Pink Squirrel Farmstead

Yesterday morning I took Hunter to meet his new doctor to establish care. The doctor was very nice and did great with Hunter. So I guess she is a keeper. Afterwards, we stopped by a local Amish store called The Dinner Bell and got some cookies for breakfast (they had oatmeal in them, so they are healthy right?).

We stopped and got some groceries and headed back to the farm. I finished up grinding the old paint off the tub and then washed it down with hydrochloric acid. After washing it down it has to be dried completely with a blow dryer or heat gun. I must admit I felt a little strange out there blow drying the bathtub. I dried it the best I could and then let the sunshine dry it some more.

We decided it was time to move the wood heater into the house. The wood heater weighs about 500 lbs and is not easy to move. We have a large wagon named George that has removable sides on it. We took the sides off and lifted it onto the wagon to push up the hill towards the house. Unfortunately, that was the easy part. When we got it to the house it was time to be a bit more creative since the wood stove barely fit in the door. We used a dolly to lift up on one side and picked up the other side with muscle power.

We fought and fought with it all the way across the mud room and then up a step into the kitchen area. Finally we got it set on the mat exactly centered in front of the chimney where the metal pipe is encased. Were now are one step closer to having it ready to heat the house. I just love wood heat!

We hopped in the car and headed to get some stove pipe. We found some stove pipe at a place called Peddlers Market for $10 but just needed the elbow so we headed next door to tractor supply but they only had it in black and the other pipe was silver and I being the brat I am, wanted them to match. We headed over to Lowe’s, there we found out that we could not use the silver (galvanized) pipe. Apparently it will put off toxic fumes into your home, so we went and got all the pipes in black that we needed and got it all hooked up.

Mom, Hunter, and I were unpacking some of the boxes we had brought up and I found cat toy mouse that squeaks like a mouse. I acted like I found a real mouse and tossed it my mom, she squealed and threw it across the room. Hunter and I died laughing, she called me some not so nice things but it was totally worth it! I just wish I had video taped it so I could enjoy that moment over and over again.

We did have a little surprise in the barn in the afternoon. Hunter went to get a tool out of the barn and came back and said “uh mom, there is a newborn kitten on the floor by itself in the barn”. Of course I went to investigate. We looked all around to see if the mama cat (a stray that decided to make a home in the barn) was somewhere close or what was going on. We looked all around but could not find her, finally I noticed a home in the floor of the hay loft directly above the kitten. Hunter climbed up the built in ladder to see if the mama car was up there, as soon as Hunter peeked his head up he heard her hiss at him. She was up there with her other babies and we put this sweet little one back with her. I climbed up to check on mama cat and try to see how many kittens were there. I could see she was panting a lot so I had Hunter to hand me up a couple of bowls for food and water. She did not want me close to her babies, so I kept tossing her some treats and gave her some food and water. She is a good mama and would not leave the babies to even get a drink of water, but she was eating the treats that I tossed to her. We placed some boards over the hole so the babies wouldn’t fall down anymore. My mom had found some store bought kitten milk before she knew we had found the mama cat. Shortly after, here came Payton and wanted to know what was going on. She didn’t know there was kittens yet like we thought, she was actually on the way to play with the rabbits. She crawled up in the hay loft to try to see the kittens to. I’m sure the mama cat was not excited about us being up there but we just love animals!

I went to work on the bathtub some more. It was now time to mix the paint and epoxy. I had to stir it for 10 minutes, let it set for 5 minutes, the stir again for 3 minutes, then start pouring on the tub. This was the scary part, and hard part. I had not idea what I was doing but it had to be done. I am by no means a professional and I’m sure if a professional looked at it they would point out all the flaws. Even though it is not perfect by any means, I did my best and that in itself is pure satisfaction. It has to dry over night and we plan to move it into the house in the morning.

After dinner my dad decided it would be fun to ride the wagon down the hill. I think he was trying to break a hip or something so he didn’t have to help move the tub tomorrow. I video taped it from above and Payton video taped it from below, for your enjoyment. You are never too old to have some fun.

