August 2008

1. Budget is slightly better than Uhaul. After overheating twice before getting 1 hour away from Moscow, we detached the car and had no further problems. Brian was cautious however and drove most of the way with the heat on to avoid any problems. The poor guy melted the entire way. The cost was much less than Uhaul, and they were very nice to work with.

2. Green is not Green. My parent drove two trailers up from Utah carrying the metal roofing for the barn. The company who made the roofing had some left over forest green that my dad was able to get for a good deal, but they had to make the rest. Once we uncovered the roofing we determined classic green is different than forest green, but only slightly. Much to our dismay the roofing needed to be returned for the correct green.

3. 1 for 4 is failing. The garage door, shown in a picture below, arrived soon after my parents did from Utah to be installed. Once the panels were out of the box we learned that the doors were 1) the wrong color, 2) the wrong style, 3) the wrong glass, BUT it was the right size. The guys installed the system anyhow so we could close off the garage. Hopefully the correct door will arrive in a few weeks.

4. A wing nut is not just a crazy person. It turns out a wing nut is an object and not a person. For the better part of a week I have been crawling around pulling wires (part of which are pictured), then ripping them open and connecting the smaller wires inside to create current that will turn lights on and make plugs work (electrical work I am still trying to understand). Well, a wing nut twists over two wires to connect the current.

5. Ladders should not be adjusted from the top. When climbing down from the roof I noticed that the ladder's foot was not the right direction. Although this proved not to be life-threatening when I climbed it, I felt it necessary to adjust the ladder from the roof (bad ideal #1). This ladder is one of those extending ladders where little claws catch to put it higher or allow it to compact. Well after adjusting the ladder and assuming it was secure because it had not dropped (bad idea #2), I put my hand on the top rung to begin my decent, only to have the ladder drop out from underneath me. I managed to hold onto the ladder as my arm slid along the side of the roof. This enormous bruise from the original raspberry combined with black and blue legs from balancing on two by fours while pulling wires, a swollen mosquito (spider?) bite under my eye which without make-up gives the appearance of a half-healed black eye, and small cuts up arms from vicious lilac bushes makes Brian hesitant to go into public with me for fear of being taken in for questioning.

6. Cats are functional and cute. I have never been a cat person. It turns out on a farm, cats are important to catch mice. This cute cat showed up when we did (the welcoming committee?). It has caught, no kidding, four mice a day or more. It meows real load when it gets a catch, waits for praise, then continues to gulp the mouse down. I haven't fed it, or given it water, but it seems to be doing great. It has even started to grow on me. It just so happens to be really cute--even my dad likes it, which is saying a lot.

I have a few leads on job opportunities, including a lunch meeting this week for a office in Shoshone. I think I am adjusting well. It is very quiet and super dark at night--no more arby's lighting up my living room at night. Any fun stories would be appreciated. Stay tuned for more farm lessons:)