The Machine Shed Door is Complete!

Yesterday was a super-frustrating day as far as the door is concerned, but with rain coming tonight, I knew I needed to get it finished.  Dad was out of town, so I called my brother to come help.  Last night I just fought...and fought...and fought...with the J-channel on the top of the door.  It's hard for a man to say, but it was just simply not a one-person job.  The more I worked on it, the more I realized that I needed some help.

Last night ended in utter frustration.

The door is soooooooo close to being done, but I need J-channel on top.  It was a bear.

I called my brother this morning to ask for help.  He had a little bit of stuff to do, so I started with another project:  tilling the south pasture!

When it rained last week, the water just sat on top of the wet hay.  I did my best to spread out the burn pile, but even after that, the dirt was not really dirt.  It needed tilled and broken up.  So I started tilling.  And that went pretty well...16 inches at a time!  The dirt is jet black.  This property seriously sits on some of the best soil in the world.  Every once in a while, I would hit something in the dirt (didn't always know what), but the tiller just plodded through, turning the wet, clumpy hay into small pieces of mulch and dirt.  Perfect!

Some spots were wet (see tires), others dry.  It was a lengthy process, but the pasture was being transformed from hard, impermeable hay-covered soil to a soft bed of jet-black soil!

Tilling a half-acre 16 inches at a time.

My brother came out, and we tried to tackle the "quick" project.  Well, we STILL had a hard time getting the aluminum metal to bend even with four hands.  I told him I needed him for probably 20-30 minutes, and we blew right through that.

We just couldn't get the J-channel on top of the door!!!

Finally, my brother had an idea to work from the inside and push out (instead of pulling which was pinching our fingers and testing our muscles).  It worked marginally better, but it was working...slowly.  We still had a tough time getting the channel up, but we FINALLY got it.  I seriously couldn't have done it without him.

Success!!!  The door has trim on all sides now!

But I caulked the seams before tonight's rain, and I am happy to say the machine shed door is officially complete!!!  What a difference!  Not only does it look better (it slightly modernizes the building), but it has a huge function to it, as well, as I can now lock up my belongings.  It's a win-win!

The door is finished!

The machine shed looks a TON better!

Total cost was about $275.  It's amazing just how quickly stuff can add up.  But I'm sure I would have had to have paid at least that for the door to be installed, too, especially with the framing we had to do.

After my brother left, I started tilling some more.  Actually, I tilled a LOT more!  I probably tilled a half-acre, but I just couldn't stop, as the more I tilled, the better it looked!  And the better it looked, the more I tilled!!!  Some of the spots were absolutely muck, and I did a great deal of PUSHING the tiller through the pasture even though it's an automatic drive.  You would literally just spin in the soft mud with the tires...all while your feet were sinking!  I'm telling you, I am on top of an aquifer here!

The work was slow, but it's so neat to see instant progress.

A great view of the soil before (right side) and after (left side).

The feed lot transformed beautifully!

The wind was howling yet again today, so the fine soil was actually drying out rather nicely after the tilling.  Of course, the really wet parts stayed pretty wet, but the rest was a beautiful soil ready for a garden!

What beautiful soil!

So I ended up having a fairly productive day.  The door is now ready for tonight's rain, and the pasture is equally ready!!!  I am eager to see how it does with the 1-2 inches forecast.

And, of course, who can forget the piggies?!  They did what piggies do best!  They sure do love eating.

That automatic feeder was such a great purchase.  They LOVE it.

The pigs' favorite location!  Notice the one with the corn-covered nose!

It's only been a few days, but look at how the pasture has turned from black to green!  What a difference!