April 2023 – Is that you Spring?

April 2023 I’m formally apologizing to everyone as it does appear that I jinxed us. At the end of February I proclaimed we had had a lovely mild winter and, no matter what happened after that, we had nothing to complain about! I was so so wrong. I’m sorry. March was horrendous and April started out with a whopping snow storm of over yet another foot of snow and it just kept snowing. It would tease us with a few nice days and then pummel us again. April gave us our SIXTH MONTH in a row with snow on the ground…

Our last snow of over six inches was April 21st and we were still below freezing at night going into May.

I shared some pictures of the barn a couple of months ago as this winter had really done a number on her but these last few weeks well… it got a lot worse.

As far as dangerous goes I’d say the barn is a 9 out of 10 if not a full out 10 at this point.

We see her every day but we don’t really LOOK at her, ya know?

But it can’t be ignored anymore.

April 2023 Lodi and I did our customary spring walk about and focused just about entirely on the barn.

The hay mow is breaking and coming down everywhere, putting massive pressure on the first floor posts and beams. Its almost like standing beside a giant tightly wound coil… like everything is about to snap.

Its fricking unnerving and massively uncomfortable to be near.

Am I sad to see these lovely old barns slowing disappearing?

So very much so.

But we don’t have a lovely old barn in our back yard anymore.

If the barn was off in some yonder pasture we wouldn’t think anything of it besides using it as a resource for barn wood maybe… but this is not over yonder.

This is steps from our back door.

Lodi has been wanting to do something about the barn forever but he knew to tip toe around the subject with me.

Maybe I had just hardened my heart to get used to the idea of it being gone so when it actually happened it wouldn’t be such a blow. I had, no doubt, been shuttering my eyes to the situation.

Lodi took my hand and took me out there.

April 2023 We’re busting at the seems even after adding a third stall to our garage and I’ve dreamed of a real workshop (as opposed to the bedroom in our house) forever.

But between our lawn tools, wood working tools, mowers, snow blower, ATV, need for outdoor stuff storage and creating a decent place to set up our miter saw and table saw… a real shop was going to have to be pretty big.

And there was just NOWHERE on our property it made sense to put a building that big.

Except… well actually there’s the perfect place on our property for a building that big.

There even might be a salvageable 40×80 concrete slab to put it on…

April 2023, my miracle-worker husband managed to get me excited about “doing something” about the barn as what we will be gaining in its place is a long dream of mine.

So, we got to planning.

At first we had hoped to save the walls or beams or something so Lodi was going to rent big enough equipment to carefully start taking off the hay mow.

After a lot of talking though the enormous cost and effort to attempt that seemed foolish.

It will certainly cost more to hire a company to come in, tear it down, and haul it off but, in the end, it became the most logical solution.

Factoring in if our time is worth anything, the cost of renting equipment, hiring help, the days upon days of manual labor, the loads of favors to be begged from family and friends, dump fees and us both taking time off of work…

I am relieved we’ve decided to just let it go and hire it out.

If we had been able to save the walls, posts or beams like in our initial hopes that would have created a serious project for us this summer that included getting a roof on it too which isn’t even an expense we want right now. Its not like we NEED a a new shop right this minute.

What happened to having a shorter project list and less stressful summer?!

Hiring this out means we can build our new building whenever we feel like it and however we want it.

The hope is to save the slab but, of course, that also may not be possible.

Currently our plan is a 40×40 steel building, the same width of the barn so that we may mimic the front of it with the center barn door and the two windows on either side.

(Of course without the slab there would be no reason for us to stick with the old footprint. Many future bridges to cross when we get to them.)

There’s a water hydrant out there that we will be saving of course and eventually we’ll run electrical, insulate and even heat a portion of the building enough to keep batteries from freezing and be able to work out there all year.

Its all very cool and will be so awesome for us…

But the idea of the barn just suddenly being gone… I would be lying if I didn’t say that it kind of stops my heart.

I’m going to have some feelings.

APRIL 2023 THIS IS GONNA BE HARD

Right now the barn is something I avoid looking at (which is impossible) because it bums me out and I won’t miss that at all.

We’re going to salvage as much as we possibly can.

All of the barn doors we will of course be saving.

We don’t have plans beyond the demolition this year so we’ll have a large gaping spot in our yard for a while besides the silo which is in great shape so we’re keeping it.

Its not like I didn’t see this coming from years ago but I do wish I had had at least this winter to know WHEN we were taking the barn down and not feel like it was suddenly sprung on me.

But that’s life and April 2023 represented that perfectly.

This post is (obviously) about the looming largest thing currently in my life but wow are we (our families) very busy suddenly.

I guess when it rains it pours…

We buried my two year old nephew whom we lost in January 🙁 My brother and mom decided on creating a family cemetery out here on the farm (the lot beside us) as this place will always stay in the family.

My brother built a beautiful stone tomb for him.

My mom started building her dream home last year which she and I designed. I’m helping her pick out cabinets, paints, flooring etc. I’ll definitely be sharing photos and am so excited for her!

My brother purchased a large Amish farm last year that he is currently renovating that included a sawmill he has up and running now. With the gorgeous square cut logs he’s cutting he’ll be building a home to sell this summer.

Lodi’s Grandma made the decision that it was time to sell her home and move into an assisted living after a bout with Covid landed her in the hospital for a few days. Besides her little dog she had been alone since his Grandpa passed 3 1/2 years ago…

So, guess who currently has another dog staying with them?

I haven’t been able to help much as it is an 8 hour round trip but Lodi has been getting out there as often as he can.

I’ll post more about doggo and summer plans and, of course, I will keep you all updated on the day the barn goes down and take all of the pictures… I am so conflicted between relief and freaking out.

First a pic of the shop I’m dreaming of that’s helping me so much with what’s about to happen, than the current state of the barn.