Come Talk To Me

Hey! It's the weekend for me, thank God! This has been a rough week and I'm glad it's over. The heat is still going strong here and the 10 hour days are a little hard to handle. Last week 2 of our younger boys were throwing up and another missed some time. The heat does funny things to your body but you can acclimate somewhat. We have lots of safety talks etc. and get to take breaks and so on but also, having to wear so much safety equipment (hardhats etc) really adds to the burden. Well, enough of that. I really an determined to get some more siding up this weekend and do actual work on the house! I'm still in a crisis over how to paint the eaves but have lots of other stuff to do. It's raining here tonight which is very good as I believe it is supposed to be dry the rest of the weekend. Hopefully I'll have some good photos of the house to post. I know I have not posted about the house in some time and I apologize, but I have just not done anything lately due to several things. I must get back to work though.

Since I have not been posting on the house I have written about some other, completely unrelated things and have really wondered about how appropriate that is and such. I have also noticed recently on several other blogs that others have had a lot to say on the subject of posts and comments or lack of comments etc. Yeah, Ron, you're one of them! Sorry I missed all of that! I have often wondered how OK it is to write about "other" stuff. Obviously, I started the blog to show the construction of my house and that is still the main thing but as in any chronicle of events, it's not always consistent and there are lulls in the action. To fill in or not? I think if it is an accurate depiction of what it is like to build your own house then you should show the down times, I mean the times when weather or lack of funds, work or whatever keeps you from doing much work. That's part of life. So, do you write about personal things? Well, some do and some don't. Some get tons of comments when they do and some get few or none, like me. Why is that? I have noticed that male bloggers tend to get many more comments than females unless the females are writing about how sorry their ex-husband is or their boobs or they curse worse than a drunken sailor. Maybe I'm just boring. I have some colorful tales but would be quite reticent to share many as most of the people involved are still alive and some people I work with read this blog! When I write about personal things it really is with the intention that I am willing to say, "hey, I've had some tough times but I got through them and you can too if you are having trouble." Whether anybody gets anything out of it or not I don't know but we often don't realize the effect, good or bad, we have on other people. Oh, and I've got several stories on that subject! When I read personal things written by other people I often don't comment because I'm not sure what to say (don't want to sound like an idiot, you know) but it always makes me think abut things and maybe consider something I had not thought of before, so I try to keep that in mind when I don't get many comments. I personally like to read about other people's experiences in life, even the sad ones, not because I'm glad that something bad happens to some one else, but because it lets me know I'm not alone. And I can experience some things, in a way, through other people that I will never know myself. The birth of a baby, a life long love, children growing up and going to college or far away places and so on.

As far as number of visitors and how many comment, I have gone through fits over that myself. I removed the statistics of Sitemeter from my blog because the numbers were and still are so paltry I was embarrassed. I finally concluded that I must be entertaining in some way to somebody, a source or information or good laugh, because I have a list of regulars even though most do not comment at all. But they keep coming back. Yes, I wish I got more comments. I do like to write just for the mental exercise but I like to hear other people's ideas. My life is so removed from what is "normal" that I just like to kinda check in and see if I've drifted completely off the screen yet, if you know what I mean. I realized the other day that I can literally go weeks without talking to another female, other than my Mom who I try to call regularly. I am around nothing but men, which brings up a WHOLE 'nother subject, which I will not go into now. So, to hear a woman's opinion on something, even if it is read off a computer screen, is unique to me. And I find it so funny that of the few comments I get, they are for the most part, by men.

I say I started this blog for friends and family that were interested in my house, and that was true, but I have discovered that my family couldn't be less interested so I mainly rely on the kindness of strangers and their encouragement with what I am trying to do. The friends I had in mind when I started the blog are also not interested so I was surprised to discover that several of the guys from work or associated with work are regular readers. But you never know, right? I have given up trying to guess what people will be interested in, comment on etc. Even with my pottery, pieces that I think just suck, someone will go nuts over and buy right off! When I am sure I've come up with a post that will get lots of comments, Bam! Nothing! Ha! Oh well, I guess it just boils down to the fact that you just have to do what you feel makes you happy and take any feedback, or lack of, in stride. I remember years ago, I worked at a local ice cream plant in the maintenance dept. as a welder. I was the only woman in that department. there were lots of women in the other, less paying departments but they never spoke to me much or anything and I felt weird about it. Anyway, I left that job because I got set up at my current position and was making more money. A couple of years later my construction company actually went to that plant and did an addition and I worked there for a short while. I was talking to my former boss one day and he told me that after I starting working in the maintenance department that the other women started applying for positions previously only held by men and getting the jobs! And doing well and making more money! I felt happy about that and it didn't matter to me then that I felt out of place. I didn't do anything great, I was just willing to go first. A lot of people don't consider an alternative unless they see someone else try something new. So, I don't mind going first, I've always been a little headstrong anyway!


