...and so it begins

[drivesitfar]

4by: so did you already fill in your CENSUS report? don't forget to add 6 more 2 legged fine feathered friends.

exciting times and best of luck seeing all or most of them grow old at your chunk of paradise and THEIR POND.

best of luck finalizing the 5 acre purchase to protect the look you love.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,
Census form... hmmm... I'm thinking more like IRS... additional dependents... lol
Looks like we'll close on the land early next week. Good deal!
Thanks for the good words and for stopping by!

Good day today. Weather was absolutely beautiful. We hit 55° for a high, bright sunshine.

I finished the insulation on the wall I had taken apart and got the plywood back on it. Then, I hauled a bit more gravel and got the floor as level as it's going to get. I also installed a 2 x 6 on edge in front of the pier blocks and held it in place with a few wooden stakes... intent is to keep gravel from leaking out. I think it will work! Once the floor was level, I started adding 2 x 4 "sleepers" with strips of ridgid foam insulation between. Other than the front left corner being waaaay out of square, the floor is going down well. Will finish the floor in the morning then, will finally get started building the dividing wall. I think I just might get this project done!

After it got too dark to work in the duck house, I brought my tools in and decided to get a bit more insulation placed in the 3rd garage door. Still a bit left to do on it but, at least some progress!

...D

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[drivesitfar]

4by: how does your wife like the ducklings? I hope they all survive and live a long and happy life on your property. I bet they'll love that pond!!

so next winter you'll have HEAT AND INSULATED DOORS. WOW won't that be nice..

looks like we've got another nice day here so hopefully the same in your part of paradise too.

cheers

 

[fourbyford]

Wow... a busy couple of days! The weather has been absolutely perfect...

Drives, my misses is having a blast with the ducks. I think I mentioned, they're staying in an extra large storage tote in our guest bathroom... but, that's a pretty boring existence. All they can see is the black walls of the tote. So, we've had them out on the bathroom floor. Very funny! Those little guys can really run! I hadn't yet recycled the large box that our Costco shelving came in (2' x 6') so I brought the bottom half of that in... we cut it down a bit (now it's only about 4' long) and it makes a great duck playground. And, they can see over the sides. My misses brought in a metal baking pan that we no longer use and put about an inch of water in it and put that into the cardboard playground. OMG!!! You want to talk about splashing and cuttin' up... it was hilarious! Too much fun!

In other news, I've made good progress on the duck house project. In my last post, I think I was finishing up the OSB for the floor. I started laying it from the right side... against the wall I had previously built... so things were relatively square. As I moved toward the other wall... not so much. I had to scribe each sheet to the back wall. The first one wasn't too bad but they got progressively worse.

In pic #2, you can see how far out of square this part of the building is... I had to cut a wedge of insulation and stuff it in the gap.

But, as you can see in pic #3, I had a bit of scribing to do to get the floor covered. Definitely not rocket science but, it does take time!

So, in pic #4, the floor has been scribed and screwed down

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[fourbyford]

Once the floor was down, it was time to start covering the walls.

A hundred or so years ago, when I was working in the steel fab shop, someone had taken some 2" wide strips of aluminum and welded them together to form a 3' - 4' - 5' triangle that we used whenever we needed to square something large. Since none of the original walls in this building are plumb, level, or square, I was trying to figure out how I would be able to measure and mark the plywood for my walls. Then, it occurred to me that I had a couple of (almost triangular) plywood drops left from the closet I built a couple of years ago. The perfect "square". I just set the plywood into a corner and lined up the vertical edge where it needed to be and was then able to see how far off the bottom edge was... allowing me to mark that on the plywood. The back wall (that the plywood "square" is leaning against) isn't anywhere near level but, was actually pretty close to square... required just a sliver to be trimmed off. The wall on the left side was a whole 'nother story... but I was able to get a pretty good fit.

After I got the plywood on the left side wall, I finished up the insulation on the back wall. I'm not sure what they've done to fiberglass insulation. Handling it... pretty much even being near it... made me itch like crazy and would generally send me into a coughing fit that would last an hour. This new stuff... I think they call it Eco Touch... is amazing! No itch... no cough... I'm impressed!

...and, the insulation was followed by a sheet of ply. I'll scribe the strips in after I get the main part of the work done. The area I'm trying to work in is less than ideal and, I'm using our feed box for a work bench. I've had that ******* for a few days now... and my misses isn't exactly happy about that... lol So, the faster I can get the majority of my materials used up, the happier we'll ALL be!

