Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

Well, I tried out the crochet stitch that I learned on the U Tube video. It made a great edging by going around the blankets twice. The blankets look finished now instead of just being a large piece of knitted blanket. I will try to spread them out and take a picture. I think I have about 9 or 10 little blankets different colors but all in nice soft yarn.

Saturday, we took the 2 wethers and the ewe lamb with the "in again out again" rectal prolapse to the butcher. I don't know where the prolapse came from, but she developed it about 3 months ago. We decided to butcher her but didn't want to spend the gas money for just one lamb. Then when I called Kent he couldn't fit me in until October 29. It kept appearing and disappearing for several months and doesn't seem to bother her.

Naturally once the 2 wethers were loaded into the trailer Friday, Lewis Junior began to scream. Saturday DS1 had enough and wanted to toss him into the pen with the big rams. I was opposed to this since he is half their size. Then DS1 suggested he build a smaller pen inside the large ram pen so they could get used to each other without being able to physically mingle. We all thought that would work. DS1 made the pen with heavy portable panels in a corner of the ram pen for Lewis Junior last night and moved him into it. Not a peep out of him all day and he is still alive! DS1 is going to try letting him out with the big boys tomorrow. I am worried about this but DS1 thinks it will be ok. The rams are used to living with other rams except when breeding a pen of ewes, so I am hopeful. I told DS1 he needs to remain with the rams to make sure they don't try to kill Junior. If there is any problem, he can remove Junior and put him back into his little pen for a while longer. He really looks nice - long, thick and elegant but with a huge thick butt.

Tomorrow, we need to clean out the barn for the pregnant ewes. Again, DS1 came up with a great idea. He plans to move the ewes that are ready to lamb into the new pen that Junior and his freezer buddies just vacated. It is just below the milk shed and although it has a flight of stairs down to it (or more importantly when carrying new lambs up to the barn jugs) it is closer to the barn and will be easier to move the new lambs and mamas into the barn. We also will avoid having to clean the jugs until the ewes have actually given birth. Sometimes when the ewes are in the jugs, we have to clean them for an extra week or so if the ewes don't stick to the schedule when lambing!

On the ranch front, I have asked the fence guy for his estimate for clearing the property line and installing the fencing. We will be doing it in sections. He is on vacation until November 7 so when he gets the estimate to me I will bite the bullet and give him the go ahead. $$$ I also asked the landscaping person for his bid to obtain and plant the fruit trees. John (our electrician) will be redoing all the electrical lines in the house now that the weather has gotten cooler. When we move back I think we will have to roll out extra insulation in the attic.
DH wants to replace all the windows with dual pane, but I will try caulking them first. We have a lot of stuff to do in the house so if we can wait on the windows and do them a couple at a time ourselves it will be better cost wise. I also want to replace the door from the LR to the patio with a dual pane glass garden door. The current door is a solid wooden door and mas the house dark. I wrote a list of everything we need to do to the house and the approximate cost of materials. $$$

I also have located 4 different Enrolled Agents to do our taxes in Quitman. I will be calling them tomorrow to interview them over the phone. I need them to be able to do farm schedule as well as the business property and file the appropriate special 1031 forms for California. I also located a vet that will take care of the sheep and horses. The vet originally recommended to me because his father owned and bred sheep only does dogs and cats! And he is located right across from the auction barn! The new vet practice has 4 vets in a communal practice. I will take the copies of the health papers on the dogs, horses, and sheep to them when we arrive and sign up as a client. I have to get health checks on all animals, Coggins on 3 horses, Brucellosis on all rams over the age of 6 months and foot rot clearances on all sheep. I will have the horses microchipped at the same time. I had all the horses microchipped after the last big fire but these are younger and we didn't have them at the time. Our SHPOA homeowners' association arranged for Animal Control to come out and do it since during fires we have to evacuate horses and they are often moved around. Took some people several months to locate their horses after being evacuated. Might just have the new vets do a ranch call so they can see and check over all the animals. They are in Sulphur Springs so in case of emergency we can easily take any injured or sick animal up there..

Also tomorrow I will check the cost of having a propane tank installed. Won't do it until next year but need to check on availability. Mainly for the generator we want to install, but DH also wants to install "instant-on" hot water heaters instead of the 2 electric hot water heaters currently in the house. Yes, 2 of them. No idea why they installed 2 when they built the house, but we have them. I also need to make reservations online for Best Western in Athens for the wedding in March. Need to make the reservations on-line since we have free stay points and can only redeem our free nights using the online app.

