Taking Shape

Monday was hot, too, and still sunny into the late afternoon. (Well, we were hit by a freak downpour from one large, fast-moving cloud, but it only lasted a minute. By the time John and Maggie were calling us inside, it had stopped.)

Joe and I worked from about 5 to 8, and were able wrap most of the outside of the coop with the first layer of particle board.

We had planned to have pizza all together, but that fell apart, and I decided to go home to get some other stuff done. Instead I fell asleep. What's funny about the pizza plans was John's perspective. "We're getting pizza," John said. "No, they changed plans," I said. "Nobody tells me anything," said John.

Joe's Shadow

Just an artsy shot from atop the step ladder, near the end of the framing day.

Rising

Images from the beginning and ending of a long day. The guys at Acra Building Supply delivered this big load of wood within an hour of us being at the store, and threw in an extra box of screws, gratis. We've been well impressed with their help, their generosity, and their wood during this whole project, and certainly encourage people to patronize them. (Like this: Fine! We'll buy your wood. Hmph.)

The weather got as hot as predicted, but Joe brought the shade, and Maggie provided the tea, and we kept a pretty steady pace from about 9:30 am to 7:30 pm.

The end of the day was punctuated by another dinner by Stace, with a birthday cupcake, candle, and song for me. (Thanks, again. I'm lucky to have such good neighbors.)

We're Not Building a Pond

So this post, plus today's rainy weather, have me caught up to date. Today is Monday, back to school after April Break, and with much pride for the work we've completed on the coop already.

Here is the finished deck, and the only way I can vouch that it is level is based on our instrument readings. More than once Joe and I stepped back, convinced ourselves that there was no way, by the look of it, that our cross pieces were correct. And yet our level said otherwise. Trust the bubble.

Compare this with the Google SketchUp plans posted earlier, and you might just be able to imagine... right there... see them? Eggs.

Lunch

Notice not only the growing size of the base, but the nice spread Maggie was putting out for lunch.

Ta-Da!

After weeks of deconstructing my house interior a few years ago, I still remember the very first moment of construction-- a short two-by-four fireblocker near the front door.

Here rises our coop from humble beginnings. This is the same foot that we end up using a car jack to shift after completion of the deck the next day. But for this brief moment it is perfectly straight and beautiful to us. A cornerstone, pressure-treated.

The plan was to set ten of these and lay four-by-four posts from one to the next. The string held a level (out of frame) to speed up the process. Everything went smoothly, which doesn't make for interesting reading, but allowed us to get ahead of schedule.

Making Rocks

John's here cleaning off some of the implements of construction after the pouring of all the footers.

We used fast-set cement and mixed the first two right inside the buckets-- me adding the ingredients and Joe stirring with an aluminum pole. But the next morning we opted to mix the stuff in a wheelbarrow to save time and effort. I don't know if we did that. It was still a heck of a lot of mixing, the heavy powder turning to soup with very little water, requiring more powder to congeal it once more. (It looked tough-- Joe did 90 percent of the stirring.) After a few hours we had the remaining eight holes filled, and our braces hardening quickly in each.

That was Thursday evening, the night before our big weekend push. Joe and I made plans to buy materials early the next morning. Finally, some wood.

Joe and I had just enough time to make a run to Home Depot for seventeen bags of concrete, five bags of rocks, six pails, and one 2 by 4, and to pour two of the footers. Friday will be a big build day. We're hoping to get a chunk of the "deck" done by the weekend.

Beautiful day here today. Much wildlife is emerging: woodpeckers, peepers, and bats-- my favorites.

We've been wondering how much we should involve the government in this project. No building permit, no taxes to pay on egg sales. Of course we might do with some of that stimulus money...

Coop SketchUp

I used Google SketchUp to design a rough image of the coop(s). Two separate areas for two different types of birds, a "staging" area in between, and a small storage shed for supplies in the back.

The Far Side

Groundbreaking

If we build it, they will come. And lay eggs.

Joe, John, and I spent a few hours marking the location for the coop and its runs. It took a little while to get it squared. But I whipped out the scientific calculator and performed a little SOHCAHTOA on it. Yeah, that didn't work. Joe suggested the Pythagorean Theorem. That worked, and proves why he teaches college kids and I'm still teaching the nines trick after seventeen years. (Ha! Betcha don't know the nines trick.)

Anyway. With the coop laid out we decided to do a "little digging", just to test the ground and gauge how much time we needed to dig ten holes deep enough to each fit a five gallon bucket. That testing turned into actual effort, and before it got dark we had... all ten holes dug. Off to a good start. Plus, I hate digging and I'm glad its over.

Got cleaned up and all went over to Joe and Stacey's for a little spread. Stacey tried to dissuade me from turning my bagels halves into one sandwich, but I did anyway. This was actually the first time I've been in their house. It's really cool. Great design and layout, great colors and deco.

Joe and I plan to pour cement Wednesday evening. Only weeks until we get our birds.

Pre-Chicken, Pre-Coop

About two months ago Stacey stopped me in school to ask if I'd be interested in some community gardening. I started my garden last year and, honestly, I ate little of the food it produced. I was hesitant to repeat the whole process this year. But, always willing to try something new, I told Stacey I thought it was a good idea and I'd be willing to participate.

At that point she mentioned the chickens.

I recall chuckling at the mention of the chickens. Chickens? That one I'd have to think about more carefully.

Last year I was awaiting any significant mention of home gardens in the news. With the onset of difficult economic times, rising prices on everything, I thought someone somewhere in the government would start to push the idea of "victory gardens" as a means to offset the skyrocketing cost of feeding your family. Then again, our country was being run by an establishment that has difficulty seeing solutions that don't require oil.

Chickens?

Stacey got the neighbors together for a night out at Oak Hill Kitchen, and we discussed the idea. She also organized a trip to a family "farm" in Palenville. We started talking numbers and designs, and, well... Chickens.

My April Break started yesterday, and as I write this I'm also preparing to start the groundbreaking on our coop. The design of the coop(s) is done. The location has been decided. Joe, Stacey's husband, and I will start Monday evening.

Chickens.