...and so it begins

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

For the past couple of weeks, two of the ducks were much larger than the others. This morning, it looks like a third one has caught up to the two larger ones. It's amazing... we can literally see their growth day by day!

The lino seemed a pretty good choice... fast, easy and relatively cheap... hmmm... one of the only times I can have all three??? ...lol

I do all the pics with my phone... hand held. At some point, an actual camera would be helpful... maybe then I could/would post using my laptop instead of my phone. When I first started this thing, I tried to post pics through the GJ website. I could get to a certain point but, I would get stuck in the last screen. Finally figured out that I could post using the GJ app. I would really like to use a hosting site and post pics in the text... IMO, things flow much better that way. But, I'm getting things figured out with the app and, for now, this works.

I got the ramp built (but not installed) and the doorway trimmed out yesterday. I'm headed out in a few minutes to build the door. And, I have one small section to install plywood on the back wall. Got to git r' done! ...the ducks are getting big enough, we cant keep them in any longer. Today is the day!!

Thanks for the visit and the good words!

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: I used to use Photobucket for years and about the time I joined GJ here they changed their way to download pics that I didn't like, then too many pop ups so I just started to download pics directly to GJ by using the paperclip that shows up as thumbnails until the user clicks on it twice and then full size screen.

I agree if there is an online service easy to use even if it's not free the threads look better, but some members use the quote button to respond to a big pic post and that big post comes up again with only a couple words or sentence.

PLUS what Photobucket did to GJ and other forums was almost illegal asking for a $399 yearly fee instead of their $25 yearly fee so a lot of threads pics were deleted and I think maybe now have PHOTOBUCKET'S NAME ACROSS THE PICTURES.

anyway I need to find that grip tape roll so i'll try to get over to my storage unit today to see if I can find it.

never knew ducks could provide so much entertainment for a couple and a bunch of his online friends, but they do.

HAPPY EASTER

 

[fourbyford]

Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours and built the ramp for the duck house. I know, on one hand, pretty elaborate for its intended use. But, I wanted something fairly substantial (and not flimsy)... I figured something like a 2 x 12 would warp, split, or twist in fairly short order... a piece of plywood would de-laminate... so, frame and panel construction it is. Fairly simple, actually. It would have taken half the time if I was in my other shop (in Wyoming). My set-up here is pretty much bare-bones... but, I at least have a table saw.

This thing is fairly crude. 2x lumber for the frame... 3/4" CDX for the panel. If I'd had the use of my jointer and planer, I would've reduced the thickness of the frame material to an inch or so. But, I didn't, so I just used full thickness. I wanted the panel to be flush with the top side of the frame so I cut the rabbet from only one side of the panel... creating an offset tongue.

This was all table saw work... except i did use the circ saw to cut the frame members to length.

I adjusted blade height and fence location to cut the rabbet on the edges of the panel.

Same for the grooves in the stiles/rails. The grooves had to be offset (to match the tongue on the panel) so that the panel would be flush with the surface of the frame. I used the same basic set-up to cut the tongues on the ends of the rails. Sorry for lack of in-progress pics. I thought I was getting plenty of pics but guess I got "in the zone" and missed quite a few. I will be doing this again... I'll try to be better with the pics!

You can see the test fit of the panel into the frame joinery... and finally, the joinery detail of the panel in the clamps.

As I mentioned, the fit/finish on this piece is fairly crude... I was definitely going for fast... I'm sure it will be adequate for its intended use... lol

...D

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[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

Yep, I remember when that Photo ( )uckup issue cropped up. Interesting, just about the time I was considering using them, the whole thing blew up. I was glad I hadn't gotten around to loading pics on their site! I see the lengths Don Long (and others, I'm sure) is going through trying to restore his thread... really unfortunate. Now, I guess I have somewhat of a distrust for "free" services... in the back of my mind I'm wondering when they will blow up. I'm sure it takes a lot of time to move data around (pics, etc) and it would be really frustrating to have spent that time... only to end up with nothing... and online postings with no pics. So, for me (with the somewhat limited time I have) the GJ app and my phone seem to be working. Plus, once I go back to Wyoming, I wont have an internet connection... everything will be data usage on my phone. But, I'll be able to post just like I'm doing now. It's all good!

Yep, its interesting how entertaining these guys are. And, I'm surprised at how many folks on this board are interested in our ducks. Initially, I was a bit reluctant to even post about them... but, seems they've been pretty well received. I'm sure they'll be seen in pics over the coming years. They're definitely part of the family. While we're anxious to get them into their new home, my misses and I were talking this morning... we will miss seeing so much of them... but, it's getting warm and we'll all be spending lots of time outside so, we'll see them in the yard.

I'm having trouble realizing that it is Easter... guess because of the current condition of the world but, guess that's what it's all about... a re-birth (resurrection)...

Happy Easter!

...D

 

[C_F]

It's been a few days since I've stopped by your thread...man, there has been a lot of progress going on! The ducks sure are growing fast, too. I like your idea of using linoleum on the floor of the duck house, I'm sure that will make it a breeze to clean up.