Next, I need to start getting my tax receipts together for 2021. Better to do it now, although if I do it too early DH will sometimes decide he wants me to separate out stuff at the last minute into a different category. Next year we are filing the ranch schedule since we will have all the fencing expense as well as other things.

I also have to wrap up the highchair and huge baby walker (it has a car body on it) so we can store them. I already did the porta-crib. There is a baby furniture consignment store in Burbank and I might check to see if they will sell the wooden porta-crib, some strollers, etc. that I still have in the shed. In a month we will have to get the baby swing and play pen down for the new baby.

Got to get to bed, just noticed that it is 3:48 am!!!

 

[Margali]

DH wants to replace all the windows with dual pane, but I will try caulking them first. We have a lot of stuff to do in the house so if we can wait on the windows and do them a couple at a time ourselves it will be better cost wise. I also want to replace the door from the LR to the patio with a dual pane glass garden door.

There is a clingwrap type kit you can put over a leaky window that turns it into faux double pane. They worked okay in Iowa for me.

 

[Baymule]

Your house is brick. Installers cut out the existing windows and install a special window inside the brick frame. Otherwise it means taking the brick down and then putting it back up and nobody wants to do that.

In your typical fashion you are this very organized whirlwind of preparedness. All around you chaos May reign, but you are the eye of the hurricane, the calm center, around which everything else revolves.

 

[Finnie]

2 electric hot water heaters currently in the house. Yes, 2 of them. No idea why they installed 2 when they built the house, but we have them.

I don’t think I have heard you mention whether the ranch has a geothermal system. But we have 2 electric water heaters in our house because of our geothermal system. In the summer when we run the AC, it heats the liquid in the system which then goes underground and cools. But before it goes underground, it first heats the water in the hot water heater tanks. So we get two full tanks heated for free. We could have just stuck with one, but why waste all that free hot water? Only 1 of them is hooked up to heat water in the winter.

 

[Mini Horses]

take the copies of the health papers on the dogs, horses, and sheep

Horses???? Thought you only had a donk.

 

[Ridgetop]

No geothermal system. House was built in 1972 after old farmhouse burned down.

The retrofit windows are made to the measurements of your existing windows. Correct measurements are crucial. You have to order the windows in advance and they usually take about 3 weeks to arrive. Once you have the window, remove the old window glass by lifting out the sliding portion of the window. In some windows the stationary pane of glass is held into the frame with a screw-on frame or vinyl. Once the glass portions of the widow are removed you cut out the existing window frame with a Sawzall. Dryfit the window. Then place heavy caulking (this is special caulking which is also a heavy-duty glue specially for retrofitting widows) in a strip around the inside of the window frame. Then slide the new retrofit window into the hole. Made sure it is level and plumb or the window won't open properly. Screw the window into the opening through the sides. Then caulk the inside edges of the new widow and install trim on the inside of the window. This will hide the screws and help to seal the opening. We did some retrofit windows in the apartment, and you don't have to cut out any of the surrounding drywall or exterior brick or plaster. We used new dual pane vinyl windows in the apartment and will eventually do the same in this house if caulking the existing windows doesn't do the trick in holding out heat or cold. It needs some knowledge about building and using tools. These windows are easier to retrofit because you don't have to do any new flashing around the widows since the originally flashing around the window is not disturbed. The caulking will keep the new window watertight and the exterior brick is not disturbed.

I have been thinking about converting the oversize single carport to a utility/mudroom. Looking at the exterior of the house, I see that we can probably remodel the garage into a new double garage by extending it to the depth of the house. That would be expensive, and I don't want this place to become a money pit. The existing carport is larger than a single carport and would fit 2 small cars. We can convert the existing carport to an enclosed garage/mudroom and it will fit our small SUV in it with room for the freezers and some storage. The carport also has overhead attic storage which will be usable once we exterminate the wasps. LOL We can fit our small SUV in it with room for the freezers and some storage. The carport also has overhead attic storage which will be usable once we exterminate the wasps. LOL And add plenty of insulation, a light, and pull-down stairs.

I wanted to attach a large carport to the rear of the existing brick carport, but our septic is there, and I don't think it would be wise to park on top of it even though it is an aerobic system. I then thought about parking the 5th wheel inside the barn but it is not tall enough - DH measured it. So we are back to installing a tall metal carport for the truck, 5th wheel and tractor. Just have to decide where to put it. I think the large area between the barn and the house would probably be a better place since we could park the stock trailer there as well. That area is large enough to turn the 5th wheel, a flat bed, and the stock trailer around. And we still have covered parking for our car next to the house for grocery shopping, etc.

