About the Old Place at this Point in Time

First, I thank anyone who commented yesterday... I forgot to close comments off.  

I can't read them yet, though Keith did, and thanks you all. 

It was a hard day for us. 

I thought it would be good to update things about the old place. 

I go out there twice a day, to take care of the chickens.  In the morning, I turn on the lights in the old henhouse, and the henspa.  In the evening, go out, refresh all the waters... check their feed... and replace what I need to.  At this stage... mice have overridden both henhouses because there are so few birds.  

I have to throw feed out because it gets nasty, so I am putting out less and less. 

I am also still moving things... more about that in a minute. 

This is the view this morning, just inside the front gate, showing the big maple tree... the apple trees and the weeping cherry, with the shop and garage off in the distance. 

Here is a closer view of the shop, a big barn, and the old garage.  The original house on the big strawberry property was to the east, or left, of these buildings, on the property line between Troy's house and our house. 

That's the dying huge walnut tree in front of the buildings, about half of it is now leafing out. 

Here's a view of the arbor between the garden beds, one of the first things that Keith built when we moved in. That's the henspa behind it, and the garden beds on either side.  When I emptied the planters on the porch, I tried to build up the sides of the patio that was laid last year. 

Here is the house and the wellhouse... little by little, I am getting things removed... the deck is almost empty now. 

Here are the two north beds of the garden... with the old hoop house behind them.  The iris are getting ready to explode. 

A closeup of iris blooming this morning, and I have to tell you... this is one iris coming with me. 

Volunteer lettuce is growing in the bed from last year.  I am going to rake this all out tomorrow... take the weeds out... and rake all the darn "helicopters" out, because they will take root.  I'm also going to plant a tomato plant next door, in the next bed.  Just for the heck of it, and because I can't help myself. 

The north perennial bed.  The buddleias are not looking good. 

The south perennial bed... I need to weed big time. 

The little red henhouse has been closed up for two years, now.... and the old rabbit hutch that the hens loved to lay in is going into the dumpster in two weeks. 

You see the goats have knocked the ramp down. 

And the little henyard (with the red henhouse) will soon be impossible to walk in. 

Here is the old henhouse... we adapted this building, which was actually lived in and used by the pickers at the strawberry farm.  Keith built a stall at the front of it for our pony, Beau, and he loved to stand in there in the shade. 

'

Inside the old henhouse.  If you look closely, you will see that 

the bigger snake stuck his head out to see what was going on, when I came in...he's on the right. 

The snakes have been pulling the insulation out of the walls... and this one has been curled up in it since yesterday.  I actually picked up some of it.  

The big snake is under the "box" on the right, the platform that leads to the popholes. 

Say goodbye to my porcelain D'Uccle boys, on Saturday, I'll get up early and 

take them to the parking lot at Valley Feed in Bonner Springs, and try to give them away. 

That will let the old Japanese birds come down for a few weeks.  

Notice they are not afraid of the snake, laying so near them.  They know he can't eat them. 

And here is a shot of the two storage buildings.  We have not been able to find anyone to move even the smaller of the two. 

We traded our greenhouse to Troy and Kathy, for yard cutting for the summer... Troy has done a fantastic job, and even did the weedeating along the garden beds... I am so grateful to him. 

Tomorrow, my cousin Tom, a real estate agent,  is going to come and take a look at it and give me some suggestions 

for what we need to do... besides emptying the buildings, etc.  to get the place listed. 

So... we are making progress, slowly but surely. 

We have some unseasonably cool weather today... and wind... so I am going to work around here for a while, at the new house... where I am trying to get a "garden spot" together for this summer.  

I miss our old place very much... but it also very hard to go over there every day and see it... at some point, there has to be a break.  

I'll know more after my cousin sees it tomorrow and makes some suggestions to us for the sale and when he can list it. 

Now I'm going to break loose of this computer and get some work done around here.  

One last thing... I saw on Facebook this morning that Teresa at Eden Hills has lost her 18 year old pet steer, Michael Jackson.  18 years!  What a wonderful life he had, and how I sorry I was to read of it.  He had a very hard winter, but what a blessing to go in the spring, on a lovely day. 

Teresa, if you see this... I am so sorry for your loss.