Looking back...

Looking back a few years ago... we recently watched some old videos of the ranch before it was the Lough Ranch. The date on the tape was February 18, 2001. Wow, what a time! Blake and I started building the barn. We cut down oak trees and had a guy come and saw up the lumber. With Blake's Home-lite cheapo chainsaw it took 10 minutes to cut down one tree (on the video it seemed like 2 days, a lot like watching grass grow.) Then we started the barn in the windiest weeks I remember. We stood the frame up 3 times. With the help of our friends, families, and neighbors we finally got the tin on the barn frame. Yes, the barn was built before the house. It looked so enormous in the video. Oh how 8 years, 2 kids, 2 ponies, 4 horses, 2 dogs, and 7 cat can fill a barn. It is simply amazing to me that when we started there was nothing; no barn, no house, a few animals, no lots, and not much fence. Then came the house. They started the house in May and we moved in September. We hired someone to build the house, but we did some of the work ourselves. My dad tipped over the insulation trailer in the garage and almost dumped himself and the bales of insulation. Blake, Nick, and dad plumbed the house. The first time we turned on the water, I thought we might have a built-in sprinkler system. (it all still works) Blake, Nick, and I stoned the fireplace, can you believe the stones are still on the wall? Lori and I built the wood fence around the horse lot, we plan to replace it this summer. We better keep SCR-1 happy for a few more years, fencing is not our calling. We have planted many trees in the yard and still don't have any shade. We just keep adding and changing, what will the ranch look like in another 8, 10, or even 20 years? Chickens, goats, trampolines, an arena... whats next?