I just want to get back there and do room measurements so I can figure out any reno. The large bathroom is large enough that we could actually divide it into a master bathroom and powder room. However, that would mean that the 2 secondary bedrooms would have to cross the living room to use the shower in the other bathroom. Bad for resale.

I have wrapped up the highchair and baby walker for storage. I also wrapped up the nice wooden portacrib with the bedding. I finished the edging on the 11 knitted blankets I made. I have t check the size of the yarn I bought and may return it if the weight is too light. I prefer the chunky soft yarn for the little blankets. I called our church which helps an abused women's home. Until Covid they would put ages and sizes of children and women on cards and hang them on the tree for parishioners to take off and buy gifts for them. Hopefully they will do that again this year. Anyway, I called the rectory and asked to have the contact person call me to arrange to donate my nice soft blankets, portacrib, extra highchair, car booster seats, and baby items. Then I am going to go through my closet and dressers and remove all clothes that no longer fit properly. I have a lot that barely fit that I keep saying I will lose weight to wear. Instead, I will give those away and if I ever do lose any weight, I will treat myself to a new wardrobe. DH's bank account is safe! Since those poor women often leave home with nothing but the clothes on their backs, the donated items will at least be useful for them. Most of the things are almost new since I usually just schlep around in my old jeans and work clothes. Naturally O won]t be giving them any f my wrk clothes since no one except me would be seen in them! LOL

DS2 went to a shooting competition with his brother, DS3, over the weekend. They had a good time together. DS3 won 2nd place.

 

[Ridgetop]

The retrofit windows are made to the measurements of your existing windows. Correct measurements are crucial. You have to order the windows in advance and they usually take about 3 weeks to arrive. Once you have the window, remove the old window glass by lifting out the sliding portion of the window. In some windows the stationary pane of glass is held into the frame with a screw-on frame or vinyl. Once the glass portions of the widow are removed you cut out the existing window frame with a Sawzall. Dryfit the window. Then place heavy caulking (this is special caulking which is also a heavy-duty glue specially for retrofitting widows) in a strip around the inside of the window frame. Then slide the new retrofit window into the hole. Made sure it is level and plumb or the window won't open properly. Screw the window into the opening through the sides. Then caulk the inside edges of the new widow and install trim on the inside of the window. This will hide the screws and help to seal the opening. We did some retrofit windows in the apartment, and you don't have to cut out any of the surrounding drywall or exterior brick or plaster. We used new dual pane vinyl windows in the apartment and will eventually do the same in this house if caulking the existing windows doesn't do the trick in holding out heat or cold. It needs some knowledge about building and using tools. These windows are easier to retrofit because you don't have to do any new flashing around the widows since the originally flashing around the window is not disturbed. The caulking will keep the new window watertight and the exterior brick is not disturbed.

I have been thinking about converting the oversize single carport to a utility/mudroom. Looking at the exterior of the house, I see that we can probably remodel the garage into a new double garage by extending it to the depth of the house. That would be expensive, and I don't want this place to become a money pit. The existing carport is larger than a single carport and would fit 2 small cars. We can convert the existing carport to an enclosed garage/mudroom and it will fit our small SUV in it with room for the freezers and some storage. The carport also has overhead attic storage which will be usable once we exterminate the wasps. LOL We can fit our small SUV in it with room for the freezers and some storage. The carport also has overhead attic storage which will be usable once we exterminate the wasps. LOL And add plenty of insulation, a light, and pull-down stairs.

I wanted to attach a large carport to the rear of the existing brick carport, but our septic is there, and I don't think it would be wise to park on top of it even though it is an aerobic system. I then thought about parking the 5th wheel inside the barn but it is not tall enough - DH measured it. So we are back to installing a tall metal carport for the truck, 5th wheel and tractor. Just have to decide where to put it. I think the large area between the barn and the house would probably be a better place since we could park the stock trailer there as well. That area is large enough to turn the 5th wheel, a flat bed, and the stock trailer around. And we still have covered parking for our car next to the house for grocery shopping, etc.

I just want to get back there and do room measurements so I can figure out any reno. The large bathroom is large enough that we could actually divide it into a master bathroom and powder room. However, that would mean that the 2 secondary bedrooms would have to cross the living room to use the shower in the other bathroom. Bad for resale.

