I had started to write about how it's been a chilly March and how our multitude of outdoor projects to complete this spring have been delayed until the ground thaws and how we are anxious to start on the landscaping, construction, garden, Bocce Ball courts, fire pit, pergola, and entrance. But as I sat down to finish the post while the kids were down for a nap on Saturday, I looked out our living room window and what should I see?
But Aaron ripping up the ground with the Bobcat! Wahoo!
So I guess the ground did thaw enough to get started on that garage! What do I know? We've had building material on our lawn, just waiting for the ground to warm up and I guess the time has come!
After I snapped a few pictures of this initial groundbreaking somewhere around 3:30pm, I sat back down on the couch in the living room (with my back facing the window where Aaron was outside digging with the backhoe), to finish writing my blog post.
Little did I know that behind me, Aaron had managed to get one of the treads of the Bobcat stuck in the muddy trench amidst his digging.
To make matters worse, in his attempt to get out, had somehow gotten the door jammed, locking himself inside the Bobcat!
And there I sat on the couch with my back to this just typing and whistling away. He was only 30 feet directly behind me, but I was oblivious to his distress. He had his cell phone on him and he said he called me twice, but I deny ever hearing my phone ring.
I stood up when I heard Bridget waking up from her nap and only paused for a moment in front of the window long enough to think, "Huh. I wonder if the Bobcat is supposed to be sitting sideways in the trench like that?" But again, what do I know about Bobcats and their capabilities? I guessed I missed Aaron's attempts at waving me down at that point. If only Bobcats came with horns!
Luckily he was able to get a hold of a contractor who was doing some work elsewhere at our place, who came to rescue Aaron from the Bobcat. So he wasn't stuck in there for too long.
But then the real work began of trying to get that thing out of the mud.
With both kids now up from their naps, I was not much help in overcoming this endeavor (and let's face it--even if I didn't have the kids to care for, I wouldn't know the first thing about getting a Bobcat out of a muddy trench). Best thing I could do was keep the kids inside and out of the way, so we simply watched out the window.
Before it got dark, Aaron sent a picture text to our neighbors that said, "Look at the pickle I am in."
They were smart enough to know that was a plea for help. Low and behold, they were over a few minutes later....in their rubber boots. Could we ask for more ideal neighbors?
I sat with the kids and cheered them on as we watched them hook the pick-up truck up in hopes of towing it out...
then the Tractor.
No luck.
I got Axel his afternoon snack and we watched out the big picture window on the edge of the couch in anticipation. It was so much better than sticking a Disney movie in the DVD player! It had all the elements of a great movie--adventure, suspense, teamwork, not giving up.
"C'mon, Daddy! You can do it!!" we'd cheer.
I'd occasionally hold Bridget up to the window and dance her around to offer some encouragement and a smile.
They tried and tried and worked through dinner. Unfortunately, the kids were not able to see the happy ending before it was time for bed.
After tucking the kids in, I stepped outside to see how things were progressing and snap a few more pictures. They had placed a plank under the tread to try and give it a hard surface to push off of.
I didn't learn until later that they needed to get it out that night because if the mud were to harden up on the treads of the Bobcat overnight, it could break the bearings if they were to try and run it again in the morning.
Another little piece of useful information I have learned living on a farm.
And sure enough, about two minutes after I arrived on the scene...
...and a mere 4 hours after getting stuck, they got it out!
That's is how we spent our Saturday night.
What did you do?