Dan Antion

It’s Maddie Done – #SoCS

The perfect lime wedge.

It’s Saturday, and time once again to try to work Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt into our conversation at the bar. Linda has given us an interesting challenge, but I think we’re up to it.

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘ght.’ Find a word that contains the letters ‘ght’ in that order, and use it any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use three or more different words containing those letters. Have fun!”

If we were having a beer, you’d be wondering about my activities for the week.

“So, one week in the bag, Dan. How’s retirement treating you?”

“Just fine, David. It’s still like being on vacation, but I got a lot done.”

“If you got a lot done, you must have worked up a powerful thirst.”

“You know what, Cheryl. I did. I did have a few Coronas Thursday night, but I worked pretty hard yesterday.”

“Thursday night? I was here Thursday night, where were you drinking?”

“The company my daughter works for had its annual Customer Appreciation event – a Chili Cookoff – so I sampled a few chilis and washed them down with a few Coronas.”

“Ah, OK. As long as Faith was involved, I won’t charge you with cheating on me. David, what would you like today?”

“How about a splash of John Howell’s Bourbon?”

“With all the accessories?”

“Yes please.”

“Coming right up, boys.”

“Did you know the guy who died at the hardware store, Dan?”

“Yeah, I liked that guy, he used to call me ‘young man’ when I checked out.”

“He was still working?”

“Oh yeah, right up until the end.”

“How old was he?”

“He would have been ninety-four on October thirty-first.”

“Wow, so you really were a young man.”

“As long as he’s old enough to drink this Corona.”

“Thanks Cheryl.”

“And the John Howell ensemble for David.”

“Ah, including the cherries. Thanks Cheryl.”

“You’re welcome, David. Dan, are those new glasses?”

“Wow, Cheryl. You have a good eye. They are new.”

“Your old ones were blue, that’s quite a difference.”

“Well, I like them, and my doctor likes them.”

“When did you see him, Dan?”

“Him, who, David?”

“Your eye doctor.”

“He’s a she. I saw her on Tuesday, to have my eyes dilated.”

“Let me get this straight, you’ve been retired precisely one week, and you’ve been to a wake, a doctor’s appointment and an event serving free food and booze. Sounds like you are fitting in just fine. Next you’ll be looking for an early-bird special here.”

“Just a coincidence, David.”

“Three, Dan.”

“OK, three.”

“So, did you get that last set of steps finished?”

“They are Maddie-done.”

“What does that mean?”

“The old steps have been removed. The new bases have been installed, and they are covered with plywood.”

“Plywood? I thought you were using Trex.”

“I am, but it’s going to take several days to install the Trex. We wanted to be able to use that door, so I put plywood down as a temporary surface.”

“That makes sense. A little extra expense, but probably a good idea.”

“I needed the plywood anyway.”

“Why?”

“To get the big base into place. I put it on dollies and rolled it out on plywood runners.”

“How heavy is that thing.”

“A few hundred pounds, I guess.”

“How did you get it on the dollies?”

“I pried it up a little at a time, stuck blocks under it until the dollies fit.”

“How did you get it off? Same way?”

“No, I used a crane.”

“You have a crane?”

“I made a crane from a Little Giant ladder, a ladder jack and a come-a-long. That way I could lift it up and slide the dolly and the plywood out. Check it out.”

“That’s amazing, but what are those things on the other end, the blocks.”

“Those are old truck scale weights. I use them as a counterbalance.”

“Where on earth did you get those?”

“No clue. They were my Dad’s”

“Cheryl, bring MacGyver another Corona and pour me another splash of that bourbon, please.”

“You boys want some food?”

“None for me, Cheryl?”

“Watching your weight, Dan?”

“No, I think I’m going to take something home, but nothing right now.”

“Has Maddie seen the new steps, Dan?”

“Seen, stood and sniffed. I think she recognized that I reused a piece of plywood from her original deck.”

“No doubt she’s waiting for the Trex. Is it big enough for her cot?”

“It is.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Dan.”

