I have decided to rename the blog site as I realize this is so much more than a restoration project. The blog allows people to glimpse the lives of the animals and people that it nurtures. This wonderful old barn has a soul, and it was sitting there just waiting..... waiting for someone to love it back to its former glory. It has wrapped itself around us and wiggled into the crooks and crannies of our lives.In return, it has given Francis and I a " child" if you will of our own, something that we do together, a passion shared. Our family members stroll up when they visit to check out new developments.It has renewed old friendships, allowed me to dream (it really doesn't matter if they all come true) and soothed old wounds. This summer, it will allow me to develop a new relationship with my step grandchildren and perhaps my grandchildren as I introduce them to the glory that is horses......My Mum says I got my passion from my great aunt Jane ( who I am named after- my middle name is Jane)... and so just as the barn reaches out to my soul I like to think Great Aunt Jane is smiling down on me with delight as she watches me indulge our passion ...Even my Gran is part of this journey as I used my inheritance I received upon her death to buy my saddle- my Passier- which I could never have afforded otherwise. So out of loss comes joy which I think is a valuable lesson; out of the dark comes the sunshine and hope of new tomorrows and dreams. I am following my very wise son's advice who always has said since he was a teenager ,"dream with your eyes wide open"- I think I understand that now
Hmm... it happened again... this entry rather developed a life of its own and went off on a bit of a tangent but hey I'm learning some of the most interesting journeys are not the ones we start out on, but happen when we just follow our heart and let life take us where it will
Its funny by I get up everyday and the first thing I do when I get to the kitchen is to look out the window and gaze at the barn. I'm not quite sure why... its not going anywhere. But it has always provided solace to my soul, more so now that I know she knows we are loving her back to life. And yes, the barn is most definitely a female entity-- she reminds me of my grandmother, or the grandmother of Downton Abby fame- you know the one I mean- the grand matriarch who watches over the family from a distance- uttering the silence or Tut-tuts of faint disapproval or the gentile smile of approval and affection. I feel the barn's presence wrap herself around me and offer comfort ( ok by now you feel I'm a raving lunatic) but I can't explain it any other way- that old barn gives solace to my soul and gladness to my heart; she has brought so much good into my life.As Marina my friend would say, since we started this project, so much in my life has "flowed". Okay,not everything is perfect and there are hiccups along the way, and no all the foundation work has not done exactly what we hoped ( we still have a bit of dampness coming through), but overall, the barn has been the catalyst for so much good and love....
Hmm.... big sigh.... maybe restoration project really was the right word after all???.... the barn project has certainly restored a lot of things in my life-
Friday, 21 April 2017
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Additions and Dreams...........
So after the feed room was completed, Francis moved on to constructing the first of what will be 3 more stalls. We have had an ongoing debate as to whether we should even bother as I will certainly never own 5 horses, but Francis and my daughter-in-law, Dani'el are seeing visions of me with a boarding stable in my retirement and of me having horses here on a full-time basis. We have no intention of filling the whole barn and we are going to make a divider between the " stall area" and the rest of the barn that we will basically leave empty- it will be used for hay and shaving storage. One reason for a divider is to keep any heat generated by horses confined to a smaller space which would hopefully add a bit of warmth IF we ever over winter horses here. That is still up for debate/discussion.....The barn is massive ( 120 feet long) and two horses will do NOTHING to heat it and it will be COLD if not downright frigid....So we will see what develops over the next few years.
That being said, Francis convinced me to buy enough grill work so we can build 3 more stalls ( so a total of 5).Over 25 years ago, I bought 6 stall door kits and my ex-husband and I put up 4 of them, but 2 were never opened. We have been just been reusing the old stalls up to this point, but we used all the "grill" sections of the 6 doors to make the 2 stalls we have currently. You see I wanted "open concept" stalls to allow horses to see and visit with each other, as well as make them more open, airy and light. (Remember, I like sunlight).So about 2 months ago we made a trip down to Guelph to pick up more stall parts- enough for 3 more stalls.
