net. Using these skills allows the people that taught them to me to live once again in my mind. That being said; after purchasing land once again in Mississippi (something I vowed not to do again), I began to see this shop in the back yard. So at the first of this year with steady employment on my side, I ventured out and started the process of building this dream into reality.
If you see it in your mind; you can accomplish it……. I believe this to be true. How else did man do all that he has, with out a vision. My small vision changed many times as I began to talk to people about building it. Every conversation ended the same. I would show these people of the construction trade what I had in mind
and then they would tell me how it could not be done. I would want the shop there…. “Oh no you can’t put it there, it’s to wet, to low, to this, to that”. I want it this size and with concrete floors….”oh well if you want that it will cost ya, that cost this and this cost that”. Every thing was a challenge to over come. But after some compromises and finding someone with more yes’s than no’s we started construction.If I had time and lived at home during the week there is a lot of the work I could have done my self, but I don’t so I had the guy build this dream of mine to a certain point and then quit. It would be completely finished on the outside but with out electricity (mistake one) and unfinished on the inside. I would do those two things later. The guy I contracted with did a quick job and built it on the budget he quoted and in a reasonable time considering the weather he had to work around in February. The clearing that had to be done to get the shop in place turn out to be the “Big Job” that lay ahead that I had not counted on. During the process we had curious on lookers and a few
nosey neighbors, but I would be too if anyone was building something next door to me as well.
nosey neighbors, but I would be too if anyone was building something next door to me as well. So we moved on.
With the yard now a mess I decided it needed more done to it just to keep it a mess. If I did not get enough no’s when I built the shop I sure got enough when I started trying to find someone to wire it. Seems the electricity in the house was maxed out due to the side apartment hook to the house and to top it off the apartment that was built on to the house in later years was built right over the buried wire, which was a code violation. So I had to rerun the wire from the street around the house, to the house and then to the shop. To make a long story short it cost me double what I budgeted and more time trying to find someone that would even do it. It also messed up the yard even more as the wire has to be buried 36” in the ground to meet code. So now not only the back yard was torn up but also the yard in the back of the apartment. This should have been enough to make any wife furious, but not my Angie….she was supportive all the way.
With the yard now a mess I decided it needed more done to it just to keep it a mess. If I did not get enough no’s when I built the shop I sure got enough when I started trying to find someone to wire it. Seems the electricity in the house was maxed out due to the side apartment hook to the house and to top it off the apartment that was built on to the house in later years was built right over the buried wire, which was a code violation. So I had to rerun the wire from the street around the house, to the house and then to the shop. To make a long story short it cost me double what I budgeted and more time trying to find someone that would even do it. It also messed up the yard even more as the wire has to be buried 36” in the ground to meet code. So now not only the back yard was torn up but also the yard in the back of the apartment. This should have been enough to make any wife furious, but not my Angie….she was supportive all the way.
No
w the fun has begun….. Since tools are in place and I have power to run them I put finishing the shop on hold until we got the yard back, half we presentable. This darling wife of mine and I have one thing we dearly love to do and that is to spend our precious leisure time in our back yard watching humming birds in the morning while sipping coffee and roasting hotdogs over an open fire in the evening as the sun sets. This is our one of many simple pleasures we enjoy, and all we ask is to do it in privacy of our back yard as we look at Gods wonderful nature. So since early spring and on into summer, we have slowly, on the weekends been trying to put the yard back in shape so we can enjoy it once again. This is a long term project, but my wife and I have a shared vis
ion. And we will see it through; but it will take time. Once finished it will be; “Angie’s Garden Of Secrets”. More to come on that later…...
w the fun has begun….. Since tools are in place and I have power to run them I put finishing the shop on hold until we got the yard back, half we presentable. This darling wife of mine and I have one thing we dearly love to do and that is to spend our precious leisure time in our back yard watching humming birds in the morning while sipping coffee and roasting hotdogs over an open fire in the evening as the sun sets. This is our one of many simple pleasures we enjoy, and all we ask is to do it in privacy of our back yard as we look at Gods wonderful nature. So since early spring and on into summer, we have slowly, on the weekends been trying to put the yard back in shape so we can enjoy it once again. This is a long term project, but my wife and I have a shared vis
ion. And we will see it through; but it will take time. Once finished it will be; “Angie’s Garden Of Secrets”. More to come on that later…...Let me finish this first installment of notes on the “Mud Pit to Garden project” by saying this. The greatest joy in all this has been having my wife by my side as we worked together; and worked hard. We have dug holes, built fences, pulled weeds, moved and replanted trees, stained concrete and last but not least, cut wood as she stack each and every piece. On that day, just a couple of weeks ago we where getting ready to go out that morning. She was putting gloves on to protect her dainty hands as I suggested she wear an old pair of leather gloves I had, instead of the cloth ones she already had on. When she put the leather ones on I noticed she looked like Minnie Mouse with these big cartoon gloves; all she needed was a poky dotted dress and a mouse tail (even though I would not say it for fear of…..just because I have fear to fear from her) so I kept this vision to myself until now. The funniest part of that day was this one other little story. As I was cutting wood on top of this big pile of fallen trees the bulldozer had left for me after clearing the lot, I tossed one fresh cut log down to Angie for her to stack; she did not see it coming for picking up another piece. The small log took a bad bounce was headed for her hand in theses big gloves. I yelled “Watch IT” as a warning, but she did not take it as such and thought I was yelling at her. To which she promptly replied “YOU WATCH IT”!!! I tried to explain I was simply warning her; the same way a lumber jack would yell “TIMBER” as he cut down a tree. I also added what would you do it that case? Yell back at the party trying to warn you of and impending tree falling on your head……”YOU TIMBER”!!!
So as we get more done in the back yard I will be back to write more. But before I go, a special THANK YOU to Evan and Nikkie for always lending a helping hand every time I asked. And to Brandon who helped Evan and I move some heavy equipment into the shop on his vacation time while visiting us. And who can forget trying to lift a 60 gallon air compressor and bolting it in place as I curse the gods of compressed air for making it so blooming heavy!!! Thank you all for the help and for putting up with my temper fits when things went a rye….a Williams can not do anything with out a fit or two along the way : )
I leave you with
a picture of phase one. More to come later….
So as we get more done in the back yard I will be back to write more. But before I go, a special THANK YOU to Evan and Nikkie for always lending a helping hand every time I asked. And to Brandon who helped Evan and I move some heavy equipment into the shop on his vacation time while visiting us. And who can forget trying to lift a 60 gallon air compressor and bolting it in place as I curse the gods of compressed air for making it so blooming heavy!!! Thank you all for the help and for putting up with my temper fits when things went a rye….a Williams can not do anything with out a fit or two along the way : )
I leave you with
a picture of phase one. More to come later….
