STORM’S A’ COMIN’! There. I fixed it.

Hubby used to read the “There, I fixed it” blog all the time. It is the website will all of the hilarious and ridiculous remedies people create to fix whatever is wrong with anything…

Well, today, I did just that. There. I fixed it.

I WAS IN NEED OF A QUICK FIX. – there’s a storm a’ comin’!

You see, it came to my attention, almost out of the blue, that we are having a storm – tonight! To be honest, if we in California were more weather aware, we’d be listening more closely… but to have a storm in early November?? Especially considering that almost the entire state was on fire last week… Heck, we just had trick or treaters in shorts and t-shirts!

Anyway, enough excuses as to why I was caught off guard by this storm… the truth is, I don’t have a barn built yet because I’m dilly dallying around with what I want, what I can afford and where I could put it…

In the meantime, I have erected 4 really sturdy, nice shade shelters.

This is the view to the North. I’m standing on my driveway shooting out over my neighbor’s pasture. The storm, she is a comin’!

MY FIX. (no affiliation, I wish!!!)

Do you know about FarmTek ? They have wonderful fabric farm buildings. We put one up in Finn’s pasture in Grass Valley and it still stands, like brand new, 13 years later. They love it!

OK, so, I get the FarmTek catalog to drool over and plan… and last week, I went online to see if there were any online deals… and saw the

Closeout Tarps, Dividers, & Panels

section.

Well, I clicked on that and decided to buy two heavy duty tarps in case I needed to cover hay or some other area like the dog kennel or one of Hubby’s sheds. I only wanted to get 2 since I wasn’t sure of the thickness or quality of the closeouts.

OK, so, my two tarps arrived yesterday. They were really nice. Much nicer than what you could get at a farm store or Home Depot/Lowes.

Anyway, the box was still in the hallway… and..

…Lo and behold… today I heard that it will rain tonight!

I would love to have a huge FarmTek building like this!

The photo is from the catalog… We put up this FarmTek building in Finn’s pasture in Grass Valley. We have had it 13 years and it is still standing and works GREAT. They love it! We have the backside open so they can see out in either direction. Incredible fabric. Lasts forever. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

MY BRIGHT IDEA – I hope it holds.

As I was saying, I don’t have a totally enclosed area for old horses should we encounter horrible weather.

The only horses I’m really concerned about are Norma Jean (25), Dodger (36) and Gwen (22). Norma Jean and Dodger have had a very rough 18 months. First they lost Slick, then we moved, then Dodger had pneumonia last winter… it was hard. They have both aged considerably.

I don’t want them to feel any cold or rain. I want them to feel comfy cozy all winter.

Now, I’m pretty sure this storm that is whimpering in tonight couldn’t be considered horrible weather. But, it is probably better to be safe than sorry, so I decided to hang the tarps from Norma Jean’s new shelter. This way, the oldsters could have a two-sided shelter against the wind and rain – (crossing fingers it holds up… I will let you know). It will take a few years for the trees to fill in and become true shelter… I should have a barn before then!

Below is my summary in photos – THERE. I FIXED IT.

Here I am, trying to affix the tarps to the metal shelter. Black zip ties were my initial solution. Gwen is watching me while eating her noon bucket.

Annie was very interested…

But if I made a noise or rattled the tarp, they all took off running/bucking/squealing – and watched from a safe distance. There are 4 horses in this shot. Missy Miss, Annie, Mo and Wrigley in the way back.

My helper for the day…

Of course, they were all immediately back to watch me some more… and then they’d run off, squealing and bucking… Missy Miss, Mo and Annie.

One side done… Gwen is now eating Norma Jean’s and Dodger’s bucket… They have moved over to her bucket.

The front side was tough. I couldn’t get purchase from inside, so I had to hang it over the fence, which looks weird. But, it is up. There was nothing to hang it from on the front… I have it clipped and tied at the ends only. We will see… I put bricks and a fence post to hold the bottom.

I will have to wrangle Hubby this weekend to help me reconfigure this front panel. But for now, it is up and should provide some sort of wind/rain break. I’ve piled shavings up inside…

As I was leaving to go meet Hubby downtown tonight, I noticed the Barn Manager on my car (not the same kitty who was helping me earlier, this is his sister)… but do you see the little black kitty on the shelter? I have NEVER seen a cat on the roof of a shelter until today. First my orange and white helper And now the black cat is there, messing with my tie downs!