*Peter Gabriel

Semi-Charmed Life

Hey! I'm back and somewhat revived and refreshed! It was an intersting and enlightening sojourn into a world that I have only seen occasionally. See, the deal was, Allen went to the Southeastern Homebuilder's Meeting in SanDestin, FL. It was held at the Hilton Resort there, a very expensive, exclusive place. As president of this county's homebuilder's group, he gets reimbursed for the trip and I got to go along for just a little extra. Very nice rooms with plush beds, spa services, and for the occasion, lots of free food and free booze. Lots. Alabama Power took us to dinner one night at a very nice seafood place so I stuck it to them for all I was worth. Give me the most expensive water heater to maintain will you?!! Ha! I cost them at least 2 months of water heating with that one! Oysters Rockefeller, calamari, whiskey.... actually, the appetizers were the AL Power lady's idea but they were so good. Yeah, that's me in a bikini but this is as close as it gets! It took me 2 days to get the nerve to take my shorts off.

The beaches are so beautiful in this area and the water was very clear. However, the jellyfish must have thought it was a nice place too because they were everywhere and yes, I got stung twice. And no, vinegar does not help much. While staying at this place, I found myself amused at the apparent common idea of luxury. Yeah, the rooms were nice, staff very friendly but when I went down to the beach in front of the hotel I was taken aback a little. It was very crowded, you had to rent their umbrellas and chairs and at $50/day for one of each I decided to pass. The water was fairly clear but not great and there was trash here and there. And noisy. People pay lots of money for this? Lots. And some kid pooped in one of the pools one day so that was shut down. Sorry, I just don't get it.

So, we decided to find a state park nearby and just so happens the TopSail Preserve was only 3 miles away. It is rated as one of the top two beaches on this side of Florida, I believe. I think Grayton Beach is top. Anyway, we packed a picnic lunch, lots of drinks and for $2 enjoyed one of the finest beaches I have ever seen. The photos really don't do it justice. The water was much clearer than at the Hilton and there were very few people there! The jellies had calmed down on this day so you could swim without much fear. We would just do an occasional "jelly check". Stand up in the water and look to the west(?). They only drifted from this direction and you could see them coming easily. Our few neighbors would point to any they spotted also and to the sharks. Yeah, we saw several small sharks. Once, we went out to a sand bar and was wading around in the knee deep water looking for shells or whatever. We looked around and there was one shark swimming between us and the shore. But he passed on by so we swam back until we were closer to the beach. We were not out very far anyway.

So, it was a nice trip and I didn't get bad suburned like somebody I know that ought to know better! Ha!! Wink, wink! We came back Saturday night so I had Sunday to flit around the house and clean and mow and water. I just wish I was able to take such trips a little more often. Maybe later I can. But they can keep their Hilton, I'll take the state parks.

Oh! You know how I like to see such symbolism in everything and so on, guess what washed up literally, at our feet one day on the beach! A doublehead nail! For those that don't know, a doublehead is a type nail that we form carpenters use daily. On a good day we can drive 3 or 4 pounds of these nails apiece. Ha! Ha! I just thought it was funny. But dang, I did kind of take it as a sign that they are just over building that area.
*Third Eye Blind

Down By The Seaside

Well,OK then, I'm gone to Florida for a while on a short holiday. Part of me just wants to stay home and putter around but I need to get out and do something different. Seeing the ocean and getting in the water always helps what ails you. I read once that salt water will cure anything, whether it is in the form of the sea, tears or sweat. Maybe that's true; I've tried the other two so let's see how this goes. Hope everyone out there has a great weekend. The flower is a morning glory raised from the seeds the O'Melay's sent. By the way karl, the tomatoes are wonderful too. Very tasty and I'm saving seeds.