These next stalls are going along the opposite side of the barn ( where the new wall put up and new windows put in). When Francis asked me how far apart to put the windows I said 10 feet.....I am now wishing I had said 12. .You see the stalls on this side of the barn can not be as deep as the others due to where the main beams are-- they are 10 feet from the foundation wall; whereas on the other side, the beams are 13 feet from the foundation wall. Francis insists that the windows be centered in the back of each stall-- and I must admit esthetically it makes sense. I do want each stall to have a window for a horse to gaze out of, and get a breeze from on hot summer days/evenings. So the new stall he has just built is 10ft x 10ft-(with a window centered in the back wall) doesn't sound bad and is a common enough size for a box stall, but oh dear it looks so SMALL!!! IF is had put the windows at 12 ft then the stall would have been 10 x 12---- unfortunately, that is NOT something that can be changed at this time ( the windows I mean). I could make the stalls 12 ft wide but then the windows would be all higgledy-piggedly and the esthetics would be off.
Perhaps it is because one side is solid and not open grill work?? You see I had planned to have an area next to the tack room to hang blankets ( you saw the blanket rack construction last year) and keep the brooms/wheelbarrow etc for now. Thoughts were that this area could be used to build tack lockers for boarders IF that happens in the future as my little tack room/lounge will really not suffice for boarders. Perhaps, I will have to reconsider that, and make the wall grilled instead-- my poor Francis I am constantly changing my mind. We will see. For now as there are no boarding horses, it does not matter anyway so the point is moot--
Anyway below are the photos of production. I did not have all the photos to post when I blogged about the walls in March so am including them now. The first photos show what that side of the barn looked like before he started this spring. The photos will show the new walls and window grills and the new stall that has been completed.At present he has one completed... there is to be a second one and then another across the alley. Just in case there is a horse who is not a friendly character or is sick and should not be in contact with others.
The photos above show the area before the stall was put in.
Francis had to break the current concrete floors, dig down and pour new cement footings for the support posts. Old support posts had to be removed. You can see the patches of wet cement in the pictures.A few joists had to be repaired.This shows the side wall- the only one that is not grilled. The wall opposite this is the tack room wall, and houses the blanket rack. In future there is room to put 3 tack lockers that would go floor to ceiling and be 3 feet wide. Boarders (future??) would be able to lock up their equipment. I have already designed the lockers- shelf of top, then a saddle rack against back wall, with a box with a lid at the bottom for "stuff".....
We reused the old boards from the old stalls, which is why the one wall looks dirty and stained. We intend to pressure wash that this summer to make it look nice and new like the other wall.
Tadaah!!!! One additional stall all finished.
That being said, Francis convinced me to buy enough grill work so we can build 3 more stalls ( so a total of 5).Over 25 years ago, I bought 6 stall door kits and my ex-husband and I put up 4 of them, but 2 were never opened. We have been just been reusing the old stalls up to this point, but we used all the "grill" sections of the 6 doors to make the 2 stalls we have currently. You see I wanted "open concept" stalls to allow horses to see and visit with each other, as well as make them more open, airy and light. (Remember, I like sunlight).So about 2 months ago we made a trip down to Guelph to pick up more stall parts- enough for 3 more stalls.
These next stalls are going along the opposite side of the barn ( where the new wall put up and new windows put in). When Francis asked me how far apart to put the windows I said 10 feet.....I am now wishing I had said 12. .You see the stalls on this side of the barn can not be as deep as the others due to where the main beams are-- they are 10 feet from the foundation wall; whereas on the other side, the beams are 13 feet from the foundation wall. Francis insists that the windows be centered in the back of each stall-- and I must admit esthetically it makes sense. I do want each stall to have a window for a horse to gaze out of, and get a breeze from on hot summer days/evenings. So the new stall he has just built is 10ft x 10ft-(with a window centered in the back wall) doesn't sound bad and is a common enough size for a box stall, but oh dear it looks so SMALL!!! IF is had put the windows at 12 ft then the stall would have been 10 x 12---- unfortunately, that is NOT something that can be changed at this time ( the windows I mean). I could make the stalls 12 ft wide but then the windows would be all higgledy-piggedly and the esthetics would be off.
