Love Comes to noTTafarm

A kiss for luck before the work begins...

Two of our favorite lovebirds visited on Saturday.  I'm sure my big brother Mark and his wife LuAnn were hoping for a leisurely day in the countryside.  However, after the obligatory guided tour and a quick lunch, we put them to work!

First on the agenda was the barn.  Mark and LuAnn came to Omaha armed with two big brooms to tackle the task of sweeping.  Aside from layers of dust and cobwebs, the barn was littered with a variety of animal droppings, hardware bits, and remnants of odds 'n' ends.

Mark's Boots Are Made for Workin'

Sweeping the barn's loft was a bit trickier.  In addition to finding piles of dirt to eliminate, a variety of cracks and knot holes allowed an unpleasant shower of ick to rain down on the first-floor workers.  I didn't blame Mark and LuAnn for taking a break and enjoying some fresh air.

The dust mask was Scott's best friend as he swept the loft.

 When the sweeping was basically complete, we moved on to the next bit of fun.

"What else ya got?  Sweeping is child's play."

Hey, I know...let's cut down a tree!
Mark and Scott decided that one Chinese elm tree had to go.  It was growing too close to the barn and too close to another Chinese elm.

The arrow points to the doomed tree.

Felling this tree seemed like a quick job for an afternoon.  But, of course, once it hit the ground, that tree was huge!  Scott ran the chainsaw and Mark guided the tree to the open area with a series of ropes.

Notching the trunk.

Mark was in charge of the ropes.

Got it down without crushing LuAnn and Kristin and/or the Barn.

The mighty hunters with their prey.

LuAnn discusses the craft ideas inspired by the trunk's extracted wedge.  All she needs is a little paint and a "watermelon slice" will be born!  Too bad her boys have outgrown 4-H.

I even got off my butt and did some work!  I climbed up and swept a few years worth of leaves and muck off the roof.  

Finally, our work was done for the day.  The evening's weather was perfect for grilling steaks and dining outdoors. The night was complete with a bonfire and S'mores. 

Mark and LuAnn relaxed with a walk to check out the Longhorns next door.

The perfect end to a wonderful day at noTTafarm!

We are so lucky to have such a great family!  

A Great Big THANK YOU to Mark and LuAnn for spending the day with us and working so hard!!