Work Begins

The next several weekends and a few nights after Jason was off work was spent at the property mapping out where the barn would go and the house would go. The barn had to go up first, for the animals shelter and feed, the house had to begin at almost the same time, because we needed to get the water and sewer pipes laid, as well as get electricity trenched. The house spot would need to be leveled, the driveway needed gravel and this whole time we're wondering HOW we're going to have five people living in a camper??? Granted, it was a very NICE camper, and 32' long. It had a small fridge, stove, oven, sink, a bathroom that is okay for when you're camping and don't intend to take a shower, but if everyone has to get ready at the same time in the morning, there is NO WAY that bathroom was going to work. We needed a Plan B for housing and we needed a tractor or we'd spend ALL of our money on rental equipment.

The search was on...get a tractor that was reasonably priced, in good condition, and could do most of what we needed. And Plan B was being considered, because we knew, even with all the planning ahead, we'd never get the house done in a few months, we'd need at least a year, maybe more.

Jason found a great restoration tractor on eBay. A Farmall 400. Bigger than our old Farmall H, in better shape, but it was a ways to pick it up...somewhere in Kansas. Shannon made the trip with him. It really is a PRETTY tractor. :)

Here is our almost finished barn, after we'd moved the animals in. We did get the open side closed in before winter snows blew. Here's another great picture, after a snow. Our horses are Sassy (background) our American Saddle Bred and Honey (foreground) a Tennessee Walking Horse. Both are broke to ride, sort of. Honey won't go anywhere without Sassy, and Sassy earned her name, although these days she's too old and crippled to ride. She has arthritis. I don't know what Honey will do when Sassy finally passes on.