A whole lot of happies.

I have been actually losing sleep over this. Truly. We had 15 roof trusses in place, and we had 6 more to go. The trusses already set had been very physical work. We pushes them up inside the house, lifted each end to its respective wall. At that point, it was hanging upside down. With one person standing on the wall and two people on the ground, the truss was flipped up. Each of the two people got on an 8 foot ladder, pulled the truss back into place, 24 inches from the previous truss. It was checked to make sure that the overhang was even with the wall, and then it was toenailed into place. An 8 foot 2x4 was used to brace the top evenly with the previous trusses. 

I know it is a lot of explaining. 

It was exhausting work. 

We had six more to put up, and the problem is that it could not be done by slipping the trusses inside. There was no longer room to maneuver 26 foot long trusses. They would have to be raised to the roof from outside the house, and flipped on top. 

Today was the big day. We had four of us working and one of them, my nephew, had done this before when he put an addition on his house. We did it his way, and they went up fairly easily. We were done in a couple of hours, sliding them up ramps and 'walking them' where they needed to be. 

I cannot tell you the thrill I get every time I look over and see the dead patch of grass where that pile of trusses used to lay. 

Tomorrow, we will put up the last of the purlins which connect the trusses into a sort of grid. It steadies the trusses and you use also use that to nail the underlayment for the tin roof, and then, on top of that will go the tin roof itself. I will truly feel as if once we have the place roofed, we'll have accomplished the lion's share of the 'grunt' work, the heavy, physical laborious work, and I am grateful for that. 

Once this part of things is finished up, and the doors on, etc. the breakneck pace can stop. If we feel like taking a day off, we can do that. THAT will be nice. 

Tim got his 'new' truck yesterday. I was quite worried about this, to be honest. We do not need another 'project' truck, not at this point. We have way too much going on. The good news is that the truck is very nice. It runs perfectly. I was very happy about that too. 

Know what else I'm happy about? I had a tomato on toast sandwich, and it was just about the most perfect thing I've ever tasted. 

Kay? I'm getting together a package for you and Art and hope to have it on the way to you by week's end! Hope your brother enjoys it too!