Weak start, strong finish.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I arrived at the farm around 6:30 this morning. It was cloudy and humid and looked like it might rain. But the big problem was that we didn’t have power. We messed with the breakers and did everything we could think of before calling the power company. I figured the area lost power because of storms last night. Well they sent a guy out and he tested and saw that we had power coming in. We had been trying to get the compressor to run, but he suggested we try another tool, and it worked. So I thought the compressor was bad and was bracing myself to buy another one. But then my dad let some air out of the tank and it kicked on. It was just full. Oh well, live and learn and look stupid. Once that issue was resolved we made some pretty good progress on the siding. It was miserably hot and I drank 1.75 gallons of Gatorade. That probably wasn’t enough. The electrician came and worked a bit but he said the plumber was in Florida. After my dad left I spent some time cleaning and organizing the job site. I think that tomorrow should be a productive day. Everything is set to get quite a bit more siding up. Fortunately they have decreased the chance of rain.

Even more siding.

Posted on by David Maxwell

We got an early start this morning but it was already uncomfortable just after six. It took about five minutes to become soaking wet. We started off on the back of the house and installed a few pieces. Next we went to the gable wall on the fr end of the house. We went a bit higher, and even installed a piece of soffit, but I was very unsteady on the ladder and not at all comfortable, so we moved to lower sections. At one point I went to Lowe’s for a short level and longer air hose for the compressor. There were a couple of periods of rain this afternoon. The heat and humidity were really miserable. The afternoon didn’t feel very productive. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, but they are calling for more rain.

Not a productive day.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I woke up at 5:45 this morning and decided to return to sleep. I finally rose around 7:30. Liz and Luke were still asleep, so I waited for them to get up. After nursing and a bottle we went to the AG Center for a walk at about 9:15. It was pretty warm by then, but it was still nice to walk around. I drove to the Kioti dealership in Murfreesboro to order some parts for the tractor. From there I took a slow way back to the condo. After helping with some chores I talked with my dad once he arrived to go look at house materials with Liz. Due to Luke’s feeding they were about an hour and a half late in leaving. In the meantime we went down the road to look at cabinets for his building project. The rest of the afternoon and evening I spent doing work on the computer and messing with Luke as needed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for getting a lot of work done on the house.

A couple of weeks ago on the mountain.

Posted on by David Maxwell

When I picked up my siding down in Georgia I made the trip a little easier by staying the weekend in Monteagle. On Sunday evening it was glorious, so I went to Lake O’Donnell and the Templeton Library to take a few pictures. Previously I posted some shots from my phone, but here are a few from the “real” camera.

Another day of siding.

Posted on by David Maxwell

The drive down to the farm this morning was lovely. There was a little bit of sun, some fog, and a magical glow that was good for my spirits. As usual, the cell phone picture doesn’t do it justice. I arrived at the farm around 6:30 and my dad not long after. We immediately took advantage of the new porch and started putting up siding above it. It went pretty smoothly and I continue to be pleased with how it looks. I think it will be pretty fantastic once all the trim pieces are in place and it’s caulked and painted. We had a late breakfast at Waffle House then continued. The temperature was really mild today and it didn’t feel too humid. Having the big fan on us as we worked helped as well. Overall we made good progress. Being able to use the new scaffolding on top of the porch kind of spoiled us, as the gable walls will be a lot higher and more difficult. There was a threat of rain all day, but it never materialized. After my dad left I went to Lowe’s and bought almost $200 worth of caulk and some more heavy duty trash bags. Back at the farm I cleaned up a little bit and mowed a little grass with the push mower. Google Maps said there were wrecks and big delays on the interstate, so I took the back roads back to the condo and arrived just before six.