The Clampett Phenomena

Today my barn stalls are complete, in fact the entire barn is finished.

Devin found a nearby sawmill and purchased some rough cut lumber. Do I love my new barn? Yes!!

I have 2 stalls, one on each side. They are closed in with wood and each have a gate. The gate is wide enough to allow a tractor to come in a scoop out muck.
Eventually we will own a tractor, eventually.

There is also electrical outlets so that I can plug in heat lamps or anything else I might need.

There is still plenty of room to walk around and behind the ladies when they are being milked too.

The wind was fairly gusty and cold last night so I kept one stall open. Lucy was quick to find shelter and get away from the northerly winter wind.

Now what to do with the old, temporary milking area?

Well, Devin tore it down. It was a useful area for 3 years now, but it was meant as a temporary area and needed to go.

A big fire followed. We actually had several old animal shelters that were looking rough and worn that also needed to go. One large fire later, the yard looks good again.

Sidenote:
This is how we combat the *Clampett Phenomena. This is important because I know some of you have dreams and images of  living on a beautifully landscaped farm one day. Just know that farms are real life and can get messy. They can get cluttered. You will have animals that make messes and sometimes the messes stay put for a while until you have time to pick them up. Unless you have lots and lots of wealth, you will some times look out and think the Clampetts moved in. You will find trash in the yard and broken animal feeders and oops! a feed sack blew off and is tangled in the tree line. You will walk outside and find chicken poo on your driveway because that is what free range chickens do.
Fear not! You will find a nice day and the motivation to get it all cleaned up, I promise. In the meantime, try and lose that picturesque image of the beautiful gentleman's farm. The real working farm is just as beautiful if you look at it with a positive mind, and I promise it is much more fulfilling!
End of lecture.

Later we decided to get busy and get the Christmas tree up and decorated.

The last couple of years we have placed the tree in our basement. The basement is in process of being finished, but it has been a slow process at times. Who wants to go into debt finishing a space such as this? Not us!
We work on things as we have disposable income, which isn't as often as years past. Devin finished windowsills in time for the tree to go up!
We hope that by early spring we can get flooring and then it will be finished!!!! In the meantime, it is a comfy and spacious area for holiday festivities!