How many Baptists does it take . . .

We're slowly working down our "punch list" of things that the home inspector made as well as a couple of requests from the lady who is purchasing our house. One request she made was to move an 8 x 10 shed from point A in the front of the house beside the carport to point B in the back yard next to the "big ugly green thing". How does one move an 8 x 10 shed from point A to point B? Well, around our church family, one calls "Super Tucker". Any time there is a big, seemingling impossible task or if someone has gotten themselves into the proverbial pickle that requires the strength of Herculese to correct - we call Tucker. The "no fear" signs you see everywhere . . . they originated with Tucker. He's the one who balances on a 2 x 4 and guides the roof trusses into place. He's the one who plays Cheeta/George of the Jungle and shimmies up a 40' sand pine tree to attach a rope near the top so the tree doesn't fall the wrong way. The thing about him climbing the tree is that it wasn't attached to the ground any more. When it was cut, instead of it falling the way it was supposed to, it kind of just got stuck between two other trees and was suspended there. A good stiff wind or a squirrel positioned on just right branch would have sent the tree crashing to the ground (or on to the roof, depending on the direction it fell). That didn't stop Tucker. He shimmied up that tree (twice because he didn't get the rope high enough the first time), tied the rope, shimmied down the tree and tied the other end of the rope off to the bumper of "big green" (not to be confused with the "big ugly green thing", which is a building) his 4WD Ford pickup that is as big as a building and requires a step ladder to get into it when you are vertically challenged like me. The tree was brought down safe and sound and we all had another chapter to add to our "stupid things that no one else has the guts to do" books that we're writing about Tucker.

At any rate, when Tucker found out that we needed to move the shed, he volunteered to help. He showed up bright and early yesterday morning in "big green" hauling "old yeller" on a trailer. "Old yeller" is a tractor with all the accessories that gets used for just about everything imaginable (and sometimes things that are unimaginable). The idea was to put the fork lift attachment on to "old yeller", slide the forks under the shed and then drive the shed from the front side of the house around to the back. I went outside at one point just in time to see them lifting the shed. My husband had his head stuck under the shed to make sure it was level. "Old yeller" and Tucker started to tip one way, the shed started to tip the other way, and somehow my husband managed to get from point A to point B without his feet ever touching the ground. Don't worry - nothing fell. I don't EVEN want to think about what could have happened if those two guys hadn't prayed before they started the job! I stayed around long enough to make sure everyone/everything was OK and then came into the house and shut the blinds so I didn't have to watch any more. I guess plan B must have worked because when curiosity got the best of me, I peeked out the window and saw the shed sitting in the back yard. Judging from the ruts in the yard, I gather they attached a chain to the platform and used "old yeller" to drag the shed around to its appointed position. It took them about another 20 minutes to get the shed positioned correctly on the slab(during which time it was discovered that "old yeller's" brakes are going bad and one of our small oak trees almost made the ultimate sacrifice as a result).




After a couple of hours of hoopin' and hollerin' and breath holding and head scratching and laughing, the shed was moved, "old yeller" was loaded back on to the trailer, Tucker was on his way home behind the wheel of "big green" and the neighborhood was once again safe and quiet. PLUS, we have another chapter to add to the book!



As a post script, I have to add that come Sunday night, "Super Tucker" will be ducking into the nearest phone booth, shedding his grubby Wranglers, t-shirt and ball cap and changing into his suit and tie and black dress cowboy boots as he becomes none other than "Reverend Tucker". You see, Tucker surrendered to preach several years ago and every couple of months he fills in on a Sunday night. He preaches one powerful message infused with some pretty funny illustrations taken from "stupid things no one else has the guts to do - volumes I through 10".