4 September

Two Farms: Update

by Jon Katz
Two Farms

I surely feel the pressure of owning two properties, fixing up a new one, preparing to move and sell the first. I am sleeping less, my mind is spinning more. I give myself updates every hour or so, so I’ll share those with you. Ben is just about finished with the slate repairs on the roof –  took much more time than we expected and cost more, although Ben is both honest and very reasonable. It could have cost a lot more. Tonight he is going to spackle the living room, which Maria and I will begin painting this weekend.

Otherwise, Ajay is living in the house. He has cleaned out the barn, stacked the new firewood in the woodshed – three cords – and is digging out the beautiful slate walkways buried around the house. We have painted the kitchen, bathroom and pantry. He is amazingly helpful and hard-working. And interesting (more about that later.) We have our hay in the barn, at least until January.

Ben hopes to work inside for a few days – new banisters, support beams in the basement under the living room. He needs to pry open the windows, most of which have been closed for years.  He will begin work next week on a Pole Barn/Shelter for the donkeys and sheep, which will be attached to the barn, cheaper and easier than building a free-standing one. He will then work on Maria’s studio to get it ready for her, and if there is any money left, do the masonry work necessary for our big wood stove, to go in the dining room.

The cable company is coming to the farmhouse Friday to hook up our new cable Internet/TV/Phone set up. I am so eager to get cable, I cannot even tell you. Even more blogging and photo showing. Maria will have cable in her studio. The electrician comes next week to put in 200 amp lines to the house, replace the outlets, put some power into the barn. Also next week Todd Mason comes to begin work on the fences for the donkeys, sheep and Rocky. He is also building a dog run next to the house. Lots of traffic on that road, so fences are critical all around.

Meanwhile, Common Sense Farm is deciding whether or not they will come and help take the old barn down. If they don’t, it might have to wait until winter. If we do all this, that’s about all the money there is.

Meanwhile, people are looking at Bedlam Farm. No buyers yet, but someone is taking a second look tomorrow. There is definitely an uptick in traffic as people seek to take advantage of low prices and low interest rates. Someone will make some money off of Bedlam Farm down the road, and I understand it will not be me.

Soon I will be on book tour for “Dancing Dogs,” and hundreds of book orders are coming into Battenkill for me to personalize and sign (thanks. 518 677-2515). I am signing a huge stack of “Lenore Finds A Friend” tomorrow and I will be in the bookstore in the afternoon if anyone wants to call and talk to me.

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