Making progress

It's been a bit of a slog since moving. So many boxes to empty, so many things to learn, so many places to find... so much chaos. It seems like the progress has been slow.

But when I stop and think back at the projects we've gotten done so far, it's a pretty good list:
- Got rid of all incandescent bulbs
- Fixed constantly running toilet
- Set up two rain barrels
- Fenced back yard
- Fixed door locks
- Got plumbing leaks repaired
- Got stove repaired
- Replaced dead fridge & dishwasher with high efficiency models
- Built compost bin out of old pallets
- Established a system for trash & recycling (took a little figuring since we'll be transporting it all to the county facility ourselves)
- Put in a new over-engineered clothesline.
- Put a gate on the front porch (to keep Amelia from wandering off)
- Fixed and reinforced the front porch swing.
- Set up a workshop in the garage
- Joined a bio-diesel co-op
- Came up with a plan for where to put the garden and how to (hopefully) keep the deer out of it

Not a bad run for under two months. There's still a lot of work to do, including some pretty big stuff. But that's another post.

In the meantime, I have to share the one that's most exciting to me: The Return of Chickens.

We have been DYING to get chickens again. We've really been missing them. But with so much other work to do, building a chicken coop was looking like a daunting task. Building a coop inside our old pole barn was fairly easy. Building one from scratch, while certainly doable, was something that was going to take some time.

I made the mistake of browsing the Farm & Garden section of Craigslist. (Always a dangerous idea...) Lo and behold, a stunningly well designed (and handsome) chicken coop for sale, for less than what we imagined spending on materials. And October was a three paycheck month. It was like Fate screaming at us to go for the instant gratification option.

And so, here it is... It's being delivered on Sunday.









Next we just have to get ourselves some chooks!

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