The Snow won’t Go….and I’m SO Over Winter!

 

It’s been a week since our first snow storm, and 5 days since the last snow storm dumped almost 2 feet of snow on us. And the snow just continues to stick around.

(The snow has formed a very hard, crunchy crust and is challenging to walk on with chunks of snow feeling more like rocks and small boulders. Makes for painfully twisted ankles and knees. Dobbie is light enough that she can walk on top of the snow without breaking through)

 

This is something we’re just not used to here in New Mexico. We tend to go some snow and a day or two later it has completely melted away.

(I took this photo today. This is the only road into and out of our neighborhood. Since it’s a rural private road, the county doesn’t clear it. Hey. You can see my house in the rear view mirror!)

Our temps have stayed in the 20’sF during the day and even though we have sunshine, it’s just too cold for any major meltage (my new word). The next few days we’re supposed to get into the upper 30sF, but then by Monday another snow storm (or 2 or 3) will be blowing in.

(The chickens are happy that I shoveled a wide lane between our back door and the chicken coop, right after the snow storm. The small area I shoveled inside their coop is not enough space for them to move about without feeling all cooped up.)

Actually, I’ve always liked snow. It’s beautiful. What I don’t like is the snow that overstays it’s welcome and makes my twice daily treks up the hill to the barn, carrying heavy 5 gallon buckets of hot water to help melt frozen water tanks, so terribly difficult.

(Why anyone would build a barn at the top of a hill in a place that is known to get up to 2 feet of snow at a time during the winter, is beyond me! I have already decided that my future home will have a barn built right beside it.)

 

I really wish we had electric in our barn, but the darn gophers chewed our electric wires last year and the costs to have the 350-400 ft lines rewired and retrenched up to the barn is out of our budget for now. So, instead I hammer away at the 3-4” thick ice in the water tanks every day, so my horse, llamas and goats will have fresh water.

(Apache seems grateful for the bucket of warm grain mash I make for her each morning)

And to rub it in, Ranchman John shared a photo on Facebook, that he took today of himself on the ramp working in Phoenix, wearing a short sleeve shirt, and bragging about how it’s a balmy 70F degrees.

Ugh. I’m already sick of winter and it’s only December.

(Apache and I are both dreaming of warm sunny, summer days)

Sunday Stills ~ Barns

 

This week’s Sunday Stills Challenge is Barns.

We have a little barn. It’s not a typical barn in the fact that it’s only enclosed on 3 sides for the animals and hay storage. It’s more like a shelter in that regard.

But we do have a nice sized tack room, although now that our electric isn’t working due to some evil, destructive gophers, the tack room is difficult to navigate around in because it’s so dark. I have to feel around in there like Helen Keller to find anything. It’s too bad the people who built this barn didn’t put in a skylight, then there would be natural light in there all day.

We added onto our barn’s roofline after we moved in, because the barn builders didn’t take into account that the roofline didn’t adequately provide enough protection for any animals when it rained or snowed. The first winter we were here, we only had our two llamas and anytime it snowed, even though they were in the barn, they would be covered with snow. So, we added on another 8 feet to the roofline, and it has made a huge difference.

Also, if I had planned this property in the very beginning, I would have placed our house up at the top of the hill, and the barn somewhere in the middle and closer to the house, because as it is now the barn is at the top of the hill and the house is way down at the bottom.

This placement makes it very difficult when the ground is covered in ice, snow or mud. It was especially frustrating during the first winter after we moved in, and our pipe running to the barn froze and burst. We had to haul water up twice a day, up that long hill.

Not to mention the views at the top of the hill, from the barn, are beautiful! I can see way out, past the mountains, towards the Eastern Plains from up there. But I doubt that the llamas, goats, sheep and my horse appreciate that view as much I do.

Gee, this is turning into a gripe about my barn, isn’t it?

Really, I’m grateful to have my own barn, but you know how it is. There are always things we’d change given half the chance.

(This is a photo of our barn, taken from the upstairs of our house. Taken last month. Sorry about going into my archives)

 

(And this is a photo taken recently during a foggy morning. This is an old, dilapidated barn about 5 minutes from our house)

Magnetic Wonder!

I've gotta get me one of THESE !!

The guy doing our fence offered me his to use so I could easily hunt for all the nails, screws and metal nasties that were dropped by the contractors who built our barn addition. I was simply amazed at all of the metal items that it instantly picked up as I swept it over the pens filled with hay and straw.
The fence guy, who also builds barns, said that every contractor should own one of these so he can clean up after himself. I agree!!
Most of the stuff I picked up in the barn using the magnetic wand thing. Wow!

