(Summer 2011 - Part II)
"Three to Get Ready"
From left to right:
Gustav, Marien, Romain
Working separately or together, these three made it possible for us to complete projects on the farm that we had been trying to do for years.
We needed a temporary storage room near the pack room
for paper supplies, plastic bags, food items, saft bottles, etc. These are all things that we use on a regular basis but we didn't have a convenient place to store them.
We needed to solve a problem upstairs in the main barn
where the pump for the milking machines is located.
In the cold winter months it would sometimes freeze interfering with the milking of the dairy cows. We needed a room up there with an insulated enclosure to prevent it from freezing.
We needed to clear the land where we graze our "mellankalvar" (teenager heifers) to protect the pasture against encroaching growth from birch trees and thick brush and bushes.
When we saw the capabilities of Marien and the willingness of Romain, we coupled them with the experience of Gustav and had a winning combination.
For the first project, Marien and Romain sectioned off an area in the old machine hall where we park our cars, with a common wall to the pack room. They measured it all out then built a base for a floor and framed up studs for the walls. Their work was precise and in just a few days the room took shape. It was large enough for the storage we needed but still left us enough room to park the cars.
When they finished it on one side, Gustav measured on the other side and he and Pappa cut a doorway through from the pack room. It worked perfectly and has been such a convenience for us. No more running from one storage building to another for various items. Everything is in one place and close to hand when we need it.
Next on the agenda was the freeze-proof enclosure that housed the machinery for the pumping mechanism in the main barn.
The trick here was that the location of that pump is
WAY UP HIGH
in the "nosebleed section" of the hay barn.
The picture above is of Gustav's feet standing on one of the rafters at the height where the building was to take place.
Again, they did it and they did it well. Marien was impressive, doing the honors in cutting the boards to make the facing walls with a cavity for insulation. A doorway was constructed, a small "room" created and the wiring put in place.
It was a formidable undertaking to say the least, and we loved this picture of Romain in a rare moment of just sitting and thinking, contemplating the next step and what would be the best way to accomplish the goal.
Gustav, Marien, Romain
Working separately or together, these three made it possible for us to complete projects on the farm that we had been trying to do for years.
We needed a temporary storage room near the pack room
for paper supplies, plastic bags, food items, saft bottles, etc. These are all things that we use on a regular basis but we didn't have a convenient place to store them.
We needed to solve a problem upstairs in the main barn
where the pump for the milking machines is located.
In the cold winter months it would sometimes freeze interfering with the milking of the dairy cows. We needed a room up there with an insulated enclosure to prevent it from freezing.
We needed to clear the land where we graze our "mellankalvar" (teenager heifers) to protect the pasture against encroaching growth from birch trees and thick brush and bushes.
When we saw the capabilities of Marien and the willingness of Romain, we coupled them with the experience of Gustav and had a winning combination.
For the first project, Marien and Romain sectioned off an area in the old machine hall where we park our cars, with a common wall to the pack room. They measured it all out then built a base for a floor and framed up studs for the walls. Their work was precise and in just a few days the room took shape. It was large enough for the storage we needed but still left us enough room to park the cars. 
Next on the agenda was the freeze-proof enclosure that housed the machinery for the pumping mechanism in the main barn.
The trick here was that the location of that pump is
WAY UP HIGH
in the "nosebleed section" of the hay barn.
The picture above is of Gustav's feet standing on one of the rafters at the height where the building was to take place.
Again, they did it and they did it well. Marien was impressive, doing the honors in cutting the boards to make the facing walls with a cavity for insulation. A doorway was constructed, a small "room" created and the wiring put in place.
and
HERE IT IS!
An insulated enclosure around the pump within an insulated room.
We've been through an icy, sub-zero winter since then and never had even one incident of the pump freezing.
It is total heaven.
And what was next?
Clearing the pasture where the mellankalvar were grazing.
The three of them took the tractor out there and surveyed the situation.
Heading deep into the underbrush they had a system where Marien cut, Romain dragged and Gustav hauled off.
It worked beautifully and soon a pile of debris began to emerge. If you look closely at the right hand picture you can see the heifers all lying there keeping the workers company!
And what a result...acres cleared, ready to be gathered up and put in the burn pile for the Autumn cleanup.
This shot of Marien heading home with the chain saw, walking past the stumps of what used to be birch trees and bushes, says it all.
Yes, they did other things....everyday things around the farm:
they emptied the urine pit with Gustav, they worked in the garden with Blanca and Maxie, and after days of picking and picking in the surrounding forests outside the village of Eden,
they worked tirelessly cleaning and packaging blueberries. And with all that, Gustav spent hours organizing small hardware in the new wall system Pappa had installed in the workshop.
They helped us so much.
They helped us so much.
Because of their efforts they made us
"READY"
"READY"
for the cold months that were ahead
in a way we had never been before.
And we loved them!
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