Perhaps it is because one side is solid and not open grill work?? You see I had planned to have an area next to the tack room to hang blankets ( you saw the blanket rack construction last year) and keep the brooms/wheelbarrow etc for now. Thoughts were that this area could be used to build tack lockers for boarders IF that happens in the future as my little tack room/lounge will really not suffice for boarders. Perhaps, I will have to reconsider that, and make the wall grilled instead-- my poor Francis I am constantly changing my mind. We will see. For now as there are no boarding horses, it does not matter anyway so the point is moot--
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| Add caption |
Anyway below are the photos of production. I did not have all the photos to post when I blogged about the walls in March so am including them now. The first photos show what that side of the barn looked like before he started this spring. The photos will show the new walls and window grills and the new stall that has been completed.At present he has one completed... there is to be a second one and then another across the alley. Just in case there is a horse who is not a friendly character or is sick and should not be in contact with others.
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| Here you can see what he started with-- you can still see one wall of the original stalls at the far end |
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| Add caption |
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| This is the same area looking from the other end.This picture shows the outside walls before he insulated and put up the finishing lumber    Same area, AFTER-- beautiful walls and window grills installed. The grills open for easy access to the windows |
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| The walls after Francis has worked his magic |
The photos above show the area before the stall was put in.
Francis had to break the current concrete floors, dig down and pour new cement footings for the support posts. Old support posts had to be removed. You can see the patches of wet cement in the pictures.A few joists had to be repaired.This shows the side wall- the only one that is not grilled. The wall opposite this is the tack room wall, and houses the blanket rack. In future there is room to put 3 tack lockers that would go floor to ceiling and be 3 feet wide. Boarders (future??) would be able to lock up their equipment. I have already designed the lockers- shelf of top, then a saddle rack against back wall, with a box with a lid at the bottom for "stuff".....
We reused the old boards from the old stalls, which is why the one wall looks dirty and stained. We intend to pressure wash that this summer to make it look nice and new like the other wall.
 |
| Front view- no floors yet as we haven't decided what we are putting down |
An Official Feed Room
I know the posts have not been as frequent as last year and that is partly because I keep taking Francis away from his project! I make him help with family dinners,drag him off to help me bag shavings for horse bedding or task him with picking up more hay from local farmers, or he is there offering support to me as in the case of our recent loss of Bonhomme.Therefore, he doesn't quite get accomplished what he wants to in a weekend but that is just how he is-- ever willing to give up what he wants to do in order to help me, a shoulder to lean on( or cry on).
So I will now endeavour to catch you all up on recent progress. I will do separate posts for each project. So as you know from my first post this year, the interior walls have been insulated and finished with lovely tongue and groove lumber. It loos lovely and bright and now...will still have to put some kind of "finish" on the wood-- clear stain of some sort to protect the wood, but that will happen inthe hot afternoons of summer when the barn is a cool sanctuary.
The next project he tackled was an official feed room. Last year we used the space next to Pippa's stall to house a freezer that we kept all the grain in( dual purpose- keeps out mice and curious horses ...hmm I wonder who I might be talking about ? hehe). That area also housed the wheelbarrow, broom and manure fork. Originally, there was to be a stall made next to Pippa's but the person doing the cement work screwed up and didn't listen to the foreman (ME), and put the buffer wall 9 1/2 feet from Pippa's stall and not 10. Therefore, it is too narrow to be in a stall ( in my opinion), so we have made it the official feed room.
Work started with repairing( sistering) some of the joists and framing in the structure.
I had planned on a window being put in the front wall to allow in natural light ( I love sunlight and windows!). Construction was going well and I went out to check on the progress and good thing I did. Poor Francis had the framing all done for the walls and was already putting up the material for the walls when I arrived. Oops, someone had forgotten about the window.
But Francis just made this face,😠, and then started taking it all down again and reframing an opening for the window. Poor Francis, he is so patient with my requests/visions etc.
The door for the feed room is another old door we found out in the machine shed and Francis dragged it out through all the snow back to the barn where he lovingly sanded it off and adapted it for use as a sliding door. I am a big fan of sliding doors as they are easy to open when holding onto something and don't take up space. Must admit, this door is rather on the heavy side so is not easily opened with a foot ( must actually use the handle) but in the case of curious horses this is likely a good thing. The hardware that was on the door had been taken off to be "restored" but has not been put back on yet as I am not sure exactly who is to restore it??? Francis?? or am I supposed to paint it or something?? ( to be continued)
The window is all framed on the inside with a lovely deep sill made out of the same lumber as the interior walls. The boarding for the walls is the same as the tack room. The plan is to make some cupboards ( to house the first aid kit and other essentials) and have a counter top section for mixing up the grain tubs. We have on old stainless steel counter top from an island we removed from the kitchen so that will be our counter top. Those finishing touches will come later.....
