Farm Spiffy-ing up for the Upcoming Field Trips

About a month ago, I was asked if a group could come out for a field trip to the farm. After some serious prayer, I said yes. I set the day for about 4 weeks away. It seemed like tons of time. Umm...right?!?

With all the rain, the barn was a big muddy mess and it needed to dry out. Little did we know it was going to rain for another two weeks. So in the meantime, between raindrops, we have been spiffying up the place. So much did get accomplished in the last three weeks. The falling down grain barn was semi cleaned out. The run through cleaned out. Under the lean to cleaned out. The scrap metal guy came and took a truckload of stuff to be recycled. Dad came out and installed a switch for my milking machine and a light in the cow stall. At the same time, Mom was busy straightening and organizing the utility room of the barn. I set up my "junk" garden. (The rusty pieces of the original well pump for the property that were likely hooked up to a windmill have been sitting in a heap--now artistically arranged in a little garden with mulch.)

View of the barns

The one wall that is completely painted

The almost empty falling down lean-to

Rabbit Run in Barn

Straightened Feed / Equipment Room

Cleaned Utility Room (Thanks Mom!)

Milking "Stall" with cabinet

My handy-dandy new plug and switch for my milker-Thanks Dad!!

Another good friend came over and volunteered her and her 6 kids' time to help out. So one wall of the chicken coop (and 1/2 of another) got painted before we ran out of paint. Plus the big boys dug and moved lots of heavy stuff!! 

Lots of stuff! I also "freecycled" a big rabbit hutch that hasn't been used in over a year and cleared up some space and blessed someone else. 

So tomorrow the trips will start, ready or not. There are still tons to do and I had hoped to come up with handouts to send home...but I'm out if time. We will have 3 groups a day for two days. Each time slot has about 10-15 people (both big and little). We're doing two different themes. Barnyards & Bunnies and Seeds to Harvest. The bunny trip will be nice to get the baby lops used to being handled. By the weekend they will get weaned and can start going to new loving homes. 

I'll let you know how it went later this week!!  Pray for us!