Puttin' Up Walls.
I'll be the first to admit that over the course of my life
I've put up a few walls here and there.
But let's not dwell on the past.
Besides,
Besides,
the walls that have been goin' up around here lately
are not of the of the metaphorical variety -
they're bona fide barriers between inside and out.
Dean has always wanted a workshop.
Due to spending his prime providing for and raising half a dozen children,
he's just now getting around to making his dream happen
three plus decades later.
Due to spending his prime providing for and raising half a dozen children,
he's just now getting around to making his dream happen
three plus decades later.
Most folks that have observed what's been
going on aound here recently have stated that
the man of the house is building himself a
"man cave".
Well, call it what you want,
but really...
my husband is a natural-born gear-head.
Ever since he was just a wee lad
he's loved working on anything that's
greasy and runs on gasoline.
My very favorite story about him bein' a young boy
took place when he was 12 years old.
He'd traded his saved-up allowance on the purchase of an old
lawn mower motor from a neighbor.
Although the old motor hadn't worked for quite some time,
he was confident in his investment.
After dissecting, analyzing, cleaning, reassembling
and refueling the deceased conglomeration of metals and hoses and grease
he was thrilled to discover that he'd fixed it!
It ran!
And for months after he'd mosey out to the garage every now and then
and fire it up just to hear and watch it run.
Really?
Really.
Personally,
I can't think of anything more dull than that.
But then, I can't think of anything more winsome either.
Clear as day I readily picture him
standing over his Franken-motor
standing over his Franken-motor
as it puffs out hot, gray exhaust while simultaneously potential is
being cultivated inside that boy.
being cultivated inside that boy.
It's no surprise he grew up and earned a degree in
mechanical engineering and over the course of his career
has worked in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries.
He even earned an MBA in his 30's and did several years in management,
but decided he wanted back into the science of industry.
He missed the nuts and bolts of engineering.
The walls of his workshop have been slowly going up
and before y'all know it
he'll have vehicles atop the hydraulic life and
engines dangling from a cherry picker.
So, here we go...
He dug trenches for the footings with his trusty ornage tractor.
We had a hard time keeping the grandchildren and the dawg outta
those trenches...
Really, we didn't even try keeping them out.
There was fun to be had and cool, damp earth
to lie on in those long, deep furrows!
The fun didn't last nearly long enough, though,
because there were forms for footings that needed to be built.
Then the footings were poured.
After the footings had cured,
we had a crew come in to form and pour the foundation walls.
Then there was lots and LOTS of tractor work to be done
to get ready for the concrete slab.
Next came all the rock that goes under the slab that needed to be distributed.
And screeded.
Jus' so ya know...
"screeding" is a cuss word in my book.
Not that I mind helping, but screeding...
I hope I don't ever have the opportunity to help screed
a gravel base again in my life time.
That is all.
Except that I was a very good sport about it.
Honest, I was.
Moving right along...
It was finally time to call in our favorite concrete crew.
Craig Robinson is the best concrete contractor you'll find in these parts
and he's in high demand,
but I believe he always fits us in in a timely fashion whenever we call for his
crew because he thinks highly of my husband and everything we've
accomplished here on Fruitland Drive.
I'm pretty sure it helps, too, that we pay him promptly.
Then we took a break.
But not really.
After the shop floor and approach were done
we went to work on tearing out and replacing the
old flagstone retaining wall that runs across the front
of Retro Bungalow.
The original retaining wall had been there since the 1950's.
Scott Randall, whose father, Percy, built the original house,
told us of his recollection when, as a small boy,
he made the trip with his dad all the way to Arizona
in one of the old family farm trucks to go
pick up the flagstone that the old wall was built out of.
I'll spare y'all the blow by blow details,
but boy-howdy, let me tell you this...
Dean was surprised to find a very large footing
beneath that old flagstone wall and it was a
booger to get out and haul away in hefty size chunks.
I don't recall how many trips we made to
Recycled Earth,
but I do remember that for some reason they were having a
"special" and we were able to unload ALL of that old concrete
footing for FREE!
We sure do appreciate those folks and the purpose of their worthy enterprise.
Saving us a hefty chunk of cash was a very nice bonus.
After what seemed like endless cleanup and prep work...
we finally got busy setting the first (bottom) course
of the new retaining wall.
The first course was difficult and time consuming,
but once we got to setting the next six courses,
it was easy-peasy.
Except that I discovered I have triceps and obliques
and other muscles I'd never been acutely aware of before.
All that hard work was worth it.
We are very pleased with how our new retaining wall turned out...
It wasn't long before our lumber order for framing the workshop
showed up from from Wheelwright.
Other than getting some help from moi and our sons to lift the
unwieldy frame walls he'd built
up and onto the foundation walls,
Dean framed his workshop himself in about one week
including a few days of working his regular 9 to 5.
The man amazes me, I tell ya.
