Enough said.

So I lied. We didn’t get out to the Farm on Saturday as it was Honor America Days in Rome, NY. Long standing family tradition that we all head to brother Don’s house to watch the parade. Members of both sides of Ron’s family show up and we have such a good time. Our little city has their fireworks the same night. Always a great show. So that was our day. On Sunday Jo and I headed up to Ft Drum to restock the pantry. Ron went to the Farm by himself with stern warnings to behave and not do anything crazy.
Monday was another beautiful day and after work we grabbed a quick dinner and headed out. Even in the shade it was hot out there. My job was to get started on painting the outhouse’s trim. Ron and Jo went across the stream to check on the mushrooms and get some of them soaking. More on that later.
I decided to try the no painters tape method. Which surprisingly, went pretty well. Will have to go back with the main color and touch up a few spots, but it certainly went quicker. I finished the first corner and was well into the second when Ron and Jo came back. Ron picked up a paint brush and started painting the flat sides. Of course. He took the easy part. He did get a bit ahead of himself and had to grab a tissue to wipe the green paint off the red. And it is red – official name is “Red Cent”. “Backcountry Green” is the trim color. More touching up to do when it is fully dry. Those of you who paint walls know that it is usually pretty easy to wipe off a mistake. Not so much when we you dealing with rough cut lumber. Even with 4 coats of paint on it, does not wipe off worth a dime.
Reaching the top was the hardest part. The ground is most uneven. We had both a small step stool and a ladder to use and both took some serious adjusting to get the stable enough to use. It was easier with Ron or Jo holding the ladder. Then I didn’t worry about falling off. We zipped though the last of the painting as Ron worked on the larger flat sides and I continued doing the small edges. Jo held the can of paint and went back and forth between the two of us. That was a great help. We got home just before 9 pm. All of us were sticky from the bug spray and sweat so quick showers for all. Sat and talked for a bit and then headed off to sleep. This really is better than a gym membership.

We had planned to get out to THF on Saturday and get the first color coat onto the outhouse. Weather did not cooperate. Thunderstorms were expected later in the day and we did not want to get the paint on only to have it washed off by the rain. So it was a puttering day. Ron set out to fix the trailer light. When that turned into a bigger project, he set it aside and installed our new outside lights. Another thing off our to do list, yea team.
We spent the rest of the day running errands; needed to pick up the paint and we stopped to buy some local honey. Cannot wait to try it on my morning toast. So much for the rain. It finally arrived long after dark.
Sunday it was bright and sunny and very hot. Almost too hot to get anything done. But still calling for rain about noon. But the plan was still on to do some painting. I suggested we do the inside first. That way the rain would not be a factor. Ron agreed and we started getting ready. Then Jo noticed we had standing water in the bottom of our dishwasher. Crap. We do not need this. Ron pulled the filter out and washed it and I bailed out the water. We set that project aside as we really needed to get out to THF.
A perfect day for working outside as long as you have enough shade. And we certainly have that. We unloaded all our needed paraphernalia – paint, brushes, water, camera, cell phones, snacks, stepstool, plastic bags, bug spray, and boots. Halfway down the path, I realized we had left the brush in the car and headed back for it. When I caught up with Ron, we realized we had forgotten the painters tape. So back I went again to the car. This time I had to drive home to get what we forgot. Thank goodness it is only 15 minutes one way. When I got back, Ron had already brushed the house down and we got started. I got the fun job of taping. So not my favorite thing to do. Ron mixed water into the primer and started painting. I finished the taping and picked up a paint brush.  A few hours later we were done.
Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?
Now we just have to wait for it to dry and hope that the expected rain doesn’t wash off my taping job.
Today we had not planned to get out to the farm as it was supposed to rain but again didn’t. So off we went. This time we had better quality paint brushes which make the work easier. I decided that we needed to white wash the ceiling too. I did that while Ron took out the toilet seat so we could paint the base and then finished taping.
Before

And after

Makes such a difference. Now the inside feels finished. Almost.
Now for the fun part. Getting the first color coat on the outside. Ron decided I would do the roof area while he worked on the bottom. We definitely need a couple of smaller brushed to get into the tiny areas.

We are thinking one more coat will do the trick. Then we have the trim to paint, Ron’s mushroom to hang, some sort of shelf out in, figure out something for the floor, decoration for the front door, a fix for the surrounding area — in other words, I have no idea just when this house will be open for business. Have a feeling Ron will be tweaking for sometime to come.

