Chronicles of the Corn Crib

One of the things noTTafarm is missing is a proper garage.  It's a problem that has stumped us.  Not only do we need to house our regular daily drivers, we need to find homes for The Spring Chicken (Scott's '51 Willys restoration project) and HelmuTT (Scott's '02 Audi TT).  No matter what:  we certainly cannot park the TT where it would be exposed to the elements.

While we wait for the construction of the new addition and its 3-car garage, we've decided that the existing corn crib allows the ideal location and size for interim vehicle storage.  The problem is that the corn crib has nearly reached the end of its useful life.  The east side is hanging by a thread to what's left of its foundation.  The wooden floor in the two outer bays is rotted.  The roof is in need of repair.

What to do with such a potential health hazard and definite eye-sore?  Enter The Architect! Scott has convinced me that not only is the corn crib the correct size - it's going to be a fairly easy fix. First things first, though:  we had to clean out 60 some-odd years of debris (not to mention a few hundred wasps that were happily nested within.)  Lucky for us, this past Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and the cool temperature motivated us to get busy.

First things first:  Scott obliterated the wasps.

With quiet winds, we started the fire early.

The "front" or south-facing elevation.

The east side is in the worst shape.

The center bay.  Scott is knocking down wasps nests with a big stick.

The west side.

The back or north-facing side.

I took my friend Marie's advice and suited-up with snake prevention gear:  new rubber boots from Target!  Because we didn't know what was lurking in the debris, Scott bought me my very own NIOSH-approved face mask and protective eye glasses.  Gloves, long sleeves, and a hat kept most of the grime off - but you wouldn't believe how dirty I felt when we were done!  Best news of the afternoon:  no snake sightings!

We filled seventeen 33-gallon trash bags with an odd assortment of old wire, plastic flowers, ancient leaves, and of course a few pieces of carpeting.  We will dispose of everything in a big dumpster which will be delivered to noTTafarm next Saturday morning.

Found in the corn crib:  five doors, one mirror, and one marble shelf.  I'm thinking some of these items will find new homes in the new addition.

Scott was all smiles when we were done cleaning.  Now on to the fun "design phase"!

We ended our Saturday at noTTafarm with a bonfire, s'mores, and another beautiful sunset!