Back 5 started

Getting started on the back 5 pilings was this morning's project. I moved the string line over and measured out the first hole.













Remove all the dirt from the hole. Much easier said than done. The ground is almost as hard as the concrete.

Mix up all that concrete and fill the hole to the top. I still have to clean up the bags here, but that didn't take very long to do.

Concrete party

Another pickup load of concrete for the pilings.

Lisa helping me mix under the shade canopy.

Now it's my turn to do the mixing. Jim and Heather were there helping, too.

Dumping another 2 bag batch into the hole.

All 5 pilings along the front are now done. Only 5 more to do for the back.

Water and another piling

We now have water! This is the new water meter where the blue flag was planted.

I cleaned up some of the extra dirt that was piled up next to the road. I'll need some of what is left to bury the meter after I get the water line run to the house.

Lisa brought her canopy so we could work in the shade. It made a huge difference in the worker comfort level while digging and mixing the concrete. Today was it's first day on the job, too.

The first three pilings are finished. Two more are going in between these three before I start the back ones. There will be 10 of them when I am finished.

Groundbreaking update

This is a picture of #24, our new ewe. Lisa and I picked her up yesterday. She joined the flock faster than Samantha and Moe did, but she's also the same breed as all of Lisa's.

The ceremonial first shovel of the groundbreaking. The shovel wasn't gold, and no press was invited.

The start of the the first ground pier. It's a 3X3 hole that is a foot deep. It gets down to the hardpan clay and will be very solid.

I'm putting all the dirt out of the holes over the culvert pipe in front of the barn. After another hole or two is dug, we'll be able to drive straight down to the barn from the road.

The first hole almost finished. I just dropped the first piece of rebar into the concrete. I'm using two in each hole.

The white stake and the closest green one are where the end of the trailer is going to be. The next pair of the same is the other end and the last white marker is where the fence for the horse pasture will be.

The tomatoes are doing much better than I expected them to.

And the collards are even growing. They are still small, but didn't get planted until mid-summer.

New Place (soon)

This will be the start of our new place in Owingsville. It's in Nicholasville right now.We still have a lot of work to get done to get the property ready, too.

The end view. It's a 1998 Oakwood 3bedroom/2bath.