Look What Pat and I Did!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past month or so, it’s that it’s extremely hard to do any kind of construction work on your own when you are built like me. I wish that statement meant something like my D-cups are constantly getting in the way of all that hammering and sawing I want to do, but unfortunately what I’m really trying to say is that I’m having to learn to accept that I am a very small person and it’s hard for me to do a lot of the projects I need to complete on my own. I need a hand! OK, there. I said it.
That hand came in the form of P-A-T this weekend. He showed up with bags upon bags of Trader Joe’s and ready to work. We didn’t get as much done as I had hoped, but we did finish building a little deck in front of the trailer, which allowed me to move the table up out of the dirt. Yay!
Two Old Buddies Talking
I took this photo back when we were trying to move my grampa’s old pickup. The Diesel Mechanic can’t be bothered with little things like keys and starts his truck with a screwdriver and occasionally a can of ether. It also helps to park it on a hill where he can get a rolling start. We tried to use that can of ether to get the old Dodge going, but it kept dying on us so he towed it off the building site with the backhoe.
Just in Case the Internet Really is a Fad
The Diesel Mechanic and I spent a couple hours this morning fussing with a laser transit before we finally decided there was a problem with the receiver and gave up for the day. Disgusted with technology, he put everything away and pulled out a couple of bent welding rods from his old pickup and placed them in my hands. Although he says he does not possess the ability to find water himself, he wanted to see if I could. I’ve always thought dowsing was a bunch of bunkum, but I indulged him because he’s been so generous to me over the past few weeks.
He set me marching across the property with the rods pointing straight out in front of me like a Jean-Paul Gaultier bra. I had walked about 50 feet when all of the sudden they started turning inward and there was nothing I could do to stop them. We walked most of my property and some of his. My divining rods said there was water where he knew it existed, but not where he thought it might be. We won’t ever know for sure if I’ve got the power, but I’ll sleep easier now knowing that I may have a backup career in case this Internet thing doesn’t work out. I AM a water witch!
My Cell Phone Got Run Over by a Grader
My cell phone fell out of my pocket at some point yesterday and the Diesel Mechanic ran over it with a grader. I didn’t know it was lost until it was too late. Miraculously, he was able to find it by lightly picking over the soil with the blade on the machine. Shockingly, it was still in one piece, but the screen had shattered. When he handed it to me, it was ringing, but I had no way to answer it. So, back to town today to replace it. I’ve had so many phones in the past six weeks, I can’t remember if this is my fourth or fifth one. The first few weren’t my fault, though!
Wall Flowers
The Purple Cowboy and I took these photos this morning while we were checking the trough in the horse pasture. The house is an old homestead.
Maybe We'll Have to Blow it Up?
I’ve decided a backhoe is a very useful tool to have--if you know how to run it, that is. Yesterday, we moved my shed from the building site to over by the trailer. Since it was built on skids, the Diesel Mechanic was able to wrap a chain around the front of the building and then attach it to the hoe and then drag it (boy, nothing like a mechanic wrapping a chain around a hoe to get your blog lots of traffic). Unfortunately, it all happened so fast that I wasn’t able to grab my camera, so you’ll just have to believe me when I say the building looked kind of benevolent as it glided across the luscious pasture. Like maybe it was out for a stroll. Or, if you like horror movies, maybe it was on a mission of evil. Anyway, it looked pretty weird.
Once we got it all level, the Diesel Mechanic was ready to tackle some more projects. First, he tried to tear down the old town water tank, which has been empty for several years. The darn thing leaks like a sieve, but barely a wee little pebble fell from it when he tried to demolish it. Tomorrow, we’re going to cut the fence and bring the cat up from his place (bulldozer, not meow) and try to knock it down again. I tried to convince the Diesel Mechanic that we should blow it up, but he said that would probably be some violation of the Patriot Act. Isn’t everything, though?
Since there was no satisfaction to be had with the tank, the Diesel Mechanic went and knocked over a dead fir tree with the backhoe and then we called it a day. I spent the rest of the afternoon replacing all the contents of the shed, which ended up taking me a couple hours. I discovered a couple boxes of china I got from my grampa’s family and took out a few pieces to investigate. I think it might be expensive, but I decided what the heck, I’m going to use it. Plus, I really liked how it contrasts with the tools in the shed. I feel like an old-timey pioneer lady holding on to one last symbol of civility on the wild frontier.
Anyway, I didn’t get to the deck yesterday and I probably won’t for a several days, but I’ve got a guy coming out this weekend to help me install a hot water heater so I can finally bathe regularly. If you live around here, you ought to be just as excited about that as I am.
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My Projects
- Web: TED's Translation Project
- DVD: How to make cowboy boots
- Book: My grandmother's life story
- Always: The House!
My Short Films
- What's a Nice Girl like You...
- Story Machines
- Boot Camp
- Moving Horses from Montana to Washington in 1903 (audio)
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The Blocksburg Book
