It’s not raining so we’re pouring.

Posted on by David Maxwell

Wow, what a day. This morning I spread the last of the gravel over the driveways. I was a bundle of nerves thinking about concrete trucks getting stuck and other things going wrong. It was early afternoon when the concrete guy arrived with his helper, and they started to do the final preparations for pouring. The concrete trucks arrived not long after, and the first nearly got stuck. I ran some errands while they started pouring and returned about halfway through. It was nice to talk with the truck drivers and I was able to relax a bit. Unfortunately I bought about eight yards more concrete than I needed. Everything got finished and looked good, I paid everybody, and then I left. I drove to the cottage, hooked up the trailer, and headed home. I arrived about a quarter before eight, and Luke was still up. It was nice to see him before he went to bed.

Driving and graveling.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I was out of bed before six this morning to play with Luke. A few minutes after seven I hit the road, stopping at Lowe’s in Tullahoma to give them the list for my lumber quote. I stopped at the cottage to pick up socks and the jackhammer, then went to the job site. I reset the rebar where I had cleared the rock, and texted a picture to the inspector. He approved it and I was able to relax a little. Dillon brought another load of gravel and the truck got stuck again, though not as bad as yesterday. The tractor again rescued us. I drove down to Manchester to return the jackhammer and upon returning spread the gravel around in preparation for Dillon’s next load. He brought it and didn’t get stuck. He was able to drive a bit on the gravel to better compact it. I left there and drove to Builder’s Supply to see if they had half blocks. They did not. I called the concrete guy and he said we would pour tomorrow. I was pretty drained at that point, physically and emotionally, so I returned to the cottage and showered. I went to the Goat Market for a drink and chatted with Eric for a bit. Back at the cottage I did some reading and just relaxed on the couch. I will call Liz shortly.

Drama and home.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I got to the job site about seven this morning in anticipation of the inspector. I finished up the rebar and moved some dirt with the tractor. My big accomplishment was getting a massive stump loaded onto the trailer and hauled to the burn pile. The inspector came and was okay with everything except for the fact that there was rock in a corner of the footings on one house. He told me to hammer it out and to send him a picture. So after Dillon came with a load of gravel I borrowed my dad’s truck and drove down to Manchester to rent a jackhammer and returned to the job site. There I started hammering and it was a lot like work. Dillon returned with another load and his truck got stuck, but we were able to free it, with a lot of help from the tractor. After he left I did more hammering and got the footings all cleared out. I took the hammer and generator back to the cottage and drove home. Liz and Luke were having dinner on the back deck, and I joined them. It was a beautiful evening. After dinner I mowed the grass and watered the sweet potatoes and straw bales. It was after dark by the time I finally came back inside.

Back on the road and at the job site.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I went to Kroger early this morning and returned home to load a few things in my car. After reading a book to Luke and eating breakfast I headed towards the Mountain. I first stopped at Lowe’s in Tullahoma and bought some materials, then went to the lumber yard in Winchester to drop off my materials list for a quote. From there I drove to the cottage and had lunch. I also unloaded and started my generator, and let it run through the afternoon. I went to the job site and prepared the footings for rebar and moved some dirt with the tractor. Early afternoon the termite guy came by and pre-treated the footings. After he left I moved some more dirt, and then Dillon came by in his big dump truck. He had been delivering gravel up on the Mountain, and I loaded up a few logs for him. Tomorrow he will bring me a couple of loads of gravel. I left when he did and went back to the cottage to pick up batteries for the cordless tools. Upon returning to the lots I attached my counterweight log to the three point hitch. It should make a nice ballast for lifting heavy things. That took a while but I had wanted to get it done for weeks. After finishing and moving the tractor out of the way I went to Piggly Wiggly for some food. I showered and then spoke with Liz on the phone, and my dad a little later. My parents are watching Luke this evening while Liz is out on the town. I am pretty tired and will hopefully go to sleep shortly.

Not a day of rest.

Posted on by David Maxwell

This morning we got an early start. Our first task was mulching around some plants. That took about an hour and everybody helped. It was nice to beat the heat, and Liz was happy with the outcome. After putting the tools away we packed a snack and drove to Henry Horton. We were the only ones at the playground initially, but eventually several other kids came. Luke enjoyed playing in the sand and on the equipment. We returned home for lunch and after a slight attempt at a nap we hit the road again. This time we headed to Stillhouse Hollow Falls, which is on the way to Lawrenceburg. The hike to the falls was mostly downhill and Luke loved seeing the stream and wildflowers. He also like meeting other people and dogs. When we got to the falls he was pretty impressed. The hike back was challenging but he walked for most of it. I carried him for the last stretch up to the car. We went home and played until dinner time. He ate a ton, but started to cop an attitude at bath time. He threw up due to running away from Liz and was pretty shaken p by that. After a second bath he was in a good mood and went to bed. He sang less than usual, probably due to exhaustion. I will be staying at home tonight and driving up to the Mountain tomorrow.