Roadhouse Blues

I showed ya'll a photo of myself all dressed up but this is what I look like most of the time. I was a little dirtier than usual because we got to play rodbuster all day at work and that is a very grimy job. The rebar is covered with some kind of black gunk that gets all over you. I was trying to show how dirty my arms were but I don't think it shows much. No wonder I'm single! No man in his right mind would get near that. This was taken Thursday, the last day of a very hard week. Ten hours a day in the heat is very hard and I had a small spat with one of the foremen at the end of the day also so that just completed one tiring week. I try to always be cheerful and get along with everyone at work but he just pushed my buttons and we were all dog tired too, so I kinda had a small "come apart" as one of my buddies would say. I have been eagerly accepted by most all the men that I work with and they treat me great but this one has never liked me being there and takes every opportunity to criticize me. He will never give me credit for anything. So, yesterday he accuses me of always getting the easy work and avoiding the hard stuff. Anybody that has ever worked with me knows that I will do the crap jobs willingly and always try to pull my own weight. In fact, I was going to leave a gravy job for him and his crew and move over to the next panel to start one of the harder processes. So when he starts running his mouth he pissed me off. I was very proud that I did not cuss him but I did tell him, (kinda loudly, oops) and in no uncertain terms what I thought about his attitude and his role as foreman. All the other men got real quite. I guess I shouldn't have gotten so mad. Oh yeah, we now have to wear those stupid, neon yellow shirts because somebody thought that would keep us from getting ran over on the job sites. As a matter of fact, I spoke to my Mom this past week and she was telling me about a young man getting crushed by piece of heavy equipment just the other day on a job in her area. She always tells me about anything like this she sees. I just try not to say too much about the jobs I work on. She would freak if she saw some of the stuff we do.
The title of this post just refers to my frustration at having gotten so little done on my house these past 2 months. I have not been able to get anywhere as far as building goes. This place just seems like a stop in the road where I come to bath and sleep for a little while. I don't even eat here much. Anyway, I was really looking forward to my new 3-day weekends; get a lot done, ya know. Then Wednesday I get this call. I did the restoration on the structure you see in the photo above about 5 years ago. The committee that oversees it calls me in a panic; it has been damaged by lightning; huge chunks blown out of it and they've got people wanting to get married up here in less than 2 months. Can I please come look at it and give them an estimate on repair? So, there goes my 3-day weekends for the next while.
I've got lots of stuff coming in from the garden now and would like to preserve some of it and need to beat back the weeds and brambles too. Last weekend I helped Allen mow around Fred's place etc. and had to tend to my land and garden some, so that cut house time short. Maybe I should just relax some on the house until the end of August. That's not good though because then I have no house news to blog about and I know ya'll get tired of my work posts. I do have some bizarre events that I have been wanting to write about, perhaps I could fill in with some of that. I'm all confounded about exterior stain colors too. Thanks for all the suggestions by the way. They were all appreciated and have given me some ideas.
So, as I sit here and write I have been listening to the Doors. If they can't get you in a cool groove nobody can and Roadhouse Blues has always been a favorite.

*The Doors

One Way Or Another

Well, I don't know... I don't think I like it. What do you think? I thought maybe the rafter tails and soffit etc. should all be the sage green. But the rafter tails are such a nice shape that I kind of like them to stand out a little. Looking at it today I thought maybe it's not bad. Hmmm. I hate trying to decide something like this. I'm not making a lot of progress still on the house. I have moved back to the Birmingham job that I was on and they have gone to four 10 hours days so there is not time for much of anything when I get home. I will have 3 weekend days to work here at the house for a while though, so maybe I will pick up the pace some. The 10 hour days in the heat are quite exhausting and I just flop out when I come home. This is one of those times in my life that I think, "what the hell am I doing this kind of work for, am I nuts?"
I get up about 3:30 in the morning, have some coffee, and pack my lunch etc. i eat a little breakfast on the way to work. It is customary for us to get to work at least 20 minutes early. Some bosses consider you late if you are not there 10-15 minutes before start time. You are supposed to have your hands on your tools at 6:00 a.m. We work non-stop until 9:00, when we get a 15 minute break. Then work on until 12:00. 30 minute lunch. We also get a short break at 3:00 since we are on 10's and then get tools up about 10 minutes before time to go. We started pouring the tilt-up panels today. I'll show some of that because it is very cool. Well, I know ya'll probably think, "yeah, right"! By the time I get home it is time to eat a little, shower and go to bed. I guess it's a good thing right now that I don't have a spouse or family. They would not see me much. I try to at least walk through my garden for a few minutes at sundown.
Well, gotta go to bed.

