'll get there! Looks great!

[Linda Y]

That is going to be so nice when you get it done...look great now even. Love the look of your barn.
My barn is just a metal pole one, but when I had it built and asked that outside doors be put in for every stall area, the builder thought I was nuts! They did a seriously crappy job of building the doors, which have had to be replaced due to Katrina. I still don't have them all done. But it is SO nice not having to go outside in the elements to let every horse in their stall. You will really love the outside doors.

[Minouri]

Linda,

Yep, I can't wait to have them finished. The barn is actually a garage that we are converting. Parts of it still look like we just moved in, but it's functional. We store the shavings upstairs and the hay in the carport on the side. It's not ideal, but it works.

I'm beginning to see a light at the end of a very long tunnel. Sometimes it seems like one step forward and two steps back. We fenced off the whole back and then this fall realized that there are plenty of red maples on the land adjoining ours back there and it blows red leaves back there. So the boys are not allowed back there till the leaves pretty much all fall and we can clean them up.

The path surroundeding the paddock area is going to be what I'm going to love...but everything else so far takes priority. They've got to be safe and secure before I can think about spending money on gravel and sand to make my track.

[Minouri]

The cutting has begun! Tony says I'll have doors by Wednesday night!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/Image005.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/Image002.jpg

[PASOFAN]

Cool! Your on your way!!

[Minouri]

The jackhammer didn't get here till tonight and Tony couldn't wait....so this is what he did this afternoon.


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/tonywall2.jpg

He was really going at it when I got home so I asked him if he was picturing me nagging him. He started laughing so hard he almost took out his knee with the hammer....lol Should I take that as a yes?

Tomorrow should go much better now that he actually has the tools to do the job. Still, I thought he looked so cute out there beating up the barn and making very little progress.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/tonywall3.jpg

[Heidi]

when Tony put them in he hit some rock so some aren't perfectly straight. I asked....can we straighten them.....and he went three shades of red....lol So I said....what I meant to say honey is that they are perfect...thank you for giving up your days off to work on our little farm... :lol
I need to take diplomacy lessons from you! I bought some T-posts a few weeks ago to fence off the back of our property and Kenny started without me...and put the posts in 'backwards' so the nubs face out.
They are supposed to face IN, where you want the hotwire holders to attach...City Boy.

I love him, he sure tries. But I wish he'd wait for me to supervise.
I know he hates me supervising and when I do, he dreams up little 'tasks' for me to do..."Hey Honey, run down to the hardware store and get me a such-and-such."

[Laura S]

Wow, that all looks really good. Can you send Tony to Maine when he is finished with your projects? I called my husband from the clinic on Sunday and said "Bobby's orders were to get the round pen finished so I can work Mirage". He said OK, but I came home and still no fence up. :roll:

[Brigitte]

Wow, that all looks really good. Can you send Tony to Maine when he is finished with your projects? I called my husband from the clinic on Sunday and said "Bobby's orders were to get the round pen finished so I can work Mirage". He said OK, but I came home and still no fence up. :roll:

Wow..you expect a lot :lol:

[Minouri]

Heidi,

The trick to it is to close one eye and look with love through the other. It's hard for me to let go, too, and Tony is definately a city boy. He's never done any construction in his life. So this is all new to him. And (sigh) he hates to measure. That's his biggest fault.....lol

But I think up a project and he throws himself into it full force. So it's hard to criticize him when he works so hard for something that I know he wouldn't have in his life if it weren't for me.

Laura, I'm not sure how you lure your husband into projects but I take mine to Home Depot and wait for him to start to drool. Then I tell him about what I wish I had and let him buy tools for it. He gets that glossy look of love he used to have for me when we first met.....picks out a new saw or nail gun.....kinda hugs it.......and then I send him in the direction of the new project.

My paddock was an expensive toy purchase. We bought a John Deere tractor. He drove that thing around all day and night for a week when he first got it. That was even before the dirt came in. lol He keeps asking me if we can buy more dirt. I don't believe for a second that he cares that my paddock is too bumpy to use as an excercise ring yet......he just likes a reason to play with his tractor..... :lol:

His brother is just as bad. I said I want dutch doors on the barn. He said....we'll need the right tools.......and the two guys starting laughing like little kids.

So careful what you wish for. All of this enthusiasm is pricey....lol

[Laura S]

That is a good idea taking him to Home Depot. He loves that place. Maybe I will take him out to eat first and let him have a few drinks, then he will be happy to help me with my projects! We still have a sunroom in our house that is not finished, and we built this place ten years ago! But I'm glad to have the barn, and would rather have that before the sunroom!

[Heidi]

Home Depot and Lowes...Kenny's favorite toy stores.

We go in there and I speak (to Kenny, but loud enough for others to hear and laugh) in a loud voice: "Step away from the tool aisle, and no one will get hurt!" :D

He does love to buy tools. You should have seen all the mechanical tools he 'needed' to buy when we rebuilt my engine two winters ago. After all the purchases, I think it would have been cheaper to buy an engine out of a box from the dealership. :roll:

At least Kenny tries, and I love him all the more for it. I'm gonna practice the squinting thing...
h

[TrueStepPaso]

You girls are too funny! :D

[Minouri]

Slowly......we inch towards having real doors. My brother in law is taking me to home depot tomorrow to pick out the hinges and hardware. They are thinking about using rough cut wood? We were going to use tongue and groove. I'm not really sure what the big difference is....they want my opinion. They said the rough wood will match the barn better. I don't know. I just know that it's finally framed and they say will have doors by next week.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/RuthieBetta/halloween2006230.jpg