4 days; lots of progress and our horses are actually at our barn

Wow time flies. The last time I allowed myself time to sit and write is was Tuesday evening. I will never complain because the ultimate goal is visible and things of value are hard work. Since I last wrote the complexion of the barn has changed drastically. Wednesday was the cutting day. We cut out the windows from the front of the barn and began cutting the trim pieces for painting. We also began the mowing process. If you haven’t had the opportunity to mow 8.5 acres on a Craftsman lawn tractor you should allow yourself the joy of such an experience. Wednesday I mowed for around 3 hours and made a dent but not much more than that. Thursday was another busy day as we began the actual window hanging. The ladies started the caulking process of the entire barn. This all sounds easy but the barn is large and the roof has a nice peak which means being very high on a ladder while working with a temperamental caulk gun. The window framing was not too bad but Ken and I had to use some creative engineering to secure the four windows in their slots. Thursday also was one of those what the heck is that doing here days. I was out on the mower moving some stuff around and while I was coming back I notice water just pouring out of the ground. Somehow I had ruptured a pipe that was just buried under the ground. That’s not abnormal but the fact that it was about 3 feet off the fence and just kind of out in the middle of nowhere was the odd part. Since we are new to the barn we don’t have all the things we need to handle the day to day issues that come up but thankfully we had enough scraps laying around to fashion a secure fix. You know when you buy someone else’s stuff you are going to find things that make you scratch your head and I have find my first one with this pipe. Friday was a massive day where the transformation began to actually look like progress. The first coats of paint were placed on the front of the barn and Ken and I began adding the trim boards around the windows. The barn is being painted chromium and the trim is black. As these pieces were being added you could actually see that what you had pictured in your head was beginning to take shape in reality. The ladies are doing such a great job with the painting and are not taking any shortcuts with the process. They are even taping off things just so the painting looks professional to the point that I, by the way I am not fond of heights, was on top of the ladder taping off the peak of the barn roof so the paint wouldn’t hit the metal flashing. Darkness hit us too soon which didn’t stop the ladies as they painted until about 9:30 last night. Today came fast and for Michelle and Brianna they just ignored the alarm to get up. I pulled myself out of bed and headed to the barn to handle the feeding and mucking by myself. What a peaceful way to start the morning. I had the iPod playing and was just getting ready to enjoy the paper when Michelle called and said they were ready to come on out. Well, there went the serenity but the work must go on. The ladies continued the painting process, Ken and I finished the last trim boards on the windows and began the trim boards on the actual barn itself. We cut, painted, drilled, and screwed until about 4:30 and then it was time to shut down for the day. Before we left Tyler met us out there and hopped on the mower to try and get some more of the pasture down to size. We were not knocking off to go home and relax, we were heading to the barn where the horses were currently at to pick them up and bring them out to H&W Stables. After hanging out with Mrs. Kathy for awhile we left her barn to head back to ours. Yonka and Johnnie are hanging out in the arena for the evening so that the current boarders can get accustomed to their new mates. After having a nice dinner on the porch we shut the doors about 9:30 to head to the house. As you can tell the place is taking shape. I am really proud to be part of this project and am truly excited that Brianna and Michelle now have their horses with them. Brianna was almost beside herself with joy tonight when she put the boys out into the arena. She was asking if we could just spend the night in the office so we could be close to them. Great idea but we nixed that with the promise that once we were done with the majority of the work we would spend a night out at the barn and watch some Netflix and eat some popcorn. Tomorrow should be another exciting day and I am guessing we will not have much help from Brianna since she has two distractions to keep her busy. By the way, it is very warm outside so make sure you stay hydrated. Actually, just go to the pool or sit inside in the air conditioning. The work can wait until the Fall. Just kidding, it’s great training for the tough mudder in December.