Looking at your yard photos, it's definitely spring time there! I was able to give our back yard it's first mowing of the season yesterday, but the front (north facing) is still lagging behind & mostly brown.
Our little baby chickens are growing fast, this past week their wing feathers are coming in pretty quickly now. They are a little under double their original size now, and SWMBO decided that the Tupperware tote was getting too crowded. So off we went to Home Depot, looking for a larger tote. On our way to the tote area, we turned down an aisle & discovered something much larger than some 'ol tote. It was even on sale for $100 off...once she laid eyes on this, there was no way I could talk her out of it! So home it came & the 1.5 hour assembly time that the instructions alluded to, were more like 3 hours!
Please ignore the clutter, this room is a total mess right now.

So far, the chicks are limited to the upper portion. There is a roof for it, but we're leaving it off for the time being, to make it easier for us to get to their food & water. Later on, we'll move it outside & attach the roof, and open up the lower pen area. It will ultimately be too small for adult chickens, so I'll end up building a larger one to go with it & end up with a chicken condo, or something.
The chicks love their new space for now. There is a metal floor pan, and once they discovered that it makes a cool noise when they peck at it, they all joined in on the new found fun, by kicking all the wood chips away & merrily pecking away at the floor. Haha!
I need to figure out a different food trough, they keep filling the current one with wood chips. We have to clean the chips out four or five times a day. Same with their water dispenser, even though we have suspended it off the floor.

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: I found my big roll of grip tape....

 

[fourbyford]

Nice Chickie Condo!!! The old "some assembly required" thing gets us every time!!

Your chicks are really growing... and, they're beautiful! Will they all end up being white? Or, they're various colors? Too soon to know? ...lol. It'll be interesting to see...

We're seeing feathers now as well. All our children are out in the yard today, even though it's a bit cooler than yesterday. Our grass has been green for quite a while but it's really growing now. Wont be long and my misses will be mowing every 4 days or so.

The climate here has always seemed a bit "strange" to me... it's hard to believe spring comes so early being this far north. But, our elevation is only about 2,600'... guess that makes a lot of difference and, we tend to get the "warm" moist air from the coast during the winter... as opposed to the artic air that Wyoming (and Utah) gets.

Well, I'm in the middle of my door project... had just come in for lunch and decided to check in... I'm glad I did!

Thanks for the visit... your update made me smile!!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives, good news!!! Thanks!

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: it was where I thought it was and I just had to move something that got set in front of it. Well I’m somewhat organized.

 

[fourbyford]

("I'm somewhat organized...")
Mission mostly accomplished!!! ...lol

Thanks, Drives!

 

[fourbyford]

I spent much of yesterday building the entry door for the duck house. Let me begin by saying... this is NOT "fine" woodworking. It isn't intended to be. This will be a door in a 100 year old barn for a poultry area. My intention in doing this project was to try to preserve at least a little of the character of the building... while making the space functional for our needs. So, in the interest of creating a functional door that looks "farm-y"... we'll get started.

I began by cutting a couple of 2 x 4's to length. Don't remember mentioning before... I've started marking dimensional lumber by measuring directly to the edge of the square. This eliminates trying to accurately place a pencil mark on the wood, and then aligning the square to the mark. Fewer steps... less chance of making a mistake. I also use the square as a guide for my circ saw while making the cut. I can achieve near miter-saw accuracy without a miter saw... which I don't have here anyway... it's a few hundred miles away.

Then, I marked the locations to drill counter bored holes for the 3" deck screws I'll use to join the frame members.

I begin with a 1/2" diameter spade bit... drilling about an inch (or so) deep. I use the 1/2" bit to create the clearance I'll need to allow my bit extension to drive the screws deep enough to hold the joint. I drill the 1" depth so I can use 3"screws to join 3" wide lumber... saves added expense of buying (and the hassle of storing) longer screws.

I follow the 1/2" hole with a 3/16" hole (through) as clearance for the shank of the screw.

More to follow


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[fourbyford]

Then, it's time for some assembly. Simple **** joints, 3" deck screws (should've bought stock in this company long ago)... with a small amount of urethane glue at each joint. If you haven't tried this, it is seriously good stuff! A "C" clamp keeps the joints aligned while driving the screws.


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[fourbyford]

Using a straight edge and circ saw to cut the plywood panels.

First side of door frame skinned. Frame was out of square by 1/4" but I was able to pull it into square while installing the skin.

Foam insulation installed.


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[fourbyford]

Second side of door skinned... entire assembly "banded" with 3/4" thick pine.

1x pine pieces installed for at least a bit of a "farm" look...

Installed with "T" hinges with a barrel bolt for a latch.

This door ended up being fairly thick... 3"
If I was in my other shop, I would've planed the 2x lumber down to 1" thick and used 1" thick insulation. Then, I would've planed the 1x lumber down to 1/2" (maybe 3/8")... would've maintained the look without the thickness. But... I built this using what I have on hand and, the added insulation can't be a bad thing... we got down to 23° overnight... the duck house stayed cozy and warm. And, for what I'm doing with it, the thickness isn't really an issue.

