Hurricane Irene Damage to the Bridge

Hurricane Irene photos/video

Springtime!

Paul at the park today, showing off his 'muscles.'













Our beautiful little Abigail with her big beautiful smile!



















The chickens about 6 weeks ago.














Abigail rehearsing for her first piano recital.












The creek in springtime!
















Zeke, Abigail and Paul on the 4-wheeler.














Abigail and Paul today at the park.



















The 5-star chicken coup with cedar flower boxes full with impatients.

Abigail and Paul at the park today.

Zeke and the kids riding past the chicken coup.










It's springtime! It's hard to believe it has been an entire year since we first began building our home. We are coming up on the end of the school year and we have compiled a list of jobs to complete on the house this summer. Since our last post, Zeke has built a chicken coup, which is really a 5-star chicken coup. We have 8 chickens. They are much bigger now than pictured above, that photo was taken about 6 weeks ago. Abigail had her first piano recital earlier this month and today she played during the offering at Church. Both Abigail and Paul have learned to ride without training wheels and are zooming around on their bicycles. Today we took them to a park to ride, that is where we are in several of the photos above. The kids are getting so big so fast. Abigail is finishing 1st grade and Paul is finishing kindergarten.

Just a week ago Zeke bought a 4-wheeler. He has also been zooming around. I have planted flowers in the flower boxes on the chicken coup and also a flower and vegetable garden out back. Zeke built me both. He also built me a raised bed garden on our sand mound, I haven't planted anything there yet.

Our dog is still fat and on a diet. He is such a good dog and enjoys his days outside now that it's warm. The kitten recently got fixed and is now an indoor/outdoor cat. Just Friday I came home to a 'gift' from her at the front steps. It was one dead chipmunk. The chickens need to get their wings clipped, as they have figured out how to fly out of their house. We have a black rat snake living in the woodshed, I think it's the same one from last year. He recently shed his skin and Abby brought it to school for show and tell. We have hundreds of tadpoles living in the retention basin. I hope they grow legs and hop away before it dries up for the summer! I had the pleasure of my first encounter with a wolf spider, unfortunately it was up close and personal with the bottom of my bare foot. It was disgusting. I made Zeke clean it up off the floor. Just about every day now we see deer outside the house, wandering around. Last week Zeke and Abby saw a beaver in the creek. We have seen numerous geese with their gosslings and also many ducks. Lots of wildlife!

Overall, it is quiet, peaceful and beautiful living in the woods. The trees are in full bloom. We still feel like we are just getting settled. We already have our list of things we want to finish, add or change about the house. We will never be done, but that's okay.

Oh, Deer!

It is now January and we are settling into our new home. Since our last post we have adopted a very old and over weight beagle; we named him Jake. We also added a kitten to the family; her name is Jinx.

We had Thanksgiving in our new home and were able to fit 14 for dinner. It was nice to be able to host an event at our home. Christmas provided a much needed break for all of us. We have had 4 snow falls so far and 2 snow days. We have not had a full week of school since before Christmas.

Zeke shot a doe back in the fall. One of the pictures above shows the kids helping him grind it into burger. Just this past Saturday he shot the buck, shown above, with his bow. You'll have to ask Zeke for the story about the buck, it is unbelieveable. The following morning on the way to Church, just a hundred yards from the entrance, we witnessed a button buck crossing the road and being struck by an SUV coming from the opposite direction. Zeke dropped us off at church, went home and got the truck, and brought that deer home too. Needless to say, our freezer is full.

We are currently planning projects for the summer ahead. We plan on clearing, gardening, building a chicken coop/wood shed, and getting chickens!

Flooded In...

Almost Done!

As usual, we've been busy. Zeke and I have spent the last month finishing the inside, which is now virtually done. We stained and are currently finishing off the floor in the down stairs. After this weekend we will be waiting on the countertop, electric, plumbing and final inspections. Jeff will be building our back deck this week. Zeke built the hearth for the woodstove and the wall behind it with slate tiles, which look great in our downstairs. We were all back to school this week. The summer flew by, and while we welcome the change of pace it is kind of sad that our building days are coming to an end. We look forward to settling into our new home at the end of the month.

Power!

We're back from the beach! We had a great time and now it's time to get the house done. We now have electricity and water! It's nice not to hear the constant buzz of the generator all day. The walls in the upstairs are all complete (you can see the photo of the upstairs bathroom) and I have begun staining Paul's room. Zeke and Jeff have begun walls in the downstairs. As you can see from the pictures, the siding is now complete, as well as the front porch. The porch is huge! I love it! Zeke and Jeff completed most of the gutters while the kids and I were at the beach. We don't think we will finish in time for school, but we should be in sometime in September (we hope). Paul is sporting his new mohawk hair cut. Hopefully by next week I will have Paul's room complete. If you want to help me sand or stain, give me a call. I sure could use the extra hands!