This is another in the Sunday Story series – no politics here (though I’m waiting for an indictment – more tomorrow). Just a story about building fences.
March
It’s March in Pataskala. After forty years of coaching in the spring, I should know better. I haven’t even brought the snowblower out of the shed this year. In the warm days of February, the grass grew and the trees bloomed. But, it was all a lie. Now it’s March; the temperatures drop, and the snow begins. So far, this March is more winter than spring.
That’s nothing new if you live in Ohio. My friends used to joke that the only guaranteed weather was snow on the first track meet towards the end of March. That’s the end of this week, and they’re probably right again, though now the prediction is even worse: cold rain all morning. That’s worse than snow. At least with snow you’re not soaked through. But cold rain just saturates. There’s no way to stay warm, even with expensive rainsuits.
We are trying to build a rail fence in our backyard. The idea is that with five dogs, it would be nice to have a way to either separate them from each others sometimes, or keep them from other parts of the yard. After all, five dogs in March means lots of mud, and no chance for the grass to grow through it. So we could rotate where the mud is. But building outside in March is much like running track. You start the project on a warm day when the temperature hits the seventies. The next day, it’s all frozen. Then it’s mud to slop through for a week.
Muddy Paws
By the way, in our household a major decision point in the day is – mud or not? With five dogs, there are twenty paws. This morning at eighteen degrees the mud is frozen. All dogs can come in without the ritual “PAWS-PAWS-PAWS” cry at the doorway, as we try to get them clean.
Three are wonderful; Buddy, Lou, and Keelie. They sit down and wait for you to come clean their paws. However, the “baby-Yoda puppy” CeCe, runs for the next room, mud or not. She hates to have her paws cleaned. And then there’s the Lab, Atticus. He gets so excited about getting his paws cleaned, he doesn’t know what to do. He tries to jump, kiss, and roll; all at the same time. You just try not to get covered with mud as he gyrates (and keep your mouth clear of danger – Atticus is an on-the-lips kisser!)
Postholes
Fences start with posts, and posts begin with postholes. My newly healed shoulder (see the essay, Stupid Human Tricks) got a workout last week, using the posthole digger, an implement designed to make shoulders move like no other tool. That was a good test to see how the newly reattached tendons were doing – no problem getting the five holes dug (though the next morning my shoulder was definitely complaining). Then the March construction “Madness” begins; pouring cement to set the poles in place. Posthole cement is easy; fill the hole, add water, make pour holes so the water can get to the bottom, and wait.
Pouring Cement
But the finicky thing about cement is getting it to set. You need time above fifty degrees, and definitely days about freezing. If the temperature drops below freezing and the cement isn’t set, it just ends up being dried powder, not real concrete. So with one eye on the forecast, I gambled on the posts. It was seventy when I poured, and stayed above fifty for about twenty-four hours. Now thirty-six hours later, it’s supposed to snow – but no more than an inch or so. Posts feel firm, but, like betting in the basketball tournament, it’s a coin-toss. Hope I’m Farleigh Dickinson and not Purdue (If you missed that analogy – #16 ranked FDU beat #1 ranked Purdue Friday night as St. Patrick drove the basketballs out of West Lafayette!!)
With the posts set, the next move is to get the rails up. That’s slow work, measuring (twice) and probably fixing (twice), trying to decide whether the rails should be level or even. There’s a difference: one means the rails are set with a level, the other means that the rails are equal distance from the ground on each post. It’s not level ground, some posts are on higher ground than others. So do I want the rails “level”, or even with the ground. I’ll probably start with one, and once it’s all set, decide the other is better, or split the difference.
Snow
But if it’s going to snow this afternoon and I might just wait. Tomorrow’s high of fifty degrees is calling my name. There’s always a spot by the fire in the family room, if I can get the dogs to let me join them. The short-haired dogs love that fireplace in the winter time – even when it’s really almost spring!!
Postscript – It’s Tuesday – and after two days of outstanding weather – the fence is done!!!
The Sunday Story Series
- Riding the Dog – 1/24/21
- Hiking with Jack – 1/31/21
- A Track Story – 2/7/21
- Ritual – 2/14/21
- Voyageur – 2/19/21
- A Dog Story – 2/25/21
- A Watkins Legend – 3/7/21
- Ghosts at Gettysburg – 3/14/21
- Lessons from the State Meet – 3/28/21
- More Lessons from the State – 4/4/21
- Stories from the Road – 4/11/21
- A Bear Wants You – 5/1/21
- My Teachers – 5/9/21
- Old Friends – 5/23/21
- The Gift – 6/6/21
- Echoes of Mom – 6/20/21
- Stories of the Fourth – 7/3/21
- Running Memories – 7/25/21
- Lost Dog of Eldora – 8/1/21
- Dogs and Medals – 8/8/21
- The New Guy – 9/5/21
- Stories of 9-11 – 9/12/21
- The Interview – 9/26/21
- Night Moves – 10/3/21
- Funeral for a Friend – 10/11/21
- National Security – 10/24/21
- Boots on the Trail – 10/31/21
- Taking Care of Mom and Dad – 11/14./21
- Dogs Found and Lost – 11/21/21
- Watching Brian 12/12/21
- Stories from Shiloh – 12/19/21
- Team Trips – 12/26/21
- Uphill, Both Ways – 1/9/22
- Old Trophies – 1/30/22
- The Last Time – 2/7/22
- Olympic Miracles – 2/13/22
- Mind Numbing – 2/20/22
- Track Weather – 4/3/22
- What’s Missing – 4/11/22
- A Scouting Story – 4/17/22
- Waterproof Paper – 5/8/22
- Origin Stories – 5/22/22
- Origin Stories – Part Two 5/29/22
- Back at State – 6/5/22
- Out in the Country – 6/19/22
- Pataskala Downs – 7/4/22
- Car Stories I – 7/24/22
- Car Stories II – 7/31/22
- Old Man Experience – 8/7/22
- Cross Country Camp – 8/14/22
- New to the Pack – 8/21/22
- Car Stories III – The Bus – 8/28/22
- A Day in the Life – 9/4/22
- Stupid Human Tricks – 9/18/22
- Fair or Foul – 2/26/23
- Immigrant Story – 3/12/23
- Building Fences – 3/19/23