Getting closer to checking this job off the list!

...D

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[C_F]

Great tutorial on building your door! The door looks nice-n-stout, I'm sure it will last for years. I chuckled when you said you should have bought stock in the deck screw company, I've said the same thing to myself over the years!
So was last night the first overnight stay for your little brood in their new place? They sure are cute.

I am surprised your elevation is as low as it is, I wouldn't have guessed. My place is 5,300 feet, so yeah, that is probably the main difference as to why spring comes on earlier at your place. My back yard is almost ready for it's 2nd mowing, but the front isn't even close. Most of my front lawn is in the shade all winter. If I ever move to another home, I'm definitely picking one that either faces south or east.

I'm not sure what colors the chicks will end up being. I'm pretty sure the yellow ones will be white (they are already turning lighter), but the dark ones, is anyone's guess. The dark ones are also not growing quite as fast as the yellow, not sure why that is.

I'm glad you enjoyed my post. Often times I think I am being too wordy & posting too many photos in threads that aren't my own, so I try to contain myself & not overstay my welcome.

Looking forward to your continued updates!

 

[fourbyford]

Naaaawww... never too wordy or too many pics here... I enjoy your (and all the others as well) visits!

Sunday night was the first in the Duck Hilton... last night, #2. Everything works and stays toasty-warm with just the heat lamps. I managed to get the ramp installed yesterday and my misses is getting them trained to use it... although a bit of slippage was involved... kinda funny watching them. That problem was temporarily solved by laying a piece of rubber (that my air compressor normally sits on) over the ramp... they were able to scamper right up that! They'll do anything for fresh fruit... lol.

And, while they're outside, they tend to stay in a group... pretty easy to herd them where you want them to go. I think it was Sunday afternoon... our German Shepherd herded them into their outdoor/covered enclosure and then laid down in there with them. Dont know how/why... both my misses and I were busy and not paying a lot of attention. She evidently sensed some danger?? ...or it was just the maternal instinct kicking in?? ...don't know but it was pretty cool.

I posted up a few details on building that door because I've seen many threads where people seem to be struggling with not being able to find a factory-built door to fit a particular opening or function. Over the years, I've built a number of entry doors (and countless cabinet doors)... most of them far more refined than the one I just built. I think I built 4 for an old-house renovation I did several years ago (and many others before and since). Big 3 story house filled with five panel doors... over the years, renters had either destroyed or removed them. My dad wanted to just buy cheap "slabs" to replace them as we were getting the place ready for sale. I thought that would look terrible in a 1920's house so, I just built and installed the five panel doors. Place cleaned up well and sold in a few weeks. Anyways, especially for a storage area or an outbuilding, building a door doesn't have to be a big deal. This one turned out a bit big (thick) and clunky looking but, because of the added insulation, I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

It will be interesting to watch your chicks grow. Looks like your own version of the Hilton will work well! Please feel free to post up any/all the pics you want! While our ducks were out in the sun yesterday, I noticed the slightest hint of iridescent green on the top of a head... I was beginning to think we had all hens... lol

Yep, our elevation is very low here and I enjoy it. I grew up in N/E Colorado and later moved to Wyoming... still later, to Utah... all higher elevations. Where I grew up, and in Utah, we had fairly mild climates... Wyoming was relatively "severe" (apologies to our northern neighbors who are chuckling about now... lol)... Wyoming has two basic seasons... summer and WIND-ter... and I was more than ready for a change. Our climate here is pretty mild and 4 seasons although we can get a lot of snow. But, that just keeps life interesting... lol. The elevation of the "big city" where I normally get my supplies, Lewiston Idaho, is about 700 feet. Very mild winters there... very warm in the summer. IIRC, the ports of Lewiston Idaho/Clarkston Washington are the farthest inland ports in the US. Quite a bit of shipping activity... down the Snake River... to the Columbia and finally into the Pacific. Who would've thought? ...lol

Anyways... thanks for the visit! Today, I'll try to get the outer portion of the dividing wall finished off. And, I need to get the Costco shelf set up for my misses... things are finally starting to get back to normal in that building. Good thing, because I have quite a few other chores I need to focus on!

Later,

...D

 

[fourbyford]

A bit of an update...

I didn't work on the dividing wall yesterday but I did work on the shelf. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been a big deal but, when you're me, even the simplest of jobs can be complicated.

As I've mentioned before, in recent years, this part of the building was used as a dog kennel. The P.O.'s both worked long hours and had three large-ish dogs that apparently weren't fond of being confined. When this barn was built... the original owner/builder placed rocks for the log sills to rest on. On the "high side" of the building, small rocks were used... on the other side, where the ground slopes off a foot or so, larger rocks were used. This meant that the sills were "level" to within 5" - 6" over the 30'+ span of the building. Even though the sills are nowhere near level, the sill on the east end is a foot or more off the ground. When the recent owners re-sided this building, they did board and batten down as far as the log sills, then used treated plywood from the sills to ground level. Thus, there was already a fairly good slope to the floor of the building from day one. Add to that, 3 dogs trying to dig their way out of the building (below the sill on the east end) and you have the recipe for a really bad place to set up shelving. So... as with many of my projects, we begin with a shovel... lol...

