February-March 2009

You can tell from my slacker nature that things have been a little slow on the farm. Only 2 weeks ago did we resume work on the barn since our holiday/winter break and as always, there are new lessons to be learned.

1) It is possible for someone to tell you to "screw up the wall," but expect you to do it right......I know, it's a knee slapper. We finished paneling the walls of the barn with OSB. OSB is the yellowish wood you generally see building being build out of before the exterior is put on. It takes lots of screws to secure it to the stud...which brings me to #2.

2) A screw is not just a screw. There are all sorts of screws and they are not all equal. For 80% of the barn we used star-headed screws with a self-driving tip. Nice. Special screws my dad buys in Ogden. Well, we ran out the these screws and had to use Phillips head screws (because no one in twin falls has the other "special" screws. Let me tell you--big difference!! While dad cursed at them, I decided to make up my own song entitled "I hate these screws." So, if any of you are going to be paneling in the near future (especilly very large multiple story buildings)--Star-headed screws!

3) Dogs catch mice. Dogs play with mice. Dogs bury mice. Dogs digs them back up again to play with said mice. Dogs eat mice. Yuck! It's hard to imagine my puppy that runs into walls when he walks because he is not looking forward, is capable of catching mice--but he must. He plays with mice like a cat! Should I be worried--does anyone else have a dog with this cat like behavior? I think he and Collie are secretly having a competition.

4) Cats are smarter than dogs. I know, I know, this may ruffle the feathers of you dog lovers, but the evidence is indisputable. I'm not even a huge fan of cats, but Collie knows what's going on. Lavell will chase Collie into a bush--cornered, right? Wrong. Collie will run out the other side of the bush while Lavell waits for her to reveal herself again. All the while, she will sit on the driveway sunning herself while he still searches! Sure she can't sit, lie down, roll over, etc. on demand, but that's just it--she's too smart to take orders! She goes to the bathroom in the same spot everytime with minimal clean-up instead of taking a dump (forgive the expression, I figured it was one of the better options) in the middle of the nice wood floor in the loft of the barn. She can fend for herself and avoid standing in the road waiting for a car to hit her. Anyhow, just an observation. I have to add that Lavell is still the best puppy in the world, and although his bathroom behaviors are confused in the barn, he does a wonderful job in the house and continues to learn new tricks.

On a more serious note, we've learned one lesson this year for the third time. Between Brian and I, we have lost 3 Grandpa's in less than a year. Our families will deeply miss their presence, example and love. That being said, one lesson I have learned is that I know I will get to give my grandpa's a giant hug again someday. I am so grateful for the knowledge of where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going. I don't know how I would handle death like this if I did not know that family relationships can continue beyond the grave.