knock it down

Birdman has been having a little trouble in his alley.  There's an empty house next to his house.  The garage behind the empty house is attracting junkies.  They are sleeping and shooting up and shitting and causing rats to come around.  The garage door is gone, and it's been boarded up with particle board and scraps.  Birdman has been asking the city to tear it down for a while.  A "city garage demolition program" sign has been on the wall for two years.



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We have wanted some climbing vines on the fence for a while now.  The delay has been because Mrs HM is very cautious about what kind of vines we should use.  I wanted morning glories, because I see them around and it would be easy to take some.  "But they are invasive," she says.  "I don't want them taking over the whole yard."  Similar objections appeared around other things we considered.  At the Vk farm, there are hop plants.  This was deemed acceptable.  I wanted to take some on Sunday, but by the time we were ready to leave, it was too dark to go digging and untangling.  So I returned on Monday afternoon.  Mr Vk gave me some shoots and said he had to go.  "Gotta drive Civ to his shop; we'll be back in 20 minutes, and then we're gonna knock down that garage."  I asked if he wanted help.  Yeah, for sure he does, that would be awesome.  They went to the shop, and I ran home to plant the hops.

I considered bringing my crowbar, but there was no mention of tools, so I figured they were accounted for.  I came back to the farm and texted Mrs HM that I was working on a project.  But first, it was time to milk the goats.  I played milk maid (keeping the grain bowl in front of the stanchion full, so the goats are happy to stand on the platform and be milked.)  Then it was decided that the garage job should be done after dark, to lessen questions.  It was also time to cook dinner, so the little Vks can go to bed.

Tallulah, Pomegranate, Apple, and Walter, pruning Civ's yard

I was excited about tearing down a garage.  I won't go to the gym, but physical activity with a real purpose is loads of fun.  But Mrs HM texted me that it was time to come home.  It was pretty late, for having not even started.  I started to say I have to go.  Mr Vk told me it would only take five minutes.  Oh, it's already that fucked up?  He says, No, I'm going to drive the truck into it.  Oh!  Um, OK, I'll stick around.

We drove across the vacant lot and into the alley.  Mr Vk pushed the truck through the particle board.  He backed up and pushed through the scraps.  He pulled out to the street to turn around, and came back to give the corners some good shoves.

It was a lot of fun.  But when I ask if you want help, I'm generally anticipating doing more than sitting in a truck!