First, we rolled the liner out on the ground next to the grow beds. You can see the other half of the liner on the ground behind Aaron. We cut it so we would have 18" on either end. Here you can see Aaron measuring it to make sure it's laid out on the grow bed correctly.
Second, we started stapling the long edge on one side of the grow bed. Actually, Aaron had to do this part alone because of my continuing wrist and hand problems. But I followed behind him and made sure all the staples were tapped in tight with a hammer and also I helped make sure the liner was lined up exactly along the edge. One of the things that was key about stapling the liner down was the order and placement of the staples. It was really similar to stretching a canvas, except with a lot less pulling.
Here is a second view of Aaron stapling down the first side of the first grow bed. The goal is to have a bit of a U shape between the two long sides. The liner should not be flush with ground. This allows for the water, once it's introduced into the system, to hold the whole thing together tightly.
At this stage, both sides have been stapled and then we started on the short ends. I don't have any photos of that process because I was doing it and didn't think to stop and take a few shots. But the corners are folded like you would wrap a gift and the short ends of the grow bed are the only place where the liner is flush with the wall of the bed and ground.
Here is the first one all finished. It's not perfect, but it will work great! Once we get all the piping laid out, we will be cutting holes in the trough liner so that the pipes can deliver the water into it. You can just barely see a hole already cut into the outside of the short end of the grow bed in the foreground. There is another at the other end that will go to the second grow bed in the background.
My finger got in the way here, but you can still see Aaron posing next to the second grow bed where we have laid out the liner.
Both liners are done. Installing the liners was a very quick step in the process.
The next step for us was doing what we keep referring to as a "dry run" of the pipes. Really what it was, was the two of us standing around (me with the notepad) and talking out how all the pipes will lay out and where. We came to an agreement and then went over the parts that we had and what we would need to get. Then off to the True Value Hardware store in Sparta for all the various fittings and things!
And well, that brings us up to date. We had to pause the production because Aaron and Atticus have their puppy kindergarten class at Petco. Speaking of Atticus, here's a recent photo:
I suspect once he's full grown, he won't be able to sit under the table so easily.
For size- Atticus is now the same size as Wiley…. and he's only 5 months!
We had some snow here- like much of the country. I was able to snap a few photos:
A Mule in the field across the street peeking at me while he chewed on some shrubs.
The red barn at 7AM.
Wanda One Eye finds the safest place to sleep!
This was last night as the snow storm came in. Aaron agreed to help me winterize the cat's section of the barn. Of course, while we were in there, Wanda had to be there too. I picked her up get her out of the way and she decided she really just wanted to perch on my hand. I made her move to my forearm after this photo was taken. She doesn't weigh much, but my wrist and hands are already in bad enough shape without me taking silly risks…. like letting pirate chickens perch on my fingers.
Later, when we were finished winterizing the cat barn, Wanda refused to leave, so I put together a makeshift roost and put some extra plastic tarp under her to catch all her 'night droppings'. (Chickens do a great deal of their pooping at night) The cats didn't mind and it wasn't a big deal to clean up after her this morning. If she felt she needed the extra warmth and company, I'll happily indulge my little friend.
You might be wondering how we winterized the barn. Well, all we did was measure the doors, the width and the length of the space. Then we picked up 2 rolls of inexpensive plastic painter's tarps. One of them we unrolled in the house and cut into quarters. Those were for the doors. The other roll was for dropping the roof of the barn to help trap some heat. We just used the staple gun to attach it to the doors of the barn and to the rafters as well. The barn is now much better than it was before. It's not toasty, but it's not drafty anymore and a few degrees warmer too. For me it was important too, because I have turned the cat barn into my workspace. So when I am in there, doing the random things I do, it's much more pleasant. I'll try to remember to snap a few pics.
Lastly, here are just a few photos I thought you might enjoy seeing:
A beautiful sunrise I caught when I slept over at my Parent's house a few days before the new year. This is the view they get from their living room!
Wiley soaking up the sun in the upper field. He's looking towards the red barn, in case you were curious where he is exactly. Just over the ridge to his left is the street and beyond that, the field where the mules sometimes come to.
Chairman Meow chillin' on a beach towel with sneaky Wiley in the background looking surprised at being caught in the cat barn.
The Goon Squad… Carl and Lucy taking a nap on my front porch.
I leave a folded up towel and fleece for them to sit on out there. Lucy is the cat on the bottom and Carl is on top. This was just before I took him to the vet. We found out that he has a lot of ulcers in his mouth, which could be a symptom of something really bad or just a virus. The Dr. gave me some medicine and now Carl is looking and feeling a lot better! He's softer, brighter eyed and a lot more active. He now goes out every morning and evening for hunting. His medication is still being administered and I look forward to not doing it anymore. It's not fun for anyone to give a barn cat 2 1/2 cc's of medication that he doesn't want to take.
The last sunset of 2013 as seen from the farm. I snapped this pic as I walked down the hill from my studio off the red barn to Aaron's main house.
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