Saddle Room

There's one building on the place that we haven't done much with. It was built as a grain bin, but for the last 30+ years it has been used as the catch all shed. It has a lot of potential to be a tack room for ranch affairs, but the building needs some attention. With a little bit of insight and some elbow grease, she is now standing strong and ready to be used as a cowboy's saddle room. 

The first issue I have with the old tack shed is that it is in the way of the corral gates. We have gotten used to it, but if we are going to go through the trouble of fixing it up, we might as well put it the right place.

Originally, the bank behind it sloughed off into the back wall, rotting the wood and caving the wall in. So with a game plan in mind, we poured a 4' concrete pad behind to reposition the shed and eventually fix the back wall. 

Prior to that, we reworked the back bank. 

First step was to dung the room out. Years of junk and dust have pervaded this space. 

So we brought the old International down to load up all the trash. 

Before diving it, I masked up. Regardless of any disease that may or may not be looming, the dust and dirt in the air was going to be thick. 

Once the trash was out, there was layers of dirt that had made its way in from the decrepit back wall.

As long as we are going this far, I wanted to remove the ceiling and expose the rafters. 

Turns out it was a bigger can of worms than I thought. No turning back now.

Got it.

Once thing about cowboys, they don't quit. This building was originally built with a flat roof. Somewhere along the line, Grandpa put a pitched roof on it. So taking the plywood ceiling down was much more of a chore than I thought. However, I'm glad we went through the effort. 

The main tool of choice on this project was a saws-all. Without it, I don't think we could have got this project done, not with the speed we did, anyway. 

The next step was to cut off the anchor bolts that held the building down to the concrete. Worked good.

Then used the dozer to push the building back onto the new pad. Pretty simple, just one side at a time. For fine tuning, a crowbar was able to move the building an inch or two, here or there. 

Then we used a hammer drill to anchor the building down in its new location. 

We chose self-tapping bolts to keep life easy.

Snugged up, good and tight. 

Lastly, we washed the building and the floor down. Makes for a good fresh start.

In doing so, we discovered the day it was originally poured and who helped out.

The 4' of the old pad that now sits out front will make a good porch to sit and chew on ranch affairs. 

To give it a little character, we mounted Henry, the Hereford bull skull from the old saddle room at the cabin on Big Trails. 

To make it true to its namesake, we put Dad's saddle in there to get a feel for how to set it up. 

Better.

That was a lot of work for 4'. However, the tack shed is now in better shape than it has been since it was built 53 years ago. I prefer the name Saddle Room, because it reminds me of the tack rooms we had growing up. They held more than saddles, which this one will as well. Saddle rooms hold memories. Cowboys need a place to go to discuss life on the ranch. Just as saddles speak of the miles ridden in them, so do saddle rooms speak of all the cowboys and stories stored up on this place. That's the idea, anyway. Regardless, our saddle room is now in a better place and standing tall, ready for another 50 years of action. Let's ranch. 

Fr. Antony Minardi, O.S.B.

What is a Monk?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sysAxgXem8

Concrete Time

One of the big goals of my time back home was to pour a couple concrete pads down at the barn. I was hoping to do it on Thursday, but when I called the concrete plant, they said they were tied up on Thursday but could do it today! So I got busy framing up the last pad and finished the job today instead of tomorrow.

It doesn't take to big of job to justify a concrete truck instead of sack-crete. Though we only ordered two yards, it was still money well spent.

This little stall in the barn will be the utility room for the barn loft. To clean it up, we wanted to put a concrete floor in it.

So we took down all the stanchion walls so we could frame in a room with a fresh start. Once cleared out, we got busy setting our forms.

The second pad is right behind the tack shed. Here we wanted to pour a 4' pad-extension so that we could move the building back from it's present location. Get's it more out of the way of vehicles and also gives us a 4' patio out front. 

Once the dirt was leveled off, we set our forms.

Good idea to use metal steaks in the ground to keep the 2x4s from bowing. 

Then the truck showed us and we got busy pouring. The utility room had to be wheelbarrowed in. Not far though. I actually had my brother lined up to help with the pour on Thursday, but he couldn't today. So he sent out his farmhands instead, Ernesto and his brother. These guys made concrete look easy.

First step after getting the concrete poured, is to screed it off and make it level to the top of your forms. Good work, boys.

Then we moved over to the second pour. This one we could use the chute to get the mud right where we need it. 

Same process. Ernesto is not afraid to get dirty. 

Always good to have a place to go with the left over concrete. This should serve as a good pad for our HVAC unit.

When the concrete is just right after the pour, troweling it is the next and final step.

Clean up is necessary. The sooner you get to it the better off you and your tools will be. 

Should work.

Just what I was hoping for.

That was one of the most easy-going concrete pours I've been a part of. Special thanks to Ernesto and crew. That made my life a lot easier. In the end, I'm real pleased with the way everything turned out. Slowly but surely, we are bringing this barnyard up-to-speed. It's fun to give it new purpose. Every scribe trained in the Kingdom of God, brings forth from his storeroom both the old and the new (Matthew 13:52). Let's ranch on!

Dirt Works

There's just something about playing in the dirt that brings a man to his roots. Probably because we were made out of the stuff (Genesis 2:7). When there's dirt work to do, I can't tell if it is work or fun. This time around, it was definitely both.

The one turn around in the barn yard, where the chicken coop used to be, is pretty steep. I've been wanting to shape it up, but there was a lot of work that when a long with it.

For a job such as this, we fired up the JD 450.

The first step was to dig up the power line feeding the barn. When Dad and I put it in years ago, it was pretty shallow. Wanting to shape this turn around area freely, we dug up the power line so we could sink it deeper. 

Got it.

To start the shaping process, I wanted to remove some of the bank behind the tack shed. 

Better. Eventually, we hope to move the shed back 4' so that it is less in the way of the corral gate.

After that was done, we hooked up to our box scraper. Don't tempt me with a good time!

This is what we used to take the hump off the parking lot. Such the right tool for the job!

Once that was done, we got to re-digging in the power line.

Better.

Once that was closed in, we put the final touches on the turn around and driveway to the corral. I'm pleased with the way it all turned out.

Straight shot.

We ended up with a lot of dirt to deal with. For another time. 

Couldn't do it without John Deere. Giddy up.

With the right equipment, a big job can turn into a lot of fun. I'm thankful to get this project completed. Jobs like this you want to start and finish, so you're not holding up everyday duties. Thankfully, I've got a little vacation time to spend back home. With three days yet to use, I wonder what else we can find to do? Let's ranch.