I am annoyed at brother in law Don and his son, Jesse. Yesterday Don called to ask Ron when he was headed out to the Farm. We had been waiting until the possible rain cleared the area. Suddenly it didn’t matter. Ron got dressed in his work clothes and headed out. First dropping his bush hog off at Farm, then headed to Rome to pick up the ladder Don found for him. That was the last I saw of him for next 6 hours. He was a happy, tired man when he got home. Not only had Jesse taken the bush hog to the path, having great fun with it, but they had leveled off the outhouse. Decided not to try moving it, just got it settled better in its spot and level. The annoyance is because nothing is supposed to happened at THF without pictures being taken. Ron assures me he warned them.

This morning Ron and I headed to Lowes to get some outdoor primer so we could get the first coat on the house. We got to the Farm about 11 am and got started. Well, not quite yet. I forgot the camera in the Transit. So Ron had me go back on the 4 wheeler. And, yea me, I remembered how to get the thing into reverse. Nailed the 3 point turn.
The best thing about this painting job is that we did not have to be neat about it. Actually, we were pretty messy. I still haven’t gotten all the paint off my hands yet. Or my glasses. It was the perfect day for painting. Sunny, but nice and cool in the shade provided by the trees. With a breeze too. Three hours later we were done. One more coat of primer and then, well not sure how many coats of the final color we will need. Hoping not too many.

Fair warning. The first person who says “you missed a spot” will be handed the paint can and brush.
Updates to follow.
7-6-2015
Second coat of paint is now on the outhouse. I got home from work, grabbed a quick dinner and changed into work clothes. Don had called earlier to say he would meet us out there about 5 pm. We took Jo with us too. Ron planned to have her practice driving the 4 wheeler. She was not a fan of that plan. That thing makes her nervous.
This coat went on so easy taking us about 2 hours. And used so much less paint.

Having Jo with us meant that I finally got to be “in” a few pictures, instead of being the one taking them. This is me moving the ladder from one side of the house to another. I was painting up high, while Ron handled the lower parts.
Jo never did drive the 4 wheeler, but she and her uncle Don went on a walk around the Farm. He is a serious nature guy and is able to ID lots of birds by their calls. Something I wish I could do. He has a wicked sense of humor too. And when he gets together with Ron, watch out.

It is going to rain tomorrow, so we are not sure when we will be able to get the final color on. No real hurry, but it will be nice to have one more thing done. I keep telling Ron he needs to make up a to do list. Then we can check things off. He is not so sure that is a good idea. Will take him longer to write up the list than to actually get anything done.

We had no serious plans for the day. I had things around the house that needed doing – laundry, weeding, cleaning, you know, the fun stuff. Ron headed out to the Farm about 7 am . He needed to water his newest mushroom beds. The canopy of trees over the beds block not only the sun, but also most of the rain. At 8 am I was outside yanking weeds when I heard the phone ringing. Mad dash inside to catch it. It was Dick Crane calling Ron back about moving the outhouse off the trailer for us. I told him Ron was out at the Farm and gave him his phone number. We have lousy reception out there so I sent Ron a text and then waited 15 minutes and called. He not only got my call but Dick’s too. The move was on. He needed me to grab Jo, get into work clothes and meet him. Jo was out on her run so while I waited for her I fielded calls from Ron to bring this and that with us. As soon as Jo was ready, we headed out. Half way there I realized we had forgotten to bring the boards he asked me to. Oh well. We will just have to figure something else out. Ron is good at that.
Dick wasn’t there yet, but Ron said he had already been there to check things out. While we waited for him to come back with forklift, we hunted for wild strawberries and looked at a vast variety of plants growing. Weeds mostly, but some so pretty.
He arrived with his Bobcat and its forklift attachment. Have to say I was nervous. The outhouse looked about twice the size of this machine he was going to lift it with. Being a good team player, I kept my mouth shut. Besides, Ron and Dick both had serious experience with this kind of thing. They spent the first 20 minutes or so talking about the oats growing in the field. That in two weeks they needed to be knocked down. Dick had a friend who would come and harvest it, but no, probably best to let it rot on the ground. Would then be 2-3 weeks, depending on the weather before he would come back and plant the buckwheat. Finally they got on to the task at hand.

First attempt did not work out. Most of the weight is in the roof so the forks needed to be shifted further up. Ron did a great job playing foreman. The two of them never missed a beat. Jo and I watched, holding our breath, ready to jump in or out of the way. Dick finally got the outhouse off the trailer and he moved it toward the stack of pallets we had waiting.

