One of the best things about the boys is between them they have enough early tradesmen skills and fools egos to do all of the home projects themselves (anything that doesn't risk voiding our insurance, I mean). So when two huge panels of the fence came down around Easter due to freak winds, they got out there and ratcheted the whole thing back up and then promptly pretended it didn't exist for the next several months. It was kind of straight and out of the way and really who has time for that?
Yesterday when it hit thirty-two on the thermometer they decided it was time to fix it. Because, yes, let's do it on what must be the absolute hottest day of the year!
They proceeded to jack up the old concrete-placed posts and put in new ones, quickly discovering the old ones were completely rotten and that's why the fence came down in the wind at all.
Cue the master plan to replace every post on that side, turning five panels into ten. We didn't have a choice but who wants to find out the work has just doubled when you've already expended all of your energies just trying to get the last build out of your way?
Oh my fucking God.
But I carried bags of concrete down(fifty pounds! Against advice but I always have a need to be one of the boys and help as much as I can.) I mixed it until my eyes burned (forgot the ski goggles and WOW what a mistake that was.), sweat was running down the inside of my clothes, which I wondered if we would have to burn, briefly.
I measured and nailed trim pieces and I cleaned up with energy in the dark because we ran out of daylight. We ran out of wood. We ran out of patience. We ran out of common sense, as I took a step backward in the wrong place to get myself out of the way of a massive 2x6 coming my way and almost went off the cliff. I met Lochlan's very wide eyes and resolved to never ever do this again.
We'll call someone. Fuck it. That was our last fence.
They'll tell you different but I really don't care. I will be more stubborn than they can be because that's a natural gift for this girl. If I can find the energy to demonstrate it. Maybe not today though.
It looks so nice out there now. And it's safe again. Finally.
Yesterday when it hit thirty-two on the thermometer they decided it was time to fix it. Because, yes, let's do it on what must be the absolute hottest day of the year!
They proceeded to jack up the old concrete-placed posts and put in new ones, quickly discovering the old ones were completely rotten and that's why the fence came down in the wind at all.
Cue the master plan to replace every post on that side, turning five panels into ten. We didn't have a choice but who wants to find out the work has just doubled when you've already expended all of your energies just trying to get the last build out of your way?
Oh my fucking God.
But I carried bags of concrete down(fifty pounds! Against advice but I always have a need to be one of the boys and help as much as I can.) I mixed it until my eyes burned (forgot the ski goggles and WOW what a mistake that was.), sweat was running down the inside of my clothes, which I wondered if we would have to burn, briefly.
I measured and nailed trim pieces and I cleaned up with energy in the dark because we ran out of daylight. We ran out of wood. We ran out of patience. We ran out of common sense, as I took a step backward in the wrong place to get myself out of the way of a massive 2x6 coming my way and almost went off the cliff. I met Lochlan's very wide eyes and resolved to never ever do this again.
We'll call someone. Fuck it. That was our last fence.
They'll tell you different but I really don't care. I will be more stubborn than they can be because that's a natural gift for this girl. If I can find the energy to demonstrate it. Maybe not today though.
It looks so nice out there now. And it's safe again. Finally.