Dirt Ballet

I had hoped to provide this update on Friday, but then my computer up and died. Most irritating thing in the whole wide world. I'm only grateful I had all of my photos backed up. Sobbing a bit over the loss of my Lightroom catalog (which hadn't been backed up to my external HD in quite some time), but I will suffer that loss knowing I do at least have the photos and can re-edit as I need in the future! ...and you can bet'cha I'll be backing up ALL things more often in the future to try to mitigate any future technology failures. Ugh. Technology, I hate you and I love you.

At any rate, onto more fun topics!

Like the big hole that was dug in my yard last week!

It probably doesn't look dramatic to those who aren't as intimately familiar with the land as I am, but OMG. When they started digging down to grade it was quite a shock for me. I mean, I knew this would happen, but it was so different IRL. I just couldn't fully picture it in my head spatially prior to the initial cuts.

With each progressive scoop, my thought process was something like, "Shit, that's a lot of dirt. Shit. That's a lot of dirt! Shiiiiitttttt! That is so much dirt. OMG. There is no going back. This is a thing and it is happening."

But let's back up a little bit. Because one does not simply start digging dirt for such a project. At least not on a mountain in West Virginia where there are slopes and trees to contend with!

So, as I last updated, the excavator arrived on June 7 and got a jump start clearing trees:

Friday's progress

And while I was at work on Monday, they finished clearing the trees, sorted the trees into to-be-milled and to-be-firewood piles, ripped the stumps out, buried some stumps, and burned the remaining stumps and branches.

What I arrived home to on Monday

Welp, guess my trees are gone!

Smoldering remains

Trees used to obscure this view!

Right of center is the road bench I've discussed in the past. Trees used to line the uphill edge where I'm standing straight
toward the remaining trees visible in this image. I think we cleared a total of 20 trees for the project.

Gorgeous large cherry that will be milled for the interior of the stalls (I wear a size 7 glove for reference lol)

Another beautiful cherry

I sent this to the excavator with the caption: The direwolves have claimed the throne. Long live House Stark!
He loved it.

On Tuesday, they cleared off my top soil in preparation for the real earth moving to begin. 

Now, I know my development was once a 200-acre farm. And I know we've got some decent soil for a ridgetop. My neighbors lawns that are only mowed and not treated otherwise are LUSH. But watching my topsoil pile up as they separated it made me realize I don't just have decent topsoil. I've got some dank ass topsoil. No wonder the yards and pastures that remain on this ridgetop are so damn nice!

Look at that topsoil! LOOK AT IT. OMG.

Even the excavator noted to me how damn nice this stuff was. I don't think I'm going to have much extra, but if I do I plan to do a partial trade for my hay with it. The perks of buying hay from a landscaper! lol

Once the topsoil was cleared, they set up their surveying tools to figure out how much they'd need to excavate to reach grade. The answer? 7 feet.

That both sounded like a LOT and not much at all. I knew it would be okay in the end, but I definitely couldn't visualize what exactly the "end" was at this point! Fortunately, I trust my excavators completely and knew all would be fine whether or not I could imagine how it was going to end up.

And so, the dirt ballet began.

Father in dozer, son in excavator, dirt ballet in progress.

Repetitive scoop after scoop of the excavator and push and shove of the dozer proceeded as the father and son team expertly danced the machines around one another in a beautiful and powerful dance.

By the end of Tuesday, they were halfway done with excavation.

It doesn't seem like a big drop, but keep in mind that machinery isn't exactly little!

The dozer is basically sitting in the future barn.

The front of the operator seat and the arm/bucket are in the future dry lot

Because why not?

The sunset was really starting to glow. Never mind that the windchill was in the 30s later this night...

I had to! Still need to send this to the excavator lol

Friday afternoon, Monday night, and Tuesday night.

And by the end of Wednesday, things were looking really nice. I could not believe the change by the end of the day! It really came together beautifully.

Wednesday mid-morning

Wednesday at lunch

Wednesday evening

A Kenai for scale. 

Dekalb loam soil for anyone curious

Standing on the sculpted track down to the road bench looking toward the house. Still some topsoil left to spread up top!

Road bench incline down to the left. The bank in front of me in this photo will become a much gentler slope down into the
pasture when they finish.

It was so much easier to see how things would come together after they finished Wednesday. With the exception of a bit more earth sculpting where the dry lot will release into the far pasture, things with the earth moving are pretty much complete.

Despite being lucky with weather all week, the rain finally made an appearance on Thursday, prohibiting hopes of finishing that final bit of earth work or spreading gravel.

On Friday after it dried out a bit, they did manage to get one load of gravel dumped, but then they had to pull the dumptruck out of the site with the dozer due to the soft ground.

