Wot she said
Things have been busy and difficult.
Last week I was busy at work. Lots of long hours. Friday I installed a water heater, a big one, 55 gallons. I threw my back out lifting it into position. The hazards of working alone. Driving back home Friday evening I tried to get an appointment at the chiropractor, but they were already closed. The weekend was spent in a lot of pain and discomfort with very little sleep and lots of pain killers.
I was called out on Saturday evening, was a kak job fixing the pump in a very tight closet, but I got it done.
The gate mentioned above.
Maggie came running inside the other day crying and bleeding. We believe that she may have cornered a rat in the passageway on the side of the workshop where I park my boat, then Sammy got involved, and ended up biting Maggie. He does that when he gets all excited. That's why we separate them when we go out. So Mrs Zog made the decision that I will close up the entrance to that passageway / alley. That way she can keep an eye on Maggie a lot better, and not have to stop working and go outside and look for Maggie every few minutes. We know that there are rats living in the crawlspace under the garden shed and workshop and fishing shed.
So... this is the area in question.
I also park the broken down mowers I pick up back there under the boat.
And you have to get down really low to see all the way to the back where Maggie likes to try and dig under the sheds
Here is one hole she has started
and more places where the rats come and go...
Of course the rats will attract snakes as well. Maybe we have so many rats because a certain terrier has killed so many snakes...
Anyways, this area needs to be closed off.
So on my return from the Home Depot I unloaded this pile of lumber
She already knew something was up
First order of business was to create a base for the gate. Something that would make it very difficult for her to dig under, and would also create a strong and stable base for the rest of the gate. I used a 4x4 beam that I cut exactly to length.
Then I dug it into the ground so the top was just level with the ground. I still need to be able to push the boat trailer over it.
From there on I just got on with it. Used another two 4x4's as the vertical beams to support the gates, with a cross bar over the top to stop them leaning inwards when the weight of the gates hung on them. I did it this was because I seriously didn't want to dig deep holes into the ground and concrete the beams in. This would have taken a whole lot longer, and waiting for the concrete to set up would have meant that I would not have been able to get it done before the weekend was over. Plus I think it looks cool, like the entrance to a ranch... I just need to find something to hang from the cross beam. Not a horseshoe, this ain't a ranch. Maybe an anchor...
I made the gates the same height as the little fence around my braai area. It's high enough to keep Maggie out.
And it matches the other fence nicely. In a few months the fresh wood will have faded and will look much closer to the older one.
There are two equal gates, and they latch in the center. They fold back more than enough to allow me to get the boat out.
Job done. I'm happy. Mrs Zog is happy.
Maggie is pissed off
Topic: Life in America - I made the move. (Read 1325903 times)
