DIY water tub (Part 2)

A heated, insulated water tub for the girls continued...

We managed a foraging trip to town this afternoon and I think I have all of the necessary ingredients to complete my water project.  Since the box has so far been built with scraps left over from other projects, all I really needed was some of that magical, spray-foam insulation stuff and a couple of handles so I'll be able to move the thing.

Because it is miserably cold and windy today I brought everything into the house where I could be warm (and limit the number of "helpers" wanting to play with the insulation).

Step 5. Insulation.  I mainly used a piece of 2" thick foam-board insulation that I had left over from building my house.  I cut the pieces to fit and wedged everything in place.

Step 6.  I used a small piece of PVC pipe to create a tunnel for the electrical cord.  Be sure to wrap the water tub and the PVC pipe in plastic bags so the spray-foam insulation does not stick to them or fill in the "tunnel".

Step 7.  Wedge as many pieces of insulation around the tub as possible in order to take up space and create air pockets (this also cuts down on the amount of expensive spray-foam needed so several of them can be returned to Lowes).

Step 8.  Fill space with foam.  NOTE:  DO NOT overfill with this stuff, it expands so much over the course of several hours that it could crush the water tub if it has nowhere to go.

Step 9.  Attach the handles to the outside, vacuum up all the little bits of styrofoam dust before an errant breeze blows it onto every surface of your house, walk away and leave it alone until the next day while the spray-foam sets. 

Step 10.  Go throw the frisbee for your impatient dog, pat your horse and give the donkey a kiss on the nose and you are done for the day.   The finishing touches can be added tomorrow.

A DIY project (part 1)

Its that time of year.  The time when I scramble around winterizing and trying to get as many projects finished as possible before we all get buried in snow.  I decided this year to add an insulted, heated water trough to the barn for the girls.  I wanted something safe, easy to clean and inside the barn out of the ferocious wind that we get here.  I decided to go with a 16 gallon water tub with a built in heater element (that little donkeys cannot play with).  To cut down on electric usage I plug the heater into a heavy duty timer so that the heater only runs about 15 minutes every hour or so.  To cut this time down even more and keep the water warmer I decided to build an insulated box around the water tub.

Step1. Make sure your trusty companion has a comfy spot.

 Step 2. Assemble the ingredients

 (Always beware of willing yet inept helpers)

 

 Step 3.  Cut all the pieces to the desired length, 26" boards and 16" corner posts in this case.  (Note the inept helpers relegated to the peanut gallery in the background)

Step 4.  Begin assembly (I use serrated-tipped star-drive screws for everything.  With these screws, a cordless drill and a circular saw you can build anything) 

 (Don't forget to leave a space for the electrical cord)

To be continued as soon as I acquire the rest of the ingredients....

A day in the life...

A good-morning hug...

A nap in the sun....

A new toy for Emma. (How long do you think it will take for Tanner to decide that maybe he would like to play with a road cone after all?  You do see him back there, watching jealously don't you?)...

The view from the ladder as I try to finish my barn project before the snow flies....

A walk in the woods.....

 A kiss goodnight.....

And off to greener pastures.

Don't be fooled

It may appear that Tanner has given in to the profound boredom of donkey minding.  But, don't be deceived by this....

 Because it is merely the precursor to....

Vacuuming donkeys

No, I haven't managed to teach Emma to vacuum my house for me.  Although, now I think about it, maybe I should give that a try.  But I digress.  My absolute favorite horse grooming tool is my horse vacuum that I purchased some fifteen years ago.  I decided that it was high time to introduce this marvel to Emma.  Her initial reaction was mild skepticism:

"What is that weird, blue, snakey thing Ma?  I'm not so sure that should be touching me"

Followed by, "OH, is that a carrot you're holding next to the weird, blue, snakey thing"
"Yes Emma but you have to come see the weird, blue, snakey thing "
"Well OK, if there are carrots involved"

"And see Emma, it makes a pretty good back scratcher too"

"Yeah, that does feel pretty good, a little to the right please."

"OK Em, I'm going to turn it on now, its going to be a little noisy"
"Hmmm, I think you should do Tessa first, I want to make sure that thing doesn't suck her right off her feet"

"Gosh Mom, that feels really good, why don't you vacuum me every day?"

 "I'll make sure to keep adding new dust to my coat so you don't have to worry about me getting cold or anything."

 I think I've created a monster.

A new home for baby

Well, baby brother is going to have a new home in the Syracuse area.  He is going to be taking on the important task of equine companionship, something that donkeys excel at.

Mom and Dad are looking pretty good, especially compared to their condition back in July.  I trimmed their feet again and gave them another dose of wormer.  While they are not perfect looking yet, they are MUCH better.  Both donkeys are moving so much better.

Jack treated us to a nice, long bray trying to entice us to come back for some more scratching.

 

Jenny really would have liked to jump in the back of the truck and if I thought I could get away with it I'd have let her.  She is so sweet, just like her daughter Emma.  I would have loved to bring her home with me.

Baby brother remained coy and shy but I have no doubt that he will be just as friendly and sweet as the rest with a little time and attention.  

I am so glad to have been able to help these wonderful donkeys.  If anyone out there in cyberspace  wants to dramatically improve your own life, look around for a donkey that needs a little help.  Believe me, there are a lot of them out there.  They will doubly return every bit of love you can give them. 

 

Oh Brother!

I think I mentioned that Emma has a little brother (click here for story) and that I was hoping to find a new home for him?  Well, I am going back over to see him and his parents this afternoon and meet with a prospective owner for the little guy.  I am looking forward to seeing how much he has grown and how his parents are doing.  I am hoping to see that they all look much improved since I dewormed them for the first time in many years.  I am going to take another tube with me along with my farrier tools and try to trim their feet again since I will be there.  I might as well do what I can when I can.  I'll post a progress report later.