A Bittersweet Day

Just tucked in the kids...what a day!  What a week!  The milking shed has pretty much consumed our lives since Tuesday.  Not a whole lot else got done--housework, yardwork, parenting...

Emma Lena came out several times--even helped by washing the dirt and mud off a board we needed to cut--helping us save the blade of the circular saw.  Korin was gone most of the day at a friend's house but was with us lickety-split as soon as she got home.  Nicholas and Annika spent most of the week eating goldfish crackers and playing their Kindles.  But in truth, they both helped out a lot, in their own way.  I am kicking myself a little at the moment because today was not how I envisioned it...I thought the shed would be done enough that our family could go to church and then maybe take a drive up the ranch hill and have dinner in the bed of the truck.  But the rain was incessant and the late stages of our milk cow's pregnancy won't allow even for healthy family recreation.

Now the post-spring break rush kicks in to high gear.  This week is madness!  Conferences, Wed. and Thur.   Baseball/Softball starting up on Tuesday.  Friday, a science camp fundraiser dinner at school during science fair.  Ugh.  Even at this very minute things are occurring to me--more to-do's on an already lengthy list.

A friend and neighbor posted on Facebook that we should have called on our friends to help us with this project.  And it's true.  We do need to help each other out more.  This idea of rugged individualism is a little archaic.  We need each other, for sure.  I wish I would have held a barn raising party, dang it.  I wish I would have thought of that.  On the other hand, there's something personal about this project, like I've got something to prove...  And to be honest, that's a really sad and frustrating feeling.  Maybe I'm leery of giving up control.  Maybe there's an aspect of inadequacy.  One thing's for sure, I bet this project would be way further along if I would have personally asked my friends to help.  Asking for help isn't an admission of weakness.  But anymore, it seems like it is.

So the new plan is to do what we can during the afternoon hours, and maybe, if it's not all done, we just might have to sound the call--party at the Baker's.  Bring your coolers and your hammer.

Below are some photos of today's progress.