MY MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

          Life at Golden Unicorn Farm became a crowded ordeal yesterday - not too many customers arrived at Sarah's little coffee shop to take advantage of her hot brewed coffee or tasty wares, most likely figured the wee shop was filled to the brim due to the amount of vehicles parked in the yard and along the street near the mail box.  The assortment of cars, vans and trucks belonged to our newly made friends who had arrived to help with the barn-raising.  I can't believe how fortunate we are to have such neighbourly folk living nearby - the men literally worked their behinds off measuring, re-measuring, nailing and sawing boards; much of the time in the pouring rain, while some women folk baked and cooked us a hearty hot meal, washed down with mugs of steaming hot coffee, hot chocolate mocha and ice cold beers and cokes.

Leveled Floor - notice old beams recycled from an old barn.

          A good part of the day had an onslaught of moisture from the heavens, which included two thunder storms that roared across the farm and lit up the sky occasionally with bolts of lightning.  And the rain - my gosh did it pour - while trying to divert the rain into the 45' long drainage ditch I had painfully dug by hand - it was so heavy, not only did my back get soaked while I was bent over chipping at the pavement with a small pick axe and shovel, the force of the rain drops bounced so high, I had to constantly keep wiping my glasses off.  Yeah, wouldn't you know it, the rain streaming along the edge of the road decided to bypass the drainage ditch and flow into the yard and directly under the barn.
          The day before, Brendan Leeman helped me place the concrete footings at key points of the proposed barn, which because of the unevenness and slope of the land was quite the engineering feat for a couple of amateurs like ourselves.  However, with a little good advice from Clayton Clark, we managed to get the job done just before Brendan's dad, Bill arrived.  Bill had already put in a day's work at his full time job but like he said, "It's still daylight.  Let's get as much done as we can before it's dark."  And by gum by golly, before Bill and Brendan headed home, the dark cloudy sky soon turning to blackness, we had the whole barn floor framed in.

Bill Leeman and son Brendan Leeman

     
          Yesterday, at 7:30am when I woke up and looked out towards the partially erected barn, there stood Bill surveying the beginning of the barn's floor.  As I limped across the yard (takes me a little walking time before my aches, pains and stiffness subsides) he said he was ready for a good shot of hot coffee and itching to get started on the barn.  It wasn't long before Brendan showed up and the three of us started working on the barn floor.  We hadn't been working too long before Clayton showed up, then Gary Stairs, George Probst and Dougie Clarke, plus Glenn McLean who motored all the way from Canterbury - so there they stood in the pouring rain - My Magnificent Seven - instead of being armed with six-shooters, shotguns, knives and such, they were armed with hammers, levels, saws and nails.  And of course, like any other shoot-out or barn-raising, the weather and old injuries took their tolls and like any other battle, if it continues long enough, the ammunition runs out and in our case, we ran out of rafters and studs.

          Several of My Magnificent Seven: 

Dougie Clark, Gary Stairs, Brendan Leeman & George Probst

          I'm not much of a leader but I have to say, my band of men made up one hell of a good hard-working crew  Without them, especially Bill, who pounded nails faster than a Gatling gun, the framing of the barn wouldn't have near been 3/4 complete.  I was amazed he stayed as long as he did, changing our wet clothes at least 3 times - the rain never really stopping - it was either drizzling or just pounding out of the heavens.  And of course, come lunch and supper time, Bill's wife Anita and Sarah had fixed us some great rib-sticking grub - I'm talking home made beans stewed in thick molasses, hot spicy chili, fried chicken, crunchy cold slaw, finger-licking chicken, sweet and sour blueberry/rhubarb muffins and pie straight out of the oven.
       After supper, although there was still a little day light remaining we decided to call it quits - Bill went home to a warm fire and rest his sore back on the couch, not sure about Brendan, at age 14, he was still most likely raring to go on, and me, I can honestly say as I kicked back in a tub full of water, hot enough to cook 27 large lobsters, my aching back was in heaven.

The Barn Beginning to Take Shape

          This morning, when I strolled across the barn's floor with a hot mug of Goldenrod tea in my hand, surveying the previous days work, I can still see the ghosts of My Magnificent Seven as they sweated and toiled in the pouring rain - the little barn soon to be a monument to their endeavours - their friendly camaraderie much appreciated.