Modifying Barn Fencing; House Painting; Visiting Friends: A New Food Dryer

09/19/2008 Friday: Sunny all day but not very hot.

I finally decided that I didn't like the length of the stock panel that attaches to the (stock panel) gate (and separates the goats from the feed and hay storage area) so I did something about it. I took one 8 inch section off the end attached to the gate using the heavy duty bolt cutter that Mike gave to me. I re-installed the curly wire. Now the length is just perfect. The main reason I wanted to fix the length was because snapping the three clips onto the stock panel to close it was getting difficult.

Yesterday I nipped off one small corner on the long edge and one on the gate. Now both the ends fit over the concrete footings which makes it easier to snap into the clips.

I spent the morning painting the cracks in the siding on the back deck. I didn't quite finish painting the siding over the doors and windows but did paint all the cracks. I painted the bottom and top of the siding so that Deana wouldn't have to worry about getting paint there. Deana tells me rolling is hard work so I'll let her paint the deck ceiling. I may cut in a border to make her life easier.

We got some nice white paint from Mary and Mike. They have lots of paint that they got from the hazard hut at the dump. Yup. At the dump you can get white and other colors of paint for use on your own home. In the spring, especially, Mike H tells me, folks unload their unused paint which makes it available to others for their projects. It will certainly help us make the deck look better. First we'll lay in a white under/base coat and then one or more coats of regular paint (both white).

I got in from painting about 1pm and ate a salad for lunch. Chas collected lettuce from the garden for his lunch. I'm kicking myself that I didn't plant a second crop. I expect that it's now too late but I could try planting in a pot and seeing what happens.

Then I napped in the afternoon until it was time to do evening chores.

Deana wasn't feeling well so she stayed home. I think she's exhausted plus she got too much sun the other day when it was so hot. She asked if she could come tomorrow but I told her no. Given that it's going to be overcast and possibly showery next week that might have been the wrong thing to say. Oh well, we just have one major wall to paint (the most difficult) on the south side. In addition the deck needs finishing (trim, ceiling, railings) and two upper sections on the south ell and on the east wall.

I think I will paint the deck floor next year after tearing up the carpet. The carpet is so awful looking I can't stand it. The back deck is exterior grade plywood and will certainly look a lot better after it's painted. I was reminded that many folks back east paint their porches and they look quite wonderful. I was thinking a cream color like the ceiling would make that area a lot lighter and bounce light around more.

I'm planning on hanging a seat from the roof if I can figure out where the joists are. Or perhaps I'll look for a swinging seat on its own supports rather than hanging the seat from the ceiling.

Tammy (Deana's sister) came by and picked apples from our growning trees. She plans on drying them in their dryer for winter storage.

I did run over to Mike and Mary's place to see what they'd done with the tractor. Mike rototilled where the garden will be and he smoothed the rest of the surrounding area.

Tomorrow Chas and I will put out another bale of hay. I did move the Herefords to N5 but there's probably only enough grass for a couple of days grazing.

After dinner I ordered a refurbished Excalaber 2900/3900 Dehydrator today from eBay for $149.00. I've wanted one for a long time. I'm looking forward to drying fruits like apples and plums. I'm glad I didn't give Deana all my storage jars.