12 plus hours of more prep

Today was our fifth 12+ hour day in the last 10. Wow. C and I spent another 12+ hours working on concrete prep. His parents helped us for about 8 hours as well. We started the day by picking up a large rental pickup truck to tow the cement mixer and then we picked up the mixer. We finished the molds and worked on reinforcing the mold with rebar, caulking the mold and tarping the entire area. We really thought we'd be ready first thing this morning. Then the contractor got delayed, but we still thought we'd be ready. Then we thought we could finish by 1:00 or so, then we thought 2:00. Then I was thinking 4:00. Then I was wondering if we could get to it at all today. The time just flies by, and everything takes so long. You look at the clock, and half an hour passes and you've gotten one (of many) pieces of rebar in. Adding to the pressure was the fact that we are only permitted to do work on the house (like running a large, gas-powered cement mixer) until 5:00 on Saturdays.

By the time we quit, it was about 9:00 p.m. and we still weren't ready. Ugh. I sort of wanted to push through just to get it overwith and so we could have a day off tomorrow. But, we did the smart thing and waited. I also thought we'd be pushing our luck with the neighbors, who have been very understanding, by running the mixer late at night. Pouring the concrete takes so much patience and you just can't rush it. Starting late at night when you are exhausted and incoherent just isn't a good idea. So I was really bummed out that we had to do it Sunday. Fortunately, C's parents were available to help.