August 2009
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Life is Glorious!

Come on world, come get a piece! We’re ready!

With a weekend of great things happening behind us, the Cates are rockin’!! All smiles as our long trailer refurb project comes to an end. Just a few more weeks and it will all be done! We hemmed and hawed over this one for 2 years! LOL! It takes Jack and I a while to get a project done, first there is the talking, hours of that! Then there is the dreaming, the unproductive fun kind. Then we buy stuff. There is always a tool purchase somewhere since we both love tools. After that one would think we’d get to work…NOPE. We let the project sit for months or even years. I know! It would drive a go-getter to drinkin’ but that is how we work. Slow and jerky! HA!

We bought a rusted out, rotten wood-ed wreck and Jack ground the rust off, re-welded its broken tongue, and primed it. I think we intended to paint it too, but I love the color the way it is, so it might never get painted. We had a long go-round about reclaimed wood. Or I did! Jack wanted to buy new and I wanted to use reclaimed. I should just give in. Jack was never going to put old wood on that trailer after all the work he put in! But I hung in there. It became a question of who could hold out the longest. I am stubborn, Lord knows, but Jack wins this time! HOot! With wood prices falling and quality on the rise, I couldn’t keep banging the same old drum. Especially when the reclaimed wood sources dried up. So I buckled.

We did do one GREEN thing. We used old motor oil from our mowers to seal the wood instead of buying gallons of stain and sealer. Which not only reduced our demand for those chemicals being produced on our account and saved money short term, but will also keep the new wood waterproof for years without demanding more sealer. We also keep the used oil from having to be disposed of. Each season when we change our mower oil, we can reapply it to the wood if we are especially unkind in what we haul that year. No bugs, no rot and no paint brushes…just an old sock and a latex glove. Easy. I guess we could even use an old mop if we wanted to speed things up…Nah!

We could have just left the wood bare, most people do, replacing it when it rots. The idea of wasting all that wood didn’t seem right.

Yesterday, Jack welded some stays on the back so we could drop in a tail gate.

The boys and I helped stain the wood, fabricate the tail gate and of course load it for the first time. Test drive was a bit of a nail biter.

We need to add some hardware to keep the gate from bouncing around, finish the electrical stuff so the lights work. One tire needs a leak fixed. I will make it all legal with a license and tag. Whoo HOO! Then its done in my opinion.

Jack might paint it when I am not looking. I won’t kick up a fuss but he will have to catch it first! I intend to be off dragging all kinds of mulch, trees, bricks, dirt, plants and other “important” stuff home.

Catch me if you can, Honey!

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Sorry no freebie today, I need another weekend to recover from my weekend! *smile* Since weekends don’t come in pairs. ( dang it! ) I will work on a freebie today and post it tomorrow. Computers don’t give out sunburns, splinters, or smushed fingers…a nice change.

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Gratitude List

For Jack, stubborn hold out that he is. Thanks for buying this ugly trailer for my birthday and making it pretty!

For Dillon and Nathan, who knew it was going to be hot, dirty, work and said yes it anyway.

For the cool breezes once in a while.

For the gloves.

For Hot Showers and Cold Drinks!

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Oh MY! Kimmy’s got a new kit! Part of her Friends Series, this one is a MAN KIT!

YUM YUM!