Even though it was done in one day, we didn’t want to risk and accidents.
Decking removed, I am ready to remove the top layer structure.
There was a lot of rot in the old structure.
Two levels gone, two to go.
Some of the old screws wouldn’t budge, so a little finesse was required.
I cut this into three sections and yanked them out.
The old steps were anchored to 4x4s that were deep in the ground. This contraption pulled them right out.
A clean pallet. Ready to assemble the new steps.
This was very easy to move once all the dollies.
Rolling into position.
Parallel parking made easy.
In position above the final position. The “crane” was used to lift each end so I could remove the “road” and the dollies.
Going down.
Once it’s level in both directions, I attached it to those 4x4s.
Level, level and square.
42″ – that’s the frost line here, and that’s how deep we go with these support posts.
The second layer arrived on dollies – a little easier than the first layer.
Structure complete. You can see the top of one 4×4, but there are 5 in place and two more to be added.
Three wider steps have replace four narrowed ones. And, we extended the bottom one to eliminate a collection point for snow and a difficult patch of grass to cut.
Maddie has been surveying her world from the new space.

93 comments

  2. Those steps are looking good. Maddie probably thinks you made her two decks, and I guess you did. :-) My daughter has had a craftsman of your quality putting trex on a side porch, but he ended up tearing it down and building it back up. He finished yesterday, and it is looking good. You and he have a lot in common – tremendous carpentry skills. :-) It’s going to be cold for Maddie’s walk today. It’s 20°F here, and it looks like you’re about the same.

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  8. Getting the Seal of Approval from Maddie is quite an achievement Dan. After all, anything that’s going to accommodate Her Highness needs to be perfect. It sure looks like you’ve achieved perfection. Bravo!!

    You’ve made one redhead very happy. Mission accomplished!
    🐾Ginger 🐾

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Ginger. Even more important, I made The Editor happy by having that door functional at 5:00 am when Maddie goes out. I took her out the side door yesterday and she was sure we were going for a walk. She’s on a leash, but there’s comfort in knowing that she’s in a fenced in yard when it’s cold and dark.

      We’ll have to see if she likes sitting here as much as on “her porch” in the back.

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  14. It’s looking good, Dan. Congratulations on your retirement (and new glasses.). I guess I was on vacation when that momentous occasion (not the glasses) happened. Keeping busy is good, but I know you’ll sneak in some downtime as well. Enjoy!!

    janet

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  20. Maddie done is a good phrase, cause I knew exactly what this title would illustrate.
    Really nicely done, Dan! I have been showing your photos to The Mister. Also, I love how you have truck scale weights from your dad, that was a nice, random touch — adds authenticity.
    You did have a busy week, super busy for a retired dude!
    Glad you had chili, cause I AM SO READY FOR CHILI! Tomorrow!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks! I’m really not sure where those weights came from, but I remember lugging them around as a kid ( they weigh 50lbs each) when he needed them for something. I need to get the Trex installed, but Maddie is happy.

      Enjoy the Chili 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Kirt. These projects are challenging and fun at the same time. I was so glad I had pre-cut and labeled the plywood. By the end of the day, I would have been too tired to be cutting full sheets down to size.

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  26. I didn’t actually retire. I got laid off and then decided no more corporate world for me. Did some freelancing and then took on a ton of house projects. I don’t know about you but when I was working I’d rush to finish house projects on the weekend or holidays and generally didn’t do a good job. Now I enjoy taking my time.

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  28. Maddie’s porch looks wonderful! You really are a master craftsman, Dan. We are getting quotes on repairing some rotten wood outside under our eaves. You interested in visiting NW FL? :D

    Liked by 1 person

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  29. Nice work Dan ! Triple bonus points on the crane. It is nice to be able to finish a project like that and to still have your back and the rest of the body intact and able to lift a JHB to celebrate.

    Liked by 1 person

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  32. “Finesse” – I like it. I have a 4lb club hammer we call the persuader, but your lever there looks a lot more graceful at prying things off.

    The deck is looking good!

    Do you have to use treated timber for the deck frame? We have H3 and H4 green treated timber here that can be used touching the ground.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Nick. The new stairs are all Pressure Treated lumber. The old ones were PT where it was in contact with the ground, but not the layers above ground. Those rotted pretty badly.

      That pry tool is one my wife got me when I tore off our roof. If you aim well enough, the forks will go through roof sheathing and let you pry it off the roof rafters.

      Like

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