The Ant's Tale

This is the tale of My Husband, The Ant, who single-handedly (except for one very cold Christmas Holiday Weekend, when he had at his disposal,one male and two female ant minions) created a beautiful ceremony site for Ali's wedding.
Yes! It IS a Shabby Chic structure! But you're seeing it after the use of an axe, machete, hacksaw, chainsaw, (my personal favorite tool name the) Lively Lad, rake, crow bar, and first aid kit.
The approach to the stable was rampant with Thorn Trees (Yeah. I know. WHY does something like that even exist?), huge jungle like vines of poison ivy, blackberry vines, small trees, brush, weeds, all manner of brambley plants...let's just say NOT a paradise. or a Ceremony Site.
Once he was able to actually GET to the stable to start dismantling it, his knee went out, but he soldiered on, dragging one leg up and down the ladder as he pulled boards away, all oak, all with rusty 16d and 20d nails.

all of which were bent back onto themselves to prevent them Being Pulled Out. Some boards had "multiple" nails driven in (10 - 15 nails spaced a thumb's width apart, why? You've got me there).

Step One: Buy a shiny trailer!  Step Two: Begin making piles. Step Three: Move the piles to make different piles after sorting boards for future use, condition, length, etc. Step Four: Build a structure to hold the wood keeping it sorted. Step Five: Yes! Move the piles to the structure.
On and on and on all through a very cold early winter.

Note the ladder. Note the piles. Heh.

At one point Jim was wearing not only a knee brace, but a wrist brace as well, since a wrist manged to sprain itself. I did not ask about the different bandages he would be sporting on his visits home from this little project of love for Ali. I thought it was the prudent thing to do.

The stable poles rested on big limestone rocks and blocks, that at one time were flush with the surface but with time and weight, sunk in some places almost 2 feet deep. These were well worth the pulling and digging to remove them because they were perfect for steps in the lane, and a small porch for the chicken coop! "Dig away with abandon, Jim" I say. I helped too but gave up-they were heavy. I broke a nail. I got wind in my eyes. I went inside and drank cocoa. I have skewed priorities.

No humans were hurt in the collapsing of this roof. Jim is very nimble and quick.

There were many trips to the landfill, many side jobs, for instance, tearing down the board and (sunken in the ground) wire fences in preparation for the new fence Jim was planning on building to go up the lane and past the front of the house.
Not to mention repairing the tractor, cleaning the barn, working in the coal mine, coal mine, coal mine, working in the ... never mind.

 When the tear-down was finished he dug all the random pieces of metal, glass, old animal medicine bottles, pieces of old leather straps, the flotsam and jetsam of an earlier time and occupation.



After raking it smooth and admiring it for an hour or two he was back to work sowing grass seed.  But concerned with the amount of time for sprouting not to mention problematic weather and hungry birds, he ordered sod to be delivered when he had a block of free (hahahha I kill me) time to lay it.

Two days later, in the rain, a HUGE flat bed truck arrived on the road, blocking traffic, laden with the sod. (Not all ours, most was for another delivery and ours was on the way to that other job).  
 Jim was in the process of digging post holes (THANK YOU, ED! The loan of your auger was the best thing ever!) but the sod had to be dealt with right then. Long story short, we laid sod in the rain, had a blast and the results were well worth it!