Monday, August 22, 2011

Third Footing - Done!

While out and about with neighbors this weekend we ended up at Home Depot.  I seized the opportunity of being there in a pick up truck and bought 2  - 2"x6"s for my door frames, and 3 bags of concrete for the third (and final) concrete pad for my rain barrels. 

I had no intention of pouring the pad this weekend -- this weekend was to be my indoor project weekend.  In the end, however, walking past my wheelbarrow several times with 3 bags of concrete it in proved to be too much to resist.

I am getting faster and faster at these footings -- I can re-use the form each time, so that helps.  And I've become a decent judge of how much water the concrete needs... figures, now that I am done with these.  But I'm sure there is more concrete in my future, somewhere.

I had one bag dumped into the wheelbarrow and mixed, and I set the second bag in.  When I reached for my razor knife to cut the bag open ... the entire wheelbarrow tipped over!  UGH.  Concrete everywhere...  scooping it up and back into the wheelbarrow I also scooped up some of my composite granite.  Probably not good or bad, but irritating for sure.

Ultimately, however -- success was had:





I'm doubly pleased to get this one done because it's right along my neighbor's driveway, and their house is on the market. I was feeling less than "together" with my catty-wompus barrel with cement blocks under it; green or not, I can recognize it was a bit of an eyesore.   I'll paint the concrete and the cement blocks that go under the barrel, and it will look much nicer.  For starters, the barrel will be straight.... LOL  I figure I can put the barrel back in place on Tuesday. 

It's a good feeling to have all my rain barrels taken care of.  Now all I need is some rain!  I have water in two barrels at this point.  Not too bad, considering, I guess -- today is consecutive day 56 of 100+ weather.

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