Monday morning

I got up early this morning and got busy on the backyard project. I was swinging a sledge hammer to drive stakes. My elder son showed up about 9:30. I was about halfway done, but grateful for the help. This old 50 year old body can't swing a sledge like I could 30 years ago.

When you pour wet concrete on the ground, it tends to strain against the form. Concrete is heavy. You have to brace the side of the form so the concrete will stay contained. Bracing comes in one of two forms, and I used both. I drove 2X4 stakes at intervals around the form and braced short pieces of 2X4 lumber against those stakes. I also used dirt that I excavated from inside the form and back-filled against the outside walls of the form.

We're expecting rain today and tomorrow, and I hear thunder to the South. Hopefully the rain will fall on my backfilled dirt and help it pack solidly against the boards of the form. Sometime this afternoon I am going to call my concrete finishers and ask them when they want to schedule the pour.

All that remains is to put a vapor barrier and reinforcing wire in the form. Then this project will come out of the ground. I'm ready for that. I want to start standing up lumber and watch the building take shape.

More blogging later, but first a shower. I sweated so heavily my socks are squishing. It feels good to work hard at something that will benefit the family.