Ladybird vs. Skeptical Men at Home Depot

I'm online for a few days only long enough to keep my faithful updated and what happens? A whole bunch of new folks appear and leave comments! I LOVE IT.

If you've been reading, you know that the past four days have been jam-packed with activity. The walkway was FINALLY finished. And it's been the source of much attention. People are literally stopping out front. (Doesn't sound too incredible unless you know that I live on a pretty busy four-lane road.) All of the neighbors in our block have been here the past few days. This includes Son of Lawnmower Man, but that's for a future post.

I was tired two days ago. Tonight, I'm past any adjective to describe how worn out I am. And there's been a lot of consternation today. As I was finally hitting stride, Mother Nature put the kibosh on the shed-pimping project. Late in the afternoon, there were a series of brief showers followed by one good downpour. And with rain in the forecast the next few days, we just put everything back inside. (It was hotter than hell today and inside the shed, even with a box fan on, was unbearable.)

This morning, I went to get some boards for framing on the interior to finish it out. I bought a bunch of 8-foot 1x2s, some new trim, and a 12-foot Never Rot board. There were two cars whose passengers were locked in discussion when I emerged with my purchase.

As I unlocked the car and started to load up, a voice behind me said: "You're never going to get those boards in that car." I turned around to see five pairs of male eyes upon me.

Now I'm an old pro at getting Ladybird to function like a truck. I've hauled unimaginable amounts of stuff, and the comment rankled me. I love a challenge though. Truth be told, I knew the 8-footers would be no problem. Just a little patience and careful movements was all. The Never Rot board, though. Now that was a seecheation. I was a little dubious myself.

But then I heard the voice of Ruth from Fried Green Tomatoes in my head: "Don't you ever say never to me." And I knew I could pull it off.

I tried to get that 12-footer in the car, but even with some considerable give it would not go. I could hear snickering from the band of dudes. So, I opened the trunk. "You'll have an awful lot of board sticking out."

It took some careful maneuvering, essentially coiling it inside the trunk. The snickers almost immediately stopped. As I closed the trunk, I said: "There doesn't seem to be any of it hanging out." The snickers turned to applause. And instead of heckling me, the other guys were heckling their own.

I spun around and gave a quick bow and dropped behind the wheel. I grinned and gave a parting nod to the tiny crowd as I left. Don't you ever say never to me, boys.