Learning my New Wagon
Learning new ways to do things is a real pain in my ass. But doing so is good for me.
My body aches in entirely new ways because I need to bend, stretch, and re-balance myself in entirely new ways. Figuring out how to lash everything to the wagon is a chore late at night when I am tired and much prefer to be on automatic pilot {grumble grumble}.
Learning how to maneuver the wagon gets easier and easier. I never was any good at backing up a shit spreader when I worked on farms. Backing up the wagon utilizes the same skill set I never acquired back when I was 20. Steering pivot on wagon is superb!
I can pull the cart into the passageway between my outer gate and gate to my courtyard. Rear wheel has a hard time getting up the step at the outer gate, but front wheel gets up easily because I can supply lift with the towing handle.
At the back of the passageway there is little room. Friday night, I had a beastly time getting around the cart once it was parked. Saturday night I managed to shift the cart to make getting around it easier. Sunday night was even easier.
There is a drainage ditch I need to pull the cart over. Front wheels are OK, but if I pull too much, rear wheels drop into the ditch and are beastly to get out. I was going to obtain a piece of Masonite and 2x2 to build a little bridge. Pain in the butt to get that from Home Depot. But maybe I do not really need it as my parking skills improve.
Hmmmm. Maybe I can get the Masonite and 2x2 from Mary's hardware. Probably more expensive but not that much more) than Home Depot, but much easier to get it all home. I can also obtain other hardwarwe I would normally have to go to Home Depot or Walmart to buy.
The plastic liner had to go. Sitting next to it made me nauseous from the out gassing stench of new plastic. I felt like I was being smothered in a new shower curtain when the liner was 5 feet away from my nose. One single evening of that and I was getting a headache. Liner also meant I could not hook into the metal mesh of the wagon to anchor clamps to secure everything in place.
I have my doubts about safety hauling the cart behind a trike. I need to secure cinches to the wire mesh of cart. Not sure how much tension I can apply to a single strand of mesh without it breaking. I have ratchet tie-down straps but no way to secure directly to the wagon frame. So my load is wobbly. Fine for pulling behind me for several blocks. OK for gently easing up or down a curb. But maybe not for hauling down a dark street with potholes behind a trike.
But I have at least a few months to see what can be figured out. Maybe a loop of strong chain around the frame connected to a largish *STRONG* carabiner meant to hoist 500 pound loads (NOT a decorative key chain fake carabiner) so I can access many different anchor points which are not reachable under the wagon without crawling on my belly. Gotta think about this and examine the wagon before rushing out to buy chains and carabiners.
Presently it takes a full 2 hours to transport the cart to the Square and get everything set up. Likewise to re-pack the wagon and get it back home. That is a big erosion into my work day. However, with my old carts, it did not take me much less time. Now, I need to focus ALL my attention upon what I am doing, so the task seems like it is taking far more time. As I continue to heal and as using my new wagon becomes more routine, I am hoping to cut my set-up and take-down time in half. This giving me another 2 hours of work time per day. Before my big fall, set-up and take-down took me about an hour.
I was going to go to Richard's Internet Café today, but I really do not want to go out. I froze my ass off Sunday night. Because of the football game and the cold driving away the competition I was able to make $200. So I can put aside $$ for next month's rent AND buy needed food & supplies this week! Woot! Woot! I really need more $$, but $200 is soooo much better than making under $50, so I am thankful.
Time for a double layer of two fleece lined hoodies. Winter is here this week. Maybe later I shall get dressed and go out for a bit with a big bag of trash, then go to Rouses for groceries. WiFi connectivity using linksys is doing well and I am slowly mastering how to use my browser without everything locking up. So I shall stay here, then run to Whole Foods and GNC tomorrow for needed supplements and food. Also to Richard's for print outs, and scans.
