Picnic, Anyone?

Yesterday was day one of a new building project here on the farm.
We are building a picnic pavilion in the woods.


There is a small area of woods next to our vegetable garden
 that has had a lot of fallen trees in the past few years.  
Wind damage in that area has made the woods look scruffy.


Yesterday, the dead trees were cut and  removed...


creating a 30 X 50 foot clearing.



The work soon turned into a neighborhood project.
Jim and Kathy and Hubbs fed the tree limbs into our chipper.
The chipper filled the back of the gator...


while the excavator moved more debris for us to chip...


And I moved gator loads of chipped pine into the horses dry lot.


As you can see, Red was quite happy to have soft bedding on the ground
and wasted no time in trying it out.


A few of the tree tops were given to the goats for a treat.


Next to Ritz crackers, pine needles are the goats' favorite snack.


By the time they are finished, there will be no more needles or bark left on these limbs.
Then into the chipper they will go 
and the remainder will be placed in the dry lot for the horses.
We waste nothing around here!


Perhaps even a little more exciting for me will be the construction
of a brand new composting outhouse outside the barn!
(No more hiking 1/4 mile back to the house for potty breaks.)

  Even Ginger and MaryAnn came out of their house to see what all the excitement was...

I will keep you posted with our progress in the days to come.
You know.... this means that Spring is just around the corner!!

Comments

I did not know that goats liked pine needles!

Busy, busy, busy..... I can't wait to see the picnic area. Tyler will love having picnics with you in the woods.
What kind of composting toilet? We have been looking into that here as well but haven't moved past the thinking part.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
are you going to get this storm? i think it will mostly miss us! a new project and so exciting. can't wait to follow the progress!
Junebug said…
How exciting, a new project on the farm! I will be here watching the progress and what a great idea of a potty close to the barn!! Enjoy your day! Hugs!!
Susannah said…
Great ideas!!!!! You are going to love the picnic area! And the potty close to the barn is a grand idea.
Good projects happening at your farm. Keep us posted. Sounds interesting!
Mary Ann said…
What a great use of all the components... brava! Love your minis, good to see them on the soft bedding, and this is the second post I've seen of goats eating pines! I did not know this!
Anonymous said…
How exciting!
Country Gal said…
Oh looks like fun day ! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out, a great idea ! Lovely photos ! Waiting for big snow storm to hit Ontario late this afternoon through the night and into tomorrow ! Have a good day !
This N That said…
It's always fun to have a project and it seems, you are never at a loss for one..
Lynne said…
Goats like pine needles for a treat? I am learning bits and pieces from you! Recycling too!
Unknown said…
Sounds SO exciting! I love that everything has a purpose over there. recycle, re purpose and reduce that our motto anyways. Love your photos, everyone looks to be very happy with the recycling too. Looking forward to seeing your progress!
Robyn said…
I had absolutely no idea goats like pine needles! You'd think they would hurt to eat?.. I just love your farm and your blog posts.. Everytime I come here I leave with a smile on my face. Thank you so much! :)
Robyn