As I am writing this, I am already thinking we put the feed room in the wrong place (oh dear!!). You see Francis found an old water line in the foundation coming from the old well out near the far fence, and we plan to use this as a water source for the barn. And as we will need to be able to keep the pump warm, I am thinking that the feed room should have been a stall after all, and the feed room should go where the water line is-- that way we can insulate that room to keep the pump warm for future use if we ever have horses here in winter..... oh dear.... how do I tell him I want him to take it down and start again??? I may not live to make another blog entry.......
So I will now endeavour to catch you all up on recent progress. I will do separate posts for each project. So as you know from my first post this year, the interior walls have been insulated and finished with lovely tongue and groove lumber. It loos lovely and bright and now...will still have to put some kind of "finish" on the wood-- clear stain of some sort to protect the wood, but that will happen inthe hot afternoons of summer when the barn is a cool sanctuary.
The next project he tackled was an official feed room. Last year we used the space next to Pippa's stall to house a freezer that we kept all the grain in( dual purpose- keeps out mice and curious horses ...hmm I wonder who I might be talking about ? hehe). That area also housed the wheelbarrow, broom and manure fork. Originally, there was to be a stall made next to Pippa's but the person doing the cement work screwed up and didn't listen to the foreman (ME), and put the buffer wall 9 1/2 feet from Pippa's stall and not 10. Therefore, it is too narrow to be in a stall ( in my opinion), so we have made it the official feed room.
Work started with repairing( sistering) some of the joists and framing in the structure.
I had planned on a window being put in the front wall to allow in natural light ( I love sunlight and windows!). Construction was going well and I went out to check on the progress and good thing I did. Poor Francis had the framing all done for the walls and was already putting up the material for the walls when I arrived. Oops, someone had forgotten about the window.
But Francis just made this face,😠, and then started taking it all down again and reframing an opening for the window. Poor Francis, he is so patient with my requests/visions etc.
The door for the feed room is another old door we found out in the machine shed and Francis dragged it out through all the snow back to the barn where he lovingly sanded it off and adapted it for use as a sliding door. I am a big fan of sliding doors as they are easy to open when holding onto something and don't take up space. Must admit, this door is rather on the heavy side so is not easily opened with a foot ( must actually use the handle) but in the case of curious horses this is likely a good thing. The hardware that was on the door had been taken off to be "restored" but has not been put back on yet as I am not sure exactly who is to restore it??? Francis?? or am I supposed to paint it or something?? ( to be continued)
The window is all framed on the inside with a lovely deep sill made out of the same lumber as the interior walls. The boarding for the walls is the same as the tack room. The plan is to make some cupboards ( to house the first aid kit and other essentials) and have a counter top section for mixing up the grain tubs. We have on old stainless steel counter top from an island we removed from the kitchen so that will be our counter top. Those finishing touches will come later.....
As I am writing this, I am already thinking we put the feed room in the wrong place (oh dear!!). You see Francis found an old water line in the foundation coming from the old well out near the far fence, and we plan to use this as a water source for the barn. And as we will need to be able to keep the pump warm, I am thinking that the feed room should have been a stall after all, and the feed room should go where the water line is-- that way we can insulate that room to keep the pump warm for future use if we ever have horses here in winter..... oh dear.... how do I tell him I want him to take it down and start again??? I may not live to make another blog entry.......
Friday, 7 April 2017
In Memorium
This post is a special edition dedicated to a a very special four-legged member of our family.
Francis had a few extra days of holiday to use up before the end of March and so he took off last Mon, Tues and Wed. I think the Universe played a huge impact in the dates as they turned out. You see his original dates were denied (the prior Thurs, Friday and Monday) and so he had to change them.He had planned on doing lots of work at the barn which to some degree he did.