*Blondie

With A Little Help From My Friends

I hate to use such an old photo from another job but I was not able to get any new ones during my short tour of duty at the The Hole. That is what we pretty much called the place due to the fact that the footings and foundations were so big that they basically dug a hole about 30 feet deep and just started forming and pouring at the bottom, working their way up. Of course, on sites now all holes over 5 feet deep must be stepped or sloped to certain degrees so it was not just straight down, therefore, you basically end up with something that looks like a crater. Taking photos on jobs is becoming a challenge now also. The days of just showing up on a site with your tools and going to work are about over. Often times, a whole day of prep work is required in order to be able to work a certain site; orientations, drug test, safety training and background/security checks are the name of the game. I have such a collection of ID badges now I have to double check when I go to a new job and make sure the correct one is attached to my hardhat. Security cameras watch us constantly while we work and any picture taking by us lowly field personnel is highly frowned upon. Not by the company I work for necessarily but by the people we build for. God forbid, some rival company see what their footings look like.

It was a very interesting project though and I almost wish I could have stayed to see what we were forming finally be poured. It will probably take them another week or so to finish the formwork. I'm used to your kind of standard 8" thick walls and stick forming everything. This work was so large they used prefabbed steel forms that had to be set with a crane. The walls are 2' thick and 18' tall. I did get to build a block out though and do some other formwork. A block out is a form that you set inside the main form to "block out" an area where the concrete will not go. When the form is wrecked out you are left with a void of a certain size (hopefully) in which you place doors or windows etc. and so they are about the size of a standard door or window. Some are very small for sump pits etc. This block out was over 18' long, 7' tall and 4' thick and so had to be set in place with a crane. It was the neatest thing.

The photo above is also evidence of one of the nicest jobs I have worked on. We got spoiled on that one. What I mean is, no mud (the railroad likes gravel), shade at lunch time and long, straight walls. The Hole was a little different. It was dry when I went out there but this past week we got some rain. Now, we need it and so no one wanted to complain but it makes for rough conditions sometimes. I was working in one of the Smaller Holes, only 5' deep, forming pile caps 16'x7'x4' deep on Thursday when we noticed the dark clouds forming to the south and west. The occasional flash of light amongst the clouds made us hurry a little and keep one eye on the approaching storm. The only thing nice about a thunderstorm at work is gentle gusts of cool air that precede the rain and they felt like heaven on this day. We were all soaked to our knees from the heat and humidity and down in the holes, it was suffocating. The flashes of light were getting closer and the accompanying thunder claps were now clearly audible above all the rumblings of the machinery and generators. Suddenly, an enormous lightning bolt plummeted straight down with such force, it rattled the windows in the crane sitting scarcely 15 feet from me, it's boom fully extended skyward. After I regained my composure somewhat, I peeped out of my hole and realized we were all surrounded by nothing but lightning rods; the crane, the endless rows of vertical rebar all pointing to the sky. All the guys in the Smaller Holes or above ground were bailing out, running for the tool sheds as the smattering of rain started. One crew that had started to pour concrete continued on though. They were at least away from most of the steel, next to the main building. As we gathered in the tool sheds, the boss informed us that the storm would pass over shortly; the piers they had started on must be poured out so that a heavier downpour would not deposit layers of mud inside the forms and under the rebar. True to the boss's words, the storm passed over in a matter of minutes and we all went back to work, now slogging around in Smaller, Muddy Holes. There is nothing quite like Alabama red clay. It is almost like it has a life of it's own, clinging to everything it touches in a determined effort to draw anything living down to it's level. Many a man has had his boots stripped off his feet in the struggle to free himself from this slimy adversary. Scarcely an hour had passed however, when the next storm hit, this time with very little lightning but a lot of rain. As luck would have it, the concrete crew poured out right as the rain started and managed to get everything covered as well. Something about having been in this business for so long told us this one was going to last though, so shutting everything down and gathering our tools, we headed for the sheds again, hoping for an official rain out. You know that you've got a good crew when you can cram 15 guys in each shed, all soaked to the bone and covered in mud, trying to get tools put up and still laughing and cutting up with each other, proud that they got the job done despite the conditions. We did not let the fact that it was almost quitting time anyway deflate our good mood when the boss said we could all go home.

