Never say never…if it doesn’t work forget it?

No, just kidding. A task begun not always turns out as expected. But I have tackled some impossible things, and some of them didn’t work…maybe many of them didn’t work. But running an idea or plan past a bunch of nay-sayers is counter-productive sometimes. A task is not necessarily impossible just because I can’t do it.

The first example that comes to mind is my recent building of a cat shelter on my back deck. The thing consists of a picnic table and a swing–both encased in plastic tarps and tablecloths and the like. There is a big umbrella over the feeding area. This year’s plan was to build a roof, and the progress got to the point where a pergola-type frame went up over the 17-foot by 8-foot deck. So far so good. However lack of funding limited what I could pay to have built…and for various good reasons I resisted trying to do it myself…oldness, fear of heights, etc.

The solution seemed to be putting up a giant tarp. This would have worked well had it not rained. So I put it up another way–weaving over/under the two by fours. The first plan resulted in a huge balloon-like air pocket that threatened to lift the whole deck and carry it away. The second worked nicely except for the rain. Sigh. So…back to the drawing board, Plan B having failed…the giant tarp folded up and now shelters the swing-shelter and even forms a tent-like cover, along with the umbrella.

The key is straw…which some people insist on calling “hay.” Cows eat hay, they rest and stay warm with straw.

The point of this post?

In a nutshell the point is: keep true to your own plan. 1) Ignore anyone who says anything like “that won’t work.” 2) Remember J.Paul Getty’s motto–“Always know what you will do if your first plan fails.” (In other words, have a Plan B at the ready.) 3) If it REALLY doesn’t work…well, make a new plan.

[NOTE: The original version of this post was published in November of 2014. The title was altered, the last paragraph was eliminated, and the picture was added. The scene in the picture is exactly as described except for the snow drifts. Photo by me Feb. 8, 2015.]