Shop Box Boxes

As part of the Planners sudden need to be more organized in both life, work, and Plan473, the Planner came to the realization he needed more shelving and boxes for his work box.  Currently his shelf and floor is laden with 5 gallon buckets, cardboard boxes of various sizes, dimensions, and weights, milk crates, and one wooden 4x4x4 crate. 

All are filled with random assortment of tools, supplies, left over materials, and other various assemblage.  Over time, contents will move from one bucket to another.  Tools will make their way to a final home as they are used or needed.  Mostly the buckets are filled as they are used in whatever project and then left with remnants.  There are no less than three buckets and two boxes filled with electrical/plumbing parts.  This does not include the shelving/buckets of electrical and plumbing located in the storage boxes.  Storage boxes really are needed.

Boxes had to fit the shelving units built two summers ago and they had to be sturdy enough to be lifted above the head over and over again.  I would like to say these boxes are going to be rarely accessed, but that would be lie. Not accessed daily, they are accessed weekly and that is enough to need to have them organized.

During our holiday visit with family while the Kid and I built fires and collected river rocks, the Planner, the Worrier, and the Uncle made boxes.  Usage of the Worrier's wood tools made quick work the boxes.

Two sets of nine boxes.  18 boxes total.  All joined and glued and stapled.  No corners were cut as strength and durability are important.

Only upon completion of the boxes did the Planner and Worrier realize the boxes really should have had lids made.  Oh well, they are just storage boxes anyways.

With several weeks have come and gone since completing the boxes.  In the span of time, the Planner (words muttered under his breath) again had to dig  inside the wooden crate for tools to help the Kid made his chicken steps work and then just last week we both had to work around the 20 odd buckets and boxes on the floor while working on an actual work project we decided now was the time to finish the shelf project.

Having three full days of warm summer weather ahead was the perfect time to do it, too.  Material was dug out off the shelving unit and thoroughly cleaned.  Almost two years of grinding, plasma cutting, welding, and environmental hazards build up heavily upon open faces.

We are not talking a slight dusting here, we are talking about an 1/8" layer of grime.  It is thick and sticky, oily with residue and slightly rusty.  Messy.  Cleaning this 2x2 tubing is yet another reason why the boxes really did need lids.  Now more than ever, the Planner has to design a box lid that fits snuggly and can be built without the usage of wood tools.

Once cleaned, the materials (2x2 tubing, 1" and 1.5" inch angle) were cut to length and corners rounded.  Like the Kid with his step stool, rounded corners are not needed but they look more classy and are safer during prep work.

Measure and anchored to the work table, the shelf was checked for square again and again.  Meeting proper length, it was tacked and then fully welded, and then ground smooth.

During cool down, the existing shelving was prepared for welding with the paint stripped at the correct mounting points. 

It was then welded into place,

primed,

and painted. New wooden insides were fitted and screwed into place and ta-da, completion.

Really only take a solids weeks worth of time, the new shelf and 18 boxes look professionally organized.  Now to fill with crap.  Wait, I did not mean crap.  I meant important crap.

Dirt+Chicken=Fertilizer

It seems, sometimes, chickens are more work than they are worth.  They have to be cleaned and feed and watered.  Since the trees are still lacking most of their leaves, they have to be tarped from the sun both early morning and direct noon rays. Two months ago they had their coop lined with a bathroom liner to ease poop cleanup and last month they had their nesting bars rearranged to ease nightly top bunk fights.  All of this done with bawking from several of the hens and many of the residents of Plan473.  Most of the time I don't mind working with the chickens.

Most of the time.  Oh sure, they lay eggs that taste better than any egg from the store.  And while this is true, eating eggs is a come and go thing and right now I am on a not eating egg kick.  Eggs, therefore are an added bonus.

Chickens only have one purpose.  They are my saviors from bug infestation.  And for that, I am grateful.  So when the coop needs to be cleaned of old packed dirt and fresh dirt brought in, I try not to complain.  Too much.

