UPON THE ROOF! / Kansas Farm Life / Mid west small farm / Simple Living

UPON THE ROOF!  Kansas doesn’t have mountains or snow covered peeks but up on the roof the view is spectacular!  The clouds seemed closer and the air fresher upon on the roof.  The day Brian needed help laying black paper over the old boards on the roof of the new barn addition Kathy and I climbed the ladder to help. 

The wind was howling that afternoon and the rain was expected soon.  We held the paper in place and handed nails to Brian.  What an awesome time we had, our hair blowing and eyes beginning to water as we laughed so hard remembering how we were as little girls on our fathers farm in California. We forgot we were grandmothers with graying hair and aching knees even Brian had a good time listening to our stories.  

The Reid ranch looked so beautiful with the cows and goats grazing as the day turned to dusk.” One more nail,” Brian said.  The job was finished for now, but oh how much fun we had on the roof.

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Thanksgiving 2010 / Music from the Reids

 

How was your Thanksgiving?  Being thankful for our blessings is so important.  Now days with all the talk of how inflation is soon to be at our doors, and how we need to prepare for the deflation of the dollar, it’s good to be with family and friends to enjoy the comfort of laughter and great food and not think of the troubles our nation is in for awhile. 

We had a grand time around the table at our daughters house eating and  remembering past Thanksgivings at my mothers house when the children were small.  Those Thanksgiving meals meant so much to me because of the music and how the children were involved in sharing a song.  That’s when we learned to make the house ring with music and that musical desire continues even today.

Singing at Thanksgiving 2010

NEW CALVES AT THE RANCH / Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farming / Natural Ranch Products

 

New calves at the ranch.  Stanley is a Jersey bull calf and Co Co was born Monday the 8th of November.  This is Trisha’s first calf and we are so happy to start to have her part of the cow herd. 

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WALTER / Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farming / Natural Ranch Products / English Shepherd Farm Dog

 

Walter is the name we have given our new 10 week old puppy.  Many days out of the year, the cows will not be ready to come to the barn when Brian is ready to milk,even though they are on a 12 hour schedule. Brian has to walk the fields to fine the cows and encourage them to come in.  Walter, an English Shepherd, an old breed of farm dogs, will help Brian bring the cows in from the pasture when he grows up.  He will help with predators, and just be a good working dog and companion for Brian.  He is so smart and already has learned the command to come and stay. Brian has had a lot of dog training experience.  When he was a young man working as a  security guard for a college in Pasadena, California,  Brian and the other guards spent much time training German Shepherds to help them work at night on the college grounds.  Brian’s dog was  Lad.  He would obey arm and hand signals from many distances away.  Never a word was spoken. This education Brian has should help make Walter in to a  terrific dog. 

Carolyn

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EVA and JETHRO / Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farming / Natural Ranch Products

 

Eva our grand daughter helped her Grand father for most the week-end.  She stayed up on the roof and handed him nails and held boards in place.  She is nine, and loves the outdoors and can be a bit eager but will stick with a challenge.

Brian held her on Jethro  our donkey, for awhile and she wants to ride alone.  Jethro is a pain. He is always in the way and wants to eat your sandwich, drink your coffee, pull on your coat and push at your shoulders.  He means well, but can be obnoxious.

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INCREDIBLE HUSBAND Kansas Farm Living / Midwest Small Farming / Natural Ranch Products

 

It’s incredible what my husband is capable of at his 65 years of age.  He climbs the ladder to the roof and walks the planks high in the air.

 

I can’t watch!  He holds the trusses with one hand and hammers the nails with the other.  These trusses are made with this old lumber, probably 100 years old, and is much heavier then new lumber.  Without the boom truck I don’t think this addition would have been possible.

When the trusses were all done and nailed in place, my sister Kathy and husband Dave stacked 1x6x8 feet boards on to the trailer( no board was exact) so Brian could use them to cover the trusses. Each board is unique and needs trimmed or cut to fit in the spot Brian has picked for it.

 

It took Brian several days to complete the roof, but oh how good it looks.

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MILK BARN ADDITION Kansas Farm Life / Midwest Small Farm / Natural Farm Products / Using Recycled Lumber

 

Brian is building an addition to the milk barn to help the cows with their caving this winter.  It will give them a space to get out of the cold so the calves will be safer.

 

The barn addition is being built using that old lumber taken from houses Brian took down many years ago.

Dave’s old truck with the boom on it that he designed several years ago, has been a life saver.  Each board is winched up and held in place while Brian nails it down.  Dave added an extra height to the boom so it would make it easier for Brian when on top of the roof.

The building process is slower then when using old, weathered lumber, but it is looking so fine.  The money we save makes it so well worth it.

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