Bert Breen's Barn Chapter 43 Summary

  • Tom worries that reconstructing the barn on his place will take way longer than tearing it down, but it doesn't seem too bad after they lay the stone foundation. Birdy especially loves the stone work. Tom thinks laying that stone must have been one of the happiest times in Birdy's life.
  • Well, to each his own.
  • We get the nitty-gritty of constructing the new barn: laying stone, putting down sills, securing posts and beams, raising the girt, laying the floor. We're ready for our honorary construction badges now.
  • By the end of August, they're ready to schedule their barn-raising. They'll need at least eighteen men to help them get the walls up, so they need to schedule the raising for a Sunday.
  • Tom doesn't know how they'll get that many people to come help, but Birdy explains people love coming out to a good barn-raising because 1) it's up to the host to provide free food (and how many times have you been bribed to do something for free pizza?) and 2) there's the possibility of someone getting hurt, and no one wants to miss out on that excitement.