Entering the third — increasingly theoretical — week of the Great Foundation and Screen Porch Project.
First week, the Wandering Monk put in two days on the project, much of it spent discussing how to handle the “surprises” we found. After that, it was time to retreat until I could redraw the plans. The Monk went on to other clients and fill-in projects.
Second week, the Monk put in two solid work days, after which we were rained out. A cold, driven, nasty rain it was. And is. And will be. The final round is due in tonight, after which we are promised glorious sunshine as far as weather eyes can see.
We had no plan to begin again today. We did have a plan for the Monk to find ways of getting all his other minor work done so that we could begin again with a roar tomorrow or Wednesday and put in four solid days’ work this week.
So naturally, he chopped himself in the shin with a machete on Saturday.
Getting him better is the only priority now. If that means pushing foundation work off to late June or July, so be it. At this point, nobody knows. He seems to be taking his wound light-heartedly (one of the first things he did was take pictures, which I’m sure neighbor J. and I will get to see, lucky us), but how serious it is or how long the injury will keep him from work is another matter. Given that he’s one of those people who earns from day to day with no cushion, I don’t know how he’ll get by if it he requires a long convalescence. He’s got friends, though, if it comes to that. And he’s pretty frugal, too.
Meantime, the bedroom floor has a hole in it 4’x12′ wide. We’ve got it covered with a sheet of vinyl flooring, slabs of insulation removed from between the joists, plus various and sundry bits of lumber to weigh all that down. Because there are also three housejacks on 6″x6″ posts rising inside that big hole to support the ceiling, there are still small, critter-sized holes not easy to fill with anything solid and weighty.
The cat has been merrily going in and out through tunnels she’s made in the insulation. One night we had a visit from some scampering creature. I never saw it and don’t know what it was, but I heard it and watched both the cat and Ava go crazy. All I know was it was smaller than a great white shark, bigger than a mouse, and probably not a raccoon. The household animals drove it back out and I’ve been busily trying to patch every last vulnerable spot ever since. I think I got the last one filled with something unbudgeable this morning.
We shall see what the week brings.
Sure hope Monk doesn’t take the chance of infection light-heartedly and that he protects it the best he can. Otherwise, everybody has a real mess to deal with.
Agreed, Shel. Neighbor J. and I had to talk him into considering a tetanus shot. He didn’t seem to be taking this very seriously.
The Monk, in my experience, has always been a super thoughtful and responsible worker, one who takes every precaution against injury. That even he can end up with a machete to his shin is a reminder that it can happen to anybody.
Dang! If y’all didn’t have bad luck, you wouldn’t have any luck at all!
Crossing time: Fingers, toes, eyes, arms, legs….
When it rains, it…well…you know.
We carried machetes in Vietnam. They are not as simple to use as it looks. For anything but hacking a trail out of bamboo, they are a bit too light and a bit too long for safety. Cheap ones tend to be even lighter, with poor grips, thus more dangerous.
I picked up a bush knife. Sheeps-foot blade, shorter and heavier than a machete (particularly the cheap ones) and it has served me well. Something like:
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/terava-skrama-bush-knife-carbon-steel/30189
For filling small, irregular openings where mice, etc. may come in… nothing works better than crumpled aluminum foil. Solved my mouse entry problem with that years ago, and do check it occasionally. The mice won’t chew on the foil, for some reason. If the foil is exposed to the outside, it may deteriorate eventually. I’ve had to replace mine twice so far. But it does work.
I hope the Monk heals soon!