I started by scrounging some fill from a couple different places around the building. Initially brought in some gravel/rock infused dirt from a recent post-hole dig... then "borrowed" a bit of gravel from the area of my (eventual) garage extension.

When I finally got a semi-level area established, I visited the pier-block repository and brought back 6 blocks. I placed them because I didn't want the compacted fill (that I was about to place) pushing outward on the plywood below the sill.

Once I established that " barrier" I brought in more gravel to create a level surface large enough to build the shelf.

Since I had a bit of scrap OSB, I decided to place some below the shelf. This part was easy and got a bit of scrap off the pile.

Shelf built. My misses will go out and fill 'er up today. Happy wife, happy life...

And, that's how to turn a 15 minute job into a 3+ hour ordeal...



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[fourbyford]

A couple years back, as I set up a similar shelf in an adjacent area, I thought I should level the floor in this entire part of the building. Made the mistake of mentioning that to my misses... which was summarily dismissed an "not necessary"... fact is, I haven't had the time to even think about it... much less do it.

But, the plan is to, one day (but not any day soon) empty out this part of the building and level out the dirt floor... then bring in and compact a gravel base. Then, a layer of sand, followed by pavers. All this will be a bit of work but I'm pretty sure it's the way I'll go... as opposed to pouring concrete. A small part of this area is still used as a kennel, (and, of course, the duck house occupies a corner) but, the majority is used to store garden tools and animal feed. I think the pavers would provide a good, solid surface for foot traffic in the building and, most importantly, will allow any moisture that comes in through the "open" front of the building to quickly drain away.

Oh well... a project for another day... maybe later this fall...

...D

 

[TomcoPDR]

Nice project with the duck house 4by.

 

[C_F]

Love the German Shepherd story. I guess for now, it's hard to say whether she sensed danger, or if it was more maternal instinct. Either way, it's great that she is watching out for them!

Okay, I will continue to post periodic updates with our little chicks. We had a bit of a scare with one of the dark ones last night, my wife noticed that he/she was acting lethargic & couldn't hold up her head. So she held the chick for a while on her chest & talked to her brother on the phone, he has a small farm with many animals. He told her that it's not uncommon to lose some when they are young, and the best thing to do is put it back in the pen & make it comfortable.
I totally expected to wake up to a dead chick, but for whatever reason, the chick is doing much better today! No idea what happened, but at least it's not dead. That made my wife super happy.

Your plan for leveling the floor in there sounds good. I like the paver idea, I bet that will work great! Even if it will involve a lot of manual labor on your part. Haha! The leveled area for the shelf turned out well. I'm sure that will be much better in the long run, than just "kinda leveling" the area.

Anyway, I'd better get back to the grind, before the boss catches me posting on a forum. Looking forward to your continued updates.

 

[Pressingonward]

Nice work on the Hilton, I'm sure your ducks are well pleased

 

[fourbyford]

Well... I've been away from the keyboard for a few days...

Thomas... thanks for the kudos!

C.F. Our German Shepherd continues to watch over the ducks. Whenever she thinks our younger cat is getting too close, she either runs him off or (gently) bites his head/neck... he eventually gets the message!

Great to hear that your chick made a recovery! Hope it is still doing well.

Every time I go into that barn, I find myself looking at the floor... lol. Later this year, I'll definitely be doing something about it!

Justin... the Duck Hilton has been a bit of work... but worth it! My misses is very happy... it's easy to keep that area warm and clean. During the day, the ramp from the house to the outer covered area is down and the gate is open. The ducks can come and go as they please. They're usually outside enjoying the sun and their pools but, once in a while, they'll waddle back to the safety and security of their home. They're definitely content!

Gents, thanks for the good words and the visit!


On Thursday, we made a run to the big city. Needed some groceries, had a couple of medical appointments and picked up 10 bales of straw and some bark mulch for my misses. Doesn't seem like a trip to town should be that big of a deal but, by the time we head out... take care of all the stops... drive home... unload... it takes the better part of a day.

On Friday, I arranged straw bales in the outer duck area to section off the part of that area we'd rather not have them. Then, I placed 15 bags of bark mulch for my misses to spread. After that, I installed a couple of pulls on the door of the duck house, hung a sign, hung a thermometer inside, and built and hung a shelf on the outside of the dividing wall.

Today, I fueled the mower and got it ready for my misses to use. Helped my misses with a few miscellaneous chores in her flower gardens (and she wonders why it takes me so long to get my work done) then fidgeted with the plywood for the upper area of the dividing wall. Since she got the excess things off the floor and onto the new shelf, I had access to the area we store garden tools... it had become a pretty good mess over the winter. A few minutes of effort and that problem was solved!

