Countrygirl Engineering

With the exception of one day last week, everything here remains in a late spring deep freeze.But oh, that one day was warm and glorious! The sun beckoned me outside to take care of a few chores... including securing a little make-shift bridge.

This "bridge" used to be a temporary walkway that was used to prevent mud from tracking into the house during some construction a while ago. It's made of redwood boards that had, at one time, been a grain silo behind the barn.One day last fall I pushed it onto the back of the truck and then I drove it across the pasture, down it into the ravine, and I placed it across this little creek in a place where I like to walk. It has remained there, and not been swept away, despite a brutal winter and some torrential rains. But I thought that I should probably do a little bit more to secure it.

This task put my countrygirl engineering skills to work.

What is "countrygirl engineering," you ask?

It means that that I scrounge around to find a few tools and things that might give me an idea of how to fix the problem......I found some pieces of rebar, some big nails, and baling wire. I also grabbed a hammer and wire cutters. I pounded a nail into each corner of the bridge and I drove the rebar into the ground, at an angle away from the bridge. Then I wrapped wire tightly between the nail and the rebar.

But for some reason the nails sticking up from the bridge bothered me, so I hammered them over, to flatten them.These neighbors were watching me the whole time.I even overheard some bits of their conversation... "What in the world does she think she's doing?"

Some of you readers out there may be wondering the same thing.

My sincere apologies to any engineers who might be aghast by my clumsy countrygirl skills!