South Gate

The name "south gate" brings up images of a shopping mall in Milwaukee, but in reality the title of this blog refers to the completion of our first of two gates in our fence. We completed that task yesterday.

We fully had intended to both hang the gate and to add the final post on the north side, but we inadvertently let the digging/ utilities permit lapse, so we have to wait until we get the new permit approved before we can dig again.  I often wonder why forms from the government always put the expiration dates in about -2 point type or else hide the important information in the midst of copy-dense paragraphs.  At any rate, we have a new permit issued and it looks like the utilities were re-marked today while we were out running errands.  Perhaps we will be able to dig our last hole tomorrow!

Since we could not dig yesterday, we concentrated on the south gate.  The gate kit came with two different sizes of screws along with a chart to tell which packet of screws to use depending on the type of gate being installed.  When we found our brand and size of gate on the chart, the box instructed us to purchase a particular type of screw.  Unreal. We paid a fortune for the gate kit, and they provided two sets of screws that did us absolutely no good.  Off we went to Ace Hardware to buy screws.  Of course, the metric screws that the instructions called for were unavailable, so we chose the next best thing.  Upon arriving home, we discovered that the screws were usable albeit a little long.  Rick inserted seven of the eight necessary screws.  The last one fought us.  The Nylock nut would not go all the way down, and when Rick added force to it, the screw broke.  These are supposed to be very strong stainless steel screws, and one broke. We could not believe it and nither could the man at Ace Hardware when we took it back.

Back to Ace Hardware Rick went to get a replacement.  We needed eight more screws for the other gate, so we bought one long one and eight shorter screws for the next gate project.  Back home, Rick tried to put the long screw in, and again it broke!  Frustrated, Rick put one of the shorter screws in to finish the gate, and we returned to Ace Hardware a third time to get our money back for the two broken screws.

If we had not had to waste two hours making return trips to the Hardware store, we could have had the gate hung before lunch.  As it was, we paused for lunch and then went out to hang the gate.  In the end, everything worked out well, although the instructions called for a 3" allowance for the gate, and we found that 2 3/4" was still too much.  The gaps on either side of the gate are a bit more than we would have liked, so when we hang the north side gate, we will only allow a 2" margin.  The gate now finishes the south side of our structure, so we are happy for the security and the privacy.  Can anyone walk into the back yard?  Yes, but a fence does act as a deterrent, and what cannot be seen also does not tempt others to take.

Our new gate as seen from the back yard.

The new gate as viewed from the front yard.
Now one sideof the yard is private and secured.

Yesterday afternoon we ran more errands to try to find furnace filters and a new bulb for the burned out bulb in my oven.  During the search, we returned to Ace Hardware two more times.  That is a record: five trips to Ace Hardware in one day!

Today was an equally productive day.  We slept late since we knew the day was going to dawn cold enough to pause our outdoor building plans.  The wind was up this morning resulting in a 25 degree wind chill factor.  Florida is starting to feel like late fall in Wisconsin!  Once up, we cleaned the house, changed the linens on the bed, and started two loads of laundry.  We visited with our insurance agent to deal with opting-out of offered homeowners' insurance, got the name of someone with whom to set up a trust for our two houses so our daughters don't have to pay probate on them once we are gone, and received a tip on a new doctor.

I am very displeased with my current general practitioner down here.  When I fell and dislocated my shoulder in mid-December, I was told that I could not get in to see him until January.  He is in a solo practice and never has time to see patients with urgent care needs.  Rick researched medical groups where more than one doctor was available, and the recommendation we got this morning mentioned one of the groups Rick had considered.  We took a trip to their office and left with appointments to establish with a new doctor.  I am looking forward to the change.  The new doctor is further away in Palm Harbor, but the office staff seems efficient and the doctor gets good reviews.

Overall, this has been a productive day.  As the afternoon wears on, the temperatures are starting to fall from their mid-fifties high today, so I soon will be warming up a big pot of white chicken and wild rice soup.  On a cold day, there is nothing so good as old fashioned hot comfort food, and chicken soup is near the top of the list.