I also organized the critter feed in the feed box. When I first built that, my misses complained it was waaay too big... now, she says it's too small... lol

...D


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[drivesitfar]

4by: I haven't forgot about your package and just trying to get my shipping guy to work on SATURDAYS. it's hard when my little girl needs help moving and some DIY at her new house, but you're at the top of his list.

nice work on the spaces and OMG I envy having tools spread out like that when you don't have them in a couple old oil barrels like i do.

you're pretty brave going to a doctor's office during the PANDEMIC of 2020 and i hope you got a clean bill of health and not any spare bugs to come back home with.

everything is looking great and even though our great weather is taking a break with some clouds and rain I can tell spring is here again and summer is not far behind.

say hi to the ducks for me and do they all have names yet? AND easy to tell one apart from the other?

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,
Sounds like you (and your "shipping guy") are staying plenty busy. It's awesome that you can lend a hand to help your daughter get situated in her new place... I'm sure that's something she's very grateful for and will remember the rest of her life. In the mid 80's, I was living in Utah... drove home one late December evening and noticed my roof looked odd as I pulled into my garage. I walked out in front of the garage to look... took me a while to realize I was looking at PLYWOOD on the entire front of the house and garage... the result of a "wind event". I called my dad and he came down the next day. The two of us re-shingled my whole house over the next few days. Started each morning by shoveling 16" of snow off the roof and then was able to get started with the shingles. Worked til after dark using a Coleman lantern. Definite good memories right there...

We were definitely fortunate to find a place with a number of outbuildings... I built that storage wall a couple of years ago and it's really nice to be able to walk in and grab the tool ya need without a search. Now that we have both of the Costco shelves up and running it'll be easy to keep things organized. We got in a mess last fall as my misses brought in various things for the winter... no place to put them. Now, THAT problem is solved and we should be able to keep the whole building organized. At least I have ONE area under control... lol... still A FEW to go!!

We thought about trying to name the ducks but, even as ducklings, they were difficult to tell apart. Now, as they're feathering out, it's pretty much impossible. They look nearly identical... I'm pretty sure they're all hens... and, they run around so much, we definitely cant keep track of them.

As far as going to the Doc, it's the Chiropractor... if i dont go, i wont be walking. I know we've all formed our opinions of the "virus". I've done a metric ton of research... At the outset, I wasn't too worried... after all the reading, I'm even less concerned. We don't leave our place all that often when there's NOT a "lockdown"... and, in our region, there are very few "cases" and few fatalities...
Although I'm well past 65, I'm in very good health... take ZERO meds... have none of the "risk factors"... Don't get me wrong, I'm not going out "tempting fate" but, I have no intention of living under a rock. I got $hit to do... being in the military and having served in a combat zone, I came to terms with my mortality a long time ago... none of us get out of this thing alive... but, I intend to LIVE life!!

Anyways, I'll get off the soap box now...

Thanks for the visit!!!

...D

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[fourbyford]

A busy couple of days around the farm. I saw my neighbor at the mailbox a couple of days ago. He said he'd be bringing the last of the landscape blocks on Tuesday. I figured I'd better get the drain lines installed while things were still somewhat accessible.

So, I spent Monday digging out the dirt behind the blocks that had already been set. When we set the first blocks, they had to go pretty much against the dirt bank to allow enough room for the 14' width of my new bay. All I needed was a shovel-width to set the drain pipe but, I had to move a lot of shovels of dirt to get there!

Toward the back corner, the dirt bank was over 5' high.

Lots of tree roots to deal with.

And, I finally got this part finished.


... more to come


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[fourbyford]

So, yesterday, Tuesday, I set a bit of grade and installed the drain pipe. I went about a quarter inch per foot... many more shovels full of dirt. By lunchtime, I was ready. But, my neighbor called me and said they'd just poured the last block... he would bring them today, Wednesday.


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[fourbyford]

This morning I hustled out to get some weed and feed on the lawn before the rains came. According to the prediction, I had until around noon to get it done. So, I got out the broadcast spreader that the previous owners had left behind... definitely not my favorite type but, ya use what ya brung... right??

I had to chuckle when I read the name of this thing... speedy green 2000... as I got started, I kept thinking of Tim Allen on "Home Improvement " and the Binford brand of tools. By the time it was over, I had the perfect name for the spreader... the Binford Turbo 2000 All Terrain Broadcast Spreader.



In all, I used this silly thing to cover a bit less than 2 acres. To say our lawn is rough is an understatement... we live on a farm... and we have burrowing rodents. So, this morning was a real adventure and, tonight, my knees are feelin it!









If each of these pics looks like you're looking uphill, it's because you are! The house sits on the high ground and everything slopes off from there.



Early on, my misses asked me why I was "running" with the spreader. I told her if one doesn't "walk briskly", the spreader wont really "broadcast"... lol

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[fourbyford]

After surviving the 3 1/2 hour fertilizer challenge, I went out to check that everything was ready for the arrival of the landscape blocks. A bit of last minute leveling of the gravel base and all was well.

