Drama and home.
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.
Playing in the mud.
This morning I went to Builder’s Supply and got rebar, which I took to the job site. After unloading it I returned the trailer to the cottage and read a while. Around eleven I went back to work. The footings were still a muddy mess but bending and setting the rebar was pretty simple. I worked until mid-afternoon, went to the Goat Market for a bit, then worked until nearly dark. I didn’t quite finish all the rebar, but I will in the morning before the inspector comes. My dad was at the cottage and we talked a bit, and I called Liz and talked with her as well. I am pretty worn out now and hope to go to bed soon.
Back on the road and at the job site.
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.
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.
Nice weather, lots of activity.
My parents spent last night with us and Luke was excited to see them this morning. After breakfast my dad and I took trash to the dump, and then we all went to Cars and Coffee in downtown Columbia. There were some neat rides there. Next we went to the farmers market and Luke enjoyed seeing everybody there. After that it was time to get to work. My dad and I planted sweet potatoes while Liz and Luke prepared some plants to be mulched. After lunch and while my dad was napping we went to Home Depot for a few bags of mulch. Upon returning he was awake and the two of us went and bought some straw to put around the sweet potatoes. I also started conditioning the other bales I had for a straw bale garden. Once our work was complete my dad headed on and the rest of us went inside. Luke played, I red, and Liz prepared dinner. After dinner Luke went to bed surprisingly early, but not easily.
Diggin’ it.
The excavator texted about seven this morning to say he was on the way, so I headed on to the job site. I did some last minute preparations and they showed up about eight with a tracked skid and mini-ex. I showed them the layout of everything and they started moving dirt, a lot of it. One site was close to level and the other wasn’t. So they were able to level one up, but the other will have two steps in the footings. One of the guys and I went to lunch at the Goat Market and after that I laid out the footings and they dug. That took until about four. I left there, went back to the cottage to pack up, then drove home. My parents were there when I arrived, and everybody was finishing up dinner. Luke stretched out bath and bed time and I have been reading a little. It was a draining day.
A good day of work.
This morning I left the house at the same time Liz and Luke departed for High Hopes. I drove to Manchester and bought ground plastic at Home Depot. I wanted block sealer as well, but they didn’t have five gallon buckets of it. My next stop was at the market in Pelham for a little breakfast, which I soon regretted. I tried to take a nap upon reaching the cottage, but could only lie on the couch thinking. Finally at about one I headed over to the job site. It was still pretty wet but I was able to remove a lot of tree debris. I also did the initial staking for the excavators. I worked until nearly dark because around four o’clock the excavator texted to say he’s coming tomorrow and I wanted to be fully ready for him.
A different kind of productive.
After dorking around this morning I drove down to the surplus store in Woodbury where I bought 360 sheets of OSB at a cost of over $12,000. That represented a huge savings over other vendors, but it still stung. From there I drove to Lowe’s in Shelbyville for rebar ties and chairs. I drove home as quickly as I could, and made it home well before dinner so that I could play with Luke a bit.
Still not sunny, still not productive.
On the bright side, it didn’t rain today. After using the internet in the library parking lot I went to Eric’s house to help him with a little project in his kitchen. He is getting granite countertops among other upgrades, and needed some help getting ready for the guys who are coming to measure for the granite. After that I drove down to Dixie Salvage in Fort Payne. I wanted to see what they had in terms of flooring, vanities, and other materials. I was a little disappointed but still got a couple of flooring samples. If nothing else it was nice to drive for a bit. I went to the Goat Market once back on the Mountain and chatted with Eric and others for a bit. After leaving there I returned to the cottage and have been relaxing and reading.
Wet and chilly, but good.
I got to the cottage about 11:35 last night and was pretty exhausted. This morning the block guy called about 6:40 to set up a meeting for today. I stayed in bed a little while longer then went to the job site. It was incredibly nasty there. I did come cutting and moved some logs with the tractor, but it was so muddy that I was sliding all over the place. The block guy came about 9:45 and we had a great meeting. His price is good and he will pour the footings too. After he left I grabbed my chainsaw and headed on as well. Back at the cottage I just relaxed, ate some, went with my dad to get gas, tried to nap, and talked with my mother. This afternoon I took it pretty easy. I did some work on my materials lists and starting looking at paint colors for the next two houses. This evening I have been reading a new spy novel.