Kid Reservation

Lake Orchard Farm will hopefully be adding a new goat member this spring. I have officially "reserved" a potential kid from Digging Deeper Farm in Milford, Ohio. 'So exciting!!

I currently have 3 wethers (Salvador, Jasper and Vincent) and and one doe (Elly never freshened so was given to me as a pet) and I would like to ultimately breed a doe or two a year with 4H kids in mind. I am looking out of WNY for breeding stock as I am hoping to bring some "fresh blood" into the area.  Along with good confirmation and great disposition, I am also looking for lots of color, possibly blue eyes, and possibly polled (I hate the dehorning process). I found Digging Deeper Farm on the NDGA site, and instantly like what I both saw and read. After contacting the owner I feel even better, as her feelings toward her animals sounds exactly like mine.

So now the waiting begins. Of course if I take Lynora with me for pick-up then  I will come home with two does :)

~ This is a shot from the breeding page -- Amber and Ozzy are both so beautiful ~

Happy New Year!

We met our goal of moving into 1776 before Thanksgiving, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the house. Of course there are odds and ends that are still in progress - like the fact that we still do not have internet!!! (My Verizon rant I will save for another time, but trust me when I say that they are the devil) but we are living comfortably and our animals are living in their new barn (I will save my Parco rant for another time, too. The barn is beautiful but the "2 1/2 week" construction time was closer to 3 months, and it still isn't 100% complete). Jim and I look around and marvel at the fact that we live here.

Dream
Vision
Plan
Action
Reality

It all happened!! And it is just like we dreamed and envisioned it, only possibly better. Mom moved in the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and is loving life. Her dog Tops made the adjustment well, despite his age and lack of vision. My pups are happy as clams (we have officially fallen head over heels for our new girl Willow) and my goaties have finally settled. The brutal cold caused by the now famous "Polar Vortex" made for some challenges, but all is well, thanks to blankets and heaters.

Apollo the kitty had a bit of a time adjusting, and disappeared a few days after arrival when he was spooked by the installation of the back door on the barn. The temps plunged below zero, and I was sick with worry. We knew there were a couple of potential scenarios: coyote snack (there have been lots of tracks around 1776), a "helpful" neighbor snatched him, he froze in the ungodly cold, OR he headed back home to his goat shed. Jim suggested that he made the long and dangerous trek back "home", so I set out to see. Being the "expert" tracker that I am, I noticed a neat little indent in the goats' hay in the old shed which looked like a nest, while the rest of the hay was all scattered from where they had been walking. I put out food, and I put a few strands of hay in front of the kitty door to see if it was being used. The next morning on my way to work I saw some food had been eaten and the door was used ----- I was so excited. I searched and called but no kitty, BUT I put Mom and Chandler on it, and they caught him! He was so happy to see his family, and so purrrry and sweet. He has been residing in our basement at 1776, but he is a true outside kitty, and we plan to re-introduce him to his new digs this weekend when the weather is more mild.

There are folks who think having a cat live outside is cruel, but that is not necessarily the case with proper care and the right cat. Apollo was from a feral family of cats in a Buffalo warehouse that my husband once owned, and we tried to make him love life inside our house, but to no avail. He loves his goats and is bonded with them, and he is a master hunter. He is housed in a barn with his own beds and unlimited dry food and wet food each morning. He is fully vaccinated and neutered, and he is parasite free. He has the best kitty life, and he serves a vital role of rodent control officer. The basement is not for him.

~ photo by Chandler ~

Loose Ends Abound

Some photos from the last 3 days ... we are still moving in Saturday, believe it or not! Stressful, exciting, exhausting, amazing, unbelievable. Did I mention exhausting?

~ brackets are in place - still need stone and columns ~

~ adding the brackets ~

~ red bar stools from Pottery Barn arrived! ~

~ railings are in and so purdy ~

~ Larry and his dad, finishing up ~

~ pendant lights ~

~ where or where is our mason to finish the stone?? ~

~ pieces coming together amidst the chaos ~

~ barn as seen from dining room windows ~

~ another barn shot ~

~ our excellent electricians ~

~ view from the kitchen ~

~ minus stone and columns but still so handsome! ~

~ barn as seen from driveway ~

~ cupola came today! ~

~ toilets are in ~

Week of Loose Ends

It is almost impossible to believe, but we will be moving in this weekend!! This week will be nuts, with lots of "little" things getting wrapped up:

• Switch plates and ceiling fans
• New hunk o' granite to replace the poorly seamed bar top
• Toilets and sinks
• Carpets
• Appliances
• Cleaning service
• Invisible fence
• Stone
• Goat Fence
• Barn
• Trim
• Garage door opener

Somethings that will need to be touched up after we move in:

• Stair rails
• A bit of paint
• Anything else that doesn't get finished!

Sadly our current house has not yet sold so most of our furniture will remain there until we have a buyer. This weekend will be a "soft" move. BUT we will have our new table, hutch and bar stools - no couches or comfy chairs. I think Adirondack chairs around the fireplace will be fun for a while, at least :) We are getting our new bed delivered this week so we will sleep in comfort, and the bathrooms will be totally stocked as well as our closet. Most importantly the bar cupboard will be moved over as well as out kitchen supplies ---- we should have all we need to live happily. 

It seems unreal, this whole moving thing. The house is painfully beautiful, and it seems impossible that it is ours. Jim is my hero.

~ from this summer, when moving in seemed years away ~

Barn Raising

Our barn has begun!

Before

During

Time Lapse Video

5 months in 1.5 minutes :) 

This video begins with a west-to-east panorama of the lot last fall, and then continues with the digging of the foundation and ends with the house as it was pre-siding. The siding is currently going up in the back of the house, but should be in the front and finished (minus the stone) by the end of this week. Fun!

Whirlwind

Many are asking how the construction progress is going, and I can sum it up in one word: awesome.

Updates:
-- Alden State Bank has been lovely to work with, getting us our draws quickly and without hassle
-- Parco has our barn order in and they will begin construction soon
-- Rough plumbing and electrical systems are in
-- Drywall is nearing completion (which means the exterior can go up - thank God - I am sick of looking at Tyvek, especially the upside down sheets)
-- Porches and sidewalk have been poured, and today the garage and back patios will be poured
-- Septic is in
-- Propane tank is in and buried (it looks like a military submarine)
-- Mom's house has been sold
-- Our house is being listed today with Harriet Flanagan, an agent with MJPeterson - hopefully we can sell it soon (fingers crossed)
-- Jim and I are still having fun and we still like each other!

Along with this huge project, I am back in the classroom and Chandler is away for his first year in college. Yes, we have been busy but it's all good, and part of our survival has been about making decisions regarding priorities. We still make time to enjoy life but we go to bed early - reeeeally early.

LOVE our stamped concrete!

"Cobblestone" with some kind of "aging"

scaffolding in the living room

sunroom

fireplace, ready for stone

our bedroom - I love the view

Mom's beautiful windows in her living room

basement

guest bedroom/office

view from where my desk will be :)

looking down from the loft

future home of Lake Orchard Farm's BARN!