However, on Tuesday night we let Bonhomme, our 12 yr old Mini Schnauzer out for the night as per usual, and when he came back in a few minutes later something was drastically wrong with him. We waited a few hours to see if he would improve, but called for a vet in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, the vet I spoke with ( not our usual vet as they weren't on call), gave me the willies over the phone and seemed most unsympathetic to our plight. So I decided it was in all our best interest to wait until morning to see our regular vet. And so we did..... What I thought might have been something he aspirated or choked on while outside, turned out to be very severe congestive heart failure. Our poor little man was in severe distress and did not respond to the treatment and so we decide it was kindest to put him to sleep. We made arrangements for the vet to come to the house mid afternoon to do the task. A family member came over and did Reiki for Bonhomme until that time. He died gently lying on his favourite spot - the sheepskin on his ottoman that we bought just so the dogs could see out the living room window-with his family around him. I am thankful that Francis was home with all of us during this time.. yes the barn work ground to an abrupt halt but we were able to be together when Bonhomme needed us and we were there with him all day ... sharing his suffering as his little heart was broken that day so were ours.
Bonhomme has been involved in the whole restoration project since we started and therefore, I feel he deserves a special entry just for him. Just last weekend while I was at work, he and Phoebe were up in the barn, curled up on blankies on the tack room chairs while Francis worked. Two weeks ago when Francis wanted to show me what he had done while I was at work, the dogs came with us. No sooner were we in the barn than dearest Bonhomme ( BoBo for short) went into Raphi's stall and started whining. I do believe that he had thought our summer evening routine was starting- the one that has us all going to the barn to bring the horses in for the night. He couldn't seem to understand why Raphi was not there.Trouble is, I haven't brought the horses home yet.....I think he was likely thinking.." Great, I get special snacks again" and " Why aren't you putting the food out? ". You see, Bonhomme shares Raphi's feed bowl every night. Raphi would generously allow the dogs to eat the dribbles of food that fell from his mouth onto the floor, and even allow them to dart in to get their own mouthful. He ventured out on our daily rides that would entail going through woods and ditches full of mud ( in which he actually got stuck last fall), wading in ponds and running through the hay to check out all the ground hog holes. Even on the hottest days, he wanted to come....and I mean +33 Celcius and humid. I knew he had a heart murmur but he so wanted to part of the action. He loved the horses. When the round pen and dressage ring were built he was the first in there saying, "Okay Mum,not sure what this is for but I like it.... I'm ready..... what are we going to do?" He was always present when we rode but knew how to stay out from under the horses' feet- he was my quiet adoring audience or alternately trying to participate. Last fall, when Marina's friend Claudia, came from Germany; he was there at her side while she gave us lessons- almost think he was trying to learn how to coach us and take notes lol!
So dearest Bonhomme, this is for you.... I trust you will still visit us, come and frolic at the barn and join us on our hacks through the fields... we miss you greatly.
Francis had a few extra days of holiday to use up before the end of March and so he took off last Mon, Tues and Wed. I think the Universe played a huge impact in the dates as they turned out. You see his original dates were denied (the prior Thurs, Friday and Monday) and so he had to change them.He had planned on doing lots of work at the barn which to some degree he did.
However, on Tuesday night we let Bonhomme, our 12 yr old Mini Schnauzer out for the night as per usual, and when he came back in a few minutes later something was drastically wrong with him. We waited a few hours to see if he would improve, but called for a vet in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, the vet I spoke with ( not our usual vet as they weren't on call), gave me the willies over the phone and seemed most unsympathetic to our plight. So I decided it was in all our best interest to wait until morning to see our regular vet. And so we did..... What I thought might have been something he aspirated or choked on while outside, turned out to be very severe congestive heart failure. Our poor little man was in severe distress and did not respond to the treatment and so we decide it was kindest to put him to sleep. We made arrangements for the vet to come to the house mid afternoon to do the task. A family member came over and did Reiki for Bonhomme until that time. He died gently lying on his favourite spot - the sheepskin on his ottoman that we bought just so the dogs could see out the living room window-with his family around him. I am thankful that Francis was home with all of us during this time.. yes the barn work ground to an abrupt halt but we were able to be together when Bonhomme needed us and we were there with him all day ... sharing his suffering as his little heart was broken that day so were ours.
