Back to work

After spending much of the spring and summer ill or working I finally managed to make it back to the farm to work on the cabin.

We've had little progress at the farm since I took ill.  We lost most of the blueberries and a majority of the raspberry plants due to drought and my inability to set up the irrigation system when I was admitted to the hospital.  I would like to mention the importance of knowing what you are burning and the importance of using an insect repellent.

The week prior to getting ill I had numerous tick bites and we had been cutting trails through the forest and burning the brush.  The doctors have performed multiple tests providing few conclusive answers.  My knees will swell and become hot, stiff, and painful.  Usually after a round of antibiotics my knees will return to normal for a week or two and the cycle repeats.  They were initially thinking mycotic (fungal) arthritis but because of the positive reaction with antibiotics believe it is tick borne.

I made a new friend with a guy who recently started at my service.  He offered to help with the cabin construction.  This past week we had the same day off and made plans to meet up at the lumber yard so I could pick up more lumber and he could follow me to the farm after my shift ended.  As luck would have it I was up all night long and didn't even manage to get my boots off much less sleep.  I was not about to change my plans though because I knew I needed to have another strong back to lift the walls into place.

We made it to the farm without incident despite the trailer having a heavy load.  The first thing we did was to remove the tarp covering the floor and our lumber.  We then made sure the rear wall we had previously framed was still square and applied the siding.  Since the back and both sides are surrounded by woods we had intended to use sheathing covered by some used tin to give it a rustic look.  Because it is going to only be seen by wildlife we changed plans and used the cheaper siding.

We stood the wall and braced it without any problems.  We next framed one of the side walls and included the space to frame in a window at a later time.  Both side walls were finished and stood without incident.

We framed the front wall accounting for the window and door and got it set into place.  We didn't buy the sheathing for the front wall, the local lumber yards were typically overpriced.  I plan to visit a discounter for the sheathing and a Habitat re-store to see what's available for windows and a door.  I am looking for a nice, heavy wood door with some character.  I plan on asking another co-worker to fabricate metal security shutters to cover the windows to keep out those with poor moral character.

Our next job to complete will be framing the front porch and loft joints.  Once that is completed we can frame the roof and install the roofing and we will be in the semi dried in stage.  We were hoping to have it done by fall turkey season but seeing we only have about a week left we are planning to be dried in by November 5 which starts the fall youth deer opener. 

Wish us luck.