I had no idea that I’d gone a month and a half between posts. Very unusual for me, but I have had a lot on my plate the last few months, and time seemed to slip away.
This is a catch-up post. Nothing huge, just proof that I’m still alive.
First, the fence is done. 909 linear feat of post and cattle wire done completely without the aid of power tools with the exception of a battery drill used to screw the corner pieces together and a couple of gates. Every hole dug by hand. Every post (about 150 of them) cut with a hand saw when needed, and all of them lugged from a central pile to their locations spread out over three acres. Wire? I hauled one by hand (rolled it down the driveway, actually) and the other two by wheelbarrow. Concrete? Well, two tons (actually a bit more) hauled on my shoulders to the locations around the yard, again from a central supply point. And, finally, somewhere around 2000 staples applied by hand and pounded in with a hammer. The math on hammer blows is too hard, but it was a lot of work, and I went through 2 pairs of heavy gloves, working on a third.
But the fence looks really good, and I’m very proud of the work. I did it over the summer (had to wait on supplies, cash, and time to work it) but got it all done. Lots of hot days in the sun to finish it, but it is professional grade.
What else… I have trained for and completed another ruck march last week. 13.1 miles over mildly hilly Minnesota terrain near Brainerd carrying a 44 pound pack. Not all of it made it back to the finish line, as I drank about 8 pounds of the water/energy drink I was carrying as I walked. My good friend Frank was with me on the march. We’ve been together doing stupid stuff since 1986 in Rota, Spain. He was my sponsor when I arrived and it turned out our parents knew each other. He lives in Saint Paul, and we have done countless half-marathons and ruck marches over the many years.
I think that will be my last one until I lose another 40 pounds. It’s just too danged hard to lug all that weight long distances, and I’m getting old. Just ask the guys timing the race. We finished, and did it without blisters, but it was a slog.
Audio book work continues. I took a couple of months off to do fence/training for the race, but have one in progress, two in the wings, and another 4 when I get to them. I’m not running out of projects anytime soon.
The wife and dogs are all well, and life in SW Florida is quite good. It’s raining like crazy today, but that’s needed for my plantain trees!
Now, back to the audio book. It’s not going to record itself.
One final thought: Epstein didn’t kill himself, and I demand to see that client list.
