Window cut outs, quail

Saturday, I began to cut the window openings in the container. I had the two windows closest to the entry marked for the cuts, so that is where I started. I admit to being a little intimidated by the project. Any mistake would be hard to compensate for once the cutting began. Happily, the first opening I cut fit the frame I had made very well. I have a two-inch margin of error in each direction because I used two-inch angle to make the frames to be welded into each opening. 

In fitting the frame into the first opening, I ended up with pretty small gaps on each side of the frame as I fit it into the cut out. A little trim here and there was required, but not too much. I did not do as well on the second cut out I made. On that one I ended up with a significant gap on each side of the frame, mostly because I widened the cut to make sure the frame would fit without too much trimming after the initial cut.  I can seal it with some carefully cut wood pieces and a generous application of caulk. But I was a little disappointed in how that side turned out. Once the frames were fitted into the opening I had cut, I began to weld them in place. So, at the end of the day, I had both of the frames secured in the container wells and ready to be sealed before the windows are placed in those frames.

Tonight, and tomorrow night, I plan to cut out one more opening per night. When I began to cut the wall for the window openings, it took me a couple of tries to get the right combination of tools needed to make the cuts. I started with a circular saw set up with a metal cutting blade. I had used it to cut the angle iron to make the frames and it had performed remarkably well. It did okay for the first cut but bound up badly as I tried to use it to make additional cuts. It turns out that the walls flex quite a bit when they are cut.  Then I tried the grinder with a diamond tipped cutting wheel in each of the corners to open a slot in each direction so I could make the additional long cuts with a Sawzall, also equipped with a special metal cutting blade. The Sawzall did really well but the blade wore out quickly. By the time I had cut out the two openings, that $20 blade was shot.

That turned out to be a blessing because when I rested for a few minutes after getting the tack welds on the second frame, I realized I was worn out. The sad part of that realization was that it was only 3 pm. I had several hours of daylight left, so I used that time to do more welding to seal the top of the frames in the wall and to paint the frames to keep them from rusting too quickly. We had several colors of spray paint to choose from, but I settled on a dark brown. White, red, or silver seemed too ostentatious. Mama loved the look. All in all, I was pleased with how easy it was to cut in the frames and how good they looked in place. It turned out to be well worth the time and money to make the metal frames.

Mama and I went out Saturday evening to make a series of stops: Tractor Supply, Walmart and Lowe’s. At Lowe’s I bought two more Sawzall blades, a few parts for running the electrical conduit and some specialty bolts for securing the ceiling fans in the container. Mama dropped off eggs to one of her customers and got some medicine for the goats at Tractor Supply. She is concerned about a cough one of our recently purchased nanny goats has. I have not heard the cough, but Mama insists the goat is in need of tending. Mama has a better feel for those things than I do so I always defer to her judgement. Anyway, the purchase of the blades will give me the chance to cut one more opening this evening and tomorrow the last one. Lord willing. When I begin that work, I will get to see just how sore I am from the weekend.

Sunday, I cooked two of the quail I had recently processed. I was not sure how to cook them, but I decided to fry them with some onions and jalapenos. Mama was fixing BLT sandwiches for Grandma and Grandpa, so I took some of that grease to fry the quail. I had cut the little birds into quarters, so the smaller pieces did not take long to fully cook. And they were indeed small pieces. It was almost amusing to eat the miniature leg and breast quarters. The meat tasted a bit gamey, but I like that flavor. It was not unlike the flavor of chicken, but it was just enough different that it was thoroughly enjoyable, albeit time consuming. With the ease of cleaning the quail and the pleasant flavor, we will be continue raising and processing them for our table. Even if I am the only one who will be eating them. Speaking of processing fowls, I still have five roosters and two ducks to process, but there is no urgency in doing that.

As always, there is no lack of chores on the farm.