BUT...
sometimes he just gets me so undone with
worry because he will not wait for or ask for help
and all I have to resort to is pacin' an' prayin' hard.
For example:
he installed the 40 foot double header that weighs between
4 to 5 hundred pounds
and sits
ABOVE THE GARAGE DOORS
BY.HIM.SELF.
(with some help from his trusty orange tractor)
Oh, my WORD
he
MAKES.ME.CRAZY.
And I'll just tell ya right now that I was irritated.
And I may have even mumbled under my breath something like
"the man's a stubborn, crazy-fool"
because I was scared outta my head that beam would fall on him.
But it didn't.
Because praying works.
And because the man's as strong as he is stubborn.
That's all for now.
Won't be long til the trusses go up.
Which means, of course, there'll be more pacin' and prayin'.
And I'll do my best not to mumble any scolding words under my breath.
Thanks for stoppin' by
and
have a fabulous day, y'all.
mechanical engineering and over the course of his career
has worked in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries.
He even earned an MBA in his 30's and did several years in management,
but decided he wanted back into the science of industry.
He missed the nuts and bolts of engineering.
The walls of his workshop have been slowly going up
and before y'all know it
he'll have vehicles atop the hydraulic life and
engines dangling from a cherry picker.
So, here we go...
He dug trenches for the footings with his trusty ornage tractor.
We had a hard time keeping the grandchildren and the dawg outta
those trenches...
Really, we didn't even try keeping them out.
There was fun to be had and cool, damp earth
to lie on in those long, deep furrows!
The fun didn't last nearly long enough, though,
because there were forms for footings that needed to be built.
Then the footings were poured.
After the footings had cured,
we had a crew come in to form and pour the foundation walls.
Then there was lots and LOTS of tractor work to be done
to get ready for the concrete slab.
Next came all the rock that goes under the slab that needed to be distributed.
And screeded.
Jus' so ya know...
"screeding" is a cuss word in my book.
Not that I mind helping, but screeding...
I hope I don't ever have the opportunity to help screed
a gravel base again in my life time.
That is all.
Except that I was a very good sport about it.
Honest, I was.
It was finally time to call in our favorite concrete crew.
Craig Robinson is the best concrete contractor you'll find in these parts
and he's in high demand,
but I believe he always fits us in in a timely fashion whenever we call for his
crew because he thinks highly of my husband and everything we've
accomplished here on Fruitland Drive.
I'm pretty sure it helps, too, that we pay him promptly.
Then we took a break.
But not really.
After the shop floor and approach were done
we went to work on tearing out and replacing the
old flagstone retaining wall that runs across the front
of Retro Bungalow.
The original retaining wall had been there since the 1950's.
Scott Randall, whose father, Percy, built the original house,
told us of his recollection when, as a small boy,
he made the trip with his dad all the way to Arizona
in one of the old family farm trucks to go
pick up the flagstone that the old wall was built out of.
I'll spare y'all the blow by blow details,
but boy-howdy, let me tell you this...
Dean was surprised to find a very large footing
beneath that old flagstone wall and it was a
booger to get out and haul away in hefty size chunks.
I don't recall how many trips we made to
Recycled Earth,
but I do remember that for some reason they were having a
"special" and we were able to unload ALL of that old concrete
footing for FREE!
We sure do appreciate those folks and the purpose of their worthy enterprise.
Saving us a hefty chunk of cash was a very nice bonus.
After what seemed like endless cleanup and prep work...
we finally got busy setting the first (bottom) course
of the new retaining wall.
The first course was difficult and time consuming,
but once we got to setting the next six courses,
it was easy-peasy.
Except that I discovered I have triceps and obliques
and other muscles I'd never been acutely aware of before.
All that hard work was worth it.
We are very pleased with how our new retaining wall turned out...
It wasn't long before our lumber order for framing the workshop
showed up from from Wheelwright.
Other than getting some help from moi and our sons to lift the
unwieldy frame walls he'd built
up and onto the foundation walls,
Dean framed his workshop himself in about one week
including a few days of working his regular 9 to 5.
The man amazes me, I tell ya.
BUT...
sometimes he just gets me so undone with
worry because he will not wait for or ask for help
and all I have to resort to is pacin' an' prayin' hard.
For example:
he installed the 40 foot double header that weighs between
4 to 5 hundred pounds
and sits
ABOVE THE GARAGE DOORS
BY.HIM.SELF.
(with some help from his trusty orange tractor)
Oh, my WORD
he
MAKES.ME.CRAZY.
And I'll just tell ya right now that I was irritated.
And I may have even mumbled under my breath something like
"the man's a stubborn, crazy-fool"
because I was scared outta my head that beam would fall on him.
But it didn't.
Because praying works.
And because the man's as strong as he is stubborn.
That's all for now.
Won't be long til the trusses go up.
Which means, of course, there'll be more pacin' and prayin'.
And I'll do my best not to mumble any scolding words under my breath.
Thanks for stoppin' by
and
have a fabulous day, y'all.
