Progress (and a white Christmas)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We had a white Christmas here. FUN! There was just enough snow to make things pretty without making a huge mess.

Over the past few weeks, house construction has been progressing nicely...even through rainy weather! We now have framing going up. The basement is framed, the main level is framed, and today, the steel beam for the back deck is being set. Once that is done, the framing crew will be able to move on up to the roof, which is scheduled to take about 3 weeks. Here are some pictures of the progress.
This picture is looking at the front door. The grade will actually be built up and the lower concrete wall (the basement) will not be visible. It is so hard for me to imagine that where I stood to take this picture will be underground!
This shot is standing in the same spot as the previous photo, but turning to the left to capture the other end of the house. This photo is taken from the barn. I wanted to get all of the back of the house.

On a funny note, our free range chickens love to peck around the new house. They have even been seen in the basement and on the main floor. The framing crew has had to keep their van door closed, because the gals were hopping up in the back and pecking at the lunches. Oops. What a sight!