Yesterday, we had a goal: we wanted to get all the siding we had on hand on the house. We could then go out and buy the second half of the product and get the job done after we blow in the insulation, of course, which is being done from outside the house on the first floor so as not to damage all that lovely lathe and plaster which is sound and as solid as concrete.
The second floor is a different story.
BAHHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAAAA!!!!!
*wipes tears of laughter away*
Okay then.
Late Edit: People, people, that was a great quip. When I typed it in, I looked at it and laughed out loud. 'The second floor.' 'Different story.' The very best puns are the ones that you don't even recognize as puns until you see the words in front of you.
The siding is 12 feet long and the pieces will break, so we have built a long table out of 2 x 4s. We stack the siding on that table. The chop saw is at the end of the table. This all takes place outside because there is no place inside that can accomodate the length of the boards. At the end of the day, we carry the saw and tools back into the house and lock them up. The table and the cement board remain outside in the driveway.
So, yesterday, we're working at a decent clip because it was cold, in the forties, and it was supposed to start raining at noon. Tim was calling out measurements, I was cutting the boards, and we were working together pretty efficiently. We had two boards left and I noticed that it had begun to drizzle a little. Tim was under the cover of the deep front porch at that point and so he probably didn't even notice. I worked a bit more quickly, racing the boards around the house to Tim, getting the next measurement and then briskly returning to the saw. I was cutting the last board when it began to rain harder. I was worried about the saw, but I wasn't stopping. When I finished the board, I ran it out front to Tim and then rushed back to grab the saw and carry it inside.
Just like that, it began to sleet, and to sleet hard. By the time we were done, I was soaked, and freezing. The most important part is the first part: 'by the time we were done'. That's always exhilerating to meet your goals by the skin of your teeth.
We were back home and trying to get warmed up by 1:30. when Levi called. He had a breakdown at the sawmill and needed to get two wheels up to the Amish shop that had built it for him. Being a machinist, Tim was anxious to see an Amish machine shop. He headed out immediately.
It's still snowing this morning, but we hope this is the last of the cold. Insulation tomorrow. We will get the rest of the siding up this week, and return to working on the inside.
Chop, chop! Hurry up!
ReplyDeleteLOL. I did! I'm surprised you say that there, as well. I say it to William frequently: 'Chop chop, mister!'
ReplyDeleteWell done, Debby! I couldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteOh, we have no choice at this point. The only way to go is forward.
DeleteDoes anyone know where the phrase "chop, chop" originated? I seem to think that it may have been in a Charley Chan movie, eons ago, but could be wrong.
ReplyDelete"Chop chop" is a phrase first noted in the interaction between Cantonese and English people in British-occupied south China. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and was adopted by British seamen. "Chop chop" means "hurry" and suggests that something should be done now and without delay." This according to wikipedia.
DeleteI read somewhere it is derived from a Cantonese word meaning hurry. No idea though if that is correct.
DeleteGetting it done by the skin of your teeth..another odd saying!
ReplyDeleteWell done..and what strange weather?!
By the end of the week, we are supposed to be back in the 80s.very strange whether.
Delete"Chop,chop, busy busy." You have so much get up and go Debby.
ReplyDeleteMy get and go sometimes gets up and goes.
DeleteWhen it spent all day Sunday snowing, I thought it was the last of it. But it sounds like we may get below freezing temperatures this weekend so perhaps late weekend for you. It probably spells doom for our pear trees already blossomed out. Fortunately this year the apple and cherry trees haven't yet blossomed. Last year a late freeze took care of both of their crops except for one tree down on the farm.
ReplyDeleteWe lost a lot of apples last year too.
DeleteBy the skin of your teeth - another British expression which has crossed the pond! Sorry you have ended up with more snow when really you could do with some SUNSHINE. We currently have sunshine and gales . . .
ReplyDeleteIt has been snowy all day. Over cast. Tomorrow is be warm and sunny.
DeleteGood job getting that done! It seems late for sleet and snow, but maybe not where you are.
ReplyDeleteIf you ask me, it is time for this nonsense to be finished.
DeleteSnow sometimes here can sometime appear in May. You are both busy little bees ;)
ReplyDeleteThis bee is ready to do something else for a while.
DeleteGood pun! Good timing, too.
ReplyDeleteIt was something that was not funny at all until I saw it.
DeleteI just went down a "skin of your teeth" rabbit hole - from Job, apparently! “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth." - so there you go. And indeed you do - crack team!! Jeanie
ReplyDeleteIt took forever to warm up.
DeleteI think you and the Tim Team have graduated to using one of those outdoor camping canopies. It will certainly keep you from frying the saw with water dripping into it's electronics. You are having weird weather patterns. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteWith the wind we get, it would wind up miles away.
DeleteI've lost track of what you are working on now; apparently another potential rental or flip property. I've been involved in my share of "chop-chop situations with my builder brother, and am sure we executed all of them decently. Sadly, I'm a few years past asking him to remember.
ReplyDeleteIt is the same house we have been working on and off for years now. Work was interrupted for two unexpected renovations, two work callbacks and illness.
DeleteI love it when a good pun comes together. Continued good luck and progress with the house. I am also hopeful we are done with the white stuff as we got another dose of it today.
ReplyDeleteDammit Shife! QUIT SAYING THAT OUTLOUD!
DeleteInsulation is a good topic for that weather.
ReplyDeleteLol. You are right.
DeleteReminds me of when a boyfriend and I were putting a new roof on my house. We had the new decking and tar paper down, and he was shingling while I was at work. Hurricane rains starting to hit the general area. He and I did the last two rows in hurricane rain (warm, like a shower), he in my raincoat and me in a black plastic trash bag with holes for arms and head. Quite the adventure!
ReplyDeleteVery fortunate you didn't fly away like kites!
DeleteIt’s cold again, and we’re getting flurries off and on today.
ReplyDeleteIt started off cold. I woke up with a sinus 'makes your face hurt' headache. I refused to go out until it began to warm up a bit. It is nearly 50.
Delete