Murphy's Law...

You've probably heard of Murphy's Law...you know...if anything can go wrong,  it will.

Well, today being Saturday,  it would have to be the day that the barn cleaner broke.  The barn cleaner is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment in the barn. It's the only way to get the manure out of the barn, and we use it 365 days a year.

As Jim was cleaning out the east side of the barn, this piece...the one that holds the chain in place...broke...

What do you do on a Saturday morning, when most businesses are closed? It's not something that could just be fixed at home.  Jim got the piece off the elevator and eventually found an Amish business close by that could repair it. They had to do some cutting,  grinding and welding, and after about 1 1/2 hours, we were good to go again.

The bill? $13.00.

It wasn't an easy 1 1/2 hours...its never fun to be covered in manure ( Jim), and I was trying to be helpful while fighting the flu. A friend from church had just texted me to see how I was feeling, and I asked her to pray for my attitude and that Jim would be able to fix the problem. I'm very grateful to say that what looked like a day where Murphy's Law would win, it lost big time.

Barn Door Project...

Wouldn't life be boring if there was never anything that needed to be done? Nothing in need of repair?

This time it was the big barn doors that needed to be repaired.  Any time a round bale, hay wagon, load of hay or sawdust or who knows what needs to be put upstairs in the barn, these big doors swing open.  They're extremely heavy, and are used often.  Time, weather, and hard use take their toll.  The doors are on top of the barn hill on the north side, and when it's windy they can take a beating.  We prop them with big metal posts to help anchor them shut.

Tuesday morning, the Amish crew rolled in at 6:00 am on the dot, as promised...

They took off the damaged wood and cut new tongue and groove boards to size...

Several of the big hinges needed replaced and the ones they brought along weren't large enough.  Here, Jim and the foreman are discussing what needs to be done.  We ended up finding some hinges at an antique store nearby that did the trick...

Murphy guarded the lunches.  All. Day. Long.  (pardon her very un-ladylike pose)

All finished...

Now the doors need a coat or two of paint, and they'll be good to go!

More Roof Repairs...

Back in August we had a leaky spot in the slate barn roof repaired.  At that time, we also got an estimate for putting two rows of snow catchers on the roof.

There used to be snow catchers attached to the slate, but over the years they began to break off.  Without snow catchers, the snow rushes off the barn roof and crashes to the ground below...an avalanche of sorts.  The force of the falling snow damages spouting, lightning rods and the smaller roofs below, and creates huge piles of hard snow in the barn yard.  And oh yes...it sounds like a freight train and feels like an earthquake...that tends to spook the animals.  And the people.

The snow catchers should hold the snow back, allowing it to melt into the rain gutters rather than falling in an avalanche.

Yesterday in the rain, the guys came to set up their scaffolding...

Nope...you couldn't pay me enough to climb up and work on there!  You won't find any pictures from up top this time!

Jim found some pieces of Peach Bottom Slate in the shop that they were able to use...

This nifty slate cutter cuts the slate to the size they need...it's kind of like a large paper cutter...

Today was a much nicer day to be working up on the roof...

And of course there's always morning snack time...
 

Fixing a broken lightning rod on the roof of the outside pen...
 

And they're working their way across the roof...new snow catchers in place...
 

Tomorrow they will come back and finish, and clean up. 

We'll have to see how well the snow catchers work...with weather like we've been having, it might just be a while until they're tested!  

December 22...first day of winter...temps near 60*   Hmmmm...


It's better than snow, in my book!

Cinnamon Rolls...and Other Important Stuff...

 I had a fun surprise today!

I was running some errands, and I had no sooner pulled in the driveway than I got a text from my friend Anne.  She and our friend Rhoda were making cinnamon rolls, and they invited me to come over and join in the fun!

What better way to spend a couple of hours on a cold December day?

I arrived just in time for this...

LOTS of butter, sugar and cinnamon...
 

Cutting the rolls with criss-crossed dental floss...
 

Anne's boys were eager helpers...
 

Rolls rising, waiting to be baked.  I got to take a pan home with me to bake...and Rhoda just brought another pan to my door!
 

Meanwhile, on the home front, other important things were getting done!  Our milk house door was in dire need of being replaced!  Here's the new door...solid wood with a latch that works...
 

There's a weight inside the door that pulls it shut...now all it needs is a little paint!  Maybe tomorrow?
 

And this feed trough is now repaired.  Now the heifers' feed will stay put...
 

So...what do you think?  Which of the tasks were the most important?  :)

1886 Barn...

The barn over at the other farm, where we keep our dry cows and bred heifers, was built 125 years ago, in 1886.

It's a beautiful barn...and serves it's purpose well.  But as we all know, buildings need upkeep.  Several years ago, the family had the barn repainted, and Jim had some repairs done to reinforce the barn floor where the hay wagons back in and out and are stored when they're not in use.

Over the winter, Jim noticed that the foundation wall on the north side of the barn was in disrepair.  The combination of age, and of cows rubbing against the stones had loosened many of the stones, and they began to fall out.  Something needed to be done to reinforce the wall before it got any worse.

On the morning the men came to do the repairs to the wall, I fully intended to get over to take some before pictures.  But they were too fast...by the time I finished up with my work at home and headed over, they were done!

Here's a shot of the end of the south wall to give you an idea of what the north wall looked like...

This is the finished north wall...they pressure washed the wall...then sprayed wet cement over the stones to create a solid wall of concrete.  This process, called shotcreting, should last for years to come!



This is the finished end of the north wall.  We wrote the family name and year in the wet cement...

We're pleased with the results!  Jim cleaned away the mess, and the cows were kept out of this side of the barn while the concrete had time to dry.  When they were allowed back in, they were a bit skeptical...cows like things to be the same, and this definitely looked different.  But after a short time, they've adjusted quite well to their "newly remodeled " accomodations!

I'm linking up to Farm Friend Friday, and Farm Girl Friday, sponsored by Verde Farm and Dandelion House!

* If your comments don't appear today, please be patient...I'm having computer issues at home!  Thanks!