Tuesday
Linda
Today was a hectic day. I arrived at Ronald’s house right on time at 8:00 this morning. He was already up and sitting in a lawn chair in his garage. I almost thougt he must have been there on watch all night. We wasted no time and immediately climbed into the Green Goblin (with rattling lifters) and headed to Lowes. Ronald commanded the vehicle while his wife Vicki navigated and I was posted as lookout on the passenger side. It takes almost an hour to get to town.
As soon as we arrived at Lowes Vicki and I commandeered two roll carts. Of course mine was defective as usual. It hobbled down the aisle with one wheel slightly raised with the flat spot spinning. It made a pitiful thoomp thoomp sound as I drafted Vicki down the wood aisle.
Ronald was in charge of the master supply list. We needed to get all the wood for the chicken coop and wood shed. Vicki and I scouted out the bins looking for various board sizes as Ronald called them out. 2x4x10, 2x6x12, 1x6x10 and so on. We muscled them off the racks and stacked them onto the carts. Load after load. Our work was not done yet. We also needed eight 60lb. bags of sacrete. I sprinted over to the last flat cart and tagged it before some burly contractor got there first. Triumph.
I must be getting my muscles back with all my digging in the garden because I was able to handle those heavy sacrete bags. We looked for a door for the chicken coop but Lowes didn’t have the size Ronald wanted. I was glad when a young strapping Lowes employee helped Ronald load the truck.
It was another hour long ride back to my house. Unfortunately there was no strapping young man there to help unload the truck. Only us old folks. We pushed and pulled and grunted and groaned, but we got everything stacked nice and neat in the garage.
Round one finished.
We got right back into the Green Goblin and drove another hour back into town. Actually it was longer than that because Central Supply was a little farther out of town. We needed to go there to pick up the “form-a-drain” and couplers for the root cellar footers. That will be the next project after the chicken coop and woodshed. We didn’t have enough room in the truck the first time. It was so heavy already with the wood and sacrete that I hoped our tires would hold up on the gravel roads.
By this time it was already after 2:00 and the egg I had for breakfast was long gone. So we stopped by a gas station and got a little snack for the road. A little over an hour and we were pulling into our driveway. More groaning as we unloaded another truck load.
Round two was done. A hot meal and the couch were calling my name. I didn’t fight it. Eight hours of travel, shopping and exercise have done me in. That’s enough for today. Tomorrow is another day.
Off-Grid in West Virginia 
goodness girl….I hope you can still move tomorrow!!! Sounds fun working with friends, I guess that is part of living off the grid. that and no Verizon…. poor Sonny
Yea, she sure is a trooper. Great to having her help. Would not have been able to be where we are without all she has done.
Phew, wish I coulda been there to help. Not that in my current condition I really could have. Moral support. 🙂 hope you’re feeling alright today!
I am feeling just fine. Tylenol and a good nights sleep can do wonders. You just take care of the “Bean”. He or she will be chasing chickens at Mimzy’s farm in no time.