The Repairs Continue

We have had unseasonably warm weather here in Indiana while Tim continues the extensive repairs to the old barn. 

It's a huge project and he is doing it by himself. But already the roofline is straightening out as he fixes and levels the foundation.

The entrances to the stalls are barricaded and the paddock is closed to the horses as an added measure to keep nosy horses safe while he works.

I'm staying away from it, too, although I have poked my head in occasionally to take a peek. (I guess that makes me nosy, haha!)

One of the holes the groundhogs dug that undermined the foundation so badly.

I'm glad Tim was able to purchase the old barn and farmhouse - now that it is his, he can do those badly needed repairs. And clearly those repairs are going to take a while and winter is fast approaching.

There is a loafing shed in the nursery paddock and then the new barn near the water trough, so even if the task isn't completed before the snow flies, the horses still have options for shelter this winter.

Fall is lingering, but temperatures are expected to drop to more normal numbers this coming week. We've got lots of hay put up and the two other barns - the horses will be fine regardless of how those repairs progress. 

Update: Old Barn Repairs & More

 Tim continues the work on the old barn. He is replacing the foundation (did I tell you he is doing all the work by himself?) and shoring up supports inside.

He got two huge jacks and lifted up the barn to redo the foundation.

You can see how the barn had begun leaning in this picture.

He is also reconfiguring the space inside

and took down the wooden wall between the two box stalls and put in a gate. Now we can open that space up if need be.

Now that the blue barn and its pasture have been sold, Tim is fencing the lane between the paddock behind the new barn and the southeast paddock.

He's removed some of the fencing on the southeast paddock

and is recycling it as fencing for the lane 

as well as replacing the fencing between the new barn paddock and the agribusiness.

And while he is at it, he's replacing a few posts

gotten our hay supply in for the winter,

and is clearing dead wood out of the northwest pasture. 

It sure is looking nice and I'm glad that, while repairs and changes are being done, it will still be the old barn with its old-age charm when he is done.

Maintenance & Repairs

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of people to shelter at home. Staying home has its pluses, though. One of them is the time to do things that you might not be able to do without an extended period of time to work.

Tim has been using his extra time to do some maintenance at the barn. 

He's reset some fence posts and replaced others, and then tightened up the wire fences.

He put this nifty wheel on the gate to the paddock. You have to go through that paddock to get to three other pastures, so we use that gate a lot. The wheel made opening it so much easier for me.

An agribusiness borders the paddock, the blue barn pasture, and the northeast pasture. Tim has removed all the fencing between his property and theirs and is replacing it.

The lines for the replacement fence along the northeast pasture stretch all the way down to the road. That's the agribusiness on the right.

When we get heavy rains, a temporary pond forms in the northeast pasture. It's a breeding place for mosquitos and it kills the pasture grasses. Tim took a grader and did some leveling.

He's replaced other parts of the fencing all over the place. You can see just how tight the wire fence is now.

You can also see replacement boards on the old barn. 

The herd has had all their spring shots and their feet trimmed, too.

He's been busy, and while Tim always keeps the place in good repair, it's looking really nice now. I can't wait to see how the new fencing looks.