Catching up with Summer~

 I can hardly believe we're two thirds of the way through the month of August already!  The weather has been typical for Iowa summers.  Hot, humid & this year - wet with both rain & high dew points.  It's been green, very green & even now, I'm mowing every four days.

A project we didn't expect to do, had to be done.  The big Mulberry shading the very first flower garden I put in, had one huge branch broken off during the big wind mid-June.  Butch had cut as much off as he could & we decided to leave the rest hanging.  Mid-July another windstorm broke off another even larger limb.

7-15 Second broken limb~

This time, there was no way for us to reach it.  I called Fermincho Tree Services & on a weekend Butch was home, Fermin came by & gave us a bid.  No heavy equipment would be driven across the lawn.

7-21 Mulberry getting a trim~

Early Monday morning, a crew of three arrived.  We sat on the porch & watched as Fermin put on spikes & was up the tree faster than we could believe. His crew cut the branches as they landed on the ground & loaded them into the trailer.  When the Mulberry was done, he moved down the hill & climbed the first of the three Elms that had died there.  They were tall enough, if they came down, they'd hit our west fence.

Starting on the Elms~

Butch & I had to leave, but by the time we came home, there was no sign anyone had even been on the property.  Every branch, leaf & limb had been picked up.

On our trip to Home Depot, we looked at the row of Tuff Sheds.  We've used the horse trailer for storage for several years.  I was so tired of looking at it & the utility trailer we hadn't used.  We both liked one of the smaller sheds & discussed buying one.  The following day, Butch was back on the road & I was out by the trailers with a measuring tape!  I visited the city & applied for a permit.

8-6 Utility & Horse Trailer~

The space where the trailers sat was approximately 19 feet wide & deep. I called Butch, then called Fermin.  The following weekend he & his crew came again & spent the day moving the trailers, leveling the ground, hauling & spreading crushed rock!

8-9 Gravel going down~

Two trips to the gravel yard & several yards of rock later, we had a flat place to put a small building. I'd called Tuff Shed, talked with a salesman & ordered exactly what Butch wanted.  To our surprise, it was finished in two weeks rather than the three we were told to expect.

8-16 Butch & Finn installing edging blocks~

Butch arrived home again on the 14th & spent two days loading, unloading & setting large concrete blocks along the back & side of the pad.  On the flat area, I picked natural looking edging stones.  By the time Butch left, the stones were in & the pad was within the required 4" of level. 

8-20 Pad ready~

I raked & cleaned up around the pad, transplanted a couple Hosta's & spread eight bags of mulch.  Fermin had purchased the utility trailer & taken it away.  I'd received a call from Tuff Shed; our building would be delivered on the 21st.

8-21 Construction starts!

The team from Tuff Shed arrived by 8 a.m. on Thursday morning.  It was humid, but still in the 70's.  I was amazed at how fast the construction went.  In 2.5 hours, the building was done!  At Home Depot, we'd had paint mixed to hopefully match the color of the Cabin.  Butch will do the painting his next time home. 

The new view~

What a difference!  For a project that really wasn't planned, it turned out great.  I never thought I'd say I was tired of looking at a horse trailer, but I was.  We'd purchased it new in 1995 & it carried our horses for many miles.  I've finally come to grips with the fact that I don't need it anymore.  Once we empty it & move things into the new building, Fermin will pick it up.  He's purchased it to haul his rock crusher.  It's perfect for him & I'll be happy to see it go!  The new building looks like it was meant for the spot.  Butch & Finn will enjoy having their own little space :-)