Machine Shed - part two
 

Or maybe I should say "east side"

DH has been working on gutting the building and soon will be taken the roof/walls down and then rebuilding the east side to match the west side.

Once done, I'll be moving my longarm and most of the Singer collection out here (but not the machines I use regularly). We'll also have one corner with a kitchenette so I can still have a cooktop to use my big canners. Will actually be nice as I'll have something I can do while the canner is processing, since sometimes that can take a few hours from lockdown to opening.

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This is the shared wall - rebuilt with the Machine Shed.

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DH was kind of wondering if the floor would be decent enough for my use. It does not have a single crack in it - and it's been there for some time, so I think it will be OK. The floor will be 58 years old in a few days.

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That is going to be SOO cool when done!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - you are living in Heaven on Earth!

I see a big chicken! How many do you have? I have wanted to "live in the country and raise chickens" since I was 14 years old. Forty-five years later, I still want to "live in the country and raise chickens."

And I see kitty tails! Is that a Mama Cat and her mini-me Kitten?

Chickens, cats, a beautiful machine shed, and all the machines needed to fill it. It makes my heart happy seeing all your photos. Please keep posting.

Very cool Cathy! It's going to look great when you and your husband are finished.

Caroline if you have your own house and there's no ordinances against them you can have chickens in the city. I think they've become fairly popular over the last few years.
They really don't take that much room. If you can't move to the country, bring the country to you.
Rodney

I looked at the photos again; now I see three chickens! It just gets better and better!

Rodney, I probably could wheedle and whine the "City Council" to allow me to keep three hens, which I would luuuuuvvvvv. I know the neighbors would not care - I've already asked them all! However, the two large hunting dogs, heavy on "Bird" hunting, would never stand for the indignity of having non-huntable birds on the place. I would want my (imaginary) hens to be happy, contented, and laying eggs for all they are worth, so it won't happen at this place.

But someday...

Dogs and chickens don't go together very well-at least not for long.
Rodney

And especially not for the poor chickens.

Rodney, we had a lab and never had problems with her and the chickens except for the time one got into her kennel (a rather large section of the old barn). We had no idea one had wandered in there, so when we locked her in for the night, she must have decided it was hers! But she never bothered them when she and they were both out in the yard all day long.

Dog lived to be a nice old age, she's been gone for 3-4 years now.

We currently have 9 laying hens and a Roo - and a flock of 10 "this year" chicks, four pullets that will join the layers and 6 roos that will be off to freezer camp soon.

Cats - no momma, though we have one year old unfixed female - she had a visiting boyfriend this spring, but she didn't take. All our others are fixed. The cats aren't super happy about the change as they loved hanging out in the green house during the winter. Have not used it to start plants in five years, so I won't miss it.

DH decided this one will have a flat ceiling which will work better for having lights over the long arm. I plan on storing machine cases under the longarm - and that will free up space of at least one more machine in the Machine Shed. I'll have room to put machines along the two longer walls, and plan on having a row of shelves down the middle of the room. That is where most of my Singers will go, along with storage for my longarm supplies.

Caroline - that is what "chicken tractors" are for - and besides, there are a lot of animals that love a chicken dinner besides dogs.

We lock ours up each night, and they stay in once we've got snow on the ground too.

My daughter's chickens have been visited by owls, skunks, dogs, foxes, hawks and who knows what else in a well built enclosure in the city. Varmints do get in. The funniest one was when DSIL was out working in the yard and he heard a commotion in the chicken house. He stepped in. A varmint stepped out. He picked up a 2 x 4 and swung. He missed. The skunk did not.

I would have a chicken house or a sewing machine house at this point either one would give me a smile as long as I don't have to live in it.

Oh my, Miriam, we have lots of wildlife around here, but it's "zoned" residential. In truth, there's more undeveloped land in this area than there is developed land. By zoning regulation, you can't have chickens, etc., but, of course, how are you going to tell the fox, bob cats, skunks, etc. that they can't live where they have for many, many years! This development is comprised of 6,100 +- acres, with each building site being a minimum of 1 acre (we have a little over 2 acres). Oh, we also have cuyotes out here -- you can't have a cat and leave them outside (safely) 'cause the cuyotes will kill them! We also have beautiful owls which we enjoy. The owls are very good at keeping the field rat population down. The squirrels are real pests. We strung Christmas lights down our driveway fence on both sides, and the squirrels chewed up the bulbs, and the wire, etc. They've also gotten under the hood of my car and chewed the wires and chewed holes in the vacuum system of the car. My son calls them "rats" in cute costumes -- to me they're just pests! Miriam, I'm sorry your DH caught the skunk perfume!

Cathy, you're going to love your Large Shed!

Jeanette

This is looking very good and out in the country too. I grew up in the country and now we live sort of in a country setting with woods on the North of our 2 acres.

What a great place for your machines. Enjoy seeing your museum now and in the future!

You're going to have it made in the shade, Macybaby! Nice to have a spot of your own!

Loving the photos of the progress! Here in Corpus Christi, people have chickens and goats in the city.

Very nice and lucky you, you have a handy DH. So happy for you and love watching the progress of the building and finished product.

it was my son-in-law
I'm thinking he burned the coat........

My daughter tried it here in Indianapolis - it's legal but there are less people driving by ogling the goats in the country... One day the neighbor boys decided to let the kid goats explore the neighborhood.... She said it was pretty funny when she had to drive with all the children in the car plus two kid goats with the heads out the window... Then one day the two guys that lived two doors down brought a rooster over and wanted to know if they could buy a hen to keep the rooster company......... SIL said sure - sold them the one that didn't produce for twice the going rate.......... (just because a skunk sprayed him doesn't mean he is totally stupid...) I'm thinking the fowl are still there judging by the noise every morning.

Cathy, I hope you get an air conditioner in there. I bought some really nice led shop lights that I am hoping to put up in my garage "shop" . I thought of your long arm when I got them.
Love that you are expanding.
HelenAnn

It’s nice to step out on the patio in the morning just before day light and hear a rooster crowing across our small rural Oklahoma town. I don’t know how the people feel that live right next door to the rooster, but it sounds good from my distance. There are several people that have chickens here in town.

Someone went on a rampage and eliminated all of the homeless cats in this neighborhood. Now we’re overrun with cottontail rabbits, the first time we’ve had them since we’ve lived here for 20-some years. They usually keep the dogs in the neighborhood barking at them off and on, including mine. That sometimes keeps me from hearing the roosters, which I like better than dogs barking.

CD in Oklahoma

We had a mink in our coop once. Someone thought the cages were cruelty to animals and let several hundred mink loose. They wandered around several counties. Of course most of them died out there. Cruelty? But the one in our chicken coop killed about 30 chickens. He just wanted the blood. Didn't eat the rest. Then when it got cold, he decided to come into my basement. I called a mink person and we live trapped it.

DH has been busy, he got this far a couple of days ago - but it rained yesterday and he couldn't get any farther.

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So this AM - he got the last down and hauled to the dump - and on his way back he picked up the blocks for the base of the walls.

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That whole bunch of nothing where a building used to be is looking good.
Rodney

Miriam, sorry for my misstatement. Were I your SIL, I'd have burned the coat, too! That can happen to anybody--doesn't mean, nor was it intended to infer that anyone was stupid -- skunks are just there sometimes and there's not much you can do about it. Shed is looking terrific!

Jeanette