One load of stone...

As a result, they opted to finish spreading the stone Saturday morning.

Unloading the second load of stone in two piles for easier and more uniform spreading

Boom! That's gonna be my barn!!!!! Also, note the new lumber shipment lol

And that's where we left things at the start of the weekend.

The excavators will be back after their contracted duties are complete at my future office site in about 2 weeks. At that time, they will finish land sculpting, install the French drain, the trench for utilities, and complete my dry lot. In the mean time, Dave has a nice graveled spot to begin work on the barn!

My assignment this evening, other than oggling over whatever Dave has managed to accomplish will be to get the banks that won't be disturbed again seeded and mulched. Eee!

Can't wait to continue to watch things unfurl and provide y'all with an update soon.

A Seredipitous Start

I've lost track of the times over the years I've shared something in this space only to have things reverse themselves within 24 hours of posting. But you know what? In this instance, I'm really not gonna wonder or complain much about the hows or whys!

Late Thursday, right as I was about to flip my phone to airplane mode for the evening, I received a text from the excavator:

I stared in disbelief for a moment before sharing the news with Dave. Fortunately, Dave's fumbling to set up a contingency schedule for our previous 3-week delay hadn't resulted in any hard plans yet, and he was able to accommodate this new schedule to the new barn schedule. HUZZAH! 

I can hardly believe my good luck that my future office was delayed for just the amount of time we need to get my barn project off the ground. I had previously been concerned that Dave's schedule of jobs was going to get all cattywampus with the excavator's delay, thus resulting in a longer delay. It's beyond serendipitous that things are working out this way.

And so, on Friday as I sat peacefully reading a book in my living room, I heard the telltale whine of a heavy engine and looked outside to see the equipment arriving. Never in my life have I been so overjoyed to see heavy equipment.

Eeeee!

Excavator + extra bucket heading to parking spot

Barn will be just downhill from front of excavator

I wasn't certain if they would start on Friday or not and had planned to head to town to run errands, but after they returned with the dozer, I heard the drone of the engine and opted to hangout for a little while and watch. 

See, while I spend a lot of time working on the environmental side of construction (reading project descriptions and analyzing how the action may impact the environment directly and indirectly), I rarely see this kind of thing in action. It was SO cool. And so very practical! I knew it would be, but still, some things you can't fully comprehend until you actually watch them happen. 

He just marched down there and started plucking trees out of the ground as if he was picking flowers

And boom, suddenly the treeline looks different

Limbs in one pile, trunks in another, stumps in a third

The day reached a point when I knew I was going to have to head to town, so I sauntered over to speak with K before leaving, "This has been SO COOL to watch!" I grinned, approaching him. "I sit behind a desk and don't get to actually watch this kind of thing so much as read about it. It is completely FASCINATING. Your son must think you're the biggest hero in the world because you get to play in the dirt and tear shit up every day."

K, laughing, "He does. And yeah, this is pretty much how the start of any construction job goes!"

We discussed the project a bit more before parting ways for the weekend.

What a difference an hour makes....

They're back out there today, though I'm unfortunately not teleworking with my birds-eye-view of all of their progress. I don't expect them to do much more than finish clearing the trees today because of the rain in the forecast. Though I can't wait to see the progress when I get home!

This is just step one of the process, but I am so very exciting things have started. It all just felt so surreal before. To see things happening and to watch the landscape change makes it all feel so much more real. I hardly have words for my excitement...

More updates to come later this week as things progress!

Delays and Disappointment

Meh.

That about sums up my headspace since Monday afternoon.

Despite knowing full well that construction delays are very probable and basically guaranteed, I can't help but feel very disappointed and sad at the inevitable delay that I'm dealing with for the barn project.

Photo from a happier moment last week
A very chill drinking ride with Staniel

This past Tuesday was supposed to be our start day. Well, actually, last Tuesday was supposed to be but it got pushed to this week. Well, I got a call on Monday around 3:30p from my excavator saying he ran into an unexpected issue (someone else's past error that he had to clean up) on one of his current jobs. He was really apologetic about it all, even though it wasn't something he had no control over. He shared that due to this setback coupled with his contracted obligations at my future office building, it was going to be 3 weeks or so before he could come up and start my project.

Cue: sad trombone music.

As he told me all of this, my face and body fell in disappointment. I know there is nothing I can do about it and I know it isn't his fault and I know these kinds of things are so expected with jobs like this. But it doesn't make it any less disappointing or make me feel any less sad.

Just. Meh.

I know everything will be okay in the end and it isn't the end of the world, but I can't shove off the feelings of disappointment and sadness right now, y'know? I was just so excited to see things Get Started. To see my literal life dream unfold before my eyes. And now, despite knowing it will happen (eventually) and knowing that my current feelings/thoughts are quite flawed and irrational, I just feel like I'm stuck spinning my wheels.

