Packing up the cabin

So the gist of packing up the cabin is this:

- clean out the fridge and freezer so I can turn off the propane.
- take any food that a mouse or rat can get into
- take anything of value that might encourage thieves or that you can't replace without a big expenditure.

Along with all that, prep the little Raider to be left behind. Pack up the blinds.  Pull the trail cams.

I arrived at the cabin that morning about 10 am.  30+ mph winds, some fog (turning to rain), and that kind of cold you only feel in Oklahoma. I get to work.

Pack the fridge and a box dry foods. Get the rest of the guns and ammo. Pile all that and misc "valuables" by the door. Decide I better take a look outside.

I walked out and turned toward the South, the wind grabbed the hood of my rain poncho, and sucked it right off of me.  I chased it across my road and the hickory tree had grabbed it for me. Put it back on.

I probably should have thought a bit more about that event, but I had things to do!

Sure enough, if you've ever hired a contractor, you know they always find some way to fuck you. No matter how much they blab about customer service and all that.  You'll always get it in the end.

So what was a 3 inch hole in my eves with some rotted wood around it, is now a 3 foot hole in my eves. The roofer, who had agreed to repair this,  had pulled the rotten wood off, and never fixed the hole. 

I decided that I needed to keep the coons and the weather out - and I'd just have to fix it before I left. At least tack some wood over the hole.

That picture of the truck backed up to the cabin WAS going to be titled "ladders? we don't need no stinking ladders?" Because,  well, I don't have a stinking ladder...

...surprisingly, standing on top of the truck, in 40 mph winds, with rain freezing on everything it touches...  NOT nearly as safe as it sounds!

At some point I realized that I couldn't hold the wood over my head, hold a screw in place, and hold the electric drill to screw it in - at least not all at the same time...  ...this had just gotten stupid.

I tossed the wood.  Set down the drill-driver, and started my decent from the roof of the truck.

The very first step I took was the last.  The rest of the trip down was a collection of reaching, grabbing, slipping, and - let's be honest - FALLING.

Apparently, freezing rain covers everything with ice, and ice is not that good for climbing around on the roof of your favorite 4x4. Or so some would say.

The good news: I landed in the broken flower bed (well, it's more broken now) which is normally crawling with fire ants - and you may know that I am not a big fan of fire ants. But, fire ants are smart enough to go away when it's freezing. So no fire ants today.

I smashed the back bumper hard - and bruised my ribs pretty nice on the right side. I've been here before, should be all better in 3 months or so.

That said, I still have to take down the big blind, collect the trail cams from two different stands, and load all the crap into the truck. Plenty of huffing and puffing later - hard to get a full breath when your ribs hurt like that..  Guns, food, stuff, and all my tools from the shed are loaded up. 

I head back to the lake house.