Reflections of 1998 and earlier, continuing.

Well the work on the house has come to a complete stand still, but still foremost in my mind.

This was a busy week, back to work and went to a Wellness Conference in Lynnwood. Got a chance to visit briefly with my son and 3 of my Grandkids. It was fast and busy and exhausting. Anna, my granddaughter made a pumpkin bundt cake and I got to watch Leon’s soccer practice and make Sierra into a mermaid. Doesn’t get much better than that.

This weekend sailed by. Boy they go by fast. Finished proofing my favorite author’s book. Shanna Hatfield. She writes these wonderful romance novels. Very “feel good” books, so if you get the chance look her up.

Back to the weekend. Picked grapes from my back yard and put them in the dehydrator to make raisins. Bagged up some black walnuts for a friend of mine, and raked leaves and then put up storm windows. When I look back at that, I did accomplish a lot, just not on the house.

Now for reflections.

In about 1997 I worked as a City Clerk and got a listing from other cities that had surplus equipment they were taking bids on. This was open to the public, but advertised in the City’s pamphlet to get word out. Lynn had been talking about how much easier it would be to work on the house if we had a bucket truck. Men and their toys. Anyway, the City of Deer Park had one they were taking bids on. Well, Lynn got so excited and put a bid in on it for $600. He won the bid to my chagrin. Though, I did think it would help with the siding and windows. He had to pay some one to bring it down from about 160 miles. Taken “as is”, it wouldn’t run and had 2 thrown rods. (Don’t know what that is but Lynn did). Anyway, it had to be fixed before we could use it. So with their heads under the hood, Lynn and his son Troy both had this gleam in their eyes. A man thing, I think. His son helped him to break it down and fix it. Lynn said it was a 1970 International. First owned by the Air Force then Deer Park, then lucky us.

I can’t really grumble to much, as through the next 10 or so years we used it for a number of things dealing with the house. It was used numerous times as a hoist to set lumber, flooring and 2 claw foot bath tubs on the second floor. You heard that right. Claw-foot cast iron bath tubs, that we built the walls around. We didn’t have the steps in yet so that was the best way to get them up there, before the walls went up. They weighed at least 400 pounds.

We also used it to install windows. The entire house has 44 windows and many of them on the second floor. Now in about 2010, Lynn was moving it to start installing some siding on the upper levels of the house and when he was checking the hydraulics and moving the bucket up and down somehow it got in the wrong position (he was operating the hydraulics from the ground) and he heard a crack and the darn boom broke. I am not sure what is underneath the fiber glass exterior, but it was a big ouch.

Lynn started checking to see what it would cost to fix it or get another boom. $18,000. and then you had to get it somewhere in the midwest to get it fixed. His thoughts, it needs to be fixed, it’s his bucket truck. My thoughts, you can rent a boom lift for a lot less. We don’t have $18,000 + to fix an old truck. I know the guys reading this won’t agree, but that’s where we are. Unless I win the lottery, we will be renting a boom lift in the spring/summer.

Now we have an old bucket truck that my husband is extremely attached to. The subject is just kinda on hold for now. I am attaching photos of the broken truck. I think I may have a few photos we took before it broke, I will see if I can find them to attach also.

Annie, the hibernating novice carpenter