Well this morning I was awaken by thunder and rain. My first thought was please let the tub be dry and not ruined by the rain, but every inch of my body was aching so I didn’t move. I finally got up and went down to eat breakfast, my mom had made biscuits and gravy. I was actually glad it was raining, man my body is achy from all the manual labor I did yesterday. I am definitely not used to that. Payton had went before breakfast to play with the rabbits and the had to get busy on school work.

We went back to town to get a tool my dad needed to put in another outlet in the kitchen, I got a light fixture for one of the stairways at Lowe’s and get some groceries from Walmart. We stopped at Goodwill and found some lamps and light fixtures for the house. I didn’t get pictures of them all but I will when they are installed.

Checked on the kittens and the mama cat moved them down out of the hay loft and into the big bay in the barn where we moved a bunch of manure and old yucky hay to, but at least they won’t fall down again. We worked upstairs moving stuff into the attic and organizing some boxes, I cooked Jambalaya and cornbread for dinner, and painted the area that we will be putting the tub in tomorrow. I did not want to paint around the tub after it is installed.

We built a fire in the wood stove to see if the smoke was exiting properly, which it was. I saw the sky outside and had to go take some pictures. I went and checked on the chickens while I was up on the hill and now it is time for bed.

I brought the last load of items out of our storage unit to the farm until we move here permanently, years down the road. The drive is 18.5 hours not including any stops, traffic, road closures, detours, gas and potty breaks. I wanted to drive straight through but that didn’t happen. We did get into Kentucky before we stopped for the night though. Cheyenne our oldest daughter was very excited about going through Tennessee, and going to Kentucky. She had never been to either state, she did great on the trip here.

I stopped around 1:20 am with 3.5 hours left to go. The kids and dog were snoring in the car and I was ready for some sleep. I woke Payton up to help me find a dog friendly hotel and luckily their was one about 3 miles up the road. We all went straight to sleep. Zep woke me up at 4:45 a.m. to go potty. I was not super happy about it but when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. And then went right back to sleep.

Meanwhile in Kentucky my parents we to a small animal auction and purchased 2 rabbits. A white rabbit that hunter named Carbanogg (a killer rabbit of of some movie or show he watched), and a black rabbit that I am not sure of the name yet. I’m not sure if he could have picked a longer name….

We got back on the road early this morning and headed onto the farm. When we finally got here around lunchtime (and totally forgot about eating lunch) dad walked around with me to show me whats been going on since we went back to Texas. The field looks so nice mowed down, and the chickens sure have grown!

We started working on unstrapping the trailer and getting it unloaded and I noticed around the water meter it was covered in water. Uh oh, another water leak. Dad went to investigate what was causing the leak. He quickly found it as the rest of us unloaded the trailer. It did not take too long to get it unloaded with 3 teenagers, me, and my mom.

When we were done with the trailer and unloading the navigator, I went to help my dad. Not sure if I was helpful or just in the way. Then when he was finished fixing it I pulled the dirt (mud) back into the hole.

What a fun adventurous day, time head to bed. I have to get up early and take Hunter to meet his new doctor here. Too bad he can’t keep using the same doctor we have in Texas. We just love her and her staff. Hopefully Hunter will love his new doctor here as well.

Most people go years living in a home without speaking to your neighbors. Since buying the farm we have had several neighbors step up and have been the best. We had one neighbor in Utah, and she was the best ever and we miss her dearly. Maybe I can talk her into moving near us in Kentucky. I bet her and my mom would be best of friends. I need to make her some zucchini bread she loves it. One-time years ago we flew into Las Vegas to pickup my step son Landon. She picked us up and we stayed at her house for the night, she dropped us back off at the airport the next day and flew back. I brought her a suitcase full of mini zucchini bread loaves.

Anyways, yesterday my dad was using the walk behind weed eater to re-cut paths to the back of the property where we have a deer cam set up and the neighbor saw him. He thought that my dad was trying to push mow the pasture and brought his tractor over and started mowing the pasture. Dad offered to pay him for his fuel but he said to my dad “no, that’s what neighbors do.” I am so thankful that the neighbors we have there are so helpful. You never know what you are going to get when it comes to neighbors and we hit the jackpot. Since being there, we have had several times that neighbors have come to help or just made us feel welcome in Hillsboro.

