Decided to take a break from Boxes In Fields for a road trip to big city #1.  In the next coming week, ditches will be dug in preparation for water and electrical lines and the backhoe attached was being borrowed for the tractor.  Digging 300 feet of trench 2 feet deep by hand was not an option and it would take more than a day for a rental usage.  Rental fees for a days worth of use for a trencher are about $200.  Um, no thank you, one can be borrowed for free.

You may be beginning to wonder as to the number of machines available for borrowing.  Over the years, when the Doubter and his work partner needed a tool, it was bought, and friends and family get to use them.  Nice.  It is great to have friends in the right places.  Upon inspection of the backhoe attachment, it was noticed a cylinder was leaking at the seal.  After many attempts to fix the seal, the backhoe was left behind for repairs. No backhoe attachment usage today. Strike One.

After driving the tractor in and out of the shipping container for the past week, it was decided ramps would make things easier on both the driver and the tractor. Especially since the Planner knew just where some were laying around not being used. He had built these ramps years and years ago for a much, much smaller trailer.  Since then, ramps have been used for many different needs on many different trailers by many different friends, and now the Planner will use them, again. But as luck would have it, these ramps were too short. No ramp usage today. Strike Two.

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Now, if you are like the Planner, then you are thinking things just never go the way they should.  Drove two hours to get a backhoe.  Two hours wasted trying to fix it.  Two hours drive back.  All this for nothing.   However, if you are like me, then you would find the silver lining.  While the Planner and the Doubter were working, I was digging through the scrap bin for good stuff.  You know, one man’s trash…  As it turns out, one man’s trash is my fantastic find.  Tow hooks, both straight and curved shaft, about the length of a woman’s hand and weighing a couple pounds a piece. Creative minds, such as mine, will find great refurbished usage.  These will be great for….. for…. for…. Ok, so I have no immediate plans for these hooks.  But I will.  Score One.

What a beautiful butterfly.  Monarchs are making their yearly migration from the far north to the far south for the winter.  Thousands upon hundreds of thousands of these magnificent insects are killed every year by the hundreds of thousands of drivers. Drivers statewide complain about how dirty their precious little rattle cans get during this time of the year.  Stop worrying about your insignificant little selves and stop and smell the roses!  Or in this case, stop and enjoy the beauty.  Monarchs are traveling across the county as they have been since before man.  This passage of time marks the end of another year as they head south for the winter.  If it were not for these winged wonders, pollination of planted fields all across the county would suffer. So, little complaining man on your way to a fat burger stand, where would you be if there were no delicate wanders? Anyhoo…. while on the road trip I had the honor of witnessing these gentle souls traveling south as we traveled north. At one of the many stops along the day, this beauty laid at me feet as I stepped out of the truck.  Seemingly perfect in health, monarchs are not known to allow humans to handle them, therefore this beauty must have been at death’s door.  Not wanting it to suffer from a passersby boot or radial, I moved it off my boot and into a safe place where it could pass its remaining time in peace. Score Two.

And for the home run…. LUNCH!  There is a local Mexican food restaurant in big city #1 we try to eat at every chance possible.  The Planner and the Kid get to eat there more often because they travel to the big city #1, a lot.  This hole in the wall, local dive, has both the best cheese enchiladas and greasy cheeseburgers.  Deciding what to eat is such a battle of the wills.  The Kid and I got enchies and the Planner got a burger and we all needed a wheelbarrow to take us to the truck.  It was a long ride home when all of us wanted nothing more than to take a nap. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.  Delicious, as always.  It was a good day for a road trip after all!