Third Side: Done!

The neighbor who visited yesterday urged us to please put him to work: 5am, 6am, evenings, whenever. Unused to the offer of help from unexpected quarters, we were taken aback, but Phil agreed to 6am. (That was part of the reason for our trip to town last night: since we'd run out of supplies, we would have had to miss out on the help, too.)

In truth, Phil wasn't sure if he would actually show, and I had nightmares about him showing up with his friend, who "only" charges $150 an hour to work. (Like I said, we don't get offers of help very often, and I guess I was wondering all night about what strings may come.)

But what a blessing. When I woke at 7:30, after an unrestful night's sleep, Phil and the neighbor had been hard at work for an hour and a half. And since the neighbor works in construction, and is male, he was much more capable of helping than was I. I could cut the insulation and hold panels in place when Phil put them up. The neighbor cut the insulation and could lift panels in place. This was actually really huge, because every one of the fourteen rectangular panels had to be lifted into place, marked, then taken down and cut according to the actual angle of the roof line. The sides were positively easy by comparison.

Phil stayed up in the lift, driving in the screws, and marking where to cut, while the neighbor lifted panels up and down and managed the cutting, too.

By 10:30, when they quit so Phil could bring Shadow to the vet, they had finished ten of the panels, well over halfway.

The building was almost enclosed on three sides.

Back from the vet, and after a nap, some card games with the boys, and a cow move, Phil and I headed up to finish that side. Even though there were only four panels to go, it took a long time, because Phil had to go up and down in the lift multiple times: up to hang the insulation. Down to get a panel and put it in place. Up to mark the panel. Down to cut the panel and move it where it needed to go. Up to screw the panel in.

We had paid forward the extra seven inches of metal siding. I wondered how problematic that would be. Turns out: not very. Phil had trimmed the siding this morning (a little scary because the sparks from the cutting tool singed the fiberglass insulation: eek!), and when he ended up needing to trim both walls, it wasn't a big deal. He trimmed one panel on the ground, and the other riding the man lift down. He thought the lift was probably a bit easier, but I preferred the lack of fire danger on the ground.

While Phil cut away the extra inches, I contemplated the almost completed enclosure. It's strange: I've walked back and forth on that building pad, and then around and around on the concrete foundation, for over a year (better cell coverage up near the road). And then, in a matter of minutes, the final opening through would be closed off.

And then it was. All fourteen panels cut and installed. All four corner panels trimmed from top to bottom.

Three sides enclosed.

Phil stayed up a little longer in the gathering gloom. He installed corner strips, to keep the corners water tight.

A very good day. Except for our poor laying hens. I went to let them out of their enclosed pen in the electric net today and found one sole bird alive, while the entire area was covered with white feathers. Rest in peace to those two, and maybe to the last bird, too, who walked out of the pen and didn't return tonight. I don't blame her. I hope she's roosting in the forest. Otherwise, I hope the predator got her quickly: it can't be good for fowl morale to be the sole survivor.