Prepping for the arrival of the storage container. 
The fill was delivered Friday.

August 12, 2017 - Saturday

43 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I was balanced on the top rung of the extension ladder replacing the fascia on the north side of the barn when a huge dump truck filled with gravel and sand backed into the drive.

My timing for a major repair couldn't have been worse. I hoped the barn fix would be a minor one and finished before the fill was delivered.

Earlier Friday morning, my biggest fear was realized when I peeled the aluminum trim away from the 2x6 boards onto which it was fastened.

Rotten doesn't fully describe the condition of the first board as I could actually poke my finger clear through the thing. 

I've seen cotton candy with more texture. 

I'm not certain why sixteen feet of fascia rotted when the boards on each side were perfectly fine. Treated lumber was used as a replacement which necessitated a quick trip to the lumber yard.

To make a perfect fit, I had to rip quarter inch wide strips and fasten them to the new 2x6's. It wasn't difficult, but took some time.

 The real challenge was finding a way to hang two heavy, treated, eight foot long, 2x6's, twelve feet off the ground by myself.

In the end, I ran a line from the inside of the barn over the upper wall to the outside.

I tied one end onto a 2x6 outside then pulled from the inside. The board was secured after it had been hoisted as high as possible.

It took a bit of experimenting, but in the end, I could wrestle one end of the board into place, nail it, then move the ladder to the opposite end.

I was in the worst possible place, doing a balancing act twelve feet into the air, when Bruce called from town saying he was on his way with a load of sand and gravel.

I secured the board up on top, moved the ladder, and waited for him to arrive.

I had to work on, around, or on top of the pile for the rest of the day.

It will take some effort to move the gravel into place, but with the backhoe and tractor, it shouldn't be too horrible of a job. As soon as the area is level and packed, I'll order the storage container. Delivery time is two to three days after I call, probably next week or the the week after.

The next worry: how to snake a forty foot storage unit alongside the barn. 

The fascia boards were secured and by late afternoon, the trim and covering were fastened back in place.  

Job done. Amen.

A late afternoon walk-through of the garden produced this season's first kohlrabi. We enjoy the turnip/cabbage vegetable a great deal.

I had an old package of kohlrabi seed that I simply broadcast into an empty bed, much like one would plant turnips or rutabagas. As the plants have grown, I've kept them thinned and have found it to be an easy method of growing kohlrabi. It's been one of the few horticultural successes I've had this summer.

With Thursday's heavy rain and wind, another giant sunflower was lost, blown over with its stem broken. What a year.

I talked with someone today whose wife usually grows a large garden. He said she'd given up back in June with all the rain and cold temperatures. I'm beginning to think she had the right idea. Much of my garden is suffering from some sort of blight or fungus caused by too much precipitation and lack of summertime warmth. (I'm wearing a flannel shirt as I write and it's almost the middle of August.)

Darn this global warming anyway.

Sargie was home early Friday evening and opens today. We'll be heading to the Iron County Fair this evening to watch Jerad compete in the annual demolition derby. I'll go early and be part of his pit crew along with Yooper Brother Mark. Sargie will meet up with Sheri later and they'll watch from the grandstand.

Since I'll be the senior member of the pit crew, I'll get to supervise. That's a good thing since I know absolutely nothing about mechanics.

I'm going for my walk this morning then plan on picking blueberries. The lawn needs mowing and there's that giant pile of fill that needs to be leveled. I also want to use the high pressure washer and spray the glop off the trim covering the fascia. Since it's on the north side of the barn, sun never hits the surface and there's all sorts of green stuff growing on the white aluminum trim. Time to make it look pretty.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

We enjoyed a true summer meal Friday evening: fresh green beans, fresh sliced cucumbers, new potatoes, and brat patties.