Work Box Outlined
Yes, you may have noticed that the first post of 2017 was the Shop Box Outlined and that the first post of 2018 is the Work Box Outlined. No, it was not planned that the first post of 2018 would also be about box outlining and footings, it just happened that way. With things as they were in the last part of 2017 I am truly amazed we are pouring footings for yet another two boxes at all. Now here it is the first of the year and we are yet again delayed due to weather.
These weather forecasters cannot seem to get it straight. They said a light frost for New Year’s Eve. Light. Not layers thick. It is a good thing the plants were brought inside the Rainstream. If they had been placed in the storage box like last years A Texas Winter they would have froze. Again. Yesterday a Rainstream, today a Foreststream. Who knew the versatility of an Airstream?
For four days the weather was still too cold and too frosty outside for these citrus plants so they remained inside. For four days it was very tight quarters in the Foreststream. Everybody had their space. The Planner in front of the computer working on CAD work, the Kid on the other side of the couch, me at the back on the bed or cooking, and the doggo was beside herself as she was limited to one singular space in front of the fridge and had to be moved anytime we needed in there. And seeing how she has to be under foot when you are sitting, she was not having this arrangement with the forest in the way. Just look at her beaming eyeball stares at the Planner.
Weather be dammed, Friday was D-Day at Boxes in Fields. With no time to spare because the work force was arriving tomorrow, the forms and tubes were arranged and readied to go late Thursday afternoon. While everything up to this point has been the same as the Shop Box Outlined, the next few steps would be very different. Very different.
Last time the pouring of footings took weeks to complete as they were done after I got home from work. Literally weeks as only one or two could be poured, set, and finished at a time. This time, oh this time, a concrete truck was used! But first, water had to be removed. Buckets of water were removed from the holes before the truck arrived, as the truck arrived, and even as the truck poured. Had to be hundreds of gallons of water pumped out and down the ditch. There was no way the little shop vac could have handled this as the 2″ transfer pump barley kept up before water seeped back in as the concrete was poured.
Once the concrete arrived with the correct mixture, the procedure went quickly. Not smoothly, but quickly. The concrete was the wrong set and it made for more work in the end. Concrete was poured into the footings from the trucks and bags of dry concrete were added and mixed together to achieve the desired consistency. Unlike last time where the water was tamped out to settle the concrete, this time the water was separated and the concreted settled with the usage of home made tamper; i.e. a piece of rebar; this time a concrete vibrator was used. So much easier than the rebar. Fortunately the work force has a great sense of humor and we laughed at the whole mess. There was really nothing more we could do but laugh as we were on a limited time frame with concrete setting in the truck as we debated the options.
Ten days later the forms were removed, the tops were leveled, and the dirt was backed piled up around the footings. This was not done last time and it created a spot where water pooled when it rained. No reason to offer more places for mosquitoes to brood.
As before, frames were built in the Big City #1, brought home in preassembled sections, and installed with the usage of the tractor. The frames were held in place, tacked, checked for square, and then welded into place.
Welding produces some of the most spectacular lighting images. These are fantastic considering I am not looking when the pictures are taken. These are simply a point and shoot result. Hey, I happen to like my eyesight thank you very much.
Five days after the Planner brought home the frames, all sections were installed, fully welded into place and await sand blasting and painting. For so many delays along the way, today is only the 23 of January and we are ahead of schedule. Hot dog.
Speaking of hot dog, while the planner did his one man welding thing, the dog and I did our thing. Look how beautiful the setting sun looks on her gray face. In her old age, she has started to develop new tics. Such as eating dirt. She searches it out. Looks for just the right texture or smell or something because she is definitely selective in her eating. She may be getting up there in age but she is just as wily as she ever was. Oh this dog, she has been a mess since day one.