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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Good old fashioned Mennonite barn raising, sort of.

Technically, both guys working on this barn are Mennonite. One was raised that way, one wasn't. Except this really isn't a barn so much as it's a shed, but a very magnificent, barn shaped shed... and usually a proper barn raising takes only one day, whereas we've been fiddling with this one since last fall. I just like the idea of calling it a barn raising. It makes me feel closer to my roots.As you can see, the new shed is much bigger than the old shed. Jethro will be able to stand up straight in this one! Even I had to duck my head to get into the little tin shed, and I'm kind of short. Scrap tin anybody?

And let me just remind myself once more that of all the subdivision lots in this town, I got the good one. Look at those trees!

Whoo hoo, vertigo. (MOM! DON'T LOOK!)

I'm lucky. My Dad and my husband work well together, and they love to build stuff. My dad was pretty impressed with Jethro's design skills. That's what growing up with a skilled cabinet maker for a dad will do for you. Jethro is also a ridiculous perfectionist. It drives me nuts sometimes - I've got the ADD impatience - but when it comes to sturdy construction, I appreciate the perfectionism.


So there we go... just a few more sheets of plywood and a couple of windows and we're movin' in. The kids are already discussing which of them gets to live in it. We have planned to build a loft or a second floor to make use of all that space, but at this point I just want to put the lawn mower and all the bikes under a roof that doesn't leak.

However, at 10x10 feet, it's just the right size to be a one stall horse barn. Or a nice home for a little goat. A llama would fit in there real good! Oh- I know! A camel! Oh my gosh, wouldn't my neighbours like that! Actually I have told a few of my neighbours about my need for a yard-goat and they're all for it. I'd loan her out to eat down their weeds. I have exceptionally great neighbours. I've had twelve years to get them used to my farmerish ways, so I can get away with saying things like, "When my little barn is done, I'm gonna get a town-goat!"

Nobody calls it a shed around here. We all refer to it as a barn. It makes me feel better about life.

6 comments:

Biddie said...

Oooh! You can finally have a llama!

Unknown said...

You gotta stain it with ferrous oxide now so it's traditional barn colour.
I think a little herd of yard goats is amazing. My friend had this one pigmy goat that would sit on her lap and cuddle just like a dog. Then again it was the same goat that before he was fixed would try and hump the s**t out of your arm if you wiggled your fingers.

Olly said...

Hahaha...I just knew you were gonna mention putting a horse in there. A goat would be great though.

Unknown said...

I'm guessing, lovable as you are, you can get away with almost anything hon. Actually, sounds like a potential business idea-- hiring out your goat/s to greenies for lawn trimming.

Heidi Willis said...

What a great concept! I love the whole barnraising thing.

Since there were only two of them, though, it makes sense it would have to be a little barn! :)

I vote for the llama. Not that a goat isn't handy at times, but the llama has great fur you can sell for extra money until your book makes it big!

Bunny said...

In addition to renting out the goats for lawn services, you could also sell the (organic?)fertilizer!!