Sam's Haiku

Sam's gone walk-about.

Daily I search, call his name.

Only Wind answers.

Sam's Haiku © August 2026 by Leigh

 at https://www.5acresandadream.com

"She Needs Somebody to Play With"

After we took in Violet, our ankles became the victims of energetic kitten attacks featuring prickly claws and teeth. 

Dan: She needs somebody to play with.

Me: She's got us.

Dan: No, she needs somebody to play with.

Me: We don't need another cat.

Dan: She needs somebody to play with.

Me: We've got enough cats. 

Dan: She needs somebody to play with.

Me: What would we do with another cat?

And then, one recent day, this showed up in our carport.

Terribly timid, hungry, and feral, it wouldn't let us near it. Where in the world did it come from? I believe it's female and a little older than Violet; charcoal in color with similar tuxedo markings. Maybe they have the same daddy?

I immediately set about trying to figure out what to do with it. A neighbor down the street was looking for another cat, maybe he would take it? No response from Dan so I said, "We don't need with another cat." To this Dan replied, "She's an answer to a prayer." What could I say to that?

We're still not allowed to touch her, but we can come within three feet, two if I have a dish of milk or food. Reaching hands are immediately run away from. She won't come into the house.

If she is going to stay she'll need to be tamed enough to take her to the vet. Both kittens need their shots and will need to be spayed. 

One step at a time I reckon.

"She Needs Somebody to Play With" © Aug 2026

 by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com

Summer of Maintenance & Repair: Garden Shed

 We didn't plan much project-wise for this summer. Food production and preservation are ongoing, of course, as are seasonal chores. Even though our infrastructure projects are pretty much finished, maintenance and repair are ongoing. This summer we decided to focus on upgrading appliances and working on things like fence maintenance and other repair projects. 

One such blog worthy project was the new driveway gate. Another one is repairing the garden shed foundation.

We got the shed our first year here, purchased with tax return money. Ten years later, we moved it to put up my clothesline. 

photo from June 2019

When he moved it then, Dan used pallets for the base. This worked well for awhile, but eventually the pallets began to break down. The floor became mushy and the building began to list.

photo from May 2024

This wasn't unexpected and we knew we'd have to replace it someday. Two years later was even worse. 

photo from July 2026

You can't see it in the above pic, but something dug out underneath it! We've had families of groundhogs and skunks live under there from time to time. Finally, this summer, Dan has been able to repair the foundation. 

After sliding the shed off the old foundation, Dan cleared away the pallets and then used cap blocks as footers to build the floor framing upon. The frame itself is outdoor treated 2x4s and one-inch OSB board.

To deter diggers from making new homes under the shed, Dan cut corrugated metal panels to use as skirting. They are buried about 6 inches underground. The exposed OSB (which makes a very nice step) is coated with roofing tar. Flashing protects the OSB edges from rain damage.

Here's how it looks now. . . 

The path on the right goes directly to the garden.

It's wonderful having a firm floor under it again. Once again it can become useful for storing garden and seasonal items. 

So nice to have another repair project done. 

Summer of Maintenance & Repair: Garden Shed 

© Aug 2026 by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com