In other news, Hunter put in his first job application today. That is a big step for him. He is pretty socially awkward but he is a hard worker. It has been quite the change for me with him not being here at home with me in Texas but I am proud of the young man he is becoming. He is trying to get a job to start saving up for college. One of the reasons he moved to Kentucky to the farm is so that he could become a Kentucky resident and not have to pay out of state tuition. He started college classes while he was in high school and has really done well. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he tries to navigate into the world of working.

It has been a busy few days both here in Texas and on the farm in Kentucky. The days are starting to get shorted and my mom is tired of cooking by lantern light. So I got on amazon with Chad and we searched page after page looking for the perfect light fixture for above the kitchen table. Thankful for Amazon prime and the light came in on Thursday afternoon. Now, I am very particular on where I want things to go in the house….and my dad and Hunter played a mean trick on me this weekend. They hung the light from a hook in the middle of the ceiling in my kitchen area and moved the kitchen table under it and sent me a picture. It looked like it was mounted from the ceiling but it wasn’t. As soon as the picture came in on my phone, I was calling them from a deep sleep. Remember there is a time change between here and there and they are morning people (EWE). They got a good laugh at my expense and I was not amused with their shenanigans.

I have been working on the antique dresser vanity for several days now. I bought some wood filler for some boards that were separated but I ended up not liking how it looked with stain over it. Then I went and purchased some wood glue and went for a scavenger hunt in our storage unit for some large clamps. I glued and clamped each section and let it dry overnight. Then I did the second area the next day. This gave me time to get better from the sanding and my allergies.

I started working on the second antique table we purchased. It is a drop leaf table that was also needing some love. I had never stripped paint before but I decided it would be worth a shot. I am glad I did. It was such a neat process and it was much better than sanding 8 layers of paint off of a table. I still did a lot of sanding and luckily Chad was home the next day to do more sanding. I love working on projects with him.

Chad has been learning to play the guitar. He has been trying to learn more and more each day. He ordered some accessories from Amazon for it and the strap was supposed to come in Friday. He got the package from amazon and all it was, was the tag for the guitar strap. Seriously, how frustrating is that? Amazon can be amazing but sometimes ordering things online can be a letdown. Now we get to mail back a tag in an amazon package so they can either refund the cost or send a new one.

Living in an RV is not always bad but these last few days I have defiantly wished we were back in a house again. Cooking dinner has been making the house very hot and the ACs cannot seem to keep up, there are no trees here but I like eating real homecooked food. Then while working on the tables it started raining. We had to bring the vanity and the table inside so they didn’t get wet. If you have been in an RV, you know that there is absolutely no room for these items in the RV and be able to still move around. We have been trying to finish them up in between rain showers.

My dad worked on weed eating the garden area on the farm so he could put some of his “teenage” chickens in the chicken tractor. They caught the chickens and put them in there and then had much less luck putting them back in the big coop that evening. The chickens will eventually do better and go back to the big coop on their own but I am sure they were very excited to eat all the bugs and the different plants. Tex (the cat) has decided he forgives my dad for the tortuous ride to the farm and is now letting him pet him again.

Payton had her first physical therapy appointment and it went great. The physical therapist has figured out that when she is walking, she is turning her foot inwards most likely to relieve pain or pressure on her hip from her back pain (she has scoliosis) which is causing the pain in her foot. She learned some exercises and has been working on them daily since. I thought it was amazing that the physical therapist prayed with us after her appointment for healing. Such an awesome experience! She will be going twice a week for now. School has been going great for her this year. She is way ahead and is making good grades. Hopefully it will be a good school year for her. I cannot believe she is a sophomore!!!

When I was at the farm there was a cattle gate by the barn and it was being held up by some string and a belt. I took it down so I could do some mowing and so it could be put back up properly. My dad got the gate put back up and it in working condition again. Eventually it will need to be replaced but it works for now. They have also been getting a lot of rain on the farm. And it looks like the tin behind the barn did not block much so I will be working on that when I get there. I have got to get that fixed before any tools are ruined.

