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| Our finished gazebo :) |
Summer is flying by!
This project was going to be ‘done in plenty of time’ for
Canada Day (July 1) and it was completed
just in the nick of time. Things like
the bin going up and the supposed rush in getting the floor put in (I guess people
thought the corn was going to be harvested in the summer *shrug* who knows) and
general life on the farm intervened.
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| Slowly taking off a few rings. Drizzling rain didn't dampen our motivation. |
However, we got it done. And I was right there helping take
the bin apart, move it home and then begin the re-assembly process. I left the ‘how
to’s’ of drilling out the bin base and getting it home to my creative, handy-farmer-ingeniousness
hubs. A bit of mother hen came out as I policed the deconstruction area as I insisted
on safety first with things like ear and eye protection. Yes, even the stubborn
father in-law had to wear ear protection. Common sense and safety work well together,
don’t you think?
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| Getting it loaded for the haul home |
Hubs vacillated between an anchor on top of the concrete or
jack hammering through and really digging the posts in. The jack hammer won out
but I think it’s because he wanted to rent a large tool to play with. I was
actually hoping to try my hand at it but a friend dropped in and he and hubs
got to have all the fun with the jack hammer. Probably just as well; it was ridiculously
noisy even with ear protection on. Plus, who can ignore the joys of bookwork?
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| Supports are dug in |
Yet another farmer friend let us use his bin crane and wow
was that handy! Hauling it on the road made for quite the long load and extra
wide turns but it lifted the dome of the bin so nicely.
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| An amazing tool, this bin crane |
We took the remaining sheets and made this extension to
cover the rest of the old concrete pad. The next morning hubs brought the grinder
over and we trimmed off the extra length of the sheets. It made the process of
bolting two sheets together and putting them up faster since we didn’t have to
stop and trim each time.
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| Putting the bin on the posts; holding it steady |
Sunday mornings or any evening we enjoy so much under our
new gazebo. We can gaze upon the flower or veggie garden or watch the antics of
the chickens. A light breeze whispers through the corn, gold finches chatter
and nosy robins flutter around; it’s our little corner of relaxation.
I will cheerfully admit that this idea stemmed from the creative
archives on Pintrest. Hubs adores (not) this platform of chronic inspiration.
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| Finishing the last section; called it a night at 12:30am & trimmed off the overhang in the morning. The stars were beautiful that night. |
We installed heavier support beams because next year the
final touch will be a bench swing or two. Honestly, a part of me really wanted
to ‘just be done with it’ but our DIY motivation was tapped out. And we’re in
the process of switching gears, getting out of the summer mindset and looking
towards harvest. Yes, harvest in July. Although it will be more likely the
first part of August that we engage the rotor for harvesting fall rye. (Still
not used to my summer vacay ending so soon.)
May your week be full of sunshine, light breezes and iced coffee.
