Setting Deck Beams

The husband’s only job yesterday was a concrete-cutting job in the afternoon, so he and the guys set the beams for the deck before lunch. I watched and took pictures. I like to watch the husband work.

The Gradall forklift was the first piece of equipment we bought, over 25 years ago, and I think it has been the most-used piece of equipment we own.

The guys set the first beam on top of the sonotubes that were poured last week, then set the second beam at right angles to it:

Next they had to replace the beam that was holding up the porch roof. That one was a bit trickier to place, but the husband is all about safety:

It looks good and is securely in place. The house will fall down before this new deck does.

In between taking photos, I cut the grass in the garden. I did not see any snakes, though. By 10 am on a sunny day, it’s usually too warm for them to be on the black plastic. I need to run the string trimmer out there this morning.

When the husband got home from the concrete-cutting job, we were going to sit for a while on the porch before dinner finished cooking. As I walked out onto the porch, though, I spotted a ground squirrel running through the herb garden. I went and got my .22 but it had disappeared. We sat on the porch with the gun—I am sure we look like Ma and Pa Kettle, sitting on the porch with our guns waiting for the varmints to come back—but we never did see it again.

Now that only a few piles of logs are left in the woods, the number of ground squirrels has decreased dramatically, but it only takes one to decimate a row of lettuce.

I have a pair of the Made by Rae Rose Pants cut out and ready to assemble. So far, I’ve only managed to interface the waistband and mark the pleats, but at least it is forward motion.