Oh these last weeks………how trying to my nerves have they been.

The biggest issue we have had is due to the almost 3 feet of snow we got right before christmas.  It piled up all over the electric fence and pulled the wires rather badly.  Half the fence was buried for weeks and we ended up turning off the electric to avoid shorting the whole system.  Everything seemed okay for a few weeks.  Then Milkshakes decided to make a break for it.  Once she realized there was no “shock” to be felt she started ramming the mesh fence until she broke through it.  One time we found her standing on the back deck looking for some company.  Poor Jerry was pacing along the inside of the fence humming like mad for her.  He wasn’t about to test the fence, not after the first time he touched it and it brought him to his knees.  Poor guy.

So, one trip to Lowe’s for additional steel posts later and we spent a cold day repairing the fence and strengthening up the roof of their shelter to get through the rest of the winter.  I’d like to see Miss Goaty pants get through it now.

One project down…….8 million more to go.

Next the chickens decided to get all crazy.  Nothing horrible happened but we have a new “alpha” rooster (my Ruby, now Rubert….) and poor Mr. P-Roo has been relegated to a beat-up bottom of the pecking order chicken.  He looked pretty rough at first and I was worried about how long before I’d have to separate them permanently, but so far it seems to be more or less ok.

In the midst of fixing the fence and worrying about the chickens Oona has taken her “into everything” to a new level.  First, she decided her bangs were far too long for her taste.  And voila!  Now she’s got a baby mullet!

I was (and still am) so upset.  I was waiting for her bangs to grow out so I oculd even out her hair better and make a nice shoulder length bob.  Now….like I said – mullet.  I have pulled out some pretty fabrics and elastic so I can make her some bandanas until it grows out.  Lord I hope she’ll wear them.

Then there’s the chest freezer.  It (stupidly) has the control dial on the front near the floor and to Oona this was a boon from the gods.  She kept turning the dial down to “off” and whenever I’d go into the freezer I’d wonder why everything was so mushy.  So I thought to myself that I’d fix her right good and I put a strip of duct tape over the dial.

Not so much.

I went to put away groceries and all the veggies were mushy.  Oona had pulled off the tape and turned the dial back to off.  We  had to drill a screw there so the dial can no longer be turned at all.

As for the pantry……we could not keep her out of that for anything.  The wasted food……oh the wasted food.  I then made the mistake of allowing Paul to pick out a lock for the doors.

One very expensive purchase later – a keypad lock.  I hate how it looks but it keeps Oona out, that’s for sure.  No more wasted food.

Now, while we’re in the kitchen I’ll tell you about the plumbing.  I think I’ve already mentioned that our upstairs plumbing is bad – our whole ceiling downstairs will need to be replaced and the plumbing all redone.  That’s pretty sad for a house that was built in 2004.  Last night I discovered that the pvc pipe under the sink in the kitchen is busted and leaking.  WHY???  I can’t even figure out how or why this would have happened, since no one goes under the sink for anything.  It had no reason to fail.  I’ll tell you……whoever buys this house after we finally get sick of it will have basically a completely re-built home.

At least there is news on the knitting front to keep the edge off.  I went stash diving and started on Kate Gilbert’s Bird in Hand Mittens, which seem to be taking me forever, but at least they’re fun to work.  I also dredged up wool for a Drive-Thru sweater for Oona.

That green is a celery – like green and the pink is a bit lighter than it looks in the photo.  Oona is very excited – she’s been coveting Neve’s sweater since that was completed.  I am going to start on it today even though I am still working on the mittens.  I am a non – monogamous knitter.  Oh well.