It is hard work.  Dirt has to the forked over, then shoveled out.  One shovelful at a time.  Certain areas the dirt is very hard packed and very stinking such as by the door and under the water feeder.  And both of these areas are daily trodden by at least one resident of Plan473 as they open/close the coop door. I really despise standing in poop laden dirt that then sticks to the bottom of my shoe like gum on a hot summer day.

If the dirt was not replaced, the smell would get worse and then the chickens would get foot fungus.  Taking care of foot funk is not an option as I am not that kind of chicken person.  So we shovel out the dirt to ward off foot funk.  As a bonus to shoveling dirt, I will have bucket loads of the most nutritious fertilized dirt for various usages.  The first bucket load was piled up for an above ground garden I hope to get built in the next few weeks.

The second bucket full was poured into this root exposed hole.  Two trees are intertwined and both fell over during the storm two years ago.  Since both are still thriving, I figured poop enriched dirt couldn't hurt as a natural nutrient booster.

Shoveling out the two bucketful of dirt is only half the work.  The harder job is when two bucketful of fresh dirt/sand mixture must be shoveled in.  Dirt shoveled out is fork fluffed and easy to shovel.  Dirt/sand mixture is hard and shoveling requires boots and strength to get a full shovel filled.  Of course, there are the chickens all around inspecting your progress. Trying not throw mixture onto chickens is challenging.  Can't say it didn't happen once or twice.  Can't say a chicken didn't get kicked either.  It happens.

Hours later with sweat rolling face, a sore stiff back, and blistered up hands the job is done.  You stand back and admire your work thinking it wasn't so bad and silently thanking yourself that it is only a once a year job.  Freshly painted coop, a new roosting bar, and fluffed dirt/sand mixture.  I think I am done working on the chickens for a while.  It seems my chicken work - benefit ratio is getting out of whack.  Oh wait, next month is new peepers month.  Ugh, more chicken work.  All I can say is the chickens better start benefiting more.

One final note, I can't say for sure, but I think the one floor roosting bar was a smash hit.  No step ladders needed either.

Happy Year of the Doggo!

In the Year 2525, if man is still alive...

What an odd song, that one.  Luckily for us, we do not pick our children from long glass tubes (unless your child is the Kid and he was handed down as space rejects) and little pills do not tell us what to do.  In the year 2020, we can still choose to think our thinks and hatch our own eggs. 

Later this month, the Chinese will be celebrating their New Year, the year of the Rat.  In the zodiac calendar, the rat is the first of all the zodiac animals.  Not one for following American holidays, much less world holiday, I did not know it was the year of the rat until Google told me so this morning.  Slightly interested, I read more about the different year and animals.  Since I do not want nor need extra children, I will not be worshiping the rat anytime this year.  Year of the Dog, however, that is something with potential.  A whole year to celebrate the doggo!

Unfortunately, the next Chinese New Year of the Dog is in 2030 and there is no way chance in the hell this doggo will still be alive then.  Being that I missed the last Year of the Dog in 2018, I am celebrating it now in 2020.  It is not the American New Year date of January 1 nor is the Chinese New Year date of January 25, it is just the Year of the Doggo!  A whole year to celebrate her in all her fabulousness.

2019 was a tough year for the Doggo. Her hearing has been gone, her sight has been going, and now her hips are failing her.  She has to ear doggy diapers at night and anytime we travel.

She is getting up there in age and she sleeps almost all day. She needs a doggy bed in every box she can follow us from one box to the other and then go back to sleep. Don't fret, or feel sad, or get weepy or anything.  Given the chance on a good day, she will muster any energy she has stored to sleep where she doesn't belong.

Even with age, however, she still hates to have her picture taken.  It must take her soul or something.

So in this self proclaimed Year of the Doggo, we will celebrate the Doggo. She will live the life.  Eat human treats (cashews, walnuts, pecans), get only warm baths, and maybe even go on rides in the Princess seat.  Who knows, this could be her last year. 

Other people may celebrate the New Year with silly resolutions or life altering plans.  I think celebrating this loyal companion is better, way better.  Happy New Year Doggo!