Day 2
We got to Home Depot by 6:00 am to rent a truck with a hitch. It’s busy at the rental counter at this time of day. I came with Steve so he can drive the truck and I can drive ours.
No truck for us today. Womp, womp. No truck means no way to getting the chipper to the site. No chipper means no need for a crew. Steve had to cancel the crew, then cancel the chipper rental.
Steve continued clearing trees. The primary goal is to get all the trees cleared that are within the building envelope. For the trees that are located on or close to the boundary Steve will decide which trees stay and which won't. We want to avoid over clearing. Trees are very important to us. Steve paid respect to each tree for its life before downing it, thanking it for its life before its next reincarnation. It brought to mind this quote
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls the butterfly.”
Excerpt from the book Illusions by Richard Bach.
The tree will continue to serve us in its reincarnated state as fill and mulch, thus fortifying the foundation for our house. Perfect
While Steve was in ‘chain saw mode’ with ear protection (which we, or at least I, had to discuss safety rules when there’s a chain saw involved.)
Rule # 1: No talking, or trying to get attention, or trying to have a conversation while the chain saw is on. The machine is loud and dangerous. Wait until the chain saw is off to talk.
Rule #2: Stay away from the estimated radius of the tree being downed, and then back up some more, and more after that. The trees are 50 - 60 feet tall. When a tree of that height falls, a multitude of unexpected and unfortunate things can happen very suddenly. Beware the tree might land some where not intended due to uneven weight and branch distribution, trunk curvature, hollow tree, etc.
Rule #3: Be aware that shards of branches can come flying at you at high speeds, or dead branches can come loose above your head. A falling tree can get hung up on other trees, thus creating a domino effect of sudden impending doom.
Rule #4: No dogs around while the chain saw is on.
Anyway, Steve was focused in on detaching branches from the log, when he looked up and saw four people nearby all waving at him. They startled him.
“Mr. Steve?”
It’s the new laborers on a re-con mission. They wanted to make sure the address was correct. That’s a good sign. Steve was able to show them the job and set them up for the next morning 8-4:30; 15 minute coffee break at 10:00, 30 minute lunch break at noon, another 15 minute break at 2:30, work til 4:30.
We also had to create a list of things we totally forgot to bring to the site today. Here’s a list of things to bring next time, including (wait for it...) a notebook and pen to write said list:
tripod + camera gear bag
rain gear
long sleeve work shirt
fleece / sweatshirt
canopy
hard hat
a change of clothes + shoes (filthy dusty stinky muddy work clothes + boots need to be bagged on site)
yoga mat
folding patio chairs
A new diet.
We need to revisit how we've been feed ourselves. Everything that Cove Deli makes is absolutely delicious and made with love and pride. Steve warns me from his experience building a CVS in CT. There was an amazing deli there where he ordered breakfast sandwiches and lunch sandwiches. He packed on 10 pounds in a month.
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