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[fourbyford]

Once I got the ply on the left side wall, I was able to start framing the dividing wall. I started with some careful (as much as possible) layout, then screwed a top plate to the underside of the pole "rafters". The poles ended up being fairly similar in size and, amazingly, the roof (at least in the area I'm working on) is nearly level! I followed with a bottom plate and then measured and cut each stud, "toe" screwing them into place. Once I had four of them standing, I couldn't wait to get a sheet of ply installed. This sheet required NO trimming!!

Although it was getting pretty dark, I managed to get the last two studs cut and screwed into place. When I first got my Milwaukee drill and driver, I saw the led work lights on them and thought they were some sort of joke. But, I cant tell ya how many times they've come in really handy... tonight being one.

And, that's where I left it for the evening. Ready to sheet the last part of the wall... and get a bit of framing in above the door way. Will need to cut in some vents and have a bit of "detail work" to get the dividing wall to somewhat connect to the underside of the roof. Then, I still need to frame, insulate and sheet the last section (on the right) of the back wall. Probably won't get nearly all that done tomorrow... we have an invite over to some friends house for an early dinner... but, plan to get on it fairly early in the morning so, something will get done!

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[drivesitfar]

4by: you are doing a great job making a great home for your ducks. also nice work on making their play area bigger and maybe easier on your clean up of their #2's.

for a minute I thought you were covering up a window in your duck's room, but then saw that it was just framing. had you considered putting in a window or maybe it's easier to heat a room that doesn't have one?

life on the farm sure sounds nice.

 

[fourbyford]

Well, the farm life probably isn't for everyone but, we love it. Kinda funny, people are talking about quarantine-in-place as if that's a bad thing... but, that's kinda how our lives go on a daily basis. My goal each month is to go to the "big city" only once or twice per month. Sometimes we can do that but often, things come up and we go a bit more. We usually go to the "little city" (pop. 350) just down the road about once per week to get our mail. Things are usually pretty quiet around here. Although, with the new buyers of the property across the road, there's been quite a bit of activity lately... and our German Shepherd doesn't like people driving on HER county road! ...lol

Yep, the cardboard box worked really well for the web footed children. My misses put some newspaper in the bottom of the box... good thing, cause there was water everywhere! I swear, you can see these guys have grown day by day.

I am going to put a couple of vents into the dividing wall... all poultry shelters need lots of ventilation. But, I will build a couple of insulated panels that will allow me to close them off when/if needed.

Thanks for the good words and the visit! We're supposed to be clear and near 60° today... hope the weather in your neck of the woods is good as well!

...D

 

[C_F]

That's great that your ducks came in, they are always fun at that age. And YES, they can run fast! It's amazing how fast they can run, being so small. They won't be that small for long, either.
Once their feathers start growing in, you can put them in much deeper water...if there's water everywhere now with the little pan, just wait until they get into deeper water in the kiddie pool. It turns into a real splash-fest!!

Nice progress in the duck house too, those little guys are going to be spoiled.

 

[Pressingonward]

Nice progress!

 

[fourbyford]

No real progress on the duck house yesterday. Had a few chores to get done around the house in the morning and before I knew, it was time to head over to our friend's place.

It was about a 25 mile drive and the first time we'd been there so it took a bit longer than expected. I'm not usually a "tech" guy but, because one of the county roads in particular was NOT marked, was glad the Exploder has GPS. Had a delightful visit and was back home just as it was getting dark.

So, it was time to put the ducks in the playground box. After splashing for about 45 minutes, they'd finally had enough. But, since it wasn't a "school night" they wanted to stay up and watch a bit of TV. At one point, I had all six of them on my lap in a "nest" made from an old blanket. Kept me busy trying to keep them from getting away... lol. Then, my misses grabbed a couple and put them on the dog bed where our female Shepherd was laying. Right at first, she didn't quite know what to think but it didn't take long for the maternal instincts to kick in. Our youngest cat, barely a year old, is the most prolific mouser I've ever seen. I've been wary of letting him near the ducks but, even he, is very gentle with them. I wont allow him unsupervised time with them but, it's good to know that, eventually, they'll all get along.

The four ducks that remained with me settled down pretty quickly. They mostly tried to crawl up the front of my shirt and wanted to snuggle and go to sleep. This little guy decided he'd rather get away from the crowd and settled in by my arm. They enjoyed watching TV but, they're so young, I'm not yet sure if they have a favorite show.

