Mid summer 2019, T  needed a bigger space for processing the microgreens.  She eventually decided on a standalone shed that would be placed near the garage.  We got some help getting the pad ready and running water from one of the spigots over to the site, along with some electrical conduit.  Most of those things didn't end up going well (the pad wasn't level and the water line broke about six months later).  We did most of the remaining work ourselves over the rest of that year and early 2020.  It was probably the most epic project yet.

The inside got a couple layers of insulation and T painted the exterior while I added electrical and paneling to the walls and ceiling.

The floor needed to be fairly water tight.  So for a number of reasons, one of the few options available was to use epoxy to seal the floor.  T got to work on that.  There was also the need for five (!) sinks to handle the commercial requirements.  So I set about making a gigantic counter out of MDF which would also be covered with epoxy.  This also involved the plumbing for three faucets and drainage for all five sinks.  Plus a hot water heater.  And of course something to hold the whole contraption up.  We found a pro to cut templates for the undermount sinks but, other than that, it was all us.  This whole process took way longer than we expected.

She held an open house for her customers in early March.  Not many came.  People out here are pretty flaky.

Then a week or so later, the world blew up....

.....to be continued.

Not a lot to report from 2019.  Ilah the cat continued to grow and thrive.  Studio work continued at a snail's pace.  We had a couple visits from T's family.  I visited brother A at the NAMM show in January.

One of our chickens, Mr T (aka Misty, aka the Ninja Chicken who loved to jump up on top of the coop at night) got sick around late 2017 and eventually died.  As we were down to two, we decided to add another two and try for four.  We've never been able to keep four for some reason, it always seemed to settle at three.

In any case, we picked a pair of new pullets from Craigslist, around spring of 2018.  During the quarantine period, where we had the new ones staying in a temporary (and less secure) pen, a raccoon wandered in one night and got a hold of one of them.  She had to be put down in what was a very rough night.  The other chicken survived but was pretty traumatized.  She was already quite jumpy and nervous to begin with.  So we went right back and got another one.  Finally we were able to put the flock together and had our four.  They stayed together for over a year, producing many eggs -- almost too many for us.

The jumpy one was an Easter Egger, known for laying colored eggs.  They also have "beards".  The one who died and was replaced were Black Sexlinks.

The Black Sexlink thrived for well over a year and suddenly got sick and died during the summer.  So we are currently back down to three -- Rocky, Apollo and Easter Egger.  They get along OK but EE is definitely at the bottom of the pecking order and gets mildly picked on once in a while, sad to say.

Here's one little project that we're happy to see completed.  A pot hanger for the kitchen, freeing up more space.  It was an exercise in patience and geometry.

Due to the ever present need for storage and dry work areas (continued fallout from not having a basement), we planned to set up lean to sheds on each wall of the garage.  This first one was for T's brand new business of growing & harvesting microgreens.  She'd also done a lot of work in the garden area and purchased a premade greenhouse.  We had a little forethought when the concrete was poured & had them include some post anchors on one side of the building.  This project kind of took off from there.

All along, my intention for the detached garage/shop was to to build a studio in there.  So, over time, that project has progressed very very slowly.  That's included a whole host of non-musical things like building a storage room, removing doors and windows, adding a door where there wasn't one, tearing down the garage door and making it smaller, etc.  It's been a major effort going on in the background this whole time.

We decided to make better use of the area around the garage for storage etc. by getting some concrete laid around the perimeter.  While we were at it, we decided to add a pad where we park the cars (as we will likely never park cars in the garage).  So that was the next big project & another one we did not do ourselves.

This was also a good time to replace the dilapidated fence in the same area.  It keeps the chickens in their area and the deer from a path into the garden area.  I decided to take that on as the poles would be placed in the concrete.  So timing was a factor.

Here are some pics of that process.  It made a huge difference on the overall appearance of what is the center our little homestead.

Later that year we had the house and garage painted.  Long story short it was also painful but not as bad as the siding.  Definitely nice to have this one checked off the list.

As many know, we brought our original 3 chickens with us on our late December drive out here.  It was kind of a crazy flex but we didn't want to part with them.  They sat in the back of the SUV in a dog carrier, not saying much.  We occasionally would let them out for a bit when we stopped for a break.  Fortunately they were relatively easy to corral back into the box (not all chickens are like this!).  They always go to sleep at night so, when we checked into hotels late, we would just cover them with a blanket and carry them in the back door...  Of course they would start waking up at dawn so that required a bit of maneuvering, but it worked out, as far as we know.

The original 3 were named Red, Olive and Tootsie.  When we got to the rental house, they had to live in the garage for a few days, although we had a fenced backyard where they roamed during the day -- and the landlord was cool with that (the fence and cool landlord were conditions for us finding the house).  When our stuff finally showed up and we got the coop moved to the backyard they were very excited and immediately laid eggs.

Finally that first November, Red got sick and passed away -- on Thanksgiving of all days.  We had been expecting some family and new friends over for dinner but they all cancelled on us except for one friend who actually made it.  So it was kind of a sad holiday.

After moving to the farm, around summer, Olive also got sick and died.  She provided our very first egg way back in the day.

