(mid April 2021)
We got drenched for roughly 10 days straight! All the while I was itching to get outside and get to work!
The rain was good because it wet everything down enough to be able to burn off the last bit of brush from the fall. This also made it possible to char the end of my post logs. This is done to the ends going into the ground to protect them from rotting too quickly. So I am told. Doing it, however, feels scary and a bit counterintuitive. I am not so sure I did a great job with it owing to the type of fire I was working with, but I think it's mostly ok.
It was a really long three-day weekend, plus a couple of short evenings to get this next phase completed. Burning alone took a full morning.
Once I got the right kind of shovel though the hole digging was mostly pretty satisfying. Although there were a couple of hiccups with nasty roots and stones that tried to hamper me. Admittedly I did need to call in the big guns (hubby) briefly for one root in particular. I had it part of the way but the other side wasn't budging for my weeny arms.
Setting the posts, too, was gratifying. I used a plumb bob to get them relatively straight up and down. Don't want anyone leaning out and falling over! In the video you can see some wiggling when I was sawing the tops off. Don't worry I went back and re-tamped them all tight again. Also, when I add the top plates it will tie them all together and solidify them further.
Cutting the tops off the posts though was less...well, just less. It took so much longer than I had thought. My arms were tired and sore. (Cutting sideways is waaaaay hard!). And to top it all off the last one broke a bit, taking a small wedge out of the post. I think it will be alright, the pole itself is not especially weakened. I am more worried about the limited space on top to lay on the ends of the top plate/beam. Hope I have room *sigh*. I am not at a point where I think I have to pull it out and start over on that post so...
So unfortunately the video ends on a bit of a sad note. In fact, I was mopey the rest of the evening. But what is done is done. The posts are in and done and ready to go. This phase is over and it's time to move forward