What's she doing now?: What I did on my winter break

****Updated - photos added****

Hello, friends and family! Sorry there has been no word on here for awhile. It has been a bumpy ride! Let’s just jump right in and do some catch up on what has been happening since December’s entry, shall we? I said several times during the following project that it was too bad we weren't in fifth grade any more. Wouldn't this be a cool essay for class? What I did for my winter vacation - moving a trolley.

Landlady, (who has also become Boss Lady, as I had taken a part time job at her soap factory, learning a new trade), decided to take her boys skiing for winter break from high school. We closed the shop down. However, there was work that had been put off because we were busy setting up the actual soap factory and putting out orders. The kids that work there and I asked permission, and received it, to work on one of those projects during the down time.

Yes, folks, we moved the trolley to the new soap shop.Notice the frost on the ground and vehicles. It was cold that morning.

The trolley has to be moved to here.

Vanessa, Dana and James started on all the stray things that had accumulated in our moving the factory from the cabin up to the shop. I went around to the other side and started moving stuff out of the way so the lye trailer could go in that area. Here is the lye trailer.

Here is where we wanted it.I chose the right side to clean on!

Once I pulled the wagon out of the way, James started the lawn mower and mowed the grass down in that little cubby hole.

Time to hook up the trailer to the truck. Vanessa guided James in backing up to the hitch.

Hook it up. James did a fine job.

And here we go!

James had a hard time getting the right angle to get that trailer backed in. We would have to choose the one spot where a tree is right in the way. But he conquered. You can tell what help I am, as that is my shadow. Hey, someone has to document this!

Easy does it.

Vanessa watches the corners for James.

James makes sure it’s close enough to where he wanted it.

Unhitch that baby!

Next we had to move all the metal siding stacked at the side of the building. It was overwhelming to us.

And, added bonus, the grass had grown up around it, so we had to dig it loose.

And wouldn't you know it? Somewhere out there is a file with the rest of the pictures of this part of our adventure. Lord knows where!

****Update starts here - I found the photos.****

How do you move all this metal? You use this…whatchamacallit. Yep, that’s what that thing is.

It is not as easy as it looks. We had 4 great minds figuring on it.

And we have lift-off!

Oops, no we don’t!

What happened? The metal slid off the watchamacallit.

Hooked back up.

While James is driving off, we hens are discussing the issue, then discover the reason - MUD!

A quick check found mud in other areas as well.

Vanessa and Dana decided to try to hand-carry the metal down to where we are storing it.

That's my girls! They sure worked hard to get that one piece of metal all that way, didn't they?

As you can tell, the spot we picked to stash the metal was not near the shop! We stacked it neatly in rows wide enough for a riding mower to get through, low enough that a pickup can drive over the top of them to move them again, if needed.