A bit after 2, it started to rain. Not too bad at first but, after a while, it started coming down pretty good. So, when my neighbor showed up about 4, things were pretty wet. No matter... it was muddy when we set the first of the blocks, why should a little mud matter now?? ...lol

Anyways, in less than an hour we had the blocks unloaded and set... everything went well.

Once things dry out a bit, I'll cover the drain lines with gravel and then backfill the retaining wall.

One step closer on this job!

...D

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[fourbyford]

I really enjoy this time of year... things are greening up... it's kinda hard to tell where our lawn stops and the fields begin... except that the fields look a bit smoother and greener... lol





While I took a bit of a break (from running with the Binford Turbo 2000 Spreader) I snapped a couple of pics of some of our wooded areas...





And, in this last pic, toward the center of the pic is a bit of a clearing... a nice little spot out there that overlooks our wooded draw. Hopefully, next spring, I'll clear a path out there and create some kind of an area to sit in the evenings and enjoy the sunsets.



...D

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[drivesitfar]

4by: i can't even keep my backyard in decent shape and i've only got 1/3 of an acre. OMG it must be tiring looking at that while you thank GOD that you own it and just dream.

speaking of SOAPBOX I can't believe the Governor shut down the big Army base's gyms so those guys are having to buy gym stuff now at premium prices. WTF??

send them to war, but don't think they are responsible enough to wash their hands and work out? or send them to COVID, C19 or Corona infected areas?

yep i'm still jealous of all your space and even though you still have an extra house to finish fixing up to sell it looks like you found your PARADISE. speaking of that your extra land purchase seemed pretty easy so congrats for preserving the LOOK of your property and also adding to your value.

that shipping guy is trying to find his stuff so I'll get him to work cause it's almost a REAL SATURDAY AGAIN.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives...

Yep, the Governor thinking he has jurisdiction on a Federal reservation is pretty insane. As far as I know, the ONLY civilian the military is responsible to is the Commander in Chief... the President of the United States. At least that's the way it was in the old days... guess I'd better just let this subject go... wouldn't want to get banned! ...lol

The purchase of the five acres went like clockwork... not a single problem. While there are a number of things I want to do around the place, I just try to do things as I get to them... i dont really stress out about getting them done on a certain schedule. I'm always thinking about future projects... it's how I can usually resolve most "issues" before I actually get started on a project. And, i truly enjoy the lion's share of the things i do around here... it's not really work when ya like what you're doing!

We do enjoy our lawn but, in the heat of summer, we only keep the trees, shrubs, flowers and a bit of grass around the house watered. There's just no way to water it all. I have thought about building a system to store rainwater and use some water from the pond for irrigation... dunno... that's going to be a pretty big project for "one day"... lol. Anyways, we try to keep some nice areas but, as I mentioned, a lot of it is a bit rough... a constant battle with rodents. Our new kitten is helping a LOT on that front though. He brings us "trophies"... usually several per day. He's gotten several moles and even got a gopher a couple weeks back. Maybe we just need more cats!!!

Every pic I've seen of your 1/3 acre looks like you're the caretaker for a golf course... absolutely beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

Went to the big city yesterday... needed a few groceries and a bit of lumber. Other than waiting in line to enter Costco and Home Depot, no really big deal. Got the things I needed and came home. Fired up the barbie... rib eye steaks... and had our neighbor up for dinner.

Nothing too exciting today... I placed the "drain rock" over the lines behind the retaining wall. The neighbor had put a half-yard or so in the bottom of the trailer when he brought the last of the blocks a few days ago. I figured the best way to get it moved was to just use a shovel and bucket. Neighbor could have done the job with his tractor in a matter of minutes but, I really hate to bother him with things that I can easily do myself. Besides, I need the exercise!



A pretty basic job... fill bucket with shovel... dump bucket... step and repeat. Had the job site radio and a glass of iced tea... weather was overcast, mid 50's. It rained the first 20 minutes and rained fairly hard the last 45 minutes. Although I got a little wet, I certainly didn't worry about heat stroke... lol



Really didn't take that long to finish...



I added an additional 10' of drain line along the east side. Now, I need to put a 45° fitting on the end of that line and run it out a few feet to daylight. That job is for another day.







For now, the trench is filled with clean rock and ready to be back filled with soil. Will be nice to have this part finished. Neighbor said he'll be bringing a couple of loads of base this coming week. My goal was to have the area squared away so that when he brings the base, I'll be ready to spread it. Then, I'll at least have a good place to park my tractor.


...D

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[mfg0772]

Skimmed through most of this to get caught up. Like me, lots of different projects going. Keep up the good work.

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: so I must have missed it when you bought some cement blocks cause I didn't know you bought those big ones. WOW isn't that a little overkill for that little area? I bet you didn't need a drain and crushed rock behind it either, but since you have a neighbor that seems to own a quarry why not put some there.

love the exercise you've been getting and i bet it makes the food taste better when you are done working outside.