The next day was my last one as promised. My other boss had called the day before to confirm that I would be coming back to his job this Monday, so there were lots of 'good-bye for now' hugs and collective 'we love yous'. Don't tell anybody though 'cause it would ruin the guys reputations as big, tough construction workers for people to know what gooshy marshmallows they are! There's a lot of days though, when it's 100 degrees or 25 and we crawl up out of some mud hole, tired and sore, if it wasn't for each other, we'd say the hell with this...let somebody else build these things. I only hope I encourage and help the guys as much as they do me.

*The Beatles or Joe Cocker

Little Wing

I found this fellow on the fence around my garden the other day. I have no idea what species or anything so don't look to me for any kind of ID. I would call him furry moth because he really had hair or something on his back that looked just like rabbit's fur in it's coloration etc. I really wanted to pet him because he looked so soft but knew he wasn't going to like that so I left him alone.

Work on my house has just about come to a standstill lately due to the heat and humidity here. The brief afternoon coolness we were enjoying a week or two ago has vanished and been replaced by sweltering heat so heavy, it literally seems to weigh on your body like a damp, clammy blanket. Of course, work at the job goes on regardless and despite warnings from the weather stations to stay inside during the hottest part of the day but you can bet by the time I get home I don't feel like doing a whole lot outside. We are accumulating a large crew at this new job and several of the carpenters have been on inside jobs for some time. We are not given any chance to acclimate to a new job in situations like this so some of them are having a bit of a rough time this week. I will try to get some photos of the job just because the formwork is so big and I have actually never worked on one like this before. There are so many carpenters on this job that is amounting to a reunion of sorts for me. They are all a great bunch of guys and some that I have not worked with in years, so that part is fun and, of course, lots and lots of stories and catching up to do! Stay cool if you can!

*Jimi Hendrix

Keep On Growing

When work gets stressful or tiring I retreat to the garden. I don't think about too much when I'm there sometimes and then sometimes I do my best thinking there. This past week has been unusually and gloriously cooler in the late afternoons; almost fall like, so a wonderful time to go out and putter about amongst the flowers and such. I harvested my first batch of green beans and cooked them. I should have a batch of okra soon. I have lots of tomatoes but none ripe yet. I am experimenting with companion planting on a small scale. I read where it is good to plant catnip around eggplant, as it deters flea beetles, and I have a time with those little pests, so I tried that this year. It did not seem to be doing a lot of good but then the catnip really took off and the eggplant really looks much healthier now. I usually keep some catnip growing anyway for Grendal and for myself. It is a stimulant in cats but a sedative to humans and if you have a tension headache or just need good sleep, a hot cup of catnip tea works great. I add some passion flower to it also and will sleep so soundly.
The corn is doing well. This is Silver Queen. It is about as tall as I am now. I try to always plant my corn in blocks or spirals instead of long single or double rows because corn is pollinated by the wind instead of insects and if it is kinda clumped together it seems to do better.
Some of my tomato plants are almost my height also. I am very eager to harvest my first ripe tomatoes. I plant marigolds all through the garden also to deter different insects, plus they just look pretty and don't require much attention. I brought home a large roll of burlap from the railroad job and have been using that in the walkways of the garden. It works pretty good but it's better to put it down before the grass gets up much because it will not kill grass already there. I have been intending to cover it with pine straw to kill the grass and for looks but that is way down my list of to-dos. I wish I had brought a second roll of the burlap home now. We had tons of it left over from the job and tried to give it away instead of discarding it but could not find anyone who really wanted it. We use burlap to cure concrete so it is not unusual for me to be able to get lots of it.
This is a new plant for me this year. It is paprika! It is doing very well with all the plants having 3-4 good size peppers each. I am especially proud of these because I started these from seed; something that I am not too good at. You can pick these when they are yellow/orange and use like a pepper or wait until they turn red and then pick and dry them to grind up for the spice. That is my intention. I have not had to water much this year but don't think that is going to last. Our rainfall has slowed down considerably. I also add powdered kelp meal to my soil every year along with an organic fertilizer and compost. I till all of this in when I first turn up the garden in the spring. The kelp is supposed to help the soil retain water and improve the soil texture. I think it helps and it is not particularly expensive. I know a lot of you prefer to only use amendments that you can produce yourself and maybe one day I can have the time to work on that myself. When I get my chickens going (chooks, eh Molly!) I know I'll be using them to help fertilize!
This is one lone Moon and Stars watermelon that has volunteered in the garden. I did not plant any watermelon this year but this one was determined to come up anyway, so I let it have it's way. It's doing pretty good actually. And in case you are not familiar with this variety, the plant is not diseased with those spots on the leaves. The melons not only have little "moons and stars" but the foliage does also.
I have a 3 day weekend now so I am going to attempt to get a significant amount of stuff done on the house. We'll see. I guess I have been a little burnt out on the house lately because I've just been having to make myself work on it. I need a change of some kind; a bit of good mojo to float by. I'm not sure what is wrong with me. I've been out of sorts for some time, cranky and restless. That is why I have not posted a lot at times. I did not want my posts to reflect my mood. I feel like a butt for feeling this way because I really don't have any problems to speak of but I guess it happens to everybody sometimes. Anyway, I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th!!

