Fix the Gate

Today was “Fix the Fence” day.  A shop keeper asked me “you got any plans for today?” and I said “there is a fence I need to fix.”  She said “I was not expecting to hear that.”
In my head I had determined this was the day I was going to fix the fence.  Not only had I thought this was the day I would do it, I had told others “I am doing it Friday.”  They not only believed me, but acted on my statement.
One person had cleared all the stuff away from the fence to give me access, and another had planned to come and give me a hand.  I told someone, this will take about an hour.  It ended up taking about three.
The reason the fence needed fixing, was that the boards between the posts had rotted, so the palings were coming away and the fence was in danger of collapsing on someone.  That alone was reason enough, but it looked daggy.
I knew this day was coming.  We had gone out and bought a drill in anticipation.  Not one with a chord but a battery one.  I wanted to look like the tradies look. “Oh that needed doing, I’ll do it, just let me grab my drill.”  In no time at all it is done.  It is amazing how in my head it looks perfect, and reality can be very different.
I wrote down everything I thought I would need for the job, before I went over.  I packed the car.  I was ready.  It does not mean I was in a hurry to do it though.  I lingered over a coffee.  I knew though, it was not going to go away until it was done.
I needed to cut one piece of wood at each end before I could do it.  I had watched me dad.  I could use a saw.  Cutting proved to take more energy then I thought.  I needed a few breaks, but it was finally done.  But I had cut it too big.  I needed to cut it again.  I didn’t want to, but it could not be avoided.  I cut it again and it fitted.
Time for our new drill.  I had screws and I was ready.  It was awkward, but it could be done.  As I went to screw in my first screw I realized I did not have bits.  The screw driver was a total waste of time without bits.  I rang Merril, and she was going to bring over bits.  In the mean time I could, joy of joys, cut wood.  I got good at it. 
Merril brought over the bits, and we did what needed to be done.   The trouble was I was one board short.  I found one and cut it.  Then we screwed in the palings.
The gate needed fixing too.  If the purpose of a gate is to provide a movable barrier that swings, then it works.  I’m not proud of it, but I had had enough by that time.  It really needed taking off and resetting.  That was not going to happen today though, as it was time for a sleep.