We had to make a trip to Lubbock because the hardware store here does not sell color tinted stain which we planned to use on the drop leaf table. Lowes had a beautiful display for the 13 fallen service men and women. Prayers for their family I know this is a very difficult time for them. While at Lowes we got some table legs for that vanity it was way too low to the ground and I am short so that says a lot. In addition we got the blue stain for the table and took Cheyenne to lunch. We also went to Sam’s Club for more toilet paper since apparently there is a shortage again. We have finished the vanity for the most part, we are still waiting on the new handles and faucet to come in. What do you think?

My dad and Hunter finished hanging the light above the table and I love it! My mom was glad to have light to cook by other than a lantern. It is the first light fixture in the house. I ordered some Edison light bulbs for it that should be there early next week. Things are coming together and I am so excited! We will continue to work on the drop leaf table tomorrow and hopefully get it finished, weather permitting. There are some boards that need replaced that hold the table legs on. They were split in half but still worked. Chad started to make new ones when the rain decided to honor us with its presence. What is Labor Day weekend without rain?

Kentucky has been getting quite a bit of rain lately from Hurricane Ida but that has not stopped any progression on the farm. Due to all the rain it made the hill up to the chicken coop very slick and my mom slid down it and fell. Luckily, she didn’t break a hip or anything just a bit sore, and probably a bruised ego. My dad decided it was time to put in some rock steps up the hill to make it easier to go up especially when the ground is slick.

My dad and Hunter put in some more electric. They put in one at the coffee bar nook, and one in the living room to put in the big window unit that has heat and AC to use the heat for the winter time if needed. Eventually we will be putting in mini splits throughout the house but we will need to save up for them. We want to stay out of debt as we work on the house so we will be doing little by little. It will slowly but surely get done.

I have been tormenting Hunter and my dad with getting measurements for the upstairs so I can work on the layout of the bathroom. Chad stopped to get fuel on his way home from work the other day and saw an antique dresser that was made into a vanity, we contacted them and went to pick it up along with a few other items. It was in need of lots of love and I have been working on it. I sanded it yesterday without a mask on and I was regretting that last night and today. My allergies are very unhappy, but I will still try to work on it.

I also tried to deep clean the handles on it but I did not like the look when they were cleaned up. I found a YouTube video about how to clean them. You take a 1:1 ratio of water and white vinegar, pour into a pot with the handles and bring to boil. You boil for 20-30 minute, take out and scrub the remaining gunk off. They cleaned up pretty good, but I just wasn’t a fan. We ended up on Amazon looking for new handles and found some cute ones. I can’t wait for them to come in. The drawers are just fronts since there is plumbing behind them. The bottom drawer we plan to put hinges on so if plumbing access is needed, we will have a way to access it.

Our Amish neighbors came back yesterday afternoon and baled the hay. I know most people are probably not as intrigued about hay cutting as I am but I have never seen it done at all. Let alone the way the Amish do it. At first it was just the young man’s father out there with his machine baling the hay. I had Hunter bring him some water and he asked him what his name was. His name is Meadow, his son’s (the one that was cutting the hay) name is Adley, and the 3 horses pulling the baling machine’s names are Polly, Dolly, and Linda. Shortly after another group of the Amish boys came up pulling a trailer and started loading the hay on to it. I asked Hunter if he was going to go help them load it up but he wanted no part in it. After all he had an important role of filming and taking pictures for me. They got over 150 square bales of hay out of the field. We had asked for them to just leave us 3 bales but they left us 7 bales.

The way Amish do things just amazes me. They work so hard and take pride in the way they do things. I love that even when they are working on the hay field you can still hear the sounds of nature. You don’t hear the loud noises that gas/diesel powered farm equipment makes. I was surprised that the baler had a gas-powered engine and it was still pulled by the beautiful horses and it was still really cool to watch. It kind of looks like the machine is pooping out the bales of hay.

There is a small road that goes up a steep hill to the hay field and the chicken coop. They brought the hay down that steep hill. They made it look easy but it still looked scary to me. I hope the hay helps them make it through the winter and I am glad they were able to get it in between rain storms. Since I didn’t know the hay process timeline, I was worried that rains from the hurricane in the gulf could affect it. I need to do some research on how to get the weeds out of the hayfield so it will be a better-quality hay. I have so much to learn about owning a farm but I love learning new things and I look forward to it!

