(I hope this is worded okay...I may need to go back in and edit...not thinking very straight right now.)
Sue is getting around a bit better by walking on her bad foot with it in the air cast/boot and using her crutches. Actually, she is trying to only use one crutch in the house. She has taken a few stairs in the upright position, too. And she also said she tried driving the new SUV (with her husband in the car). Today when I called to see what time she needed me, she told me that Pepper had gone in to work early and that I really didn't need to come over until just before her physical therapy appointment. I totally get it -- I know if it was me in her place (and she was my caregiver) I'd want to be able to do things on my own as soon as I could. And that is how things are beginning to move and change. Still baby steps, but getting closer to doing things on her own.
So I found myself with my evening free -- which is a really good thing because I am having a very hard pain day. Tonight the allergies started to act up, too. I wanted to work on something though.
I need to do more thinking on the rabbit-like guy's hips/haunches, so that was going to happen tonight. I have been feeling the crocodile-guy calling me. I switched places with the rabbit-like guy and the croc-guy and started brainstorming on how to fill in the shapes of the tomato cage base. I've worked with the tomato cage bases on a couple of other guys and haven't been all the way convinced of the methods. They worked at the time, but not well enough to repeat. I thought I was going to devise a way to use the cardboard boxes from my oatmeal -- but that didn't go too well. I may still use them in the construction but not in the foundation stage. I also wanted to avoid using the chicken wire if it would be at all possible...I don't like working with it and I usually get pretty well poked. I have a roll of hardware cloth. This is my first attempt at using it. I like it much better (so far) than the chicken wire -- it is vinyl coated (or something) and it is easily cut and easy to bend the edges. It feels sturdier than the chicken wire and I think I can fill the smaller holes more easily...we'll see. I have a few ideas but I need to be a little careful around the edge of the wooden table top base because there are a few stress cracks from the screws -- but the base feels very sturdy and strong. I am not worried about it as long as I don't put any more holes into it...at least on the edge.
I have given this a good couple of hours tonight and I think I am done for now. I need to keep thinking about it, but right now I am feeling that a couple of wet layers of Scott paper rags covered with a couple of layers of plaster cloth will be a good foundation...something to work on. But this is it for tonight -- I am feeling a little cross eyed and the headache is getting stronger. Time to medicate and cold pack and elevate.
And oh yeah...I forgot to mention there is the little bit of a problem with the hardware cloth not sitting exactly flat onto the shape of the tomato cage gap...I will need to do more snipping and tightening...
but I should be able to get it to work eventually.
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| I think I know what to do to pull the hardware cloth tighter and loose the gap. |
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| ...but I need to NOT hammer or screw anything else into the edge...there are a few stress cracks already. |
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