getting rid of the mess These past two weeks have just flown by, with every day bringing some progress. We are really enjoying having electricity again and finally feel like things are slowly getting back to normal. Victoria came over and helped us fill two huge dumpsters with all of our metal debris, and I spent a couple of days sweeping the areas with a big rolling magnet that I bought. It's amazing to see the amount of nails and small stuff that comes up. It's a very useful tool and hopefully will prevent many flat tires. The only major thing remaining now is the little Ford tractor. We are hoping that our neighbor's big tractor will be able to move it.
Keeping the spirits up! One of the things that keeps us going is support from family and friends. We got a surprise gift in the mail from sister-in-law Polly who sent us t-shirts and an inspiring note. I have been wearing mine almost every day- I'm afraid if I take it off I will collapse into a pile of quivering jelly. Well, not really, but it does help! Also, we are so grateful to the volunteer groups who have spent time assisting us with the more time consuming tasks- we had some Mennonites from the Othello area come by and spend a day rebuilding the fence in the upper pasture. 4 strong young men who were cheerful and happy to help out. They were all from ranching/farming backgrounds and came prepared with their own tools and know-how. It was such a pleasure to have them here. And then a group of Southern Baptists from California came by with a gas powered chop saw and cut up the remains of the bunk house trailer so that we could put it in the pick up and haul it off. They were so gracious and generous, it really warmed my heart.
Mennonite fence building crew
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Southern Baptist Disaster recovery crew
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New storage shed With the major part of the cleanup behind us, we have started purchasing some of the tools that we need to get work done, but we had nowhere to store them. I checked around and found that the local lumber yard was willing to part with one of their pre-fab storage sheds, and deliver it for free. It's pretty nice- fully insulated and even has a window. We got it in place, and brother-in-law Dave came over and helped install plywood on the inside so we have something to attach shelving to. It will be so nice to have an organized protected spot for tools. One of my favorites so far is a nice little Stihl 211 chainsaw. It's really easy to start and is perfect for me. It's my new best friend! Bill got a couple of larger saws to replace the other ones that he lost.
Mother of the year On the 14th, there were some thunderstorms that passed through, and we got a fair amount of rain. As we anticipated, it caused a small slide in the creek drainage above us and we got silted up pretty bad. The creek rose a few inches by the house, but our irrigation line plugged up completely. We thought we were going to have to dig it up, but we let water sit in it all night, and the next morning it was flowing again. Whew- dodged a bullet on that one.
In the middle of all this craziness, we had a happy little surprise. We had thought that a skunk got one of our hens a few weeks ago, as we had smelled the vile creature just before she disappeared. Well, it turns out that she was here the whole time- under the big lilac bush, sitting on a clutch of eggs. Last Thursday we were standing outside and here she comes with 14 baby chicks!! We couldn't believe our eyes. It was too late to do anything with her that night, so we just let her be, but the next day we got her in the coop with all her babies. They are happy and healthy as can be, and she has her hands full trying to keep track of all of them. She's doing a great job, though, leading them to the feeder, then the water, and when they are ready for bedtime they all crawl underneath her and snuggle in.
In the middle of all this craziness, we had a happy little surprise. We had thought that a skunk got one of our hens a few weeks ago, as we had smelled the vile creature just before she disappeared. Well, it turns out that she was here the whole time- under the big lilac bush, sitting on a clutch of eggs. Last Thursday we were standing outside and here she comes with 14 baby chicks!! We couldn't believe our eyes. It was too late to do anything with her that night, so we just let her be, but the next day we got her in the coop with all her babies. They are happy and healthy as can be, and she has her hands full trying to keep track of all of them. She's doing a great job, though, leading them to the feeder, then the water, and when they are ready for bedtime they all crawl underneath her and snuggle in.
Callie in her new home Other animal news around here is that we found a home for Luca. He was just not meant to be an outside dog, and never bonded with the sheep, so before the fire we had decided to try to find a new home for him. It turns out that one of the people who helped return him to us after the fire fell in love with him and wanted to take him. So that story has a happy ending. He is living in a larger house, with two people to take care of, which is perfect for him. Meanwhile, we had found a Maremma puppy that we had put a deposit on before the fire, and she finally arrived here at her new home yesterday. She was near Olympia, WA, so Dave generously agreed to pick her up and bring her over here. It turned out to be a 12 hr road trip, but they made it. She has only been here about 24 hours as I write this, but seems to be settling in already. We named her Calliope, after the muse of Epic Poetry , and will call her Callie for short.
That's it for this installment- stay tuned for more updates coming soon.
That's it for this installment- stay tuned for more updates coming soon.
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