Ouch

Now that pain in my hands has finally reduce to a manageable level, I can get around to writing about this weekend.

It started as a simple idea. Sara's youngest brother, Jason, wanted to build a deck off his new house. He figured it could be done in 3 weekends. Weekend 1 - dig holes and have inspection, Weekend 2 - fill holes with concrete and support posts, Weekend 3 - Install main deck. Due to our hectic lives, we were only able to make weekend 2, and I fully prepared to mix concrete and lug around 6"x6" posts. But was I wrong...

Weekend 1 started with them digging the 14 holes required, however they quickly ran into rock, and were no longer able to use the auger they rented. This meant that now weekend 1 AND 2 would be used for digging holes.......and I now get to join the fun. Basically in a nut shell, the only way to dig out rock, in an 18" hole 4' deep, is to do it by hand. This means taking a 5' long, 15 lb bar, and using it to break the rock into pieces to later pull out of the hole.

I can honestly say, this had to be one of the most physically demanding projects I have probably worked on yet. After tossing around a 15lb bar for 9 hours (which i swear weighed more like 50lbs by the end of the day) We all felt as though we had been taken around back and beaten up. My hands were stuck in some deformed position, the blister under my ring finger had its own pulse, and I felt as though I needed a crane to lift up my arms. The last hole it was all I could do to lift the bar up high enough to drop it in the hole and realize I barely even scratched the rock below.

The rocks around the holes are what we pulled out after we broke them up.

However in the end, we were able to complete all 14 holes, shower, and head out to eat at 8:45 (much to the dismay of one particular worker). I even tried to sneak in a quick beer before we left the house. However I am sure it was quite a sight to see me attempt to remove the twist off cap. Considering I couldn't grip a feather to save my life, It was all I could do to hold the bottle upright. Somehow with my shirt, arm, counter, and mental will power, I was able to remove to the cap. I thought of maybe smashing it on the counter and pouring it in a glass, but then I would be wasting beer. I suppose a bottle opener would have been easier.....but that required a lifting motion, and who knows how well that would have worked for me.

Today, I am able to move my arms freely, my open wound is now covered with a band-aid (which hurts when I slam it into the keyboard), and I have completed enough sessions of physical therapy that I can safely open a bottle of beer without injuring myself or others around me.

Today's Safety tip: When you hit rock, call the professions.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Jason's Shop-Vac. It was able to clean out every bit of water, mud, clay, dirt, rock, concrete, and earthworms that we found in the holes. Without it, I would be writing about how weekend 3 was also used to finish the holes.