C.F. and Justin... thanks for the visits and the good words!!

...D

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[drivesitfar]

4by: your life is pretty much business as usual with all that is going on in our country and hope you don't need many supplies to keep you busy.

I love the duck stories and I hope they grow old and provide many many smiles for both of you for many years.

take care, stay safe and keep posting up your doings cause it sure makes me (us) smile.

cheers

 

[fourbyford]

You're right, Drives... we quarantine ourselves pretty much on a daily basis... lol... nothing much has changed here! I try to keep lists of supplies needed for upcoming projects and pick them up when we do go into the big city. So, I have enough here to stay busy pretty much indefinitely. I usually do need the odd bit that I may have forgotten but, those things rarely cause a work stoppage. That said, I will venture in within the next few days... need a few supplies and a part to pick up from powder coat. I dont want to run the risk they'll (powder coat) have to shut their doors and my part will be trapped inside.

Today started off a bit cool but warmed up nicely after lunch. For the first time I'm aware of, we were without internet all day today. Not sure what that was all about. I called and got a recording that said they were working on it. Finally came up this evening. Anyways, I worked on framing the final wall section in the duck house. Made good progress but, I didn't get any pics... because of the internet thing... but, will grab a couple as I'm working out there tomorrow.

We did, however, have the ducks in the living room for a bit this afternoon. Our Shepherd helped baby sit while my misses cleaned up the playground. These guys are a blast and our dog absolutely loves them. I'm sure, as they grow, she'll protect them as if they're her own blood. Very cool...

...D

 

[fourbyford]

I seriously think I can see these guys grow day by day... unbelievable!

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[C_F]

Aww, that's great that your dog loves them, those are precious photos. I have a hunch that soon, they will think your dog is the mommy & follow him/her everywhere.
I've gotta tell you, those photos sure make me want to get one or two more ducklings myself. Ducks are so much fun. But...this week my Mrs talked me into getting some chickens, so this Thursday (when the stork comes), we are going to have a few little chicks running around in Walter's old Tupperware container. Hopefully they will curb my urge to get ducklings for a while.

 

[fourbyford]

...good thing you saved the things from when Walter was little! It's cool that he can pass them on to the next generation...
The chicks will be fun as well. Hopefully, not as much water to clean up!

A bit of unexpected weather. Last night, the weather guesser mentioned rain/snow mix with little accumulation...

Not sure how long this is supposed to last but, will work in the garage until it warms up a bit.

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[sean Buick 76]

Great job!

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Sean... thanks for the visit!

For the last couple of days, the weather has been cool and wet. I spent a few hours in the garage working on insulation and wiring and made the Binford 2000 version of a duck waterer for my misses. The young'uns have already outgrown the things we started with. I know I've mentioned it before but, it's absolutely unbelievable how fast they're growing! In the first pic, they're in our dining room eating bananas.

And, I did venture in to the big city on Thursday. Picked up parts from powder coat, a few groceries, some supplies from H.D. and a rubber maid livestock watering trough that became the new home for the ducks. They had completely outgrown their previous home and spent a couple of nights in the cardboard playground. The water wasn't being kind to that and they had begun eating the cardboard. Not good. Not only is the new rubber maid more spacious, it's much easier to keep clean. So, between the waterer and the new home for the ducks, I've scored major points with my misses!

Today, my neighbor called and asked if I could give him a hand installing a goose neck hitch in his new (to him) truck. So, we went down to the farm shop of yet another neighbor and got started... at about 9 this morning. In pic #2, he's trying to loosen the bolts that secure the bed... his rattle wrench wouldn't touch them. I rounded up a 3/4" drive socket/breaker bar and we tried that. Still nothing. I found a length of 1 1/2" pipe... literally 8' long and we were able to break the bolts loose. All right were that tight. I was sure I would twist the heads off the bolts with that much torque but, they held!

Pic 3, the shop has a huge gantry crane that we used to lift the truck bed.

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[fourbyford]

Maybe it's just me but, the "auto correct" feature on most electronics drives me nuckin futts... in the post above, it is supposed to say... ALL EIGHT were that tight...

Now that I have that out of my system, we return to our regular programming...

I previously installed the B & W turnover hitch on my Ford truck so I was basically familiar with the concept but, this was a Draw Tite hitch on a Dodge so, major differences. But, we did manage to figure things out.

