TheHomeStretch

Eastward Ho!

2009-10-09T07:49:00.017-04:00

Heading out today for NB

Slow start as a combination of rain and traffic accidents
made the trip through Toronto excruciatingly slow.
Took 5 hours to cover a 2 hour distance.

A couple of short stops for some shut-eye
and we reached Fredericton early Saturday afternoon.
Found Raelee's destintation and dropped her off
as she bravely began her new life.

I was anxious to go on but decided I'd best stop at the local Walmart
and get myself a good pair of rubber boots for walking my presumely wet land
The race was now on to get to the property while there was still light.
I found the 490 leading out of Moncton and hurried on as the sun began to set.
As I crested the final hill before the Douglas Rd cut-off...
there in the middle of the road was a black bear!

That certainly answered my question as to whether there were bears in the area!!

The bear ran off the road into the large ditch by the last farm house before the cut-off.
I continued, turning on to Douglas road.
At first it went well but about 2/3 of the way along
I came to a large area of water covering the road.
I got out to put my new boots on and test the depth of the water,
(also grabbed my knife and bear bangers, lol)
It didnt seem overly deep but I decided it was too late in the day to chance it.
Getting stuck in the morning is preferable to being so at sunset,
so we turned around and headed for Brad's.

Before going on though I decided to stop at the farm house where the bear had been to let them know they had a bear in their yard.
What ensued was an enjoyable hour talking with farmer James and his son Jamie.
I'm been pleased many times now by the

Updates...

2009-10-06T21:24:00.002-04:00

Tuesday

2009-09-22T19:19:00.004-04:00

Shared with Rodney my thoughts of going alone
to NB over the Thanksgiving weekend.
He pointed out that if the horse transport job to NB
that Annie has been working on pans out
then he may be going sooner rather than later.
There are a couple of additional trailers available
one of which I could use to haul the cabin to NB.

Sam and Annabelle's Excellent Adventure

2009-09-20T18:41:00.019-04:00

Annabelle acquaints Sam with the exquisite pleasures of Mud Bathing...

Annabelle enjoys rolling the barrel around...

But she began to enjoy it a wee bit too much
and...well, one thing led to another...

All the play tuckered Annabelle out...

So we took her back to her home to get a good rest...

Where we're at on the cabin...

Change of Plans

2009-09-16T23:55:00.002-04:00

Trip to NB will be delayed.
Rodney has some good paying jobs that need to be done asap.
Make hay while the sun shines and all that.
Haven't set a new departure date yet.

Haflingers Spotted

2009-09-14T16:43:00.015-04:00

Discovered these Haflingers just outside Brantford.
Took one pic and camera batteries died. :(
Gave a little "click-click" call
and they all came trotting over to see me.

Such beautiful creatures...

The Cabin Formerly Known as Shed

2009-09-13T20:06:00.020-04:00

Started the day by discovering a woodstove for sale on Kijiji.
Guy from Guelph wanted $50 obo for it.
I drove over and gave him $50, didn't bother dickering.

Sketching out a dormer...

Cutting pieces for the roof...

Starting the truss...

Alas! the fading light forced us to suspend work...

Amidst the toil there was time to pause
and enjoy the beauty of God's Green Earth...

...and to visit with friends...

Sept12-Shed/Cabin

2009-09-13T00:37:00.021-04:00

Elmira lumberyard...

Lumber..old and new...

While we built, Sawyer and Emmanuel were busy taking garden waste to the compost pile...

Starting the floor...

Decided we needed some cement blocks to level and support floor so we headed through the fields to the salvage company's area.

On the way we ran into the Weber's clearing old abandoned metal equipment from the back fields.

Scrounging cement blocks...

Sam goes for a dip...

Mount Scrapwood...

Framing the floor...

We lay the plywood floor and raise the back wall...

Add an end wall...

Up goes the front wall...

We decided to stop at this point and continue tomorrow.

Kathy sent up some jumbo hot dogs for us.
I found the relish made from green tomato interesting.

Everyone was astounded and impressed to see Annabelle sit
and lift a hoof for a piece of hot dog.

I wondered if there was pork in the hot dogs
and if I would have to start calling her Cannabelle!

Sept10-Building Plans

2009-09-12T00:10:00.018-04:00

Got together with Rodney to discuss the trip to NB
and what we want to do before going.
We would like to leave Sept.18
so the push is on to prefab our structures.
We agreed to meet Saturday to start on the shed/cabin.

The stables has a new boarder, Emma...

....and a new dog, Emma's Matty...

Sooni was tired out after her and Matty's long walk through the bush...

Nugget...

Sammy...

Sawyer...

