The world’s best down muff.
Lucy gave me an evil look when I used the flash on her tonight, but it was worth it. The girls have been taking turns sitting in the nest box all day and now apparently at night (I turned off the light). None of them seem to be serious about being broody. And now that I’ve decided to keep the light off unless it’s really cold that tendency should go away for a bit (until spring) but so will our egg supply. Oh well.
Anyway, since there’s always someone there when I open the little door to collect the eggs I usually have to reach underneath someone. And wow! is it warm in there. Excellent way to warm up your hands on a cold day like today. Highly recommend it if you get a chance.
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Who goes there?
Maisie has apparently decided that if I’m going to turn the lamp off and make them sleep where they’re supposed to then she’s going to sleep in the doorway, not on the roost. I’m not sure if this is her way of pouting about it, or if she’s really standing guard tonight.
Either way she definitely wasn’t happy to be disturbed by the flash. Of course she might still be holding a grudge from my warming my hands while I cleaned the coop today.
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Our fugly farm house?
We’ve got an accepted contract on this house. Of course it’s subject to an inspection and the sale of our house. We’re back to having 45 days to sell our house (44 more to go) in order to make it all happen.
This house is actually better in a lot of ways than the first was. And while we had looked at it the same weekend we dismissed it because it was seriously overpriced. The same day the first house failed the inspection, the price on this one was dropped $50,000. We’ve agreed on a price another $15,000 under that.
The inside is suffering from poor decorating taste and seriously weird flow. The floor plan issues are a result of the multiple additions that have been added and really just requires the removal of a couple of non-load bearing walls when we get motivated. The house is also lacking in the curb appeal department but the problem can likely be solved with paint, window trim and some minor adjustments to the roof line when the roof is next replaced.
The pluses of this house? Four bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms, double what we have now. An actual dining room. Three and a half acres of perfectly level dry land. Most of it cleared and all of it mowed by the current owner. There are a total of six buildings on the plot. The house, a 3 stall barn (very cute), a 2 car garage with workshop, a tractor shed, an old shed perfect for chickens and an unfinished mother-in-law studio that also serves as the well house. It’s seriously got every building we could possible need. And likely a lot more than we’ll use at first.
So cross your fingers for us. There’s been a lot of drive by interest in our house, but not a lot of real action. And the Fed isn’t helping us any with all their dire predictions for the economy. But as Mike keeps reminding me, it only takes one right person to make it all come together.
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Good luck on the house. It sounds like it should work perfectly for you. Especially with all the out buildings. We just sold our home a month ago. It went much faster than we had ever anticipated, so we were very lucky. Like you said, it only takes one person to buy your house and enable you to move into the new one.
How I wish I could have some chickens. I am still trying to figure out how to do that and not break our neighborhood RULES. Frustrating. How we wanted to live the country life. Around here the land is hard to find and a good school, even harder. I am setting the dream on hold till the kids get done with school…long ways away, but still in sight.
Wow, the outbuildings are a huge bonus! (Take it from one who knows: my farm ambitions are only hindered by the lack of buildings to realize them. Oh, and fences.) But the house? It’s the windows. Sliders are SO not Farmhouse.
But are you sure your Australorps is not my Maggie? She is perennially broody, and pissed off about it. Maybe it’s just the breed.
crossing my fingers for your house’s sale.
ooh, how exciting. best of luck on both houses.
Despite your calling it fugly (and it really is only skin deep), it sure does seem like the perfect house for your needs. Good luck!
Thanks for the good juju frugalmom. It’s looking like we got screwed by setting our price prior to the Fed making all their dire predictions. We’ll likely be dropping the price sometime in the next 2 weeks. Just trying to get some traffic so we can find our one person.
El, Lucy’s actually a Black Langshan (feathered feet). She’s usually pretty low key. Although the looks of the breed mean that she also looks pissy even though she’s usually pretty sweet.
Thanks Anita and Sophie!
Keeping fingers crossed for a quick sale.
We bought our house with the land in mind more than the house. Houses can always be changed
I’ve been impressed that you raise chickens but you also know about non-load bearing walls. You’re good! My fingers are crossed for house successes all the way around.
I think it has curb apeal potential. I agree it is the windows that throw off the groove. I think shutters would really make a huge difference.