*Derek and the Dominos

This Woman's Work

I have actually done some more work on the siding but it is still moving at an excruciatingly slow pace. I have, at least, reached the eaves with the siding on the north wall only and have most of it painted. I am painting as I go so that I do not have to rebuild scaffolding. It is looking pretty good I think although me and the architect had another fuss the other day about colors. I must come up with a drawing of the entire house finished so that ya'll can see what I am working towards. The house looks very plain to me right now but it will be a rather interesting design when finished.
Other than this I have not gotten a lot done lately. Work has been very tiring to me this past 2 weeks. I know ya'll are tired of reading about me pissing and moaning about work and how hard blah, blah, blah. I've been trying to make an accurate record of this thing I am attempting to do so that if anyone comes across this blog who would like to build their own house, they might understand how much it involves. I know my circumstances are different, everybody's are, but it is still very tiring no matter what you do for a living, to work all day and then come home and try to work more. Last week was rough. We were forming and pouring about 100 feet of wall every other day. The walls are only a little over 2 feet tall but lots of extra steel in them and anchor bolts to set etc. It has just been me and 2 apprentice boys forming. I guess I have been declared one of the lead carpenters. Anyway, we were pouring one section and I got stuck with vibrator duty because the boys have no experience with that. No jokes here please. It is very rough work because those things (vibrators) are quite heavy. OK, again, no jokes, (snicker). It was pretty hot that day and so I got a little white-eyed, as we say. The chute man wasn't helping me any either as he kept piling the mud up too much and I was having to drag it too far. So, fortunately, we had to call for a clean up and I got a break. I had to go sit in the shade for a while and cool off. Normally you are never allowed to sit down on a job except at break and lunch. It doesn't matter what is or is not going on, you never sit down. But in this case nothing was said. The guys could tell I was in a little rough shape. They would come over and check on me and wanted to bring me Gatorade but the water was fine. Lupe' (our Hispanic carpenter) said to me later, "Annie, you feel bad? This first time I ever see you give it up!" I said, "Yeah, Lupe', I had to give it up for a while." "Is OK," he declared.
The next pour wasn't much better although I made the boys get on the vibrator. They've got to learn sometime. Anyway, this time the mud came too wet ( 8" slump) and the engineer shut us down. Our foreman had already poured about 12 feet of wall so we had to dig all that mud back out of the form and wait on a new batch. However, it wasn't a new batch. That same truck just went back to the plant, doctored his load and came back so when he got to us that mud was so hot it would hardly come down the chute. They are not supposed to do that, and would vehemently deny any such thing if confronted, and it did not occur to me what was happening because I was working so hard to try to get the stuff to lay down in the form. I did find it odd he got back to the job so fast. I begged the foreman to put a little water in it which he finally did but at that point it didn't matter much. We had to wait on another clean up and so I tried to strike it off again to make the finish look a little better but the mud was already set up. It was about 5:00 pm before we got off that day. So, I was very tired last week. But, the wall looked great when we wrecked it the next day! We were all suprised that it did not honeycomb.
This week I have been loaned out to another job to help them get caught up due to a couple of their guys taking off some. It is a very heavy duty industrial job, a car manufacturing plant. I hoped I would never have to go to this job but agreed to for 2 weeks. There were 2 fatalities (not our company) on the first phase of the plant but this is a much smaller operation. All the guys are super nice and so far it has not been so bad. I did add another scar to my collection when I snagged my forearm on a piece of rebar but it was not so bad. And of course, being with a new crew, I have been able to catch up on some new gossip! Men are far worse than women ever thought about when it comes to that.


*Kate Bush