top 10 lessons learned at the stratton construction site

today was hilarious. the thought i kept thinking is "whoa. i am WAY out of my league. wayyy out!" our home is officially the stratton construction site. it's a beautiful mess.* hopefully soon, it will be just beautiful. here are some insightful lessons to glean wisdom from next time you want to get in over your head ;)

1. don't think for one second that if ray (ie, my dad) gets into a skid steer (ie, a bobcat) something crazy won't happen. like him flipping it over. into a ravine. in my yard. seriously. i was like "whoa. that. just. happened."


2. chainsaws that plug in are pretty much the fairies of the tool world. don't even bother with them. use a stinking hand saw.


3. also- when said chainsaw starts bouncing around when you're, say, pruning lilacs- don't try to "show it who's boss." then you'll end up with the chain caught in the branches. this is not cool. nor is it effective.


4. don't assume a bobcat has even CLOSE to enough guts to push as ridiculous an amount of dirt as what is in my backyard right now. what you need is a bulldozer. a HUGE one. or maybe some dynamite.


5. don't assume work gloves will save your hands from blisters. and then blisters on top of other blisters. and busted knuckles. this is not the case. work gloves are only to help you look tough.


6. building a rock wall...is not as simple as stacking rocks. this is a glaring misconception.


7. building a rock wall in front of a gigantic tree...makes it a lot harder. crazy roots.


8. and seriously. rocks are heavy. heavier than you'd imagine. it'll blow your mind. go find a big rock and try to lift it up. go on. i dare you.


9. don't think you're a landscaper, even it's your true calling (right, nick?). if someone isn't paying you, you're called a "do-it-yourself-er".


10. it's great to have aspirations. but be realistic with your timetable. c'mon now, rome wasn't built in a day, people.

and those, my dear friends, are the top 10 things i've learned today. i hope you've enjoyed them as much as i did.

*pictures of my beautiful mess coming soon