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    Tales From An Old Framing Carpenter
    Tales From An Old Framing Carpenter
    Tales From An Old Framing Carpenter
    Ebook146 pages1 hour

    Tales From An Old Framing Carpenter

    By Roben Oaktrey

    ()

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    About this ebook

    It was during wrecking the forms from the concrete that I saw something I had not seen before. My dad hired a new man, Brad, on parole from prison. Everyone got along with him and he was a great worker. He was about five feet four inches tall, with about 60 inch shoulders, and built like the incredible hulk. Brad used a crowbar, trying to get a board out of concrete.

    "Oh, my goodness! How did you do that?"

    The new man put a bend in a crowbar. I had seen no one bend a crowbar.

    "I can fix it."

    He took the crowbar and held it with a hand on each end. With no effort at all, he straightened the crowbar. I could not trust what I just witnessed.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherYoung Oak Treasures
    Release dateSep 1, 2022
    ISBN9798215098318
    Tales From An Old Framing Carpenter
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    Author

    Roben Oaktrey

    Roben Oaktrey is the author of several short stories, including three in the Hailey series: First Show with Buddy; Buddy’s Last Show; and First Show with Dusty. Roben has participated in several adventurous activities throughout his life, and is now a retired construction engineer. He spends most of his time with his grandchildren and writing short stories.

    Read more from Roben Oaktrey

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      Book preview

      Tales From An Old Framing Carpenter - Roben Oaktrey

      ANIMAL ADVENTURES

      1-animal

      IN THIS CHAPTER:

      Deer In The Basement

      Old Raccoon

      Nest Of Snakes

      Wild Dogs And Deer

      Snakes In Attic And Walls

      DEER IN THE BASEMENT

      ON A TYPICAL fall morning, we pulled up to the job. The foundation was in, and the lot backfilled. Lumber was coming within the hour. We got out the broom and scraper and walked over to the foundation to prepare the surface for treated plates. One of my men shouted.

      Look in the basement! I don’t think we will frame on this house today.

      Oh, my goodness. That is a good-sized deer. He fell into the basement during the night. Any suggestions?

      I know we are hunters, but I don’t want to shoot a deer like this.

      OK, let’s head to the other job, right around the corner, and start working there. Meanwhile, we will build a ramp, and cover it over with grass. Maybe he will climb out overnight.

      The next day, we met at the house, ready to frame. The lumber package was there waiting for us. We walked to the basement to see if our visitor was still there.

      Oh no. Looks like he did not trust the ramp we built.

      OK. I will call the police and ask what they want us to do.

      The police told us to shoot the deer and take it home.

      No. We do not want to shoot it like this.

      OK. What do you want to do? I asked.

      Everyone agreed.

      Let’s get it out of there.

      OK. Let’s do this, I said.

      A friend of ours pulled up with a small tarp. We all climbed into the basement and chased the deer around until we had the right moment. He attempted to jump into the air, and one of my men, Gary, jumped up and grabbed him around the waist. As soon as they hit the ground, the rest of us went to work. I tied up the legs, another put on a blindfold, and the rest held him down.

      Oh, my goodness. As soon as we had him down, he just stopped trying to get away.

      Yeah, he let out a sound that told the others to stay away.

      We carried him out of the basement and into the field across the street. We untied his legs, and took off the blindfold, but held onto him until it was time to let him go.

      OK. On the count of three.

      On three, we all turned loose and backed off. He turned towards us with his head down, and ready to charge us. We shouted and waved our arms.

      No! Don’t do this, little buddy!

      Turn around and take off. You are safe now.

      He thought for a minute, then turned around and ran into the woods. We noticed him several times during the next few weeks of framing that house. We did a good thing, and I was proud of my crew for their integrity and bravery. God blessed me with these fine men. Thank you, Jesus.

      OLD RACCOON

      IT WAS A wintry day in December. We were working in ice and snow, finishing framing a large house in Long Wood subdivision. Our bricklayer friends were laying brick on a house next door to us.

      Watch out for the raccoon! they shouted.

      What are they talking about? I asked.

      There is a large raccoon stumbling about between our jobs. Looks like he is old and disoriented.

      Oh my goodness, he just bumped into the fire barrel and got burned.

      Look, he did it again. We need to help him.

      One of my men, Gary, grabbed his lunch box and dumped his lunch out into a nail box.

      I think this will do. Somebody hold my open lunch box, and I will push him into it.

      I will hold it for you, said Byrd.

      Byrd is the biggest and strongest man on the job. He held the lunch box tight, and John helped him. John, built like the hulk, had no fear.

      OK, let’s do this.

      When Gary pushed the raccoon, he got a little testy, and tried to bite him, but Gary was too fast for the raccoon. Gary was the fastest man around. He always worked in a run, and nothing got in his way except for maybe lunch or breakfast.

      Got him! shouted Byrd.

      They carried him over to the woods and opened the lid of the lunch box.

      OK little fella, here you go.

      The raccoon walked into the woods, and we did not see him again. My crew did good that day.

      NEST OF SNAKES

      FREDDY AND I were working, putting on the roof-sheathing on a house that was in a wooded section. I was on the ground gathering up sheathing boards and carrying these to him and handing these up to him. Since it was just Freddy and myself, I had to carry a lot more and run with the load to prevent him from standing and waiting for me. I reached down and grabbed about six boards and lifted these to my shoulder. When I took a step to get under the load, I stepped into a hole that felt strange.

      What in the world? I said.

      As I looked down, I realized the situation and started kicking my feet and running up the dirt pile.

      What is wrong, Bob? Freddy asked.

      I stepped into a nest of snakes. Look, see these scattering everywhere. There must be 20 or 30.

      Freddy started laughing so hard, he almost fell off the roof.

      Well, when you are ready, I could use some more sheathing, he said while laughing.

      OK. I got it. I am on the way. First, I am going to make sure they are all gone, I said while also laughing.

      I was lucky these did not bite me.

      They are just as surprised as you. Now, quit worrying about the snakes and bring me some sheathing.

      We both got a good laugh out of this.

      WILD DOGS AND DEER

      MOST OF THE homes we framed in the 1970s and 1980s were the first ones in a development. They made the roads of dirt or gravel, if there was a road. Sometimes we had to drive through a field of tall grass to get back to the job site.

      Driving to this house, there is a gravel road off the main road, then a dirt road back to the site. The cold weather warranted fire barrels to keep warm. While working, we witnessed a pack of dogs that continued coming around in the early mornings and throughout the day. They did not appear in good condition. We concluded these dogs were born in the wild, and living in the woods

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