THE GARAGE CHALLENGE

Part II -THE GARAGE

I headed back to the garage and figured my first mission was to go through and pick up the stuff I had NOT thrown on the truck. There was enough for another large black garbage bag or so, and lots of metal stuff. I sorted it by glass, metal, yucky stuff, and put it in the appropriate bag. Then I started sweeping. About that time (I arrived at 9:00 and it was 12:00 by the time I returned from the landfill) Charlie showed up. I was planning on burning some of the old particle board furniture and rotten work benches, but I had no matches. I knew Charlie would, he still smokes. I greeted him and put him to work. We carried out three pieces, an old cabinet or two and a work table. I tossed everything wooded on the pile, used an old jack to bust it up, put some paper under it, soaked it with a little petrol, stood back and WHOOOF it was burning quite nicely.

Charlie helped me load up an old pedestal sink and we looked through what he wanted to keep and what we would dispense with. He took a bunch of stuff and had to go; a fundraiser for his daughter not doing well with her cancer treatments. Sad.

I did a perimeter sweep, (no not S.W.A.T.) I used a small broom to sweep the perimeter of the 25 x 35 foot garage. Then I got my heavy duty Bull Dozer broom to push everything into a pile in the middle of the room. I took all the shelves from around the perimeter (there were nine of them, seven tied together with plastic cable ties, three screwed to the back wall. I cut the ties and unscrewed them from the wall and removed the planks he set on them for the heavy parts like alternators and batteries. They were all covered with spider webs, and mice pilings and yucky stuff. I managed to move all of them to a spot I had cleared in the front alongside the bags with the assorted items and finished sweeping where the shelves had been. I took the three planks (rough sawed oak 8 feet long and 10 inches wide, heavy bastards, took them and knocked the cocky doodle off them and stacked them in the loft.

Once the place was double and triple swept, i grabbed a bucket and my degreaser, now to find some water. Neighbor's spigot was dry as a reformed alcoholic but the creek had some water in it. I had the foresight to purchase a 7 gallon water jug at Walmart when I bought the tarp, so I could fill it and save twenty trips to the creek. The creek was running though I needed a pool and finding one made my way down the steep bank bucket and jug in hand. I used the bucket to dip and then poured it in the 7-gallon jug. Got it 3/4's full and made my way back up the bank with the now full jug and empty bucket. Thought to self: You're getting too old for this shit! Second thought: Think of all those African Women. Carrying water every DAY!

Mixed up a batch of Zip degreaser and poured some water in the bucket. Grabbed the mop and hit the greasy spots. 75% of the floor looked good, 25% had dark grease stains. Pretty nasty, but I did the best I could. I'd used an old snow shovel to scoop of the mountain of dirt I'd swept up and put that in another bag.

I looked around, the place was presentable. It was a garage after all, but it looks like a place you could work on stuff or park a car and boat in as well not park your beat up grease-leaking "Bumble Bee" Transformer in. I changed my clothes - used the creek water to wash up first, then headed to McDonald's for two burgers and a milk shake. I deserved it.

Next stop Aurora, on the way home. Two chance encounters that were rich. A grocery store owner (and former teacher) and a couple on their motor cycle. Nice conversations, but those will have to wait for another day.