Pouring Concrete

I'm pretty sure that today has been the most stressful day so far.  I don't know what it is about working with deadlines that makes things so much more... let's say, interesting.  We were supposed to pour concrete on Friday.  We had the trucks booked, the driveway plowed and yet, we didn't feel ready.  There were a few things that Phil wanted to double check and he felt rushed.  So he made the decision to post pone until today.  It was the right decision.  It gave us the weekend to go over everything.  It gave us some breathing room.  We booked the trucks for today and yet, we still felt rushed.  I'm not sure if you ever feel "ready" to cast all your work in concrete. Maybe after you've done this 100 times but definitely not the first time. Regardless of how we felt, the trucks arrived at 10:30 this morning and the pouring began.

Unfortunately, our timing for pouring concrete coincided with us separating cows and calves this weekend.  This is never done happily or quietly and today was no exception. This momma was not happy and she let us know it.  All. Day. Long. She will be calving soon so it's necessary for her to dry up before then but it doesn't make it easy for her.  Or us. 

Usually, Steve and Joey keep the driveway sanded but because of the big trucks coming in today, they needed some extra help.

This gives you some perspective of the height of the walls. It's deceiving in some pictures but they are fairly high up when they are at the top. The majority of these walls will be underground once the dirt is back filled.

Was I kidding about these guys climbing around up there? It's so hard for me to watch them.

The pumper truck arrived first and got set up.

Everyone came out to watch.

Next came the concrete trucks. There seemed to be a steady stream of them. 

Steve has been a huge help to the guys.  He runs and gets whatever tools they need and helps keeps the site clean. He would love to be in there working with them too but Dad says, not yet. There will be more interesting work for him soon though.

The sun came out today and made this dirty work somewhat more tolerable. 

To give you an idea how the day went, Phil ran the hose and Ben and Matt followed along behind him with the concrete vibrator to make sure the concrete settled properly.

Filling the sono tubes.  These will hold the posts of the deck up.

Ben took the camera up where they were working for us to see things from their perspective.

The finished product.  Again, a beautiful sight.  Not just because fresh concrete looks nice when it is setting but mostly because it's finished. 

I'm pretty sure Phil is glad this day is over. We all are.

A finished wall.

 The house site at the end of the day. Walls poured. Sono tubes filled.  

And just in time because the truck arrived this afternoon with the lumber for framing. There is still work that needs to be done before we are ready for framing but it is good to have it here. That's our house sitting right there. Very exciting!

I have to be honest though, I am glad that this part of the house is done.  It was hard, messy work. I didn't even really help. I doubt I would have been much help to anyone anyway, hanging on to the cat walk for dear life (did I mention I don't like heights?). So sometimes I get in there and help, and sometimes, I make muffins. And take pictures. Today was a muffin/picture day for me. Yet, there were still times, when I just wanted this part to be finished. Some things didn't go as planned. The guys were cold, wet, tired and dirty for most of the day.  It was a rough day. We are so thankful that we can look back and see how the Lord helped and carried us through. He gave strength where it was needed and perseverance to get the job finished. Sometimes there just isn't any other way to get an undesirable job done but to buckle down and do it. If everyone pitches in, it can it least go somewhat faster than if you are working alone. If everyone pitches in, there can also be muffins to snack on. Lots of muffins. When you can't stop to eat, muffins are kind of like the perfect food. Whether you are doing the dirty work, running for tools, sanding the driveway or making muffins, each job is important and I'm thankful that we can all do our part and get the job done.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Colossians 3:23