Mrs. Herb’s Wish Comes True

Herb’s Blog, Herbdate 23358 – 1189

Dear and beloved fans, friends, fiends, foes, foundlings, frogs, foundling frogs, fingerlings, fish, and feather dusters,

First, a very brief note about the ambiguous announcement I made back in November about life getting busier and crazier and having to cut back on blogging for a while. Well, while I can’t be much more biguous than before, we have had another family move in with us on a semi-temporary basis. My daughter and two of her children, toddlers aged 2 and 4, are here and while my direct responsibilities have not changed a lot, my indirect responsibilities have increased quite a bit. And now

Here’s The Haps:

One of the things about this blog that can be somewhat aggravating to Mrs. Herb is that some of our friends read it and know the haps before she has had a chance to tell anyone herself. This project was a major big deal in her life and she wanted to make sure that she had done all the sharing she wanted to do before I took the wind out of her sails. But I now have permission to write about it.

Back in November, I showed you the boots I bought using a financial blessing we had received with the promise that you would get to see Mrs. Herb’s blessing but I need to set this up a bit. Some years ago Mrs. Herb got the idea that she would like what is commonly called a “she-shed.” She wanted a barn in the backyard, not for animals but as a place for her many crafts and supplies. A place where she could work without interruption in relative peace and quiet. She had faith it would be built although getting in a car accident wasn’t part of her plan. Anyway, before it ever seemed like it could happen she decided she wanted a weather vane on top of it. I mean, what would a barn be without a weather vane? She has always loved pigs and has a fairly large collection so, a few years before this seemed like it could be any kind of reality, she bought this weather vane:

And so last year, when we thought the case in the accident was nearing resolution, we visited a home show and talked to some vendors about what we wanted. After doing some homework we learned that building the size she originally had in mind would have required a building permit and a concrete foundation we built two, one smaller one that I will use as a basic tool shed and hers. We went with Tuffshed.

While we no longer needed the concrete we did follow up on a suggestion that we look into using a gravel “pad” to put the sheds on. We went with a known guy who leveled the ground and built us two foundation pads using railroad ties and gravel pounded down with a machine for about a tenth of the cost of pouring concrete. Depending on the intended use and the size of the shed none of this has to be done but for Mrs. Herb’s She-Shed we wanted it to be nice.

The whole process of having them both built was about three or four days.

Mine isn’t much to talk about. It’s just a shed with pegboard walls and a nice loft (the barn-style roofs give more headroom in the lofts, though.) where the summer things like the patio umbrella, lawn mower, and assorted outdoor tools are kept. (Well, the lawn mower didn’t actually go in the loft.) It’s nice, of course, and it’s new and my seven-foot-tall bear can fit in it along with the tools and such.

But hers is something more admirable. She has gotten it insulated and walled and we have had an electrician install lights and electrical outlets.

So, out the back door a little ways is Mrs. Herb’s Barn

Topped by a proud and shiny new weathervane.