So, What Else is New?

With winter sneaking up and the Thanksgiving holiday, our time at noTTafarm has been short but sweet. 
Here are a few details of recent progress:

1.)  Trenching the new water line begins tomorrow (Nov. 29)!  It should take about three days to run the line to the house.  I hope we can get a few "action" shots along the way!

2.)  Soon after the water line is installed, work will begin on the structural corrections needed in the original house.  We have found an awesome contractor who has every confidence that the job will be quick and relatively simple (for him and his crew...not for me to understand.) 

Scott conducted an on-site meeting with the structural engineer (Rick) and the contractor (Terry) so that the three of them can coordinate the structural changes.  The house will gain new steel beams and columns in the basement.  On the second floor, Terry's crew will eliminate a wall between two bedrooms and shore up the ceiling joists with a new laminated beam.  After a quick trip to the attic, Terry determined that the ceiling  joists are each one solid timber, running the complete length of the house.  Those were some tall trees that gave their life for the home's 1920 construction!

3.)  Yesterday (Nov. 27), Scott and Carl cut down an Ash tree in the front yard south of the house.  It was quite the show, what with all the chainsaw noise and ropes and such.  They got it down, and Marita and I kept busy dragging the little branches to the burn pile.  Unfortunately, the camera was left at home!  (You'll have to use your imagination.)

 The Ash trunk has been sliced into easy-to-burn chunks.

4.)  While in Kearney for the Thanksgiving holiday, Scott bought a trail camera at Cabela's.  He has it set up in the barn to see if we can discover who or what is digging big holes under the concrete slab.  Is it a badger?  Or perhaps a fox?  Or a run-of-the-mill racoon?  Stay tuned to find out!