For the next few weeks, Toots hung out with us as we did chores, just a chill, quiet companion.  Retired from the egg laying scene.

Eventually we decided to get a new batch of pullets (teenagers) to keep her company.  The day we brought them home, we put them in a quarantine pen (something you're supposed to do with new chickens, to make sure they don't get each other sick).  But she caught a glimpse of them and got rather upset, we think.  From that day on, she was sick.  She stayed that way for a while, not getting better or worse, but still not even getting up and walking.  Finally I felt I had to put her down to end the suffering.  It was very hard as we felt they were our only friends, in a strange way.

We decided not to name future chickens.  But it's kind of hard referring to them with only pronouns.  So they kind of ended up with unofficial names.  The Barred Rock was Rocky.  The first Australorp (black) to get bling (as in wattles and a comb) we called Mr. T.  That could only mean the other Australorp was to be called Apollo (Cree)...

Their first snow, in 2015.

During the winter of 2016, we started noticing a black cat hanging around the area but keeping her distance. Gradually she came closer, probably torn between the cold environment  with only the occasional mouse for food -- and her fear of strange humans.  Finally she gave in and came up to the porch, starving in more ways than one.

We are both allergic and didn't really want a cat but decided to let her hang with us as a "barn cat" (we don't actually have a barn).  She was very affectionate right off the bat.  It turned out some neighbors had found her last year left in a box with a couple kittens.  We think she didn't like the environment there and decided to strike out on her own.  Eventually we got the neighbors to agree (after a fashion) that we would keep her.  We got her shots and spayed, and started feeding her, although she remained an avid hunter and would usually eat at least one mouse per day.  This sounds natural but, as it turns out, requires recurring medication in order to keep the worms away.

In short order she became part of the family, moving from barn cat to outdoor cat to porch cat (and eventually to come inside for a visit once in a while cat).  You can see where this is going.  At some point I will probably become the barn cat and Ilah (as she was named) will live indoors.  By 2019 we started keeping her in the garage at night due to the howling coyote gangs that come and go at random.  This has been a good arrangement as we still keep the food, litter box and excess cat hair and dander out of the house.  She remains a very close member of the family.

Fast forward to the following spring.  We finally got started on the siding, which really needed to be replaced.  And we really didn't care for the "burnt" orange look.  This was one project we decided to not do ourselves.  After a long painful process of searching for a contractor, we got the ball rolling.  Here are a few pics.  Needless to say, this was a very intrusive and stressful process.  Big projects like this always inflict collateral damage & you never know where or when it will strike. 

We were also really concerned about what we'd find under the old siding.  There was a bit of rot here and there (remember the already replaced joist in one bedroom?).  But it ended up not being as bad as we feared -- except for one kitchen window.  Yes, the one right in front of the recently finished counter & sink.  It involved a window removal with some replaced framing and drywall.

As the project dragged on, the contractors got sloppy and quality went downhill.  I can still see their mistakes.  But overall we lived with the outcome and were just relieved when it was over.

The new siding was primed so we decided to wait on the paint for the time being.  Perhaps another DIY project?  Maybe so and maybe not.

Pictures got a little more sparse from this point on.  We were feeling some pressure to wrap things up.  Or at least get to a stopping point.  Or maybe just take a break from the ever expanding list.

A few more from the kitchen...

Much pain and suffering from these little sink clips.

Countertops underway.  We decided to keep the cabinets.  They're not great but we had to draw the line somewhere!  As we pulled off the old counters I was surprised to see all this wasted space & decided to make use of it.  This resulted in some fun times (major cabinet surgery) but I think it ended up working out.  Hopefully the pics kind of explain the process.

Nosy neighbors.

From here on out Spring and Summer will be known as "mowing season".  Mowing the yard seems like a constant process.  Mowing the field is a once a year thing but it takes a while.  The first time mowing with the tractor was an adventure, but eventually it got done.  Finishing is the best part...  And you get some nice pics out of the deal. 

The various rooms are coming together slowly.  We will eventually have baseboards but that project has been slated for another day...

We finally got around to the counter tops.  First getting a new island table and substituting the top for a piece of madrone.  The old top ended up in the guest bath (previous post).  For reasons, we got unfinished wood and did the finishing ourselves, using Osmo oil.

We got to work on the guest bath.  Which as it turned out, would get a lot of use by us.

A before pic after we removed the old mirror and backsplash.

The new floor is laid in the hallway.  We thought about making it all continuous but that just got to be a little too much.

New lights, new mirror, new countertop!  We recycled some wood from the kitchen (future story) for the counter.

A little while later, new sink and faucet.  Two things I would advise against in hindsight:  Don't get a sink from Ikea unless you want to explore creative Swedish plumbing options.  Also, don't get a faucet like this.  It looks great on day one, then immediately goes downhill.  There's a reason why water comes out from the bottom of a normal faucet.

Some tile going around the shower.  We had to put something there to cover up the edge (which should have been behind the wall but wasn't).  So why not something really difficult?  We ended up using the same tile along the floor as well.

Finally, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we were able to check this one thing off our list!