Building A Deck: AKA - Structuring Boundlessness

I had a nice 4.5 day weekend taking a break from my landsc-ation to have a construc-ation.  I drove a third of a tank of gas north to help family rebuild an old deck.   We started by tearing out the old decking, but leaving the joists.  It was quite the process since about all of the screws were rusty and just broke apart.  That meant a lot of prying was needed to get the boards out.  That was the real labor intensive part.  It was also fun to tear things apart for some strange male reason.

Then we had to take a metric shit-load of new wood back to the site.  The initial difficulty was figuring out the logistics for the framing and making sure everything would line up.  The mental part.  It was interesting reflecting on how each of us approached these problems.

Once things got rolling, then it was just a lot of cutting and screwing.  Eventually everything came together.  It was really rewarding watching a project go from zero to finished.  It's nice when you can work on something and see the end result.  The sense of accomplishment is much greater than with repetitive tasks that never seem to end.  My work was also much more focused than on the landscaping I have been doing.  The deck work was characterized by extended intense working periods, which contrasts with my time-is-no-issue pond work.

I also enjoyed being able to spend an extended amount of time with my family.  Trying to build up those family bonds when possible.  I will be disappointed if I'm not able to cram some Spanish and Chinese into the kids' heads too.  I also took some time on the first day to walk around the woods near their house.  There's nothing quite like a walk in nature.

That was my extended weekend.  Very pleasant.  Back at the landscape project things are taking shape and progressing nicely.  There is now water in the pond, but there is still plenty of work remaining.  An overflow system needs to be put in place and shaping and beautification needs to happen.  Literally a ton of stones will need to be brought in to keep the liner in place and define the space.  The decision hasn't been made where the majority of the stones will come from.  Could be from a farmer's field or the rock store.  More wood and brush needs to be cleared.  Some frogs, Mo, Frank, and Chaz, have already moved in even though it isn't complete yet.  I worry Chaz may be immobilized by the cold water.

I've also decided that I need to create a bit more structure in my daily routine.  I don't have anything that I really must do.  It's not a problem so much as not efficient and prone to unuseful idleness.  As opposed to useful idleness, which does exist and is lovely.  So I figured out that what I should do is figure out what I should do.  I have added one step to my morning routine and I'll try to see where else I can add some structure.

Finished