I have wrapped up the highchair and baby walker for storage. I also wrapped up the nice wooden portacrib with the bedding. I finished the edging on the 11 knitted blankets I made. I have t check the size of the yarn I bought and may return it if the weight is too light. I prefer the chunky soft yarn for the little blankets. I called our church which helps an abused women's home. Until Covid they would put ages and sizes of children and women on cards and hang them on the tree for parishioners to take off and buy gifts for them. Hopefully they will do that again this year. Anyway, I called the rectory and asked to have the contact person call me to arrange to donate my nice soft bankets, portacrib, extra high chair, car booster seats, and baby items

 

[Ridgetop]

Must have hit a wrong key. It deleted all text and posted pics on previous post. Top picture are 11blankets I have finished for the abused women's home. They are for babies and toddlers. Super soft acrylic yarn - easy to wash.

Horses???? Thought you only had a donk.

No donkey - only Josie the Mule at the moment. 16.2 red TWH mule. She shares guardian duty with the dogs and her sheep love her dearly. Other 2 horses are black 15.2 Twh mare and 14.1 grullo mustang gelding. DH bred the TWH mare, imprinted her, and we had her trained and shown. She won pretty consistently but showing horses is not for us - too expensive. I adopted the grullo as a yearling from the Wild Mustang Adoption. He came from Nevada. Both are broke to ride. We gave both t DDIL1 when she was riding a lot and wanting to train. She asked us to take them back now since DS3 is working out of town and only comes home on weekends. She said that taking care of all 4 horses and all the poultry and running the boys to different games, etc. was too much right now. DDIL1 is very emotionally dependent on DS3. The little mustang is a good height for me, while the TWH is a fabulous ride. DDIL1 had sold the mustang but the purchaser brought him back because he refused to eat, pining for Skittles. They have been together since they were each 1-year-old. Skittles is still registered to DH, but I couldn't leave the mustang (Sage) behind to pine after Skittles. He will come home with her and then they will both go to Texas with us.

Next 2 pix are of Lewis Jr. He noticed me when I tried to take the picture. When stretched out the hump in his rear back lengthens to add about 6" or more in length. He is thick, has a good leg, great front, and giant testicles which will make him a super breeder.

The last 2 pix are of the ewes in the breeding pen. Also long and thick with heavy butts. Some have more elegant necks and heads, but all are 4's and 5's. We will move about 5 of them out to the new pen tomorrow since they are close to lambing.

 

[Baymule]

What about putting the carport on the garden side of the house? You gave a lot more room there and you won’t need that huge garden space, even with planting fruit trees there. Drive in on that side of the house, extend the back porch like you want to do, and connect to the carport so you have cover in case of bad weather. Use the back door to come and go. Or maybe turn off the road on the garden side, put carport at back, by existing carport that you want to use for utility room. Come and go through the future mud room. Because of the septic spray field, you really don’t have much room on that side of the house. A driveway won’t take up much of the garden space.

 

[Bruce]

I will still have to add a shower in the tub (built in 1972 when they were not adding showers to all tubs) but that will be very easy to do since access to the water pipes is right in back of linen closet.

Or do it cheap (no expensive plumber needed), EASY and vastly more functional! Get a replacement spout for the tub that has a diverter to a hand held shower hose fitting. Get a slide rod for the hand held shower head.

Personally I find "standard height fixed shower heads" to be immensely stupid. They are the right height only for the "standard height" person (or in the case of a few hotels I've been in, useful only for people under 5'8" - I am 6' 2").

A handheld on a slide rod is the right height for everyone from a kid to well over 6' tall people. You can rinse areas that don't rinse well with water falling down from 6'+ up. They are also useful when cleaning the tub and washing dogs if one does that.

I told the plumbers here I wanted a hand held shower head for the tub upstairs and the downstairs walk in shower. So they put in a standard height pipe with a hose fitting in for the tub I did the above and the "stub" up top goes unused. Connecting a hose to that makes the hose fairly unusable for tub and dog cleaning.

Another case of "If you want it done right, do it yourself". They got a "shower only" valve and stubbed the pipe out a few inches above the valve in the downstairs shower. That makes the hose have to loop down past the valve before going up to the rod. It also means the hose doesn't reach as far to the end of the 6' wide shower. I did the plumbing in the prior house 30 years ago. I got a "tub only" valve so the pipe came out below the valve.

Once you have the window, remove the old window glass by lifting out the sliding portion of the window. In some windows the stationary pane of glass is held into the frame with a screw-on frame or vinyl. Once the glass portions of the widow are removed you cut out the existing window frame with a Sawzall.

35 years ago I got double pane replacement sashes for the old house a few years before the rehab. They came from Marvin. NO window frame removal!!!!! They were measured by the company sales guy and come with side pieces that screw to the existing frame. The sashes pop into the side pieces and tilt down for cleaning the outside glass from inside the house. Unless the current frames are rotted, I see no reason to rip everything apart.