December 16, 2004
Dear Everyone:
Today was my last training session for the year. Tomorrow is my last day in the office. So this is the last Letter of the year.
Last week, while I was up in
There was nothing I could do about it until the weekend. On Saturday, I cut loose the cover (where it hadn’t already pulled loose on its own.) The spokes that met in the center and held up the cover had given way and were sticking out in various directions. One of the first things I realized was that these spokes were held onto the corners of the frame with elastic lines. Cutting these lines released the spokes. Now all I had to do was take the frame apart.
Under normal circumstances, two people can easily fold the frame down to its collapsed state. The circumstances were not normal, nor was I two people. All the sections were held together by plastic corner pieces with bolts and lug nuts. I had two pairs of pliers. By holding the bolt in place with one pair of pliers, I could turn the lug nut and unscrew it from the bolt. Then the bolt could be removed from the plastic holder.
I then carefully screwed the lug nut back onto the bolt. Like I was going to save it and reuse it? Can we say, “obsessive-compulsive behavior”?
But removing all the bolts was problematical, especially in places where the plastic holder was bent because the frame was bent. After about a half-hour, I called “uncle”. I also called “Jeannie”. Standing on a step ladder, trying to hold a bolt on one side of a pillar and turn the lug nut on the other side was close to impossible.
While I waited for “Jeannie” to arrive, I did discover that I could push in the “pin” that held the vertical corner “pillars” up on all four sides. That brought the top part of the frame down to about chest height. This was much easier than standing on a ladder. I even managed to release one of the sides from both corners and collapse it to its shortest length.
As “Jeannie” said later: “It may be an ‘Easy Up’, but it sure doesn’t come down easy.”
With her help, we managed to remove all the nuts-and-bolts. After that, even the scissor-folded side pieces, which had refused to collapse while they were still connected to a corner piece, did agree to flatten. The whole thing was now a small pile of metal rods about 3 feet long. I won’t even have to take them to the dump. I can just put a few of them in the front part of my garbage can each week until they’re all gone.
Now it is very strange to step out onto my patio
and immediately see sky.
I’ve had that shade for 5-6 years.
I don’t know what will become of the silk ficus tree.
The first good rain will probably melt it.
But I’m not going to worry about that now.
I won’t need shade until next Spring.
By that time, we’ll be in our new “offices” in Company
And “Jeannie” can help me set it up again.
Everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year.
Love, as always,
Pete
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