Let me recap the last 8 months around the Patten compound. The last post was about maple sugaring in March. Since then, we built a mud room, installed all new interior doors, a new front door, built (most of) a chicken coop, planted a garden, cut, dragged, split and stacked two years worth of firewood, painted the porch floor and foundation, painted the exterior trim and porch railings, started a rock wall, patched the ceiling holes and just this morning found what I learned is "needle ice" in the yard. Phew! When I write it all out like that, it seems like a lot!
As for non-house related things, Dulcie got sprayed by a skunk twice, I climbed Mt. Marcy with my dad and brother, we sent my parents off to the Caribbean on their sailboat and Kristin started working at Spectrum, where I work.
Here are some pictures we took over the last 8 months:
The chicken coop will be a little drafty until I build the walls. We expect to get our flock in the spring.
The new door lets in lots more light which is nice combined with the opened staircase.
This the needle ice which I originally thought was a sign of a spring in the ground. Apparently this only happens when the ground is above 32 degrees and the air is below. Then moisture in the ground is pushed upward.
When I was building the mud room, I had to insulate the ceiling and wire the inside and outside lights and switches. "How did you get up there?" you ask? Through a small hole. Feel free to print this and make a flip book:
On the docket for 2011: new wood floors, new kitchen, barn, firewood for 2012 (wood should dry for two years if possible), more landscaping and a new couch. Oh, and whatever else might come up.
