29 July 2011

Remember: good things ain’t cheap and cheap things ain’t good!  Last fall I bought a good tarp that just covered the shed’s 20′ x 12′ Advantech flooring, instead of the $50 more costly 30′ x 15′  size.  As a consequence, for the last six months there have been major water intrusion issues affecting the flooring edges, oak beams, and the garage interior.  Not good!  First thing this morning Steve and I put my old, cheap, green 30′ x 15′ tarp (that leaks in the middle, but not on the edges) underneath the 20′ x 12′ tarp (that doesn’t leak but doesn’t protect the building edges)… something I should have done ages ago. Today I had a serious case of the clumsies, culminating in taking a situationally-unaware step backwards while working at the rock splitting station… right off the shed turnaround retaining wall. Unfortunately, instead of just falling a few feet to the ground, I fetched up against a large spruce tree, causing some moderate damage to my right-side ribs. But that’s why I keep a large stash of therapeutic strength Ibuprophen on hand!  Perry stopped by around noon to drop off his Remington nail gun, which is a gun in the literal sense – the device shoots specially hardened nails into concrete using 22 caliber rounds.  Just EXACTLY what a person with the clumsies needs to be using!  Perry also brought over a grocery bag filled with vegetables right out of his garden... and the last of the wild red raspberries for this season.  Yummy!!!!  Steve and I finished the west side between-column rock walls, plus we got a course laid in each of the five sections on the east wall that are all that remain to be completed.  The forecast rain arrived just as Steve was leaving at 4 o’clock, so I went into Middlebury to fetch five more 75 pound bags of Type S masonry cement at Goodro’s and a few essentials (more Ben & Jerry’s and honey roasted peanuts) at Hannaford’s.  Back inside Delores during the midst of the downpour (which will be a perfect test of my two-tarp shed protection system), on a whim I pushed the switch to retract the main cabin door steps… which retracted just fine.  Somebody pass me the Scotch!!!!