Pouring Foundations

We heard a truck arriving this morning because there was beeping, but once it was situated, the beeping stopped and the large crane with a nozzle on the end was unfurled. We speculated about why they had to pump the cement up before releasing it back down into the prepared forms, but at least it was quiet. I think we are finally finished with the rock moving and grading.

There was gridlock on the street as the full giant cement truck coming in passed the empty one going out. There were  five guys who spent most of their time waiting and trying to keep warm until the new load arrived. There was furious activity for about ten minutes as they guided the big tube into place and signaled for the truck to release its load. They were finished by two o'clock and all is quiet again.

Tim and Joni and the kids came by on their way to Fort Bragg and a six day vacation in a house they have rented so many times that the landlady doesn't even bother to send them the instructions. Tim watched the operation next door and commented that it looked like a 'tricky build'.

Dana took Jim to the airport at 5:30 this morning. He's going to help his mother when his brother, who recently moved back to the childhood home to take care of mom, has back surgery. Jim's flying home on the 24th because he wanted to be at home for Christmas. Dana went back to bed and then came over here for Saturday morning coffee. Spike ate through most of his Kongs (designed to be impenetrable) and then crashed on the couch.*

After all that activity I subsided to the couch and contemplated why 'multilevel degenerative disk disease' (for that is what the diagnosis is) should suddenly be so painful. It certainly doesn't happen overnight. Dr. Paul my neighbor and I looked at the x-rays last night and he told me what I was looking at. No wonder I can't reach the top shelves anymore....

Temperatures are expected to drop into the high 20'sF  (-2C) tonight. We're hoping that the plants that didn't succumb to the flames don't freeze.

*extra