I'm wondering if we'll ever be able to not have to think about this Covid 19 cause it seems to be getting better and worse at the same time. good to know you've been ok getting out to the city and picking up supplies so you can keep on with all your projects.

I finally found my daughter a good used Honda mower and even though we drove 2 hours to buy it i'm happy that i'll have some power now to mow her yard. that said maybe my shipping guy can get off his **** and ship some packages soon.

take care and hope the ducks are not eating you out of house and home by now as big as they are getting.

cheers

 

[Pressingonward]

Nice work, looks like it's coming along nicely.

Glad to hear your cat is putting a dent in the rodent population. We started putting ours outside at night a couple years ago and it's made a huge difference

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Mike...

Yep, always SOMETHING going on around here! Occasionally, I even get a chance to finish a job before the next two come along... lol

Drives...

The pics of the "little corner" are a bit deceiving. The longer "leg" of the wall runs 18'... the wall perpendicular to it runs 8'. In the back corner, it was just a bit less than 6' from the top of the bank to the bottom of the excavation. Since the bank was made up primarily of clay soils, I was concerned that it would move if I didn't do something pretty substantial to hold it back. Normally, we get lots of moisture over the winter and spring and our soils get pretty saturated. My neighbor had to dig out one of his barns last year... a bank was about to take it over. Anyways, he works for a concrete company so I've been getting a pretty good deal on things related to concrete. The company he works for casts the blocks from mud left over from jobs so they have minimal expense making them and they sell them at a very reasonable price. Actually, I'll have much less invested in this than if I'd bought blocks from Home Depot and it's been waaay less work. The tractor has done the heavy lifting. I needed the drain because of all the clay in this (pond) area and, eventually, I want to build my woodshop behind the garage so I'm really trying to manage water in the whole area.

The ducks are big enough that they spend their entire days outside. It's amazing to watch them forage... they love our lawn. Actually, since we've had them outside, we've been feeding them less. They eat leaves, grass, bugs, worms... blooms from my misses' flowers... oops!... anyways, they seem to do pretty well at finding food for themselves. A couple more weeks and they'll get to swim in the pond... if the resident Canada geese and mallards will let them... lol. We should be picking up the 4 new ducks tomorrow morning. My misses is setting up the nursery tonight. Oh well... they grow really fast and its warm enough here now that they'll be able to go into the "Duck Hilton" sooner than this first batch did. By fall, I'll be trying to figure out what to do with eggs... lol. I'm sure I'll find someone to sell (give?) them to.

It seems like, at least in our region, this virus thing has been mostly an inconvenience. We're pretty remote, so we aren't really seeing the spread. In our county... 4 cases... 0 fatalities. Neighboring counties are similar except the county where the Home Depot and other "necessities " are located (larger county) just logged 49 cases... with some fatalities but, it seems most of those are from nursing care facilities. Folks around here are ready to get back to work. Across on your side of the border, I heard about a county commission and county sheriff that were refusing to enforce Inslee's edict... he didn't seem too happy about that... lol... Not sure where we're at with that one.

Good to hear you found a mower for your daughter. I'm guessing you'll mow her lawn... and that of your mom and dad... and your own... probably a good idea to have a power mower for at least a part of the job! And, it's been my experience that anything with a Honda engine on it is about as reliable as anything you could find. Nice score. And, you got some nice pics of the guy's cars as well!

Hey Justin,

I try to work on something every day... with varying degrees of success... lol

Yep, the cat stays very busy around here. He mostly gets mice and occasionally, something larger. He at least keeps the gophers on the run so they're not tearing things up around the barns. Kinda funny... we see a couple of huge Ravens flying around our yard and driveway each morning... looking for left over carcasses from the previous night's hunt. We haven't had to pick anything up in a while now... lol

Gents, thanks for the visit and the good words!

...D

 

[C_F]

Okay, so it's been a week or so since I've popped into your thread. Sorry.

Reading through your posts makes me assume that things are really flying around there with trying to keep grass green! The ducks are growing like mad...yet they all look like hens...so you brought home 4 more? Are you nuts?!? J/K, that's great.

Like you, I can't wait until this Wouhan Red Death virus is past us. Most of the governors have overblown this **** IMO, I can't believe how this has become some scary thing you have only previously seen in movies! I didn't believe it was true in rural areas in those movies, and I still don't.

Anyway, as far as my little chicken brood, they have more than doubled in size...but not nearly to the rate of your ducks. I think we are 5 weeks in now. They have over-eaten their original little feeder.

We have opened up the "basement" of their pen, but now it's a game of chicken as to who walks the plank to downstairs. eventually they all do, and all have a grand time once below.

I think maybe another two to three weeks until they are ready to move outside. This past week has been very summer-like regarding weather here.

