Getting a Reluctant Husband Involved in My Project

Having the goats and Schnauzers in the same yard just increases the chances for Diva to escape.  She escaped again and ran off in the same direction. This time it was daylight and 2 teenage boys intercepted her. Thanks goodness!  In people years, Diva is 91.  But 2 humans who are 50 & 60 something can not out run her.

The project for this weekend was build a goat house.  All we really need is to get the fence put up for the goat yard and they can stay in the goatgloo.  But since I need the help and cooperation of my dear husband, I will take what I get, when I can get it.  Saturday we were at Lowe's buying lumber, nails, roofing shingles and tools.

Gypsy encouraging Don.

Dottie Belle and Gypsy checking it out.

The sleeping shelf in the back

Don was up before I was Sunday and I found him in the backyard near the future goat yard.  He was ripping apart his first attempt at the back wall of the goat house.  He was so ready to quit--in a very bad mood. What had I gotten him into?  Thank goodness his mood improved after I got out there and helped.  Mostly he is frustrated because he is a perfectionist and this little goat house is going to be far from perfect.  But I said that Dottie Belle, Gypsy and I don't care what it looks like; just shelter from the rain and a place to sleep.  I even did some nailing.  Of course Don drove at least 3 nails to my 1--likely an even higher ratio.  He even complained that I was leaving hammer marks on the wood and if I kept doing that he was going to quit.  He really wanted a reason to quit.  The wood siding we are putting on the house is reclaimed from my daughter's house.  So my hammer marks just add to the antiquing.  Don is likely worried that anyone who looks at it will think he made the hammer marks.  Whereas I'm just proud that I actually drove a few nails!!!

My ideal goat house.

I pulled up a picture from the internet of what I want the goat house to look like. As we were working, I told Don to go look at it on the computer. He had seen it several months ago.  He did and came back to report that ours will not resemble that one.  That was not news to me.  But there will be steps so Dottie Belle and Gypsy can get on top.

Nailing on the felt.

Later in the day, my grandson Connor and his friend Michael helped out.  I think Grampa enjoyed that.  Doing things like that with grandchildren is what they will remember about their grandparents--not the hammer marks or how crooked the goat house is.  The boys lost interests about an hour or so and soon Don did too.  But we have made great progress in just one day.

Back wall up and we finished this side.