Always fun to visit with Annabelle.
I found her relaxing at home...

When she hears me, she gets up to come greet me...

Give me a smile Annabelle...

Come on Annabelle give me a big smile!...

Labour Day Visit with Annabelle

2009-09-11T22:54:00.007-04:00

Went to Floradale twice during week.
Once on Labour Day to see Annabelle.
I let her out of her enclosure to interact with Sam and me....

Life's Lessons-1

2009-09-03T22:09:00.003-04:00

Leaving your van on the street over night
can result in a $21 parking ticket.

Shed-3

2009-09-02T21:19:00.003-04:00

Worked up a sweat today as we tackled The Shed...

The roof was rotting and had to go...

The rest came apart in sections to be taken to Floradale

Going...

Gone...

Shed-2

2009-09-01T19:14:00.010-04:00

Met Rodney and we went to see the shed.
R. pointed out the value of the outdoor siding, it would be expensive new.
We agreed to meet tomorrow morning to dismantle it.

Sam and I visited the farm for an hour before getting back to work.
Played with Annabelle for a bit. Had her following me around.
At one point she grabbed hold of my pant leg and was tugging on me.

Annie is doing a great job on the stable website...
http://florapinestables.webs.com/

Went to New Hamburg and Kathy let me know they had sold the car
so that eliminates the problem of transporting it down East.

Had to return...
"Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre"
...to the library today. I had renewed it once already.
I haven't finished it yet so I'll grab it again once it's back on the shelf.
It is such a good book that I want to purchase one for reference.

Shed

2009-08-31T23:46:00.006-04:00

Took a look at Corey's community centre's shed that needs removing.
It looks good, about 12'x8' with a door, a couple of spots for windows and shingled roof.
Thinking of disaasembling it carefully and reassembling it in New Brunswick.

Meeting Rodney tomorrow morning to take a look at it together

Sunday Trail Ride

2009-08-30T21:44:00.017-04:00

Sawyer prepares Summer...

While we waited Sooni made a new friend...

...

Sam asks, "Who left these treats on the floor?"

All Dressed and Ready To Go...

Cowgirl Donna...

On Our Way...

Sam did well.
He kept up and for the most part stayed away from the horses...

Tuckered Out

2009-08-29T00:07:00.000-04:00

Long day of work, time to say our prayers and hit the sack...

An Evening in Floradale

2009-08-27T21:47:00.003-04:00

Spoke with Corey from A&B. Asked her to check if her brothers had any old farm equipment they might be willing to part with at low cost. She said she would and mentioned the possibility of a square baler. Also her church has a shed they want removed and it looks as though we could have the salvage if we take it away.

Went to Floradale in the evening.
Rodney had a 16sqft area pegged and taped off where we will prefab the bunkhouse.
Went over a couple of designs. I suggested we try to salvage some metal sheeting to cover the roof with. Thought that might make it easier for snow to slide off.

Took a walk through the woods with Annie and the dogs. I think Sam and Soonie have finally come to accept one another. It was a joy to see them exploring together.

The best moment of the evening tho' was to see Sawyer accomplishing his first, from ground level, unassisted mount of Summer.

Transporting the Transportation

2009-08-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

Brad called from NB wondering if I could drive a car of his from
New Hamburg, here in South-Western Ontario, to New Brunswick.
He and his wife Kathy are making the final move to NB on September 11.

I told him it shouldn't be a problem
and called Rodney to firm up our departure date.

I found that Rodney and I were on a different page
regarding the construction of the bunkhouse.
He was under the impression that we were going to do it in logs,
while I want a quick and basic constuction with 2x4s, particle board and such.
He was somewhat relieved to find that was all I expected since it makes the job much simpler.

I would like to leave for NB either the 2nd or 3rd weekend of September.
We're getting together over the weekend to list the materials needed for the bunkhouse.
I'll try to have them purchased and in Floradale for the next weekend.

Ode to a One-Eyed Horse

2009-08-25T20:39:00.000-04:00

Met with Annie and Cathy (the mennonite lady from Floradale), at the stockyards today.
Cathy said I remind her of her father, which was nice to hear.
Resisted the temptation to buy a 14 year old one-eyed horse that was likely destined for the meat factory.

Annie wants to give a couple of the thoroughbreds to the Floradale folks and have us get into Haflinger horses.
The more I learn of these horses the more I like them...

About Haflinger Horses

Click pic

I'm told Rodney wants to prefab the bunkhouse/cabin here, number the sections and reassemble it in NewBrunswick.
That jibes well with my thoughts on having a structure that is portable.

Getting my feet wet

2009-08-20T00:11:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a story is better started towards its end then never begun at all.