Are We Done Yet?

It seems like we have been working on this project for a long time and we are not even half way through. I am not looking forward to painting the raw lumber. First I have to paint a primer coat on 3 sides of the wood. When that dries I can paint the 4th side. Then I have to wait for that to dry and paint most of the wood with the regular paint. Wait, yet again. Do to do to do. (That is me singing while I wait.) Then I paint the last of the wood. Then we install it and paint where we wrecked the paint. You know we will.

There is no point in taking shortcuts. The wood will be out in the weather and I do not want to get up on a ladder and paint this thing any time soon. So I have to do a good job the first time. That doesn't mean I am going to like it. At least I can be in the garage and listen to music or something.

We dug the holes and "planted" the posts. Each hole had to be progressively bigger to be able to move it around to make sure everything was square and even. We probably should have run a string to make sure, but for two posts on each side, we just decided to wing it.




We have installed a couple of hundred posts, but these four wore me out. The ground had a few rocks, but mostly it was just HARD and compacted soil. I would use the heavy metal bar and Lee would use the post hole digger. The bar is about 20 pounds and solid metal. It is about 4 feet long and flat on top with a wedge on the bottom and it is invaluable for breaking up rocks and loosening soil....one inch at a time. I don't know what it is called but we need it for post hole digging. Even though we have done a lot of these it still took us 2 hours and we are sore once again.




We have a technique for pouring in the concrete. We learned it from the guys that built our barn. One of us holds the post up using the small level. The other one dumps in a small amount of concrete and a bit of water. Stir to mix and then add more concrete/water. It works great and you don't have to mix up bag after bag in a wheelbarrow. Anything that involves less clean up when I am tired is good by me.




I remember looking around and wishing that Roz or Dad would send me a sign. It was getting warmer and the gnats started to fly around my face. One went up my nose and I had to snort it out. I decided that this was a sign from Roz. She was my little sister and we had some knock down, drag outs when we were kids. It might appeal to her sense of humor.

Then I saw the first ladybug of spring. So I decided the gnats were from dad and the ladybug from Roz. But I could be wrong.