The Barn is Taking Shape

Not only is my nephew Paul a great father and role model, he is also a talented and smart engineer. I have been tossing and turning over this corner post (or lack thereof) of my barn for almost five years and finally decided to just go after it. Paul volunteered to come and help but I did most of the helping and he did most of the figuring. By the end of the day, we had the post set squarely and firmly into place, but we also hung "beams" that secured several stringers that have been hanging in the wind for thirty years. Now I can get the chicken coop battened down against all the roaming predators.

Thank you Paul!

Paul (in the burgundy) helping his four year old construction dude use a jigsaw for the first time.




Seven year old Lydia is getting ready to haul some stuff. She spent time reading, riding her bike on the hills and eating pie with Aunt Ruth. She also found some time to haul stuff.

Here is Eli, the four year old construction dude with his tool belt, including helmet! I found some tools in the barn that belonged to his great-grandfather, and we added to his collection. I had a really cool, old ornate hand saw hanging on the barn wall, that was his great grandpa's, which I also gave to him. I wonder what he will cut first with it?

Barn Talk

First we set up a post with a jack underneath it, so we could elevate the existing post and then slide the new bad boy under.


Then we slid the new six by six underneath, released the jack and it was perfect! Hooray for brilliant engineers. (He is a Michigan Tech grad). We stood there grinning for a long time.

This was a dangerous beam being held up by a post that was bowing and getting ready to break. After the new corner post went in, Paul whacked it with one fell blow and it crashed down harmlessly. Yea for harmlessly!

You don't know how happy and relieved I am to be done with that corner post. I am now on Spring Break and have all of next week to get the coop ready for the chickens. They are arriving Monday or Tuesday. I will probably make a new post then to show off my little babies.

Life is good.