So, I gave it my best calculation as to how
many pieces of landscape timbers I'll need and off I go to the local Home
Depot again, yep, with my trusty best friend Frances and her
hubby Charlie's pick-up truck to make my purchase. The purchase wasn't
that bad, I actually enjoy spending money (I said spend, not shop) but
waiting for someone to load those things onto the back of the truck!
Sheesh, that was a different story, and "hey, why are you giving
me all the ugly one's?" .........
" These things are going in my yard
you know, I am the one that is going to have to look at them and I don't
want ugly.........take the ugly one's to your yard!"......... First time
I have ever seen anyone use gigantic rolls of Saran Wrap to secure something
to the back of a vehicle, but we made it back, timbers intact, thank goodness...............didn't
want to leave Beaver tooth picks laying all over Georgia Highway 20 West...........unloaded
our wares, and returned Charlie's beloved pick-up truck to him.
After much consultation and instruction from
Charlie I had enough confidence that I, along with Eric's help, could construct
a retaining wall. So a date was set, Eric arrived that morning eager
to do that manly thing...."build something"..........and we stood there
looking at each other................Back to the drawing board, make that
phone call to Charlie and ask him again where we start................"on
the corner" he says....................."which corner" I inquire...."we'll
be over later".............."MJ, we need to run a line"....."uuummm, what
kind of line"....."to keep the wall straight"......"oh, ok"...."have any
string?"........uuummm, no".................."I'll be back, house is right
around the corner".....................Charlie put lots of miles on his
pick-up truck that day, and the next day too. At one point, I think
every tool and garden implement he owned was at my house.................
We set up an assembly line type of construction based on the physical abilities
of each of us; Charlie drilling most of the holes and making the cuts,
Eric slung the sledge hammer till he could sling no more, Frances threw
her back out trying to lift the sledge hammer (I noted she did this early
on) and assumed her usual position of overseer of the project with tiara
and septor in the shade. However, she did "pass a mean nail" and
made a pretty good "holder of the timbers" while the feverish work resumed
every time Charlie left to go back to the house for "something else".
I assisted with the drilling of those holes that you would never imagine
to be so hard to drill, and pounding the nails and rebar. Eric worked
on digging the trench to keep this wall from running up hill, and worked
with Charlie on leveling the timbers before they got pounded into place.
Eric beamed with pride when his Dad picked him up that Saturday, as his
dad looked on in astonishment at what "his boy" had done!
This is
the finished project
on day one of construction.
And I sat back with contentment at the
end of the whole thing......................it's an "instant gratification
thing" only some people would understand.........................
This is the
wall on completion.
We took it one more tier high.
This is Eric gaining his
"new experience"
I wonder how much Eric will cost me this year?
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