Whew! What a DAY!

 Today was the LONG awaited day for our

concrete delivery!

They were supposed to meet us at the farm

between 10:30 and 11:00, after they did

a pour for the hospital.

We got out there and finished up the

last little things that needed doing,

and just as we were done, 

here they came!

(They were about an hour late, but we used the time well...)

We had a total of 3 trucks.

The guys were all bundled up since it was 

still pretty chilly out.

They dumped mud into the lane and then

Kyle and Rod dragged it down to

fill half the form. (We did the other

half from the other side...)

It was a LOT of mud!

As the day went on, the clothes came off.

Hahahaha.

It actually got quite warm!

While they were moving mud, I came along

behind with a level attached to a 2x4 and

scree-ed it to make sure it was level and smooth.

We got better, and faster, but it still took a LONG time.

Off to the right is the mud room.

The only section that is totally concreted.

It was easier to do the whole thing than to try to just

go around the edges like the rest.

And then the center sections are just for the pilons. 

(You know, the posts that stick up and hold up the floor joists...)

(I have no idea what they are actually called.)

If you look closely, Rod is smiling.

While they finished up, I ran to Hill City and got us each

a ham/pineapple personal pan pizza.

And then while I was driving into town, I passed a 

semi coming down our road (not super common)

carrying somebody's trusses.

OH WAIT - those are OUR'S!

I forgot those were coming today.

Yes, the neighbor's dog came by again.

Kyle tied him to the stock trailer because he REALLY

wanted to come down into the hole with us and

get his little footie prints all over our fresh concrete.

Uh, NOPE.

I had to leave and rush back to WaKeeney to

get started teaching this evening's class.

While I was gone, they cleaned up

(Kyle had to use the skid steer bucket for some

of the concrete, so he had to get that out of there...)

and then they put the new Mr. Heater,

a diesel powered heat blower thingie,

down into the hole and covered the whole thing

with two 30x50' tarps and weighed it down

with cinder blocks. (Since we have 800+ of them...)

Kyle came home to grab a sleeping bag, a space heater,

and some snacks. Then he headed back out there

to babysit the heater.

They hooked it up at 7:00, so he went out about 9 

to see how much fuel it used in 2 hours.

Then he'll set up camp in his house and come back

by and check on it at midnight and again during

the night a couple of times to make sure it hasn't

run out of fuel or whatever.

By tomorrow it should be well on its way to being

cured. The low is 30, so it will freeze, but just barely.

So it should be fine.

It was 28 last night.

We got a TON of rain all day Monday (which is why we didn't 

get to pour that day - bummer, Jim was here to help!)

The pond was FULL to the top.

It's gone down significantly already.

But it had a nice little layer of ice.

It would be nice if it would hold water.

It would be fun to have a pond.

Although, we aren't allowed to have one if we

do the chickens - ponds attract geese and ducks.

And they potentially carry Avian Influenza.

And if the chickens get it we have to "depopulate" the flock.

And 20,000 chickens cost $125,000.

So that would be bad.

So.

No pond.

Anyhow.

I just finished teaching,

I'm EXHAUSTED.

So it's off to bed with us.

NITE!

(Yes, I know you aren't supposed to start a sentence with

the word "SO". Obviously it doesn't bother me a while bunch ..... lol.)

So much for my college english... hahaha.