Driveway, Gutters and Chicken Habitat

Well I twisted my ankle this morning loading a piece of equipment into the truck so I guess I'll work on the blog. There were some broken links and time for an update anyway. This week we had all sorts of improvements going on:

1) New gutters

2) More driveway work

3) Expanded chicken habitat

Also got some new storm doors and a new porch swing.  In the process of putting up the swing the old vinyl that was covering up the porch ceiling got removed and the underlying bead board repainted:

Insomnia

For some weird reason I always find myself working on the blog @ 3:00 am.  This time I'm up wide awake at this inhuman hour because Doni thought she smelled a skunk in the house.  Now how a skunk would get in here this late at night or how it would silently survive an encounter with our Pit Bull Granddogger Roxy I have no idea.  But Doni apparently felt like it was within the realm of possibility so here I am.  I admit that there was a less than savory smell in the house but I can't seem to find any skunks in the place so I'm gonna put it down to something nasty in the trash.  Anyway it gave me a chance to stoke up the fire and reflect on our decision to get out of the suburbs and move out here.  I gotta tell ya I feel better and better about it everyday.  Every morning when I look out our window and see the sun coming up through the trees I feel blessed and happy in a way I haven't known since I was a boy.  I'm working harder than I have in a long time but it is good honest work and directly on things that affect my life with Doni.  Anyway I'm having a blast even though it is 3:00 am.

Welcome to My Little Red Tractor.  This blog is dedicated to our quest for a simpler, quieter, better and more independent life.  After spending 30 years in town it occurred to my wife and I that maybe it was time to re-examine how we lived.  Honestly it wasn't a pretty picture.  Like our neighbors we rushed through our days just to get home, eat food out of a box, watch a talking tube and breath air that came out of a hole in the floor.  After sleeping a few fretful hours we'd get up and repeat the process.  Over, and over, and over again.  Not a hopeful or encouraging picture.  So we said a prayer (actually many), put our house on the market and started looking for something better.  This is what we found, or more accurately this is what we are finding.  Hope folks will enjoy reading about all of our antics.  If you have suggestions for us please post them.  Believe me we can use all the help we can get!