On Thursday morning I came down with a cold but colds simply don’t slow me down. Friday it was definitely worse, but I just ramped up my tough guy and carried on. Saturday, it hit me like a brick wall - even my hair hurt a whole lot. After lazily sitting around for a few hours I managed to convince myself I was well enough to mow the lawn for there is nothing hard about sitting on a ride mower. But afterwards it was time to rest in a big way or collapse. I spent the rest of the day between the recliner and bed. Sunday, I was really determined to be better. I managed to shuffle half a block to get Janis a fresh muffin at the bakery but then I was so tired it was back to the recliner and bed for some quiet suffering and sleep. By Sunday afternoon, still feeing very sick and weak, I knew there was only one thing to do. I cut up a chicken and set it on the stove in a big pot to brew up some of my favourite homemade soup (a recipe from my momma) . It simmered on the stove for three hours while I suffered so very bravely in my recliner. When the soup was ready I ate one bowl and brought Janis a bowl for preventative medicine. Then I went back to bed to allow the cure to work it’s magic. I awoke this evening feeling somewhat better at long last, downed another bowl of the magical soup and finally felt good enough to do more than simply moan in my recliner. I now suspect that I’m going to actually survive this nasty cold and am hopeful that tomorrow will be a much better day. I’m very grateful my hair has stopped hurting. Janis is suggesting I take it real easy tomorrow, perhaps sleep in a little and take an afternoon nap too. We’ll see how it goes.
Becke and her painting magic
There is a whole lot of work to create our sculptures. We weld, attach the lath and then apply and sculpt the concrete. Once the sculpted concrete cures the real magic begins as Becke and her crew apply the multiple base coats, blends and glazes. Suddenly everything comes alive. Becke is extremely good at this job and after years of practice and continual experimentation has perfected her style. When she is done it looks better than the real thing!
Bear surgery
I was doing a site survey today to see how we would move our heavy pieces into a tricky location. Planning how we will install is done prior to our initial design and build. It is nice to anticipate all challenges long before we begin a project so there are no surprises when the install happens. At the prospective worksite I was asked if we ever ran into difficulties. It made me smile and brought back memories of one particular project we did many years ago. The sign featured a giant polar bear and all went extremely smooth until it was time to load him on the trailer. I did the hookup but short-cutted the process using a bolt to join the chain instead of a proper hook. As the crane operator swung the bear towards the trailer the chain separated and the bear fell about four feet to the ground. Concrete sculptures don’t tolerate sudden jars very well. All four legs of the bear were shattered. The crane operator was devastated but it wasn't his fault. I bore the blame and that single incident taught me a valuable and never forgotten lesson. Shortcuts don’t ever pay. We had the operator finish loading the bear onto the trailer. I phoned the prosective owner and told him we had run into a small snag. Delivery would be delayed a few days. He never knew why. Later that week, after some carefully done repairs, the bear was delivered safely. We moved him down the road to a new home a number of years later without incident and it still stands proud more than a decade later albeit an inch or two shorter than when he was first built. The photo below was taken as I hooked him up for the second move. You can bet I didn’t make the same mistake as the first time.
