Flakey Framers or Flakey Blogger?

I have been a little neglectful of the blog lately.   I need to blame someone so maybe I'll blame it on "flakey framers" but in reality I should blame the one and only flakey blogger...me.

We've been having too much fun having Cade and Becca here visiting for a couple of weeks while they convert their new Sprinter van into their very own tiny house.  It's been fun to compare notes on the two build jobs..theirs is just a tiny bit, well...more tiny.


I'd better back up a couple of weeks.  Last time we checked in at the little river house, the boys were busy doing the drain field for the septic systems. 

 They also had to do some trenching to put in the septic and well lines to the house.  The reason they were doing all of this work is a sad one.  The excavator who was going to do the work was killed in a work related accident just a few days before he was scheduled to start work at our place.  The boys were able to borrow a backhoe from their cousin, Rod and do the work themselves. 


 It was a lot of dirty, hard work but they were pretty pleased when the inspector came by and not only approved everything but commented on how good of a job they did.

The septic tank is in...right in front of the house..really??

Donna and I have taken turns bringing the guys something to eat.  They get so hungry but rarely stop to eat unless the food is right under their noses.



Okay that was week one since I've blogged, now on to week two...

 Framers..

So we had the framers scheduled to start last Monday.  They were going to frame P and D's house and barn first, then move over and do ours.   The weekend before starting, the framing boss called and said he had decided he just couldn't do it for the bid he'd quoted.  After much discussion (and snarling and gnashing of teeth and maybe some swearin') they were told to take a hike...we'd find another crew.

Daughter, Codi, brought her family out to clean out the foundation in preparation for the framers.  They picked up a lot of nails and garbage.

Happy baby!

The clean up crew

The middle of the next week, we had two brothers, each with their own crews lined up. One crew would start P. and D.'s house on Monday and the other would start ours on Wednesday or Thursday.  After another delay, work finally started on theirs, but our framer never confirmed and seemed to have dropped of the face of the earth.  Pat scrambled looking for us a framer once again...that would make it the third attempt (if any one is counting) and sure enough he was able to find us another one and they were all lined up to start.  

It's hard work lining up all these framers!

On Friday they said they'd be there on Saturday to start. That was sooner than expected, so Mike had to quickly call the lumber guy and see if he could get the wall framing package delivered on Friday afternoon so they'd have materials to work with through the weekend.  If they hadn't been able to swing that, the framers wouldn't have what they needed and would   have to wait until Tuesday.  Luckily, Curtis came through and had it all delivered.  We thought the framers would  be there this morning but when the boys got out there at O' dark thirty, ready to go over things...yep, you guessed it...no framers!   
A few phone calls later and it seems they are taking off for the Memorial Day weekend and will be at work bright and early Tuesday.  NO...don't say it...don't even think it!  I'm one hundred percent positive they'll be there!

In the meantime, the neighbor's framers showed up on Friday and they have almost framed the first floor of the barn.  They also have the flooring and one wall up on their house.  That's exciting progress!

P and D's barn

Mike is going to start framing his barn tomorrow with the help of a framer friend and two of our boys. 

Looking from our place over to Pat and Donna's barn and house.  It's farther than it looks in this picture.

Tonight Mike and I went to dinner with friends.  A year ago almost to the day, this is where we were.... on our way to eat dinner in Triangle with Mike's mom and Pat and Donna, when we happened to pass by the For Sale sign that set this all in motion.  I still can't believe this has all happened.  We really do have so much to be grateful for, and on this weekend we'd like to express our gratitude to those who gave all for their country, their faith and their families.