While we had the bed off, we also installed a set of Air Lift load levelers. He had acquired the air bags and (we figured out) the correct mounting hardware for the install but, no installation manual. And... we had no internet connection (one of the pleasures of living in the boonies). So, after a bit of head scratching, we actually figured out the bracketry and completed the install.

We got the bed back on and everything buttoned up in right about eight hours. But, I think we fought with breaking loose the bed bolts for pretty much the first hour. All in all, a pretty good day's work. He will go back tomorrow and clean up/put away tools.

It's awesome to have good neighbors!

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[fourbyford]

The squared off "U" bolts in the last pic (above) are for the safety chains. We got those installed as well... no pic... duhhh...

Several people and the hitch install instructions and, several You Tube experts (for the air bags) say it's possible to do all this work without removing the bed. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this job would have been trying to do everything from under the truck. The hitch instructions mention removing the exhaust pipe and muffler (if not removing the bed)... even if that stuff were gone, it would still be extremely difficult. So, if anyone is considering installing one of these hitches, in my experience (including on my own truck) it's FAR easier to pull the bed first!

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[losdudes]

This is a great read, keep up the good work. Enjoy seeing the ducks, I've had several chickens for a few years, lots of fresh eggs and not much to keep care of them. I keep a heat lamp with a thermostat in the house during the winter, they lay better in the winter than the summer.

 

[fourbyford]

Thanks for the good words and the info. We're using a heat lamp... right now, 24/7 (can't wait for this month's electric bill... not)... I hadn't thought about using some sort of thermostat device. I'll definitely need to look into that. I'd always heard poultry doesn't lay as well in winter... supposedly because of less daylight. Its interesting to hear about your good results. I'm learning things every day!!

...D

 

[losdudes]

I found a thermostat on amazon that plugs into an outlet, it has 2 plug ins and is set at 35 degrees. I also have a heater plate for my water plugged in to it. Had it for 3 winters so far. It shuts off at about 45 degrees.

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: your ducks looks like they've doubled in size already. warm home, lots of love and a lot of great toys seems like a good method for growing healthy animals. I'm also happy to hear your dog(s) and other animals are ok with the baby ducks too cause that should make for some fun activities once the weather gets better.

you might have to set up a couple of those windmill towers to create your own electricity to really head to being OFF THE GRID.

nice work on the neighbor's truck and OMG those bolts sounded like they were not only on tight, but maybe had a little loctite or rust to keep them from moving without a lot of your effort.

keep up the great work.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

Thanks for the visit! Fortunately, I don't think we get enough wind around here to power a genny... but, solar power is definitely on the to-do list!

Yep, it's a good thing that the pups, kitties and ducks are getting along. It won't be long and they'll all be sharing the yard. The ducks have more than doubled in size in the 10 or so days we've had them. In fact, they outgrew the cake pan they had been swimming in. Instead, today's class was held in the bath tub! They had an absolute blast! Trying to post a brief vid below, not sure if it will work.

Those bolts were sure 'nuff tight! But, we were able to git 'r done.

Cool and raining today. It's back in my garage for me!

...D

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[fourbyford]

Hmmm... the vid clip just posts as an image... I'll have to ponder this for a while.

Losdudes... your set-up sounds like it's just what I need... I'll go look for it now! Thanks!!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

Today, our temperature got to 48° and it rained pretty much all day. We even had a half-hour or so of a thunderstorm. In all, we got more than 1/2" of rain... and it's supposed to rain every day through Wednesday. Good for the lawn and for the fields. Although, as soon as things dry out a bit, the mower will be out for the season.

I worked in the garage a bit this morning... cleaned up a couple days worth of scrap wood. We have kindling for a week! Then, I decided to tackle the last part of the back wall in the duck house. Framing, insulation and plywood. It all took much longer than I expected (no surprise there)... the wall is severely out of square and, cutting the framing around the log angle brace tried to kick my ****... with the tools I had available... pretty much a Skil Saw... lol. Good thing OSHA doesn't hang around here!

Anyways, that part is done and I still have both eyes and all my fingers so, I'm calling it a good day!

...D



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[drivesitfar]

4by: is that a permanent duck door that is a hole or are you planning on making some sort of cover for it?

it was sunny here this afternoon after being stormy last night (rained a lot and windy) so maybe you'll get one good 1/2 day of weather.

as far as videos posting I've only seen guys make a YouTube video and then post up a link to that video.

good to hear you have all your body parts and try to be extra careful during these times cause a trip to an ER might get you more than a stich.

 

[fourbyford]

You're right... definitely don't want a trip to the ER!