Update on my dad: His arm is still sore but each day it is getting a little better. If he hangs his arm down by his side it throbs. He doesn’t know how to just relax and let it heal so he is out working on things all the time. I don’t blame him I would be too. He doesn’t like to just sit around. He may be a bit hard headed too.

A little of this, A little of that

The Amish guy that cut our hay field came back. He used a different tool to move the hay around. I am not sure if it is just to help it dry more or what exactly it is for. But, once again I made Hunter take some photos and videos of him working. I find it so entertaining. I cannot wait to see what he does next with it. Hopefully the rain doesn’t ruin this hay again.

Hunter and my dad have been working on building a chicken tractor. If you don’t know what a chicken tractor is I will try to explain. It is a large cage that can be moved around so the chickens can safely eat fresh vegetation to forge in but not turn the ground into nothing but barren desert land. Chickens like to relish on bugs in the pasture and it also keeps the pest population down on our property. In addition, it keeps the chickens safe from predators like hawks, and owls taking them. The chicken tractor will have some repurposed wheels found in the barn so it is easily movable, and it will have a roof for shade but no floor. I know the chickens will love getting some outside time in it. The plan is to put them in the garden area first to not only fertilize the area with their nitrogen and phosphorus rich manure. The chicken tractor name comes from the chickens scratching of the ground that will loosen the top of the soil and it is a way to get rid of weeds or patches of grass to prepare for planting when it is left in that area for longer lengths of time.

Internet was also put in yesterday at the house. This is very exciting for my parents since their phones did not work in the house. They were having to go up to the hay field which is at the back side of the property to have phone service. Now they can use the internet calling feature on their phones in the house. Hunter will be glad that his phone is now not the only phone usable in the house.

We have a hay field on the back side of our property. The property has been cross-fenced because they used to have cattle on the property as well. We knew we had a hay field but we don’t have a tractor to cut the hay, only thing we have right now is a push mower and well that’s just not helpful for a hay field.

I know absolutely nothing about hay other than buying it and giving it to our animals for bedding and to eat. I don’t know how tall it should be before cutting it, I don’t know how long it needs to lay on the ground before it is baled, and I don’t know how it is baled. But I do know we have a hay field.

Up the road from our house less than a half mile is an Amish store that sells baking supplies, pasta, cereal, cheese and meats. The owner of the store is the parents of the couple that was renting the house when we purchased it. When I was there the father came by and stopped to talk to my dad and I on separate occasions. He was super nice; at the time I did not know the connection. He was on his way to our neighbors to fertilize their hay field. My dad had told him if he knew anyone that would want to cut the field for their own use to let us know because we would not be cutting the hay this year.

The young man had lost all his hay from all the rain they had received the prior 2 weeks and asked if he could come cut the hay. My dad just asked that he leave us two or 3 bales of hay for target practice and that he could cut it for his own use this year. He came yesterday evening when he got off work to cut the hay. It was quite the experience to see. I had Hunter take photos and videos for me.

The horses were so beautiful and it amazed me how well trained they were and how they followed his commands. A couple hours after he had been up there cutting hay, I asked Hunter to go take some more pictures. And then I sent Hunter to grab him a bottle of cold water. I am sure he was hot and thirsty. The young man was very thankful for the water and quickly got back to work. I am sure he was ready to be done for the day and I don’t blame him.

I am not sure what time he finished up and I am not sure when he will be back to bale it. But I am glad it is cut and we can see the fence line around it to check for any that needs to be fixed and just to look at the topography of that part of that land. I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos like we did.

Since we got the farm, we have met several of the locals. In town of Hillsboro there is only a convenient store, an elementary school, an auto/tire shop, a small bank, and a funeral home. We made several trips to the convenient store for ice, and drinks. While Chad and I were driving around one day we stopped at a yard sale. I love a good bargain, and I love to go to yard sale. Why buy new when you can buy gently used for a fraction of the price? The ladies running the garage sale saw that our license plate said Texas and asked how we found their yard sale. We explained that we had just bought a small farm and explained to them where it was. They said, “ohhhh, we saw your Polaris out front and said Well I guess they aren’t Amish that live there now.” This kind of cracked us up. They were super nice and welcomed us to the area. She had seen us a few times at the convenient store but didn’t know we had purchased that farm.