Ron‘s plan had been for Dick to put the house down on the pallets and then he would use a sling to pull it upright. Dick said that would not work, it was too high. He thought we should just leave it on the forklift and sling it upright from there. Not so sure that was a good idea, but there was nothing else left to do. I couldn’t afford to buy that machine from Dick and leave it sitting there.
Some not so gentle shoving to get the house straightened out and then the 4 of us counted to three and lifted that blasted thing up. Amazingly, we did it. It landed hard and rocked backwards. I instinctively reached out to stop it but not necessary. It rocked back and settled solidly on the ground. We are so good. And Larry Munger, you built a seriously good thing.

Then Ron went to work talking Dick into pulling the outhouse down the path, around the tree and into the location Ron had set up for it. Larry had put a steel cable on the bottom of the house and it slid along nicely in the skids. Took a little doing, but our house is right now sitting safely on the Farm. Ready for us to start painting it.

Honestly, I think the hardest part was getting a tarp pulled over it. Rain is forecast for most of the next week. Wet wood does not take paint well. Hugs for Dick from me and Jo and he headed home.
We pulled the now empty trailer around so it was facing out and Ron walked to get the Transit. Hooked the trailer up, picked up all our stuff and headed out. Jo and I walked, getting to the road before Ron so we could give him the all clear for pulling out. On the way home, Jo said she could hear the trailer sigh with relief when we finally got the outhouse. Happy that the elephant was off it’s back. Once again Ron was chortling in his joy. Not only did we get the house where he wanted it, but he had his trailer back. Now he could get back to work.

Ron assured me (and himself) that all would be well. He had calculated the weight limits for both our trailer and the Transit. We were safely under both. Biggest concern was that the house was not actually sitting inside the trailer where it would be safer. It was still resting on the boards we had put on top of the rails. One wrong move and it might fall right off.
Deep breaths all around and Ron drove us carefully up Larry’s driveway and onto the road. So far; so good. Took him a few miles to get used to the heavy load and to figure out just how slowly he was going to drive. We never broke 40 MPH the whole way home. I had planned to knit during the drive home. Not happening. It was a white knuckle ride the whole way. I was watching on my side for traffic, loose straps, flying objects, bumps in the road and of course, our route home. Ron watched for traffic behind him and any lousy road conditions. The road wasn’t too busy, thank goodness because every time we had more than one vehicle behind, Ron pulled over to let them pass. The speed limit ranged from 35 to 55 and we much preferred it at 35. Then we didn’t have to feel guilty about holding other drivers up. A few of those drivers needed driving lessons as they were right on our bumper. Some seriously foolish people are driving about the place. Our route took us around Oneida Lake and we were really thankful for the great weather. We were a bit chilly though as Ron had both windows down listening for any noises. I am surprise neither of us ended up with whiplash as our heads snapped around at every odd sound. Then Ron asked me to see if he had Dick Crane’s phone number written down in his notebook. He was the farmer who plowed the field and planted the oats for us. I was going to try calling to see if he would be willing to use his equipment to move our privy into place. No luck in finding the number. And I have no idea if or how you can call information anymore. Ron was throwing out ideas left and right as he fought the realization that he was going to have to take his outhouse right to the farm and leave it there. There was no way for us to take it to our house and get some work on there. Too bad as I was going to lose my chance to use a great line – when neighbors asked why we had the outhouse, I was going to explain that “we were going totally off the grid.”
When we got to Sylvan Beach, Ron had accepted his fate and sadly told me to change our destination to the Farm. Now we just had to figure out how we were going to get safely down the path with the Transit and trailer in tow and then get ourselves back out. The only other vehicle we have driven that route is the 4 wheeler and that we have just driven around the tree and back out. There is no way the Transit could make that same move. If the path is at all muddy, we would sure as heck get stuck. I could just see the face of the AAA tow truck driver we would have to call to rescue us. Then all three of us would have had a story to tell.
Remember when I told you that we had learned the hard way to stay off any unknown road with Hill in the name? Guess we did not learn that lesson well enough. Yeah, we were sent up and I do mean up, Hill Road in order to connect with Route 26. That was a long slow drive as it not only went up, it went around. Every little bump or heave we felt or heard sent chills down our spines. Maybe that’s why my back ached when we finally did get home. It was a welcome sight when we finally spotted the familiar flashing lights on Route 26, we were almost there. Ron pulled off the road just before our turn and we breathed a sigh of relief. We left the flashers on; they had been going for the entire trip and walked across the road. Then we walked down the path, testing the conditions and figuring out just how Ron should drive down it. He decided exactly where he wanted us to stop and we walked back to the road. I really wished the outhouse was functioning as I would have happily christened it.
While I directed him, Ron came down the road at an angle in order to avoid bottoming out. When he got fully off the highway and straight on the path, he just kept going. He was “winging it”. Did not want to take the chance of him stopping and then get stuck.
He stopped and I caught up with him. Now we just had to get the trailer unhooked so we could drive away. Ron had already planned on using the jack if need be in order to get the trailer coupler off of the hitch ball. To our delight when he cranked the tongue jack down and it hit the ground and he released the locking latch on the coupler, the level of the Transit dropped a good 4 to 5 inches. It was totally clear. Such a relief.