The door opening will have a hinged ramp on the outside. The bottom of the opening must be about a foot above the floor out there. The ramp will be sized to completely cover the opening when it's up.

Even though I'm far from being finished out there, it's amazing how much of a difference the insulation has made. It should be fairly easy to keep "warm" in the winter and I'm sure it will be relatively cool in the summer as well.

We actually have to go to the big city tomorrow... closing on the 5 acre parcel.

We're great here... hope you and yours are safe and well.

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: we're doing great here too and hoping that all this medical work stoppage ends soon so those that can't sit at home for weeks and months at a time can get back to work and their lives.

while you are in town maybe pick up some avocados cause I just posted up my guacamole recipe on the GET HEALTHY THREAD (BTW we'd love to have you post on it cause you seem to get up and get going daily and even though your exercise isn't in a gym you are getting a great workout).

that ramp door sounds nice and i can see the little oak pieces for steps and your ducks using them or maybe they just want a flat piece.

 

[C_F]

...good thing you saved the things from when Walter was little! It's cool that he can pass them on to the next generation...
The chicks will be fun as well. Hopefully, not as much water to clean up!

Definitely a LOT less water to deal with. Well, five little chicks came home last Thursday. And of course, knowing the two females I live with, of course they couldn't be your average chickens, they picked out the "silky" variety. <facepalm> So I guess they will eventually look like this...

...I bet they will get poop stuck in their feathers. Haha!

So when they first arrived, they were just tiny little fuzz-balls, 4 days later & their little wing feathers are already sprouting, and they are a 1/4 size larger. I have a feeling these grow at a similar rate as ducks. Here's a photo from my old, tired camera.

The first second the little chicks were brought in, our little dog Yuki was completely curious as to what was in the box. Once they were in their little pen, Yuki wanted to see & smell the new arrivals.

Since then, she has decided it's her job to guard the little babies, and report loudly if any of them gets stuck in the food tray or something. Haha! This was the evening of day one.

This was a few minutes ago. So cute.

that ramp door sounds nice and i can see the little oak pieces for steps and your ducks using them or maybe they just want a flat piece.

If the ramp is fairly steep, a couple steps would be good.

 

[fourbyford]

Wow... I didn't realize you were getting five! Guess life is getting exciting around your place as well. It is amazing how fast they grow. I don't recall ever seeing that breed. I think you're onto something with your comment about trying to keep them clean... but, whatever makes the women folk happy... lol

Our ducks are already outgrowing the rubber maid container. My misses keeps them in our dining room for a couple hours in the afternoon. After they've finished their swim lesson, she dries them off and puts them on a dog bed in front of the wood stove. It takes a few minutes but, they do settle down and pretty much sleep the whole time... with two dogs and two cats looking on. Pretty amazing...

Now, my misses is saying she would like to have four geese... in a few weeks...
Whew, guess I'd better get into high gear and get the duck house finished up... we'll be needing it very soon!!!

I'll definitely be putting something on the ramp for traction. It probably will be a bit steep. I'll have to work something out but, at the moment, not exactly sure what that might be.

Thanks for posting about your newest additions and the pic... feel free to post more pics (or whatever ya got) anytime!

...D

 

[C_F]

Geese?!? That is a whole 'nuther deal! I dunno about geese, definitely read into them before you buy. They can be mean...like draw blood type of mean, from what I hear. Ducks are harmless, geese have "teeth" of sorts. Word on the street is do NOT piss off a goose, male or female. Haha!

 

[fourbyford]

Hmmm... maybe I'd better look into that a bit more. Years ago, I leased a pasture to keep my horses and the place next door had a few chickens and a goose. I went out to feed every morning on my way to work and after a couple of weeks, the goose would meet me as I was coming through my gate. I started talking to her... she liked to be petted. Wasn't long and every time shed see me pull up, she was at the barn... then she pretty much stayed there. And, I wasn't feeding her or anything... she just liked the company. The guy that owned her got really pissed off and told me I should just keep her... since she was always over at my place anyways. I would have too... but, not long after that, I received orders to go to the big sand box. Never saw her again.

She was a Toulouse... closely resembled a Canada. If we get any, that's what I would look for. I have plenty to do around here... certainly dont have time to be dodging a blood-thirsty goose! lol

 

[fourbyford]

So, I probably mis-spoke there... it's been a while since I've looked at pics of Toulouse. They "somewhat" resemble Canadas. Interestingly enough, I was just doing a search and ran across several people that actually sell Canadas. Apparently, they're pretty tame and will stay around your place. I'd have thought they would disappear come fall.

