Progress, the delivery, 35 years

Mama and I got the call yesterday that our concrete guy will be at the farm today to pour the slab for the shop. We have been waiting on that call for about eight weeks. I have been carefully guarding the finances for the job based on a quote he gave me in early June. The area has been cleaned out since we had the driveway done. There was some discussion of putting asphalt down instead of concrete but the company doing the asphalt ran out of materials before they got to the shop. It all worked out for the best. Nate and I have the electric service plumbed in and ready for concrete to be poured around it. So, I feel confident that we are ready – really ready. It will be very nice to have a shop again. I will consider it my anniversary present – which will, for one time, be more expensive than Mama’s. There is still a lot of work to be done to complete the project, but completing the foundation is the one part that I have had to call out help to get the work done.

Yesterday evening I took the propane tank to a buyer Victoria had found for it. The buyers were an older couple. He had called several times to try and work out how to get the tank to his property but was running into one obstacle after another, so he asked if I would deliver the tank. I asked if he had a means to unload the tank and he assured ne he did – a block and tackle anchored by a 4x4, hung from a section of scaffolding. I backed up the trailer to the scaffolding and we began to work the tank off the trailer. It took several resets of the scaffolding and the block and tackle as well as maneuvering the trailer carefully but we finally got the tank to the point that one end could be set on the ground, the other end lifted and the trailer pulled away. It took about forty-five minutes but we worked slowly and carefully. He paid me an extra $20 for the delivery.

I almost did not make the delivery because one of the tires on the trailer was nearly flat. I aired it up but realized I would need to scoot the tank to the center of the trailer to even out the load on the axle and the two sets of tires. That was probably the most difficult part of the entire operation, but I managed to scoot the tank a little at a time until it was more in the center of the trailer. (I did not realize that the empty weight of the tank was about 650# until I looked it up.)  When the centering was done all the tires looked better. Scooting the tank helped me to realize that if we lifted the tank too high on one end the other end would not slide. Twice I had to have the buyer lower the end he had lifted so I could slide the tank toward the end of the trailer. From then on, he got the idea and we moved pretty efficiently. It was a good deal for him and it was a good move for me and Mama to get the tank off the property.

Today is Mama’s and my 35^th anniversary. We are not planning to do anything special today. For this anniversary, we planned a trip to Sanibel Island, FL. It is supposed to be the best shelling place in the continental United States. Brittany and Mama got the trip all laid out before the twins were born – actually the night before she went to the hospital to deliver them. Mama is still trying to decipher all the Brittany did in scheduling the flight, the rental car and the hotel in less than an hour. I printed out the itinerary yesterday so she could have a copy for reference.

Honestly, I had not even looked at it, so it was good for me to see it also.