Just the happiest little QH ears you ever did see

I'll pull myself out of this feeling of stagnation in due time. Though the blog may be a bit quieter than I hoped while I wait for this delay to pass. Hopefully I'll have more exciting updates in a few weeks...

Happy Q Day!

Seven years ago today, I brought Q home. I cannot believe it has been so long already!

She has taught me more about horses, myself, and life than I ever could have dreamed and has carried me more miles than any other horse in my life to date. She has completed 11 endurance rides and we have ridden in five states during our time together - which is a lot considering I'd never left the state with a horse prior to her!

I look forward to many more years and many more lessons with this little spitfire mare. Hopefully we'll find ourselves in a dressage court for some of it!

Thanks to Chelsey for helping me capture these photos!

Holy Shopping, Batman!

I'm not usually one to go on big shopping sprees. For most intents and purposes, I have all I need. And I'd rather spend my surplus funds on experiences more than gear/clothing when I can. But when you're building a barn, spending priorities change! I've got a barn to furnish, after all.

Knowing I'd need to shop for the barn, I thought ahead to when there were likely to be some pretty solid sales. Considering the barn timeline, Memorial Day sales seemed like my best bet. And they didn't disappoint!

First, I nabbed four 12' gates and flitted to Tractor Supply on Friday morning to bring those home.

#redneckstyle

Figuring out how in the hell to bring home a 12' gate when no one around you has a 12' trailer is real fun. Fortunately, it worked out ...sorta... the trailer was still only 8' and the gates had a bit of overhang - but they were super solid! Now they're home and waiting for when we install the fence later in June.

Next, knowing I'd be hauling horses sooner than later, I hopped on Amazon and grabbed the aftermarket tire pressure monitoring system Jen posted about.

I'm pretty anxious in general when hauling, but when I break down the "whys" behind that anxiety it comes down to two things: the tires and knowing whether or not the horses are comfortable or fussing about. Fortunately, both of these things are easily remedied with some Amazon purchases! (Though, admittedly, getting the cameras will come a little later.)

Being able to observe the tire pressure in each tire from my driver's seat is going to lend so much more peace of mind when I haul. After having a tire blow out spectacularly on Grif and I on a friend's trailer in 2017, my worries and anxieties about it happening again have only grown. I don't mind having to change a tire, it's just the not knowing immediately that it's blown that bothers me. I want to be able to pull over ASAP if I have an impending flat and address it. Now I'll be able to do that!

As for the rest of my purchases, I headed over to Stateline to enjoy the 30% off orders >$129. Additionally, when you buy multiples of things from them, they often discount them further! Having those savings plus 30% off sounded pretty sweet to me since I needed to buy multiples of most things I was ordering. Ultimately, I saved ~$145. I'll take it!...even if the additional shipping costs from the weight of it all gutted me a bit.

So, what's coming my way, soon?

One fence energizer for obvious reasons.

Two pairs of cross ties to facilitate with grooming and vet/farrier visits.

Three zebra fly masks because they were one of the cheapest fly mask options. #sorryhorses Though, admittedly, I'm looking forward to my neighbors' reactions to these! lol

Three water buckets and three corner feeders for each of the stalls. At a later date, I will likely do the DIY insulation to the water buckets a la DIY Horse Ownership.

Four 2-way latches for each of the four gates. My current barn has these and I freaking LOVE them. They're so simple, save time coming in and out, and are easily locked. I especially love that I can bring multiple horses through the gate and then just give it a light shove and watch/hear it click securely closed.

Six tie rings. Because they're pretty damn handy for a multitude of barn necessities. I may end up needing more down the road, but six seemed like a good starting point.

And, last but not least, six saddle racks. I currently only have four saddles, so I've got some room to grow my collection (lol). But mostly I wanted the ability to set some of my heavier endurance pads (sheepskin + memory foam inserts) and a spot for the bareback pad so I'm not stacking them on my saddles.

And finally...

I, like any proper person, have amassed quite the pad collection over the years. I definitely plan to have some more towel bars out in the aisle to let these puppies dry out and not stink up my tack room, but for their ultimate storage, I needed something for the tack room. I wanted to be as space-conscious as possible, too, and a system that could go behind my tackroom door seemed wise.  Unfortunately, horse pad-specific versions of these start at $60 and only go up from there. And those are only for a 5-bar! Boo.

Enter: IKEA! I nabbed three of the above for $45. That's space for NINE pads! Or, honestly, more because I can double up the lightest pads if needed.

