The Acme Automated Snowthrower Returns

The Acme Automated Snowthrower (see blog archives if you are not familiar with this) and his wife showed up and put his shovel manure and barn repairman attachments on. I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't keep up with the 77 year old by any stretch of the imagination as he seems to be able to work in the worst of conditions and not be bothered one bit.

The temperature in the shade showed 101 but that didn't slow Tom down one bit. He was on a mission, possessed with the notion that in two days, the rotted sill plates and studs on the old barns south and west sides would be dug out and replaced. Day one had him with a pick digging through the crust to expose the concrete foundation. Day two we're off the to lumber yard for supplies and then the fun began in only 99 degree heat.

I suppose most of you locals don't notice the humidity around here much, but for someone that has spent most of his life in the southwest US, I'm not used to it one bit. We jacked up the walls, removed the rotted sill plates, drilled and installed new retainer bolts in the foundation, installed new sills, cut off the rotted studs, and fashioned cripple type supports and got it all done in 2 1/2 days. Father in law is amazing! Thanks Tom!

There is a lot of work left to do on the barn. I'm in the process of tearing the doors off the front of the barn to provide better support for new and replaced doors. I've got a lot of trim and siding to replace too. My neighbor owns several farmsteads in various states of repair, and he stopped and told me where I can get some siding to match the old stuff on the barn that rotted. By the time we get done with the old building, it will look pretty good I hope.

My question to myself is why do this? When the repairs are completed, it will still be an old barn with a door only big enough to get a very small car or the lawn mower in. It will provide storage space for old wood around the place that I hope to recycle eventually, but what a lot of work to save it so why? To this city slicker, a barn is part of a farm and we're in farm country...might as well have a decent looking barn if I'm gonna have one at all, even if it isn't good for much.