mission (nearly) accomplished!

yesterday i closed on my house.
i signed the papers and stepped out into the thunder riotous echo of a thunder storm which i had been eagerly awaiting. what might be for some a harbinger, was for me a celebration.

today i spent my day primarily working on the chicken coop. last week i attempted to make progress but got only as far as getting the wood purchased and installing the floor and the back. i'm using deck screws that came with their own bit, i hope they will last long (and the bit has proven incredibly helpful.) it was hot and exhausting work—not to mention thought-consuming as much of the coop has been, i lasted a few hours and then became exhausted and discouraged. it was like 100 degrees out, so i am not feeling too pathetic or anything.

today i installed the cabinet doors on either wall that will allow me to clean the floor of the coop easily. i then installed the roof, which i have also made hinged for increase airflow and ability to clean. unfortunately i had two-fewer hings than i had thought, and i forgot that i would want shorter screws (otherwise defeating the purpose of the hinge). the roof also extends nearly an extra foot in the front as a rain-guard or shade or whathaveyou.

i painted what i could. i'm painting it with barn paint from beryl, it is supposedly mildew and weather resistant. i'm painting every inch of it with it—inside and out, to stave off mildew and other issues. the roof will be black, the building red, the windows and doors are white. or will be.


by tomorrow it should be finished, except for the nesting boxes. i need to pull down the roofing materials in my garage tomorrow, finish the roof and back of the house. i need to finish the facade, but this is how i intend it to look. tomorrow i will make the appropriate cuts, figure out how to attach the windows, and finish it. i have boards to attach on the inside and 5ft pieces to find for roosts.

tonight i began to make the run, but will tackle the ivy jungle tomorrow when i have close toed shoes on (not flip flops where bugs can crawl on me....) i'll need to make a new feeder and waterer (finally figured out why my first try failed me so miserably—science, gravity, water, you figure it out.) i'll need more litter for bedding.

it has certainly made it more challenging but more cost effective to build with recycled materials (in the sense that my doors and windows were all snagged from kitchen cabinets, my wood primarily from scrap piles.

i am feeling especially accomplished today. the coop was so overwhelming, i am feeling so productive with so much of it behind me—the end is insight indeed! tomorrow i will finish the coop and tackle the kitchen cabinets, and the exhaust fan. it took a little while to get motivated, but i just need to remember i'm not a morning person.

i'm a night owl. hoo-hoo.