Fencing and Barn Addition~Update #6

We've been very busy getting our barn addition completed and having fence installed for the horse paddock and llama/goat pasture this past week. And it's all coming together, slowly but surely!
We had a few unexpected surprises come up (besides the barn snafus). We have to get our pipe going up to the barn, repaired because it burst this past winter when our temps stayed below zero for several days.
It's been a royal pain having to carry buckets of water up the hill to the barn every day. And with the horse (they drink far more than llamas do! hehe) it's a necessity to get the water working again.

The guy doing our fencing gets things nice and straight using surveying equipment. He's a pretty nice guy and let me have a peek into his transit, which I was very impressed with. It's amazing how far you can see through the scope and with so much detail, too.(Click photo for larger view). That large tree in the center there is a pinon tree. Pinon nuts are so yummy toasted and sprinkled on a salad!
The horse paddock will be about a 1/2 acre (to the right in the picture) and borders our barn on the north side, an empty pasture behind our property to the west, our neighbor's barn and horses to the south side, and our own pasture to the east, which will be about 1 1/2 acres after the horse paddock and llama/goat pasture is fenced in. I'm leaving this area empty for extra grazing and open space, but mostly as an area for me ride our new horse.
The tractor pushing the llama/goat pasture stakes into the ground (as seen from my kitchen)
The fence ready to be tied onto the stakes.
The barn addition is just about done now. We've had an excellent structural engineer come out and inspect it twice and show our contractors what to do to bring it up to safer standards, and we've only got a couple things left to do and the barn will be completely done. Yay!
It's really great having that extra 8 feet extension on the barn. It not only provides shelter from the blowing wind and snow, but it's providing shade on hot days. (Today we had temps close to 70 degrees! I got a sunburn while I was outside, too!)
I'm in the barn looking out (southeast).

Barn Addition~Update #6

Isn't it sad, how quickly your hopes and excitement can be crushed?

Our barn has issues, structural issues, safety and convenience issues, and probably a few more.

We had two contractor/construction friends come by to look at some repair jobs inside our house and while they were here we asked them if they'd like to have a look at our new barn roof addition.
We had a few concerns about the contruction, but nothing major.

So we were shocked and terribly dissapointed at the number of mistakes and issues that they pointed out. To do it right, we may even have to disassemble (because saying 'tear it apart' sounds too awful).

At the very least we must get a structural engineer out here to inspect it. We cannot have the roof blowing off in a 60 mph gust (or more) or being crushed by the weight of a 14-16" snowfall. We'd not only lose a valuable barn, we could lose our livestock/pets, and possibly damage our neighbor's homes or property, as well as our own, too.

Suffice it to say we are quite concerned and upset. The contractor seems to think that everything he built is fine and up-to-code. And he is not swayed by the opinions of our experienced contractor friends. We hope that the inspection by the structural engineer isn't as bad as we believe it might be, and that with a few repairs or upgrades, we can still move forward with the completion of this project.

We've already paid this newly licensed contractor over $4,000 and he wants to complete the job so he can get the remainder $1,500. I can understand where he is coming from, but we have valid concerns and want to make sure that we are getting what we paid for, and that it will not only last for years to come, but will add value to our property and be a safe place for our animals, our children, our neighbors and family.

So today I took some photos, and added text to explain what is going on in each photo. So, please click on each photo to see a larger view and to read the text.

Barn Addition~Update #5

Once it got dark, the wind really picked up and then the snow came swirling and blowing, so the construction guys packed it in and headed back to Albuquerque.
Jackson & I took our lanterns up to the barn to feed, water and 'tuck-in' the llamas for the night. And we took a few photos of the progress, too. (Click pics for larger views)

Standing north of the barn. Both llamas are in the same pen because the other pen is full of construction materials. They don't seem to mind, but are a bit protective of their own food and try to steal each other's food, too. Lot's of 'spit threats'.
Looking south and west towards the barn. The llamas seem to appreciate having more room to wander around that is protected from snow and rain.
Cataleya is not bothered by snow like Catlinite. Of course, if Catlinite finds food then that's where he is. He has an almost one-track mind for food. Cataleya just likes having her picture taken.
I'm impressed with the amount of protected space created by this extended roofline. Not ony does it protect the llamas from the snow and rain, but it keeps the pens dryer and less muddy, too.
A view looking north torward the barn. Only one wall has the OSB, but I can already tell what a difference it makes in creating a draft/wind-free shelter.
Both llamas have quite a bit of dry, protected space now. I feel so relieved not having to worry every time it snows or rains. Or having to rush up to the barn and slog through foul weather to move them into the main barn area where they end up eating way too much hay and leaving large piles of llama beans where I have to walk.
Looking north toward the barn, through the blowing snow. Here you can see how far the new roofline comes out.
Jackson and I decided to take a walk through the snow and share some 'imagination moments'. It was really fun! And also a little spooky. Horses and cows make some of the creepiest sounds in the pitch-black dark of night.
Jackson took a pic of me, too. Looking at this photo reminds me of how much my Lithuanian heritage shows.