Back in action.
This morning I drove up to Home Depot in Spring Hill first things for some bolts. Then I returned home and relaxed – watching an episode of Magnum PI and starting a second. Then the roofer called and I had to pack up and head to the Mountain. I met him and he said he would get me a quote, so then I went to the cottage. After lunch I tried to nap and then went to the job site to clean and organize a bit. I took a lot of scrap lumber to the burn pile next door. About 4:45 Laudel came by to pick up a check for the framing. I gave him a tour of the houses and he was very complimentary. A little later Eric came by with Linkoln Townes and I gave them a tour as well. I ended up working until nearly dark.
On the road.
I woke up about 4:45, got out of bed at 5:15, and we left the house at 6:45. The drive to Carmel, Indiana was pretty uneventful. A gas stop and drink stop were our only breaks. Luke did great on the drive. He slept and sang in nearly equal measure. In Carmel we got lunch at Panera Bread and took it to a nearby dog park, where we met Liz’s dad. We took our time eating and Luke was able to walk around a bit. We transferred all the luggage to John’s car and Luke was delighted that his car seat was repositioned in order to face forward. I said goodbye to everybody and drove home. My only stop was for gas somewhere in the middle of Kentucky. Now I am exhausted and will stay the night at home before driving up to the Mountain tomorrow morning.
Two down.
The framers said they were coming at seven this morning, so I arrived at the job site around 6:30. They came an hour later. Parts of both crews returned, and they got busy in a hurry. I had to go buy some finish nails, but fortunately no lumber. I spent most of the morning organizing and cleaning the job sites. They finished up around 1:30, and I went to the cottage to pack up, then headed home. Liz and Luke were out when I arrived, so I mowed the back field until the mower threw a belt or something. I went inside and showered, and Liz and Luke arrive shortly after. It was good to see them. Luke and I built a new Lego tower until it was time for dinner. After we ate I did cleanup, bath, and bed time with him, so that Liz could clean the apartment. Bed time was a real struggle that stretched out to over an hour and a half. I will try to go to bed relatively early tonight since we are leaving so early in the morning, but that might prove difficult.
One down.
I arrived at the job site at 7:20 this morning after picking up joist hangers at the lumberyard and the framers were already there unloading their tools. The generators needed more gas so I went for some. After about three hours Jorge’s crew finished their house. Most of those guys went next door to help Cruz’s crew. At lunch time I went to the cottage to relax and little, and dropped by next door to see Debbie. Since things seemed to be going well this afternoon I did some driving around just to clear my head a bit. Back at the site I tried to clean up the scrap wood a bit. The framers left about 6:30 and I drove down to the Manchester Home Depot to get OSB clips. After stopping at Piggly Wiggly I returned to the cottage to shower, eat, and relax. I will try to get to bed early since the framers said they are coming around seven.
Still rolling along.
This morning I left the cottage at 5:45 to got to the job site and unlock everything. From there I drove down to the lumberyard in Tullahoma for some 2x12x24 boards. They were insanely expensive. When I returned the framers were going strong. For most of the morning I kept myself busy cleaning the job sites. While the framers went for lunch I returned to Tullahoma for more wood. This afternoon I moved a bit of OSB with the tractor, so that the framers could work a little faster. It was another long day as I didn’t leave the job site until after seven. Since then I have just been relaxing at the cottage.
Another good day.
I slept well again last night and woke up early, but pretty refreshed, this morning. I set everything up at the job site, and then the framers got to work. There were several trips to the lumberyard but things mostly went well. Dillon came to help move the OSB and pick up a couple of logs. After leaving the job site at about 7:40 I went to the opening of the new Food City in Cowan. It was a pretty nice store, but packed. In a couple of minutes I will call Liz then go to sleep.
Wow, what a day.
I slept pretty well again last night and got another early start. After removing the chains and logs, and dropping off generators and small materials I headed next door on the tractor to get some OSB. As I was doing so I saw the first framing crew show up, so I stopped and discussed everything with Jorge, who framed the last house. They were off to the races and soon the other crew arrived and got started. I made several trips to the lumberyard throughout the morning for various items. The guys took a long lunch and then got back at it. One crew worked until about 6:45 and the other around 7:30. They got a lot done. It was a draining day but now I am feeling good. I got food at Piggly Wiggly and am now relaxing. Soon I will call Liz and then hopefully go to sleep.
Stress, lumber, and rain.
I slept surprisingly well last night and woke up fairly alert. A few minutes after six my dad and I drove to the job site and started setting things up. We unloaded the generators and a few smaller materials. At seven I went to the lumberyard and told them that we needed the wood for both houses. One package was already on the trucks and so I followed them back to the site. They unloaded everything and then I was on the lookout for the framers. I was expecting them any time after eight, although 8:30 was more realistic. I was nervous about the second load of lumber coming and I went and got the green plate myself. There were a few bouts of sprinkles but the heavy rain wasn’t due until the afternoon. About 9:30 I started to think that the framers might not be coming, and I was okay with that. By 11 I was pretty sure that they weren’t, and was actually happy about it. But I tried not to get too excited out of fear they might show up. I did load up the generators and loose materials though, and went to the cottage for a quick lunch. I returned to the job site and waited for the rest of the lumber to arrive. It did, and the rain came as well. Unloading was a bit tricky, but it got done. I chained the entrances to both lots and also put logs in the way. Hopefully there will be no 2×4 relays tonight. Back at the cottage I have pretty much just been relaxing all evening. I will try to go to bed early again tonight.
Father’s day to work.
This morning Luke and I played a bit both before and after breakfast until it was time for me to go. I drove to Tullahoma, where I stopped at Lowe’s, Harbor Freight, and OfficeMax. All three stops were productive. I made it up to Monteagle and dropped off the lumber and ladders at the job site, spread the gravel on the driveways, moved some dirt around one house, and dropped some stuff from my car at the storage unit. I filled up all of my gas cans and ran the generators a little bit, topped them all off, then went to refill three gas cans. I came back to the cottage and have been printing out things for tomorrow and finalizing everything. Hopefully things will go smoothly. There is a lot to go wrong, but I am feeling okay. I will be trying to go to bed very soon since I will be getting up at the crack.
Gardening and more.
This morning Liz and Luke made breakfast cookies and then we went to the farmers market. It was great to see everybody there. After returning home Luke and I played while Liz ran some errands. My dad came down and helped a lot with relocating the straw bale garden and doing some clearing for planting pumpkins and melons. I planted carrots and beets in the bales. After he left I mowed the front yard and loaded my trailer with lumber and ladders. We ate dinner outside and then did the bed time routine. I was planning on driving to the Mountain tonight, but will wait until the morning.
