And none too soon.
Miss Waltzing Matilda Mook is ready to burst at the seams. And with only 9 waddling days left, she just might make it to the end without exploding. Tilly's starting to show signs of the upcoming event; her hips have started to hollow out, her belly is jumping all over the place, her bag is swelling, and her girlie parts are looking a little...well...grody. I'll spare you the visual. You're welcome.
The Barn
As you may, or may not already know, we are lacking a barn. While I would love a big, red barn, it's just not in the budget. So, we're taking our big, green shop and re-converting the back into a barn area for the cows. And maybe some other animals that have yet to be decided. (Actually, I've decided. It's the Mister who needs convincing.)
We started the demolition of the back room a couple of months ago. Now it's time for the magic to happen. First, we needed to build a tack/feed room...
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| Walls going up |
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| The door was found in the loft of the shop. |
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| And it works! |
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| The tack/feed room |
Next, the frame for the made-from-scratch stanchions had to be built...
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| Rough-cut lumber, and scrap pieces of wood are being put to use. |
Then the stanchions themselves...
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| More scrap lumber |
Still so much to do!
We still have to finish the stanchions, build the feed troughs, add the dividers, and put in the lights. I say we like it was really we, but really, it was we without the me. I took pictures. And brought iced mocha's. And wiped sweat off the Mister's brow.
Have I mentioned that my Mister went back to work today? Oh boy.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Just stay calm. And hope that Tilly is like most first-time mothers.
Late.☺
**There's still time to enter the giveaway for the book, Ball's Blue Book of Food Preserving. Contest ends Monday night and winner will be announced Tuesday!
I've never seen a cow giving birth. If you're lucky enough to be around, bring your camera, would ya? I'd love to have a step by step pictorial. And don't worry; every homesteader with livestock has those weeks when we're constantly looking at the backsides of our female animals.....gooey and puffy and all that jazz.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that it's all coming together!! :) Everything is looking great, including Tilly.
ReplyDeleteI'd enter your giveaway- except, I already own that book. :) Someone will be lucky to win it though!
I'd be pacing the floor right now - Tilly looks VERY ready! It will be so nice when it's done - there is nothing like a barn (of any kind/color/size). And, yes, we can take the gory details - we're homesteaders!
ReplyDeletewowza! hope the birthin' goes well! can you imagine being THAT pregnant in this heat???/
ReplyDeleteIt's coming together nicely and is MUCH better than my totally nonexistent barn! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHang in there Tilly for just a few more days!