Last Day of Freedom

I hate to say that this is my last day of freedom. Tomorrow starts a new week and a long time before another day off from the job. Even with the many rain days this past week and a half, I was still able to get some much needed things done. Of course not as much as I would have liked, but I will take what I can get.

While I was burning today, I was able to install the complex solar cloths dryer we have been needing. It did take a while to engineer this design but went up with ease. I wish the rest of the projects were this simple.
During good weather, we only use the inside dryer for socks, underwear and wash rags. This adds up to running the dryer for a family of five about once a week. We could drop that down to a load a month if I could only convince the girls they don't need to change their underwear but once a week or so.




The main accomplishment of the day was getting the first small animal barn staked out. I am using a design from Storey's Basic Country Skills Pg. 71. It is designed to be a wood shed, but I liked the look of it so much I decided to tweak the dimensions to fit my needs. The dog in the picture is where the coop will be and he is about the size of a chicken so it looks about right.

The chicken coop is on one side (8X8), the pygmy goats in the middle section that has a loft and a shade awning (16X8). The feed room and rabbits are on the other end (8X8). The estimated cost is around $1800 for the barn and about $1000 for the fences. So needless to say, I will be doing it in stages. The first stage is setting the posts for the whole structure and the chicken pen.

I guess I could have done more but the Cowboys were starting and well, you know.