The Loft

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'll still try to do better.


 I've had several request for more detail on the new mower. It's a commercial Husqvarna with a 26hp Briggs and Stratton motor. We got it from Advanced Turf Equipment in Winchester. The owner delivered it and gave me instructions on using it and maintaining it.

 It has a 52" cutting deck which is 2 inches smaller than our old mower. This one fits through our gates better and it mows twice as fast. The deck is suspended on chains and floats freely over uneven terrain. We have lots of uneven terrain.

 It cuts really well. I mowed the front pasture yesterday.


The gate opener is installed. It's awesome!

 The actuator and solar panel. We got the pin lock you see on the close end of the actuator arm. It's a straight shaft padlock that replaces the drop pin and cotter to prevent theft. Apparently people steal those things. Who knew?

 I got the keypad installed too. The code is 1155. It isn't a secret code but they didn't sell just a plain button opener. I found out when I installed it that any button switch would have worked. The documentation didn't mention this fact.

 Piper and her bff.

 Lisa sorted the lambs. These are the rams she's keeping. They'll supplement Stevie, plus she wanted a dorper ram.

 Harry is the big blond guy on the left. Bill is the dorper ram on the right with the black knees. They're staying in the barn while Lisa trains them to walk on a lead.

 The rest of the ram lambs are out in Stevie's pasture. Stevie is trying to get to a ewe through the rusty gate.

 Stevie ran them around a little then llama asserted her dominance. They're calm now.

 Natalie helped Lisa feed the animals when she was here with Jennifer. The pic is a little blurry but you can see her big smile.

 The tomatoes are still coming.

 Tinks waiting patiently while Lisa picked the tomatoes.

 One tomato bin full. She's been canning. We have salsa, pizza sauce, pasta sauce and chili base. All delicious.

We got a solar powered security light for the shed.

  LED and motion sensor.

 I got the loft started last weekend.

 The beams and rafters. It's all lumber left over from building the shed.

 I got the rafters toe-nailed and the decking in today.

 It came out pretty good. It wasn't square because James built the shed around our old center posts. They had warped and shifted in the two years they were standing in the weather. His new posts are all true and plumb but the center wall is a little off. I had to make some interesting cuts on the plywood.

 The rest of the leftovers. I'll be storing it in the loft.

 Paige smiling at Satin.

The Gatekeeper

I've had hundreds of emails asking why I haven't been posting to the blog. Well, if I could think of an excuse that you might actually believe, I would use it. All I can say is I'll try to do better.

 Dad was here in late July. He painted the wall where the old built-in entertainment center used to be. He also put the tiles down where the chairs are sitting. We'll move them in the winter and put a log rack there.

 Lisa painted the shed walls. She took a piece of the metal siding to Lowe's and they matched the color.

 Our old mower finally gave up so we bought a new zero turn. It's a Husqvarna M-ZT 52.

 We also got a gate opener. I got most of it installed today. It has a solar charger for the batteries and remotes like a garage door.There is an automatic sensor for exiting cars. There is a keypad entry controller outside that I didn't get installed, I needed some more parts but it was getting late. Hopefully we don't have any visitors or deliveries before I get it finished.

 Paige, Piper Satin.