 

[drivesitfar]

4by: yep you might have gone a bit over the top on the cement, gravel and drain support after cutting into that slope, but why not if you want to use that space to park your tractor and don't want to have to do it over later. nice that your neighbor has some deals on cement and gravel products he can pass on to you.

so are the new ducklings a different breed? sounds like more fun. are the turkeys still hanging around or are they seasonal and do they like ducks? so you already have geese stopping in at the pond yearly too. man you might need to get a power hose to spray down all the poop.

my parents don't want to stop paying their little old lawn care guy that has been cutting their grass for maybe the last 20 years so I'm only the hedge trimmer and grocery shopper and handyman over there. as far as my daughter I wasn't planning on cutting her grass cause she lives about 30 minutes from us, but while her hubby is stationed out of the country and his dad is recovering from kidney stones I'll help so she can keep spending any extra money she has on better than average cat food.

enjoy all the critters and hope they allow you to keep getting stuff done before you have to leave for Wyoming to work on your other place.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey C.F.

Thanks for the update on your chicks. They're looking GREAT! I'm sure the women in your life are loving them! Cool story about "walking the plank"... I never realized just how much fun it is to watch these guys. Ours are ALWAYS busy!



Yep, our six girls continue to grow. Pretty incredible that you can see growth day by day. We should be getting the four new ones in the mail tomorrow. It's a good thing our first batch will be ready for the pond soon... or we'd be needing a bigger pool...




My misses has been watering our trees and shrubs but we've had enough rain to keep the lawn looking fairly good. So far, not a lot of work involved except for mowing... I'm thinking we're in for a hot, dry summer though.

Hey Drives,

You may have missed in my thread... I will be building an additional bay on my garage... thus the reason for the dirt work, retaining wall and drainage. I won't be able to access this area later. It is where the tractor will live... for the foreseeable future. Once I build a seperate shed for the tractor, the new bay will become a paint booth... if I live long enough... lol

The first batch of ducks were Rouen... they resemble Mallards but are 2 1/2 times larger. The new ducks are Jumbo Pekin. Large, white "farm ducks"... they're very friendly and are good layers. Since we had a pretty mild winter, we had very few turkeys on our place. They mostly stayed across the road on the neighbor's place. Didn't hurt my feelings too much... we saved a lot of time and money... lol. We do have a couple of Canadas and a few Mallards on our pond. I'm pretty sure the Canadas are a pair and the goose is sitting a nest. Not sure what's up with the Mallards though. We've seen 3 - 5 drake's but no hens. Maybe they've seen our girls and are waiting for a chance! ...lol. All the poo kinda takes care of itself. The wild birds stay up at the pond and are no problem. Our girls have the run of the yard but, they drink so much water as they're eating, their poo is a fairly liquid formless mass. As my misses is watering trees, she sprays it with the garden hose and it just sort of dissolves into the ground. No problem. Now, I just need to teach the girls how to cover the yard uniformly so I don't have blotchy, unfertilized areas... lol.

Sounds like you have the lawn maintenance/grocery delivery down to a science... keeps you moving! It's cool you can help out!

I have gotten lots done while I've been here over the winter. I'm trying to get a few last things finished up here before I head back... Once i get back there, it'll be time to get some work done... lol

Gents, thanks for stopping by!

...D


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[fourbyford]

Although I didn't get any "building" done yesterday, I did manage to stay busy...

Trash day. Had to get everything together and hustle it down the driveway. While i was down there, i noticed the grass was about to get out of control. Got the mower and headed down. We've had off and on showers the past few days but the grass seemed dry enough to mow. I did manage to find a couple of wet areas... tried my best to get stuck. Good thing the mower has a diff lock!

As I was finishing up with the mowing, 3 guys showed up from the power company. They were here to map the route for a new power line that will run over to the new neighbor's property. They are the folks that just bought the acreage across the county road. The previous owners were going to go solar so, the question of power never came up with them. This couple wants to connect to the grid so they asked us if we'd grant them a utility easement. I wasn't very excited with the thought of overhead power lines running along our driveway but, this will be totally underground so, not that big of a deal. So... the cool part is that the underground line will run right past the barn that I want to resurrect in the very near future.



I've had plans for this barn ever since we've been here but wasn't sure how I'd ever be able to get power to it. Problem Solved!! They'll be setting a transformer within 10' of the planned corner of the building (I'll extend it 20' from it's current configuration)



Absolutely unbelievable how this just fell into place... too cool!

So, after spending 3 hours or so with the power guys, I got the mower cleaned up and put away. Headed into town to get the mail and grabbed a take-out order from the bar/restaurant. Not the same as "dining in" but, pretty good... quick and easy albeit a bit spendy. Happy to help out the folks in the local economy though!

After we ate, I ran down to chat with the neighbor... even though his place is about 1/2 mile from us, the phone reception is usually pretty bad... easier to just drive down. While we were talking, a little squall blew in...

We had a bit of rain... some lightning... a LOT of thunder and a bit of a breeze. At first, the sky was really dark and dramatic but, before I could get my phone from the truck, had brightened up.



And then, I noticed a huge rainbow...
It had the most vivid colors I've ever seen... it's a shame the camera couldn't really capture it...



The sky was literally changing before our eyes... finally resulted in a fairly spectacular sunset...



Nice way to end the day...

...D

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