The Work Continues

A follow-up of this post.

I shall present you with a bunch more pictures of what we’ve been doing. But first, I’ve got a question to ask: Do you prefer full-size pictures (like what I’ve been putting up), or smaller pictures? I know I prefer full size, but that may be different for some of you. I can easily change the size if most of you want them to be smaller.

And now…what we’ve been doing at the new place.

On Friday, we went over to work and took several boxes to store in the shipping container. Baby brother explored the bunk beds we just bought.

 

The view of our place after several trees have been taken out—what a difference! You can see what it looked like before here.

 

One of the boys went to dig up an area for planting catnip in. (You can also see where one of the tree stumps used to be here.)

 

Our front yard, after about five trees were taken out. You can see what it looked like before here. MUCH different and more open—and we can get to the house without bending double to get under the branches of the tree!

 

West of the house. Dad and the boys cut the tops off some of these trees, to get the main bulk out of the way. Sure makes that area look less bushy!

 

Back in the house. This is the ’53 calendar we found the first look through the place.

 

And us ladies’ work begins! The two youngest help sweep in the kitchen, and Mum explores cupboards as she works her way around the kitchen.

 

“Before” view of the laundry room (toilet is beyond). There was a rat’s nest in the cupboard under the sink. It was filthy!

 

Two brothers discuss the method for digging out thistles. (There are literally hundreds on this place!)

 

One of them pulls a tree off one of the many water tanks on the place.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Mum explores the woodstove—she’s very excited about it!

 

The view from the kitchen window—finally, you can actually see something other than tree branches through it!

 

The calendar that is still open in the kitchen.

 

 

A peek into the living room, from the kitchen.

 

Mum cleaning the bathroom. You can see just a little corner of my bedroom here, also.

 

Saturday, we went back there. Dad worked on raising the roof of the place where we will keep the fridge and install a counter (with several shelves underneath).

 

My second-youngest brother and I opened the front door—for the first time in sixteen years! There were LOTS of dead flies in front of it.

 

We also opened the curtains on the first set of windows in the living room—again, for the first time in sixteen years! And you can actually see through the window—there were no branches to block the view!

 

The windowsill was covered in dead flies and bees.

 

I think there were at least three different kinds of insects there.

 

Oh, did I ever mention that there are LOTS of old spider webs in the house?

 

Meanwhile, Mum works on reclaiming the path from the weeds. It will be fun to walk along it once all the knee-high (and higher) grass is out of the way!

 

And Dad works on taking off the outer panel of the wall.

 

Poor baby, he’s very bored. By this time, he was just starting to demand to go “Vroom, vroom, bye bye!”. He does not like this new place at all—no one pays attention to him while we’re there!

 

He decided to try entertaining himself on the rocker….

 

…but it won’t rock very well for him.

 

So he goes to beg Mum if they can go home.

 

And laughs at his sister who is taking picture after picture of him.

 

This is a sixteen-year-old peg. Yes. Everything around here is at least sixteen years old!

 

Dad cuts another portion of the wall.

 

One wall of the kitchen is made up of cupboards. Mum doesn’t like the colour (green), but I think it’s nice—maybe not the best it could be, but at least it isn’t like dark green!

 

The table, full of Dad’s tools, and the stove.

 

Another view of the stove.

 

The top needs some work. Hopefully some bicarbonate of soda and water will do the trick!

 

Several boys went swimming, and were just coming up to change while Mum finished what she was working on for the day.

 

The back of the house—not long before, you could hardly see the house because of all the trees in the way from this point! But now it’s wonderfully open and light in there!

 

Dad starts the generator, to finish what he was doing for the day.

And there. Now you’re caught up on everything that we’ve been doing lately at the new place! So far, work in the kitchen has progressed very well in my opinion. In one afternoon, Dad was able to take a wall and open it up to work on. Now he’s ready to raise the top (which is really the bottom of a cupboard on the other side). Hopefully next Saturday we’ll be able to get even more done!

~Esther