Chicken Prison Exercise Yard...

...is what my dad calls our chicken run. Puts a nice image in my head of chickens in bandanas running around lifting weights and smoking. But hopefully that's not the way the chickens think about it. We needed a place to protect our girls from predators and wayward zombies so we decided to build one!

 Earlier this year, we decided the left corner of our yard would be the perfect place for our chickens to live. But right in the middle of that area, there was a HUGE ground cover bush thingy surrounded by rocks. We dug it up and moved all the rocks a couple of months ago (which was a beeeeeeeyoch to say the least) to make room for the new construction. Curtis drew up the plans, we dug some holes and put in some posts and were off!

Curtis was in charge of all the power tool work and I stood around and held things. He claims I was a big help, but I think he was just being nice. There was a lot of measuring and leveling and stuff I didn't understand but I was in charge of the pencil and tape measurer. Though I forgot where I put them most of the time. Thanks again to my dad and Curtis' mom for the sweet drill and circular saw. I'm ever so pleased no one lost a finger.

Here's the almost finished product. We still needed to put chicken wire on the top portion and frame it. My favorite part of the whole thing is the door. I think it gives it a little class. Well, as much class as you can give to a chicken run. I plan on painting it and sprucing the whole thing up some more.

We've done a lot more work and finished it since these pictures were done, I just haven't had time to take some good pics. So much work to do before winter comes! AHHHH!

He is the hotness.

Wisconsin/Minnesota in pictures

Curtis, my sister-in-law Elaine, her husband Mike and I ventured to Wisconsin and Minnesota a couple of weeks ago to visit their family. I've never been to that part of the country and it was beautiful! Much fun and family merriment was had.

We visited the Paul Bunyan Museum where I got to ride Babe, the big blue ox.

Finally got a cheesehead (modeled by the lovely Elaine).

Visited the Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls...

...where we filled up on samplers before we took a tour. Summer Shandy is delicious!

Played dice games at Uncle Jim's bar, the Lake Hallie Sportsmans Club,
where Curtis won a free 6 pack...

...and then we won two frozen chickens in a game called the Chicken Shake.
I'm more proud of this than I should be.

Elaine and Mike brought this wiener roaster for Grandpa.
We all got a giggle, but didn't get to try it out.

As always, I did my best to make pictures awkward.

We high tailed it to Red Wing, Minnesota to see Grandma
and I got to see the Mississippi for the first time.

All around awesome trip. Great to see family and eat some squeaky cheese. Go Packers!