Bonhomme has been involved in the whole restoration project since we started and therefore, I feel he deserves a special entry just for him. Just last weekend while I was at work, he and Phoebe were up in the barn, curled up on blankies on the tack room chairs while Francis worked. Two weeks ago when Francis wanted to show me what he had done while I was at work, the dogs came with us. No sooner were we in the barn than dearest Bonhomme ( BoBo for short) went into Raphi's stall and started whining. I do believe that he had thought our summer evening routine was starting- the one that has us all going to the barn to bring the horses in for the night. He couldn't seem to understand why Raphi was not there.Trouble is, I haven't brought the horses home yet.....I think he was likely thinking.." Great, I get special snacks again" and " Why aren't you putting the food out? ". You see, Bonhomme shares Raphi's feed bowl every night. Raphi would generously allow the dogs to eat the dribbles of food that fell from his mouth onto the floor, and even allow them to dart in to get their own mouthful. He ventured out on our daily rides that would entail going through woods and ditches full of mud ( in which he actually got stuck last fall), wading in ponds and running through the hay to check out all the ground hog holes. Even on the hottest days, he wanted to come....and I mean +33 Celcius and humid. I knew he had a heart murmur but he so wanted to part of the action. He loved the horses. When the round pen and dressage ring were built he was the first in there saying, "Okay Mum,not sure what this is for but I like it.... I'm ready..... what are we going to do?" He was always present when we rode but knew how to stay out from under the horses' feet- he was my quiet adoring audience or alternately trying to participate. Last fall, when Marina's friend Claudia, came from Germany; he was there at her side while she gave us lessons- almost think he was trying to learn how to coach us and take notes lol!
So dearest Bonhomme, this is for you.... I trust you will still visit us, come and frolic at the barn and join us on our hacks through the fields... we miss you greatly.
💖
This is how we will remember you.............💔
MARCH 2017
Mother Nature was not kind during March....I thought Spring would arrive instead Winter continued with a vengeance with some very cold days and lots more snow. But Francis hung up tarps and started a propane heater and set to work. There is only one word to describe this man... DRIVEN...
Progress has been steady despite the weather, and me pulling him away from his work to attend family dinners and entertain.
Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures to post as they are on Francis' phone, or maybe I should say they WERE on on his phone. Apparently, today his phone had a fatal drowning accident which means all the photos I have taken on his phone are now likely kaput ðŸ˜
I have a few that he sent me a couple of weeks ago, but last week he was too busy to download to my computer before he left... so I will have to take more but my "action " shots will be gone- you know the ones I mean- the ones where he is caught doing the work- not just the before and after ones.
So thus far this season the tasks accomplished are:
Progress has been steady despite the weather, and me pulling him away from his work to attend family dinners and entertain.
Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures to post as they are on Francis' phone, or maybe I should say they WERE on on his phone. Apparently, today his phone had a fatal drowning accident which means all the photos I have taken on his phone are now likely kaput ðŸ˜
I have a few that he sent me a couple of weeks ago, but last week he was too busy to download to my computer before he left... so I will have to take more but my "action " shots will be gone- you know the ones I mean- the ones where he is caught doing the work- not just the before and after ones.
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| BEFORE |
- outside walls insulated/ vapour barrier up
- tongue and groove pine lumber to interior walls
- the gaps in the soffit also stuffed with insulation ( No more nasty drafts)
- new interior framing around the windows
- window grills ( made by Francis from wood and metal electrical conduits)installed with locking mechanisms( also MacGyvered by Francis) -- these allow certain individuals who shall be nameless to open/close the windows and "wash them when dirty"
- PVC conduit placed in the wall to allow the new expected electrical supply into the barn ( a project planned for the summer)
- installation of a flashy new monitor "thingy" for the solar power
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| AFTER |
We are having problems taking pictures due to the light coming in the windows so we have t o go back up at night to take them... and besides we are neither great photographers nor have great cameras- just what's in our phones.
These photos show the new finished walls-- I don't have any other pictures at this time as they are ( WERE???) on Francis' phone. I will either retrieve or take new ones this weekend...
So for now, this is all I can post....
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