And amazingly, all done in about 6 months...blows my mind when I read it and remember that time line! 
In the last few months, we have gotten stage 2 of 3 done in the electrical column, and stage 1 of 2 in the plumbing column. So, I have put an end to 200' of garden hoses and all extension cords...yay! There are lights and outlets in all the horse areas of TLRB, with the only remaining work to be done when DH builds out the tack room in the back of the barn. I have my motion detector light at the roof's peak, which lights up the feed room in The Little Gray Barn when I roll back the door in the morning....this allows me the big savings of not having to wire a second barn! I have a yard hydrant right outside the fenceline between TLRB and TLGB which meets all our needs...until it's time for warm water. Once the tack room is built out, the water heater and sink will be the last stage for the plumber. The water line is there, capped off, and just waiting to be put to work.
DH finished the 20x26 addition and roof extension, allowing for a covered area/pseudo-run-in we call the 'picnic area' or 'salad bar' as this is where I toss hay. Unbelievably, he did it 100% by himself...and he is an IT guy, not a contractor.
He is amazing.Stalls are still roughly done, but safe and functional. Siding replacement will happen at some point. Third pasture area will hopefully get fenced this winter if weather allows. We found out a dear friend of ours rebuilds four wheelers, so we are pursuing our plan to get a big one to use in lieu of a tractor, and our friend actually had one that is perfect for us and brought it out for a test run this past weekend. We will probably have it in the next week or so. Hay fields continue to flourish until care of Our Guy. Horse trailer is parked snugly here at the farm as of of about two months ago...only took me about nineteen years to get my own.
Driveway redo is done, giving us a jug handle for easy turn around with trailers, as well as a big gravel parking area in what used to be a neglected mess of pseudo-driveway.Dallas The Rescue Pony continues to come out of his shell and has recently decided he is my horse---not just a guest, that he belongs here, and he can seek out attention in a calm, safe manner that does not infringe on personal space. I venture to say I trust that little pony now, through daily snippets of time, every day, and real consistency. He is enjoying learning, he is physically changing, and he still makes me grin ear to ear when he channels his inner warmblood while going end to end in the pasture. Fergus is Fergus, my right hand man.
Sad news, we lost 3 of our 5 indoor kids over the course of four months. Somehow I am down to two dogs and two horses, and it is surreal. Both kitties were old, one passing made total sense, the other while not a surprise as far as facts went was still a complete gut punch. Due to DH's asthma, we had agreed that when my old guys were gone we would become a dog-only family. That is hard. Donating items at the cat rescue undid me. The loss of our female Bully, miss Hope, was completely out of the blue, shocked everyone who knew her, and was heart wrenching. Easily the hardest, saddest, most involved ending in all my experience. We put her down in the ICU 12 hours after getting to the ER vet. No one had any idea how sick she was, including the ER vet. And I am a crazy attentive mom who does not miss things. Maybe I will share more on this later. It was 1.5 months again and I cannot even say how hard it knocked me and DH to our knees. Fetal position, primal sobs, game changer. I cried about it just yesterday....
And to keep this thread valid...and to try to get back to the joy...some photos.
