We Have a Lot

We Have a Lot

So when we got back home from Fort Worth, I think Neal was abuzz about getting the lot cleared before we even went to bed that night. He had ordered some survey equipment that came in while we were gone, and boy, was he eager to test it out!

Because he had worked so many extra hours earlier this year (and because he works for the State), he has so much comp time and vacation he needs to use very quickly. So, his plan is to take off at 2:00 every afternoon, and take off a few days here and here. All that being said, he went straight to the lot on Monday after work to test out the new toys. The plan was then to rent a "brush mower", and we would both go out to the lot on Tuesday afternoon, and clear some brush and get some surveying done.

Here's a pic of our equipment:

For those of you wondering, we need to survey in order to determine what area to clear for where the house will go, plus about a ten foot construction border for equipment. So, we need to survey to know what to clear so that we can finish the survey. We also need a good path for testing equipment for the slab engineers.

I mistakenly thought I was going to be helping with the surveying, but there was a lot of clearing we needed to do first! Neal was driving the brush mower, so I was hauling big branches and trimming taller stuff (the brush mower can only "climb" so high).

Here's a picture of the lot when we started:

I was amazed at 1) how much work there was to do, 2) how quickly things got cleared with the machinery "mowing" brush! Most of the area was filled with Yaupon Holly and Beauty Berry. Some of the Yaupon were either dead or easily pushed over because of their shallow roots. One of these I was trying to push over, and it snapped off and whacked me in the chest! It was such a hard hit, it knocked the wind out of me. It hurt very badly too. After wallowing and yelling a bit--to no avail, Neal was running the brush mower and wearing ear plugs--I went and checked it out in the truck mirror. There was a big red mark, and was tender to touch. Remembering that Valor essential oil helps bruises, I dabbed a little on and took a water break. I kept reapplying the valor, and the spot never really bruised, and felt better a couple of days later! 

That first day, we got most of the driveway area cleared of brush, and a teeny part of the garage area. This is when I realized how big our house area is! 

More to come, on finishing with the brush and clearing the construction area. 

Alissa