It seems like every time plans finally get back on track another hooey is thrown. Almost two weeks since the last rain delay, another more potent deluge was received on the 11th. This time, there was an 8" deluge. What a way to start a weekend!
Sunday, with nothing better to do, it was decided to finally open the camcorder purchased a few days before. Of course, as it turns out, I was the practice dummy. And who loves the way they look in a picture, worse yet on camera? Not me. Had I known the camcorder was going to be busted out, I would have done things differently. Like cleaned up the constant clutter off the couch, brushed my hair or left my hat on, not eaten chips or talked, or stood like a troll. But what fun would that be? This video shows the participants of Plan473 at their best, or not best, depending on how you view it. Being this was the very first day with the camera not one thing was edited out of the video. Needless to say, nothing was accomplished over the weekend. All in all, it was a slow, wet weekend.
Come Monday, I did not have a choice anymore and I had to drive through this muck. There was the simple fact I had to go to work. Day one of muddin' in the beep beep wasn't so bad.
Tuesday, was another story. By now I had driven through the muck not once in and out, but twice. Had to come home for lunch on Monday and I couldn't walk through this mess. The Planner drove the truck through it once as well with his big truck tires upsetting the beep-beep's donut groves. Getting in and out was a little slippery. Good thing the car doesn't weigh anything and the momentum pushed me forward. When I parked my car at work, I was treated to mud blobs under my car. Really? Mud blobs from donut tires on a beep-beep. Good grief. I was kinda embarrassed. Day two of muddin' in the beep-beep.
Tuesday afternoon the boys were going stir crazy with nothing to do. Walking around was even difficult. Luckily for them, a pair of whistling ducks stopped over to play in the puddles. Whistling ducks are great!
As a reward for making it home through the slop on Tuesday and for cleaning their smelly coop, this little chick decided to keep me company. This a one of the two Rhode Island Red chickens. There are also four Ameraucana, two Plymouth Rock (barred rocks), and two Black Sussex.
Afterward, watching the birds play in the new mulch is always so much fun. I don't break the chunks apart as they seem to enjoy the extra work. While watching, I found this pretty web. Notice the break in the web? Guess the chickens ate the spider. Mmm, protein. Delicious. Chickens: dinosaurs with better costumes.
Wednesday, the Planner had to bite the bullet and attempt to fix the lack of water drainage. His dad (The Worrier) was bringing his travel trailer down so he can come to help us on the weekends. In order to place in its spot, the pile of dirt and trailer had to be moved. This was kinda hard to do with the driveway was a mess. Use of the tractor made quick work and everything was going well until he actually had to move the trailer.
As it turns out, all the smoothing of the water mess still did not allow for traction with a truck and a trailer. When I came home from work, I pulled in the driveway to a stuck truck. A stuck truck and trailer. In all my laughings, I forgot to take a picture. Serves me right.
With me at the wheel heading to the high and dry communal driveway and the Planner pushing with the tractor from behind, the truck and trailer were easily unstuck. What was left behind was very deep messy ruts, again.
This used to be a dual tire trailer. Now, bald mud slicks. What a mess!
After moving and spread, moving and spreading, the driveway was looking like something again. The Kid was a little sad because his fort was destroyed but now he has a much larger pile in the shade to play in. "A larger dirt pile in the shade, heck yeah", he said. All is happy.
After parking the beep-beep back its normal spot, the Planner decided I should test out the driveway to ensure I can get out in the morning. Nothing like getting stuck at 6:00am in the dark.
Should have just stayed parked. The dirt had been messed up too much, the beep-beep didn't have mud tires, and the driver (yes, me) was a little bashful at the wheel and didn't hold the wheel tight enough or give the peddle enough go.
Don't know if you have been muddin' but it is muchos importante to stay in the ruts, the groves, the previous tire tracks. Crossing ruts is no good. It causes momentum to be lost. Without momentum, there is no go.
Yup. One stuck beep-beep. Not so much stuck as lacked traction. With some pushing and shoving, bickering and snickering, the beep-beep was unstuck by sheer manual labor from the Planner. No tractor required. Besides, where would the tractor have pushed/pulled on the beep-beep? Day three of muddin' in the beep-beep.
Deciding to park the beep-beep at the high and dry communal driveway for the night, the Planner rescued his damsel in distress. Ha, damsel. Don't you just love a man who does such sweet things?
Thursday and Friday the boys went to the Big City #1 to pick up yet more materials, to play with machinery and its by-products such as this drill shaving, and to help the Worrier bring down his travel trailer. And what a travel trailer it is too!
This is a perfect example of shag carpet (was ripped out before it came down), flower power, orange and brown monotones of the 1970's.
Included with this trailer are these original Chevrolet hubcaps. Didn't everybody want these hubcaps on their trucks. I remember trucks as late as the mid 90's still swapping these for their less than popular new rims.
And this sticker. This isn't the comeback, revamped for 2000's model. Nope. This is the classic version. All this trailer needs is some nameplates. "Bud, ya'll live like pigs" vanity plates to be exact. Ye-haw, boy howdy. I bet somewhere my mom still has my kid leather belt with my name on it. Gonna have to ask her about that. Cause, damn, that belt hanging from this trailer would be so "to the max".
Not wanting to risk getting stuck while the boys were gone, the driveway remained unused and left to dry. Poor little beep-beep having to be parked out on the road, all alone. Look how small it looks so far away. Better to hoof it from the high and dry road than hoof it 5 miles to work.
Sometime during the week, I decided the lime-a-licious paint scheme wasn't as bad as originally thought. So while the boys spent Friday afternoon attaching the Worriers trailer into the septic system, I painted the chicken coop.
And let me tell you, there was a LOT to paint. Trying to be careful in painting so not to spill, splatter or streak is time-consuming. So on Saturday, I painted so more.
But for all the careful touches, once it dries, the colors meld and are absorb into the wood leaving streaks, weak spots, and blemished. This is when the yellow undertones really appear.
It is the yellow that is ugly, not the green. Mind you, this is with two layers of primer and two layers of green paint. A third layer of green would probably fix the yellow color but as I have stated numerous times, they are just chickens.
But after all was said and done, I am pretty happy with the results. It is my "happy little" coop for my happy little peepers.
Late in the afternoon on Saturday, the Worrier decided to have a go at the mess of a driveway. He had much better luck because the ground was dry. So dry in fact, it was dusty as he spread the dirt.
To help find the grade, the Planner being the planner, used the transit while the Worrier used his mad skills. Maybe between the two the water will flow, not pool. Now we wait for rain. Who would have guessed a week ago yesterday it rained and rained and rained. Last Saturday it was wet and cold. This Saturday, yesterday, was hot and dry. Ahh, Texas weather. Wonder what the rest of spring hold in store?