This is turning out to be a busy year with a lot of projects which is just as well because now I don't have time to waste on FB or Twitter depressing myself with the continued shit show and pandemic. It's like things that have been on hold all got the go ahead all at about the same time. The stopped up toilet that led to the talked about remodel of the big bathroom, the acceptance of our offer of a house for my sister, and now the buildout of a room and a bathroom in the shop that we can air condition and heat so we can work over there all year (!) that the stay at home orders precipitated because people don't want to start any work that will entail having workers in the house and our contractor/handyman/neighbor/friend was hurting for some work. So work over there began Monday. Insulation, sheetrock ceiling, leftover beadboard walls, gonna leave the concrete floor for now. Rocky's emptying his garage of all leftover material that we can use...insulation, sheetrock mud, maybe even a new toilet. He already gave me a faucet set from a previous job months ago for this eventual buildout.
Aaaaand, work came to a halt end of day Monday. Before they closed in the ceiling with sheetrock an assessment of all the electrical wires needed to be made because some of the plugs worked, some didn't; some of the switches worked, some didn't; and we needed x amount of light fixtures, x amount of plugs, and x amount of switches and there was some pretty ancient shit up there. And Gunnar would not be available til Thursday.
So Rocky set his brother Rene, who is currently on leave from his job, to helping me on the fence Tuesday morning while he enlisted the aid of another of his people to come assess the electrical wires.
All the guys are amazed that I have cleared that fence by myself with a few days of help from my sister. I tell them, two hours a day day after day after day. After helping me for an hour Rene says this is hard work for a woman. I told him women can work hard. We have a higher tolerance to pain and have more stamina. I'm thinking women's work has always been hard like doing laundry before washing machines and helping their husbands plow fields. All that aside, there is something to be said for male upper body strength. Rene, he's a small guy like his brother Rocky but he pulled down four sections of crap off that fence in the time it would take me to completely clear one section.
At one point he asked me if I'd seen any snakes which I hadn't and told him so though I was surprised as I figured there would be snakes in there. Not five minutes later Rene was poised to cut the head off a little 8” garden snake that slithered out from under some debris. “Don't kill it!!!”, I exclaimed as I herded it off to safety. “It's a harmless little garden snake, a sign of a healthy ecosystem. It's not hurting you so leave it alone.” I do not understand why people want to kill things just because they can.
Rocky returned 12:30 with Fred, y'all take a break he tells me and Rene, and then we pondered the ancient and the just old electrical wiring, a plan was formed, an amount of money agreed on with the resumption of the buildout on Friday.
I thought it would take me nearly a week to cut up and pile up Rene's work for burning but I got it done in two days.
I had to go out into the world yesterday for new work gloves since I've destroyed the two pair we had. Just two more sections of fence to the corner but those last two are going to be a real bitch but at least I'll be working in the shade for a change.
And I wish we would get a day with no wind so I can start burning some of those piles.
You make me grateful I moved away from my big garden to a yard with just a small couple of patches.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're wearing boots in that underbrush.
But I'm deeply impressed with your labors.
It's good that you have the guys helping you. This weather is going to get hotter as the week goes on.
ReplyDeleteit was just the one day. apparently I whooped Rene's butt. he left for lunch on Tuesday and never came back and didn't pick up when Rocky called him Wednesday morning. I'm curious to see if he shows up with Rocky on Friday.
Delete"...hard work for a woman..."
ReplyDeleteHah! Try pushing a ten pound baby out of your vagina, Mr. Then we'll discuss what a woman can do.
But really, Ellen, you are amazing.
oh Mary, that made me laugh. wish I'd have told him that!
DeleteI am actually getting very interested in seeing that fence in all its glory free of growth.
ReplyDeleteEllen thank you for your comment on my post about accepting. To allow a decision to come to you is a big step but also so very reassuring.
thank you Sabine.
DeleteWhat are your plans for the fence? What will you do to keep if from future incursions?
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see work starting on the interior of that big ole studio.
The plan for the fence is just to keep it clear and prevent trees from growing along it. I've lot track of the number of trees I've uncovered. to that end, it will get a liberal dousing of poison even though it goes against my desire to not poison the planet but there is just no other way. after that keeping it mowed tight against the fence and spot applications of poison as needed. all the guys on the street are armchair quarterbacking for me...use roundup, diesel fuel, flame thrower (the neighbor that suggested this offered to do it for me), some other granular shit. they aren't, however, offering to help me actually clear the fence.
DeleteI'm so impressed with all the work you've done on that fence line. I would have given up long ago or hired it out. Great job Ellen!
ReplyDeleteI laughed at that exchange about women's strength. After years of working on the docks, I've learned just how strong I am: also, flexible. The other thing about women is that we do seem to have more patience and persistence than at least some men, and that can be as useful as brute strength when it comes to completing a task like fence-clearing. As for things like RoundUp, even the people doing prairie restoration around here use it from time to time, especially when trying to get rid of Chinese tallow. There's just no way to cut those down and be done with it.
ReplyDeleteor, as the sign in my friend's art studio said, "persevere". I allow myself a day off on Sunday but if I skip arbitrary days, it won't get done. Rocky couldn't believe I was going out there today. I told him, well, it's not done so yeah.
Deleteoh, and, yeah about the tallow. A neighbor cut down the mature tallow in his front yard a couple of years ago and with in a couple of months his entire front yard was a forest of regrowth, not just the stump but the whole front yard and spreading into the next door neighbor's yard. he's still getting sprouts off the roots but not nearly as many now.
DeleteI think if you go the flamethrower route there will have to be a video :)
ReplyDeleteThat fence clearing makes me very tired. Glad you got some help with it.
ReplyDeleteyou and me both
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