May 30th to June 1st - 100 Mile House

May 30th – Wed
We got a slightly different system going to cut up logs today. We lifted the log and cut it without moving the tractor. The next log was cut right alongside the first so we ended up with a long row of rounds from many logs. Then we backed in the log splitter on the tractor and split the rounds. Terry packed the rounds to the splitter, I ran the lever to move the splitting wedge back & forth and Marg positioned the rounds to be cut and threw the cut pieces on a pile. Do you notice a pattern on who gets the easiest job?! We cut a lot of wood in a short time, then moved to another pile and made short work of it. We cut more logs into rounds before quitting for lunch.
We spent time setting up Marg’s new computer before I hit the shower. Marg & I golfed this evening and had to leave early to run a couple of errands first. We returned a 5 gallon bucket of paint that had chunks in it and bought 6 gallons of stain instead to use on the chicken house and fences. We ran out of time at the hardware store when they had to replenish the color mixing machine so will have to pick up 2 gallons of stain tomorrow.
We got to golf together today. Our mediocre games rubbed off on each other and we got the same score. The restaurant at the golf course is open now so we had dinner and both won decent door prizes.

May 31st – Thurs
We headed back out this morning to cut up logs & split wood. We got all the logs in one area done just in time for lunch. After lunch Marg took Dad to get his hearing aid checked as he was saying his ear was sore. They also got Dad’s eyeglasses adjusted. While they were gone, Terry & I worked on Marg’s new computer and backed up our computer. Also while they were gone it poured rain.
Marg had to go back to town almost immediately for more errands. The rain had stopped so I went out to use the weed eater to cut grass by the corral fences that are going to be painted. The line wouldn’t feed so that job didn’t last too long. I went to fill the water troughs (2 old bathtubs) and decided they needed to be cleaned. I didn’t know how to start water siphoning with a piece of hose kept by the troughs for that reason so I got Terry to help. We scrubbed out the junk with a broom, bailed out the last of the water and filled them with clean water. Then we installed a tongue jack on Marg’s utility trailer, pulled her boat out of the hay barn so she could park her motor home, put the boat back beside the motor home and stored some portable fence sections. By the time the chores were done and we were ready to make dinner, it was 6:30.
After dinner Marg & I decided to do a couple of small jobs outside. We cleaned leftover hay from the sheep manger and dumped the wagon load on a pile that we started earlier. The lambs had obviously been playing on the pile and scattered it so we had to rake & fork it back into a pile. We took a couple bales of hay to a small hay shed, took off the sides of the wagon, picked up a pile of sticks that we had thrown over a fence a week ago and checked the electric fence. We also repaired a couple of loose boards in the corral and fixed the weed eater. It’s a good thing that it stays light late here as we didn’t finish until 9:30.
Terry & Dad were both snoozing when we got in.

June 1st – Fri
Just as we were ready to get to work after breakfast, it started to rain. So we called Marg’s email provider (xplornet) to get help setting up email on her new computer. However, they couldn’t provide any information on moving her contacts. I played around with exporting & importing until the rain quit but with no luck.
It was already 11 but we went back to cutting wood. The wood was much harder to split today so it took us until 1 to finish – and then it was lunch time of course.
Then we turned a quick job into one that took the rest of the afternoon. Marg went to start cleaning the outhouse – kept for parties & power outages – and when I joined her she had pulled out the floor as it was rotten. We took measurements, found a piece of plywood, made the cuts and it wouldn’t slide into place. Terry applied some pressure and it went in but was not the right fix – the plywood didn’t have enough support and rocked up & down. Now we couldn’t get the plywood out to figure out how to support it!! Terry ripped out a board and got it out so we could put in some support boards. Of course while we were doing all this, we pulled up the decaying seat portion and had to make a new one. The roof also had a hole (corrugated plastic to provide light) so we sent Terry to the store for material to replace it. It wouldn’t fit in the truck and it was too windy to put it in the back so we had to wait until the hardware store manager (Marg’s neighbor) finished work and delivered it on his way home.
By now it was time for chores & dinner. After dinner, Terry took Marg to her friend Quille’s so Marg could borrow her trailer & ATV. Terry towed the trailer back and Marg drove the ATV mostly off the main road. While they were gone, I finished some weed eating. By the time Marg got back, Terry & I were putting the roof on the outhouse. Marg put bands on the 2 youngest lambs to dock their tails and we were finally done for the day.