Anyways, Toulouse are fairly well known for being docile and good around farms. One thing I read that does concern me... within 3 weeks they're a foot tall... gulp! I'm not sure we're ready for that! lol

The past few weeks, we've had a pair of Canadas and a pair of Mallards on our pond. We've been feeding them. Couple years back, a pair of Mallards stayed on the pond for much of the summer... raised 5 wee ones. Pretty cool. Hated to see them go.
Anyways, we'd best do a bit more thinking before the next bird order!

...D

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[drivesitfar]

4by: not sure how the grip tape I used for my parent's basement stairs might work for your ramp or how it would hold up outside, but I probably can mail you a 2,3,4 or 5 foot piece if you'd like to try it. I think it's 2 foot wide too so if your ramp is on only a foot wide maybe you don't need a long piece cause you can cut in in half. it cuts easily with scissors and peel and stick. here's a picture of it on my parent's stairs after I removed their old carpet and put in the stair lift.

I can't recall where I bought this roll or if it's good for outdoor applications so maybe you can do a bit of research. Maybe the kid's skateboards have something similar that is meant for outdoor and heavy use?

weather has been cool, windy, rainy and very little sun lately so hopefully it won't come at you in snow form.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives, thanks for the offer of the non-skid! I think I'll take you up on that...
I think the ramp will be about 14" or so square... and I'll probably need to have something similar on the inside. I'll go out in a few minutes and get a better measure. Neither ramp will be exposed to weather... the outer one is still under a roof. It's an area enclosed by chain link fence and completely covered by a metal roof... was formerly the outdoor run portion of the dog kennel that none of our dogs is interested in using. We now store our firewood and kindling in about half of it... still plenty of room for birds.

We had a day of rain yesterday... pretty much an inch (probably an inch and a half here at the farm) in the last 48 hours. That's a good thing though, we were getting very dry around here. They're predicting cool and unsettled weather here for the next few days. Then, gradually warming. No matter, plenty to do and everything I have to do will either be in the garage (warm) or in the duck house (dry) so... nuttin to it but to do it!

The ducks have already had their morning bath/swim lesson. It was pretty funny, my misses had them in the basket she uses to carry them back and forth... you could literally tell they wanted to be out by the wood stove. I took them back while she cleaned their living quarters... they were trying to jump out of the basket. I got them out... took a few minutes but they settled down for a nap. After about an hour, they were up and running around. They kept going to the plastic container they'd had bananas in. So, my misses made them a bowl... a literal feeding frenzy! Now, they're back in front of the fire going to sleep again. It's amazing how fast they learn things. And, it's cool they are definitely a part of the family.

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[drivesitfar]

4by: as soon as I can find that roll of grip tape i'll put a care package together for you. since your PO Box is now on a truck let me know either by PM or email where you'd like me to send the box that I might put a few other things in with the tape?

great to hear the stories about your ducks and goose and all your animals really.

 

[C_F]

Well ****, I somehow managed to mangle my photos in my previous post (#151). They worked on my end last night, but today they were dead. So I went back & fixed the photos. You were probably wondering WTH is this guy talking about?

You're probably right about the geese being tame enough. I haven't had geese, so I was going by what others have said, so maybe I should have kept my yap shut until I could speak with experience.

You fed your ducklings bananas? I had no idea they liked those...now I feel bad that I never let Walter experience bananas. I'm sure he would have loved them.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives, Thanks!

The ramps (2) will measure approx 12" x 16" so, anything that might fit into a flat envelope will be perfect!

Our weather today has been a mix of winter and spring. I think we made it to the mid- 40's and had a brief rain which was pretty hard, bright sunshine and wet heavy snow about the time my neighbor and I were getting out of the truck at his shop. At one point, it was snowing so hard, visibility was limited but, it pretty much melted as it hit the ground. I'd say we got at least a quarter inch today. Every bit of the moisture is going right into the ground... pretty much zero run-off.

Our house, at the moment, is pretty much a zoo so there are plenty of animal stories to go around... lol

Pics:

#1 is one of the brief snow showers we had today... off our back deck. It was actually snowing pretty hard but the camera didn't pick it up too well...

#2 is the fenced area of the dog kennel... currently firewood storage and about to become an "outdoor" area for the ducks

#3 is the opening where the outer ramp will hinge. It's not going to be quite as steep as I was thinking but the non-skid will help anyways!



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