It feels really good to have all of these purchases knocked out. I still need to nab a trough, muck rake, shovel, and a hay basket + net, but these are things my local TSCo provides the best prices on that I can pick up between now and when the horses come home.

Set start date for earth moving is June 3. Fingers crossed that date holds and we get this party started for real!

Of Travel and Beginnings

May has been, and will continue to be!, a crazy month for me. I didn't intend for it to be this way, but it's just how the cards were dealt.

The month kicked off with my trip to Biltmore.

Janet!

The cutest GP mare ever who had a lovely "evasion" of one tempis

I was home for a short few days and then headed off to DC to visit Austen and audit Janet Foy.

Red bat with light detector attached (temporary - has already fallen off bat)
Or, as I prefer, BAT RAVE!

Some of the red bat's vocalization after we released her.
Did you know: we can ID bats to species (or genus at a minimum) based on their vocalizations?
Isn't science the coolest?

Immediately following the clinic, I headed to a training on bat acoustics for work for the week.

My less-than-enthusaistic yard helpers

While I was removing the native layer of vegetation (and rocks...ugh) to build this flowerbed.
It looks small here but it's actually 8.5' x 6.5'

I had this past weekend home to enjoy some glorious weather and tackle some long-planned yard work, which felt SO good to accomplish. Though there is more yet to tackle in the coming weeks!

Galloped up this hill. Stopped for requisite snacking. Duh.
And yes, that is a leopard print bareback pad and a hot pink bridle.

Heading back to the herd, pausing for model photos.

I had Monday evening to briefly and quickly visit the horses, stuff them full of treats, and enjoy a lovely bareback meander on my forever best boy.

And now, I'm attending yet another work training out of town for several days. When I return home, it will be for less than 24 hours before bouncing off to audit a Mary Wanless clinic near DC - something I have been looking forward to for literal months since I found out about it!

If weather and luck hold, when I return, we'll be breaking ground on the barn! At which point I will put down roots much closer to home for almost 2 months while we complete the project.

Pano from the back porch of the future farm! Barn will be far right.

But lo and behold, things are already moving forward for Starlight Lane Farm!

She looks even prettier at sunset than she ever has! Just wait until that barn is built...

This past weekend, one of my farmer neighbors brought his tractor up to begin brush hogging my future pastures. I say "begin" because the fellow who helps and was doing the work this day busted a wheel on the brush hog and had to roll out without finishing the job, but I've been assured they'll be up this week to finish.

Grazing deer running from me because I mimed a karate kick in their direction 

It's a long way from being where I know it will be, but it's a huge step in the right direction and that thrills me to no end because the land hasn't been mowed since prior to 2015. It's been a happy little field of goldenrod and hawthorne for awhile, but I'm very confident that with some TLC (regular mowing, a soil test, recommended fertilization and seeding), it'll become what I know it can based on the rest of the open, mowed spaces on our ridgetop (which was once a farm and is still partially maintained as such for hay). One step at a time!

Big ol' pile of white oak! Barn will be just beyond it by about 25'

It smells soooooo good

Another exciting development? The wood for the exterior siding also came home the day I headed to DC.

Heavy freaking stuff!

It's remarkable to me how freaking heavy an individual board of this stuff is. White oak is dense, y'all. I don't think I could carry one board by myself. But the density and quality of white oak is exactly what will make it durable. It doesn't hurt knowing that my barn is most definitely not going to fly away in the crazy winter winds we get up here either!

White oak home, white oak barn!
House has been standing for 10 years and the siding is still raw (no stain or protectant) and looking great!

Bonus? It matches our house. Which was the impetus for choosing white oak all along.

In addition to the newly mowed pasture and the siding, the coated wire for the fence arrived. I've got four 70+ lb. boxes of brown coated wire sitting in my garage awaiting the day we install the fence (later in June).

And to top it all off, I found a local hay supplier! I am very happy to have that [very big] box checked off my "must do" list - it feels so good. Big bonus that it is a local friend with a quality hay pasture I've eyed longingly for years (and based on the soil map, it's the same soil type as I have so fingers crossed the pasture will be nice like this one day). I'll probably help make it, too, which will be a lot of work great workout and learning experience.

It's wild orchid season! These are pink lady's slippers.
They're the "truck nuts" of the flower world....use your imagination.  

I'm a bit sad to have to put seeing my horses on the backburner this month, but c'est la vie! Soon enough, they will be coming home and I'll see them all the time. For now, I'm grateful they've got a good situation with ample pasture to enjoy and friends to play with.

Things will probably [continue to] be a little quiet over here as May wraps up, but with any luck I'll have time to put together some posts on my Mary Wanless take-aways, and I will absolutely be updating about the construction process as more develops in coming weeks!