Wednesday, September 5, 2012

You know me too well

You all were so kind in yesterday's comments. Thank you for your never-ending support and votes of confidence.

It's funny how a community of friends, most of whom I have never met in person, know me so well.
Take reader janejane, for example. She wrote:
          Carson.....I have to ask. How did you get the anemometer on top of the pole? 
          I'm picturing a ladder in the bed of the pickup. I'm sure someone besides me has to be wondering.

Since the "ladder on top of the dining room table" trick served me well inside the house, certainly the "ladder in the bed of the pickup" trick 
would help me a) pound the mast into the ground and b) place the anemometer on top. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. 


I drove my truck as close to the pipe fence as possible. Sadly, the driver's side sat about a foot higher than the passenger side, owing to a sand dune along the base of the fence. I contemplated my options:
Bad idea #1. Dig out the sand dune so the truck, ergo the ladder, would not tilt.
Bad idea #2. Place some boards under the passenger-side tires to raise that side of the truck so the ladder would not tilt.
Bad idea #3. Place some boards in the pickup bed under the low side of the ladder so it would not tilt.

About this time, my three consciences came over to remind me that as sole caregiver and feed dispenser at the 7MSN, I was obligated to find a safer solution to my dilemma.

If my calculations were correct, the mast for the weather station would be 10 to 15 feet off the ground, depending on how much wire was left after I ran it through the conduit from the house. And I wanted about 3 feet of mast buried in the ground for stability. I had two 10' lengths of pipe and a connector thingy at my disposal. (This is way too much math for one blog post but I'll get to my point in a minute.)

Somewhere in my overheated delirium (have I mentioned how stinkin' hot it was when I was trying to figure this out?), it dawned on me that since the mast would consist of two pieces of pipe joined by the connector thingy, why not pound in the short piece first, then add the long piece – with the anemometer already attached – on top of it?


In hindsight, this solution is so obvious I can barely stand it. I'm sure Dad would have thought of it in a heartbeat – it took me a whole lot longer.  In this case, the acorn fell a little too far from the tree. But at least it didn't fall off the ladder.

p.s. For those of you who are still shaking your heads over my method for changing the battery in a smoke detector, I offer you this, courtesy of imgace.com:
Makes putting a ladder on top of the dining room table seem positively safe.


16 comments:

  1. Well, a ladder in the truck bed is better than trying to stack donkeys...

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  2. You are not alone....I would have done the same!! And would have had 5 equines and 2 donkeys there to "help" (and I am sure you know what that kind of help is all about!)....saying "Uhhhhhh, whatcha do-in??????

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  3. That's a Marine for you.... Ah-Roo-Ah!

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  4. Ah, the agility of a cat, and the feeling of immortality of youth...would love to have seen this spry youngster get down! Reminds me of my younger days, actually. I've been 'stupid with ladders', as in top of the charts stupid, twice. I guess I have a really terrific guardian angel. I'm very glad to know that you are not only smart, but WISE, as well. There is great wisdom in choosing to NOT do stupid things!

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  5. Ha--I recently saw this picture with the caption "Why women live longer than men."

    I'm sure Lucy and the Gang appreciate your keeping their uninterrupted food supply at the forefront of your concerns. See, they probably saved your life!

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  6. Love the extra long ear coverings! Is George the reason Alan isn't wearing a mask?
    Nice job on the install.... we can't all be as handy as our dads. My dad is a perfectionist; me- not so much!

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  7. I think by the time it was time to drive the pole into the ground, your brain was fried from all the electrical work you had to figure out. Fear of getting electrocuted is a pretty stressful problem to have.
    I am continually uplifted by your DIY projects. Women, can indeed, do anything. :)

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  8. Mastering the art of "uh maybe not". I am sure you are so very proud of yourself (as is your Dad) for taking the time to take a second look at the situation. Win win all the way around.
    As to the picture of the male daredevil......my first thought would be the folly of youth, the second, testosterone poisoning.
    As the grands would say "whip/bam" gets ya every time.
    xoxo Oma Linda

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  9. Carol in N. Colorado9/5/12, 8:56 AM

    I hope in your thinking you left enough extra wire on the ground to be able to bury it deep enough to protect. I am glad you found the safer solution to the problem of the mast. You never cease to amaze me on how well you tackle projects like the chicken house. Of course, the donks had to supervise which is a good thing.

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  10. Whew! Glad you did that safely and all turned out great.

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  11. Looks like they were looking at the truck trying to figure out who and how they would drive you to the hospital if necessary. Glad you found a 4th alternative.

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  12. Love it! Reminds me of the bad idea fairy from Haiku's farm. LOL

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  13. I knew when I asked that there had to be a ladderless solution. (Hoping there was) The rest of the installation was making sense but my brain got lost on this part. Seems so simple now. Thanks.
    That last picture? Yikes. Gotta love a tall man in camo pants.

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  14. You are too damn clever and I am liking all the support that the herd seemed to be giving you; or were they just trying to tell you what to do!

    Glad your sane side came through and kept you safe!!!

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  15. yeh.....but that's a guy......'nuff said......

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