One evening we were cutting down a dead tree in our front yard. Well mostly just pushed it down. We did not want it falling and damaging anything in a storm or anything. We had a chainsaw but had not used it since we cleared the property we have in Livingston, Tx. It was not wanting to start. About that time a man that lived down the road about a mile drive up on his Polaris and welcomed us to the neighborhood. He warned us about a thief that lived a couple miles away, and saw that we were cutting up the tree. He said, “hold on I’ll be right back let me go grab my chainsaw and I’ll help you get it cut up.” We told him it was no problem we would get it but insisted and headed off. We didn’t think that he would actually show back up with his chainsaw but he came right back to help out. We finally got our chainsaw going and they had it all cut up in no time. He stuck around and chit chatted with us for a bit, told us where he lived and said if we ever needed anything just knock on the door and he would help in any way he could.  

Another man stopped by that also recently bought an Amish farm down the road that was trying to find someone to install his electrical inside his home and was trying to get my dad to do it since he was doing mine. My dad said he wasn’t interested because I have a ton for him already to do. Apparently, there are not many people willing to put electrical inside of the Amish homes.

We have met so many wonderful people since purchasing the farm. It is so refreshing meeting people that are happy and nice. Too bad we cannot move to Kentucky now. But I must say that people are on their own timeline there. I cannot wait to be on a no rush timeline though, can’t say that I blame them one bit.

My dad also did some more grinding on the bathtub today. He is going to have to get another grinding wheel because this one is starting to throw pieces of wire at him which is not safe to use anymore. I am so in love with this bathtub! It weighs over 400 lbs. and I am not excited about moving it up the hill and through the house into where the bathroom will be. But I will love it when it is installed and I can soak all those muscles used to move it.

The beginnings of modern conveniences

My dad has started putting in some of the plumbing into the house in the kitchen area. He has also been working on grinding the bathtub so it can be resurfaced. It has been quite the chore in its self. I know it will be beautiful when it is completed. They have also been slowly adding in electrical plugs around the house. But I am sure my mom is most happy with having a fridge again.

Hunter and my dad have been working around the farm cleaning up. There was a spot in the yard that the previous people burned their trash. Hunter sifted through it and got out all the trash he could. We now have a trash service with a small dumpster on our property that will help to get rid of the trash that was just left. They also burned the brush pile from when we cleared out the area behind the house to put in the creek and the area I got poison ivy from. My dad has found where I got it and sprayed it with weed killer.

They have been working hard around the farm and they have been exploring the land. The weeds and grass grow quickly especially with all the rain they have been getting. Maybe we need to revisit the idea of goats to help keep down the quick growing weeds.  I may just want some adorable goats to play with while I am there too but they would be helpful as well.

Meanwhile here in Lamesa I have been working on our RV. When I got back from Kentucky, we found a leak in the underbelly. After checking out each of the pipes with no luck I finally found the issue. The pump had a crack in it and was leaking more than it looked like. We had taken everything we had stored under there and moved it out into the yard while we repaired it and got it dry again. Luckily Chad was on his way home from an out-of-town meeting and was able to go through Lubbock to stop at the RV store and buy a new pump. I had never changed out a pump before but I just disconnected one wire at a time until they were all hooked up. The flooring in the underbelly was carpet and it was soaked. We were afraid it would start molding under the carpeting so we ripped it all out.

Of course, of all days it started raining and we all rushed to bring in everything that would get ruined in the rain. Chad sprayed everything down with bleach a few times over the course of a week just to keep any mold from growing. Last night everything seemed dry enough to work on the flooring so Chad and I got busy. We had some left-over peel and stick tiles in storage from a previous project and we got some liquid nail to put down first to keep them from peeling with the Texas heat. Of course we were short one tile to be finished but I will have to search for one to match since I bought them over a year ago. Cheyenne and I put all the stuff back in the underbelly today and organized it as we went.

Talked to my parents and Hunter early this morning, they are officially Kentucky residents. They went to the DMV today and switched over their license and Hunter an identification card. Hunter has no interest in driving but needed to get an ID card to show he is a resident so he can start college there next year at Morehead State University.