the house that neely built

I've been a bit stressed with wondering how I am going to get the coops, the duck and goose house, and Bill's house built in a week. Thank goodness for friends!

While it was doing the cold rain thing yesterday, Diane, Alex and I worked inside on the coops. After they left, it actually got sunny and nice out. I took a nap, then decided it was time to work on Bill's house. He is coming today after all!

Buck and I had built a small wood shed off the back of the sauna last fall in the hopes that it would suffice for my wood supply. It did ok, but wasn't great. It wasn't enclosed, and the wood got wet. I decided that I would enclose it and use it for bill. It's not the most efficient little house, and I'll definitely have to do more work on it to prepare it for winter living, but for right now, it will suffice. I was able to use a section of wall from the old goat barn for Bill's door, and it works great. One of the great finds out here has been these big hinges. I love them. Not only do they look spectacular, but they are strong and I have made use of them everywhere. I had found 2 more the other day and was able to use them on this door. Worked well. I still have to finish off the top part of the door, but am thinking that some kind of a door or window might be nice. I plan on having Bill be out in the yard a lot during the day, but I don't think he should be in a dark place if he happens to be inside. They like being in the sun. So I have to figure that out yet.

Here's the back of Bill's house. I need to put in one more board in the corner, and do some trim work along the top, but it will work for today.

My friend Pete is in town for a few days before he does his ranger thing on the island, so he is coming with me and the guys to pick Bill up this afternoon. The dude we are buying Bill from said that we should bring a big doggie kennel for transportation. Guess Bill is weighing in at 45 lbs. these days, so he might be a handful. The problem is that I have 5 very stinking ducks living in the kennel at the moment, so I'll have to do some maneuvering to make this work. I was also warned about some of Bill's character flaws; like eating chickens, geese, and ducks as snacks, and perhaps even the occasional dog. Perhaps Bill will be a bigger pain than we have anticipated, but then again, according to the stuff I've read, a little love and attention go a very long way when it comes to a pig. I wonder if a dog harness would work on a pig?