Taking the Top Off

This morning, as Brandon and I both slumped in our chairs and stared into our coffee, one of us would occasionally moan a little and then comment on our exhaustion and wonder how we were going to make it though the day.  We hardly slept at all the whole night because the wind threatened to blow us down.  Every loose piece of house and barn was groaning and squeaking, and I could feel the loud crashes of thunder rattle the lungs in my chest.  I worried that the lightning striking so close and illuminating the windows was going to hit the house or our tree.  It was actually a relief when the rain would pound so hard on the metal roof that we couldn't hear the pieces of the farm banging and shuddering in the wind.  Around one in the morning, Brandon braved the elements by flashlight so he could move boxes of camping gear off the board over the creepy root cellar, just in case we had to quickly hide from the tornado that was being watched for.  

We were glad to detect the sunrise through the rain, and I was only a little worried that I would be struck by lightning while scratching hay from the giant bales with a pitch fork and tossing it to the goats.  The goats looked at me from their warm beds and wondered what I was doing out there, dressed in rain gear and pajamas.  Brandon left for work first, and sent me a message to let me know the creek wasn't over the road so deep that I couldn't get through and go to work.  Darn it, there goes my nap!

But, even without a nap, I wanted to tell you about they way we solved one of our long time problems last weekend.  As you may know, Brandon drives a big blue truck.  Despite my doubt that we needed such a big truck, it has proven to be one of our most useful tools.  During our years of house renovations, that huge truck bed was loaded with building supplies and tools for every work day. The truck has a big camper top over the eight foot truck bed, so it's water proof enough to haul things like artwork and goats.  The only problem is that the camper top is too heavy for Brandon and I to take off, and there are times when what we want to haul just won't fit inside the camper.  That's no longer a problem!  See those straps hanging from bolts placed in the roof of the tractor shed?    

Brandon climbed into the back of the truck, detached the camper top, and used his back and shoulder to lift the camper just enough for me to slide boards between the camper and the truck.  One board is near the cab, and a second board in near the tailgate.  He attached some bolts to the ends of the boards, and then attached the ratchet side of the ratchet strap to the board, and connected that to the long strap hanging from the roof.  

Then, all we had to do was crank the four ratchets and the camper top was lifted off the truck!

Ta-da!  We were able to fetch the giant roll of fencing that has been waiting for us at my parents house.  Brandon's spring break it coming up soon, so we'll be putting that fencing to work.