Boot Jack

Apparently this is meant to be a long-horn steer; I thought it might be a goat. Anyway, Joanne got it at an antique shop and it works very well.

It is now a permanent feature of our hallstand.

Winter Work

Excavation and concrete work is becoming a year round activity! The forward footing is about 22" square and 10" deep; behind it is a 4' continuation of the main 16" footing. About 4' to go and it will traverse the cellar from end to end!

There used to be a stout wooden pillar at about the point where the mixer stands. It was sitting on a rock surrounded by a thin layer of concrete. I removed that, and cut away part of the slab supporting the furnace with the jackhammer.

The small square section will support a post that will ultimately carry the beam holding up the second story bathroom. Currently, the far end rests on . . . nothing! They fooled us again--we were expecting an L-bracket screwed to a 3/4" board, as they did on the other end, but they simply stopped just short of the wall.

I used 12 new 25 kg bags of concrete mix, two old 25 kg bags, and two new 30 kg bags. The total pour is about 7 cubic feet, probably a bit under.