During this time of isolation due to the coronavirus, we’ve been so thankful for the farm and all of its beauty, chores and space! We’ve also been thankful that it is spring and for beautiful days. I’ve been inspired to get out into the garden and that has led to the tidying up of garden beds and spaces, including our shed.

Almost four years ago, when we bought Frog’s Hollow, we found an old, falling down chicken coop that was surely destined for demolition. The roof and floor had holes, the siding was rotting, the windows were broken and in general it had seen much better days. But… I couldn’t stop thinking about those beautiful windows and how amazing it would be to restore something old and neglected that was, at some point, a part of the farm.

It took some convincing but Bryce finally agreed to give a restoration a go and we had it moved across the farm to the new site of the garden! After moving it, both my husband and father-in-law agreed that it was really well built and that at some point in time, those were some really lucky chickens!

Once the shed was in place, the real work begin. Rotted siding had to be replaced, a new roof put on, broken windows replaced and a door found. It was a whole family effort that included my in-laws in the work. Al and Bryce did all the work, except for replacing the roof, and the children and I painted it.

The windows are what first made me want to save the coop because they are really quite remarkable and beautiful.  They tilt in so that the shed gets a lot of ventilation but the design would make it hard for the chickens to be able to escape!  The windows were in really rough shape with many of them cracked or broken completely, and it was with disappointment that we realized they could not be saved.  Oh, how I wanted that beautiful wavy glass in the shed… but it was not to be.  We had new ones made by an Amish craftsman and they turned out fantastic.

We found an old door at Restore (a habitat for Humanity outpost) that we love. We painted it the palest pink because it’s my favorite color.

The shed is the heart of the garden and my happy place…I love it so! Would you like to see the inside?