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Raising the cabin

It had come to my attention that the vertical beams supporting the roof were not resting on the flooring below them.Some in fact were several inches away, just swinging in the air.For the life of me I couldn't figure out what was wrong then like a bolt of lightening it hit me. The floor below was sinking and had been for several years.This called for great calculation and some good old fashioned brute strength. Now most contactors would have been out with levels and those handy looking toolbelts. I on the other hand was armed with a chainsaw and a 6 ton hydraulic jack.I did some head scratching and it occured to me that the part I wanted to lift was right under the damned woodstove! and under the stove was about 35 or so bricks.First I checked to make sure the fire was out in the stove wouldn't want to be grabbing hot sheetmetal.The stove was moved and the assitant I had for the day was casting a wary eye at what I was doing.Occasionally offering advice but little else.The man that built the cabin did so without the benefits of blueprints.I came to this conclusion while in the middle of cursing his retched hide.The only way to get under the cabin was to cut the flooring with the aforementioned chainsaw.A note of caution here, chainsaws by their very nature do not care nor do they warn you when you are about to hit a cleverly hidden NAIL.Oh well,I was going to "retire" those pants anyway so the blood stain was not going to make much difference.The scar would make conversation starter at parties if anyone was interested. Peeling back the flooring revealed the "bones" of the cabin and more than that it revealed lots of bugs of various types and sizes.My lovely assitant made note to make sure I brushed off any of the bugs before coming anywhere near her.I assured I would and it was met with a "yeah right". Crawling down under the cabin was a not so unpleasant as some might imagine for those without a bugphobia.Just as soon as I found a good place to put the jack I realized that it and the handle were still in the car.Time for the lovely assitant to spring into action I thought.The only thing she had sprung to was a deep and abiding suspicion that I was going to get her killed since I had "torn the place half apart".You know a 6 ton hydraulic is heavier than it looks.Once the jack was in place the it was time to bring the old cabin back to level or a close proximity of level.It all depended on the tolerance for the way the place sounded as it was being raised.The cabin groaned and squeaked like an old dog getting up.I was having to jack the place up and then go upstairs to make sure the beams were resting where they should.All this because the "assitant" whose loveliness was begining to fade would not step into the deathtrap as she called it.Her help at this point was having the cell phone dialed to 911 "just in case." It is a sad day when you have to confront trust issues with a loved one.The cabin was looking pretty good after several hours worth of work and several beers. My assitant was starting to look good again until she replied you need a shower.That evening after being freshly showered and the woodstove was glowing to ward of the chill of the night I felt the pride of a job well done.There was one thing that bothered me though. I thought I heard a dripping sound. Hmmmm maybe next weekend right now I am too tired to care........
When I heard there was a cabin I could go to in Alaska that the family owned I had this vision of log cabin with the smoke rising into the early afernoon sky,snow drifts resting against the exterior walls. You know the kind of picture Kinkade would do or Rockwell. What I found was this plywood shack staring at me with the look of a abandoned child hoping that someone would at last love it. I loved the place at first sight and thought well it is here at least. This can be fixed. Summers are short here and as I tell my best friend "we are burning daylight lets get to it". Between my brother and friends we got the place livable in a summer and actually spent some winter nights there that would freeze the nuts off a brass monkey. The next cabin will be built for a lifetime this one lasted but a season in our lives but it was a hell of a good time!!
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