Now we got out a tarp and some tie down straps. We were not going to leave the house unprotected. That done, Ron got back behind the wheel for the last challenge. He drove forward, then backed up and turned around to head back out. Absolutely no trouble at all. I was back in photographer mode, taking shots as I walked behind him. Could have danced with joy when I got back in the Transit. We were done and ready to head home.

Ron was so ramped up that he couldn’t settle down and he decided that we were going to head back to Syracuse to hit Wegman’s and Costco. They had been part of the original plan and he never likes leaving things undone. It added hours to our day, but we were so excited that we just did not care. Everything that could have gone wrong, didn’t. Life was good.

Yesterday was a long stressful day that ended with Ron giddy with excitement. But both of us still tired this morning. It all began months ago when he realized that he “had women folk” involved in his farm. And as such, he needed to address bathroom needs. The guys?, they can “grab a tree”. But the ladies tend to be more discreet. As usual, Ron started research on the internet, trying to find a proper privy. This would also be a two-fer. He would solve a major problem and make his Tiny House vision come true. He would no longer be a liar. He would actually have a tiny house. He found Larry Munger who advertises outhouses for sale on Craigslist. Emails went sent back and forth and a meeting was set up.

On Saturday, May 30 we drove out to Volney NY see Larry’s houses. Just like Ron he was on the retirement countdown clock and had set up a workshop for himself. He too needed something to keep himself busy and active. His houses were solidly built and Ron needed only a few small changes. A small window in the side so visitors could have light. Ron would buy that and drive back up with it the following week. The seat needed to have a tight fit over a bucket. As we have to use the carry out method of disposal. And we didn’t want it stained. Ron had his own paint scheme in mind. Larry said no problem and we could pick it up in 3 weeks. The window was dropped off as planned and we waited for the final call.
Larry called on June 13 to say house was done and ready for pick up. And we had a green roof. A bonus. Ron said we would come the following Saturday between 8-9 am. The plan was to stop to Wegman’s, pick up the outhouse and then drive to Costco. Being in the area, you see. So up early on June 20, Jo off to work, trailer hooked up and we were on our way. We made quick stop at Wal-mart as I needed more small containers to freeze my pesto in. Got a later start than we planned so Wegman’s was scrapped. We got to Larry’s place at 8:50. Right on time. And then the fun started.

The pondering begins. This thing was massive and a lot heavier than Ron estimated. No idea how they are going to get it onto our trailer. I am staying out from underfoot and in photographer mode.

The plan to have it rest on cinder blocks was not going to work. So they tried laying boards across the trailer’s rails to see it they could then slide it. We would have needed about 10 more guys to slide this thing. This was beginning to make me nervous.

Larry’s son Adam pulled his lift into play, hoping that it would hold some of the weight so they could try sliding the house into place. Even with that help, it was still a huge struggle for them to get the full house onto the trailer. They finally got it off the ground, but now it was hanging off the back by a good 3 feet. Everyone stayed calm though. No fussing or fuming, just tossing ideas out the way men tend to when they are stuck. They were willing to try just about anything to get this job done.

A final “gentle” shove by Adam on his tractor and the house was fully on the trailer. Yahoo. Huge sighs of relief. They may see the last of us yet. More final tweaking needed. Tie down straps, just to be sure and we put the cinder blocks back under the house. In case one or more of the boards snapped and the house dropped down into the trailer.

It is 10:50 and we are ready to head out. Side trips to Costco and Wegman’s have been cancelled. Ron just wants to get all three of us safely home. Surely the hardest part is over, right? Not so much. Avoiding the thruway was a no brainer. And Route 5 would have lots of traffic on it. We decided to go up 49 and hook onto Route 13, going through Sylvan Beach. By this time, Ron was having serious doubts about our plans to get this thing off the trailer and set up on our driveway. The plan had been to keep it there while we painted it and did a few more finishing touches. He didn’t actually tell me that yet. Finally acceptance would come later. During our drive home.