Last week the kids and I went up to Idaho and did some work to start preparing for the move up there later in the summer, and to drop off our horses so we don’t have to pay for feed anymore this summer.  The work was more than a load for us, including cleaning out a garage and a barn, and fixing a few things for the horses, including a watering hydrant that needed replacing due to a massive leak, and renewing the gate on the half acre pasture next to the house.  It was a great trip up, and we got a lot done. 

The barn and the garden spot always looked innocuous, but when you have to clean the barn out, it is a toxic hazard!  I did not take a before picture because I knew it would be too bad a memory!  Suffice it to say, we took two loads to the dump, and one to the scrap metals yard! 

It should give you an idea of how messy it was when you realize these two photos were taken AFTER the clean up!  Of course, anyone with a barn or shed would realize this already!  Me thinks there is a lot more work to do in this out building, especially if we are going to have animals such as cows or sheep or milking goats! 

Here’s a view of the house with me, my mom and grandmother, and my daughter posing for a four generation photo. 

The horses love the pasture!  It is a far cry better place for them than hot sandy desert in Nevada!  They have so much food they can roll around in it or poop in it without care!  Maybe the view of the trailers that are being disassembled just down the street is not so pleasant, but because of the big tree in front of the house, we don’t really notice it from there. 

More pictures will come when we finally settle in, but this should give an idea of why we want out of the sand and onto a place with grass and water and everything we need to raise animals and turn grass and dirt into food for our family.