Construction blues (7/30 column)

Ka-bang! That was the sound that jolted me awake Monday morning at about quarter after six.
Maybe it was just a car back-firing. We do hear that kind of stuff living on a state highway.
Ka-bang! There it was again. That was no car. It sounded more like a gun shot.
Ka-bang! I looked over at Nate and Jacob, who had crawled into bed with us sometime around 5 a.m. Neither of them had moved from their mouths-wide-open sleeping positions. It would take a nuclear blast to wake those guys up.
After a few more blasts I heard the buzz of a saw and the low mumbles of men’s voices coming from the other side of the driveway. It wasn’t terrorists. It was construction workers.
Our milking parlor project first got underway in late May, but lately it’s stepped into high gear. After a several week delay waiting for the concrete crew to work their way back to our site, the blue Melvin Companies trucks rolled back in and we were in business.
Last week the first lumber hit the site as the walls of the building started going up. Roof joists were placed Friday and Monday, windows have been framed out and the first plastic layer hit the walls Tuesday.
Monday night Jacob and I took a self-guided tour of the progress. When just the concrete was down, I had worried it wouldn’t be big enough. Now with the building taking shape, it’s turning out to be a lot larger than I thought.
Originally we had hoped it would be completed by Aug. 1. With the cool spring and delay in concrete, we’re now shooting for around Sept. 1.
I’m starting to wonder how the cows are going to react. According to people who have put in parlors, we’re going to hate it for the first couple weeks as we try to acclimate the cows to their new settings. Anyone who works around cows know they are creatures of routine. Anything out of place confuses them, whether it’s a strange person in the barn or a slight change in their diet.
Once we get over that hump, I think it’s going to be a great addition to the farm.
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This past weekend we traveled down to my parents’ farm for my sister’s graduation party. My Air Force sister also came up from the St. Louis area to visit, but I think what she really wanted to do was pick up her new car.
Kirsten has been without a car since she left for basic training a year ago the end of August. Now that she’s done with technical school and at a more permanent base, she decided it was time to buy.
My mom did the shopping and found her a 2006 Chevy Impala at a reasonable price. Nate and I took Kirsten Saturday morning to sign the papers and pick up her shiny new black car.
I have to admit I am jealous because I was thinking about buying an Impala myself once my own car bites the dust.
Monday afternoon when I went to leave for work, my car chimed: “Service Engine Soon” displayed in amber on the dash. Time to step up the shopping.
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My dad’s birthday is today, but bad daughter as I sometimes am, I forgot to send a card.
So, instead of a $3 card you get this message printed almost 3,000 times for everyone to read: Happy Birthday Dad!