Root Beer and Rustic Planters

I fixed chicken thighs for dinner Saturday night and we decided to open bottle number one of the four bottles of root beer that we purchased at the Root Beer Store earlier in the day.  We chose the Hippo Size tagged as a Jumbo Root Beer.  Small Bottle, BIG Taste.  I couldn't agree more.  Unfortunately we drank it semi-warm and the ideal temperature is very cold so I am not sure that the taste was the best it could be.  So the next trip to the store and we will get another bottle of this.  This one is not made with all natural ingredients but the Wintergreen flavor is definitely there.  A little stronger than Teddy's Root Beer.

Sunday night we went with Honey Root Beer, sweetened only with raw honey.  Pretty much the same ingredients as the Hippo but without the Wintergreen and the taste was definately different.  Mia said she liked it better than the Hippo but I found it to be way too strong and a little overpowering.  Pretty sure we won't buy it again, unless Mia wants it.

I have been working in the shop building planter boxes using old pallets for materials.  There are many videos on line showing how to disassemble the pallet to keep as much useable material as possible.  I usually cut the outside skids off with a circular saw and then pry them loose from the center skid.  This usually leaves two nails in each piece of wood that need to be dealt with.  If you have ever tried to remove a pallet nail by turning the board over and using a hammer to pound the nail out in reverse of the way it came in, you know that it is practically impossible.  The nails are usually wire gauge and very long causing them to bend as soon as you hit them.  

Back in the days of yesteryear I had a invaluable tool that I used while riding the fence line at the farm I worked on in Ephrata.  This tool was several tools in one, able to hammer, cut, pinch, and twist just about everything.  I never really needed any other tool, other than a stretcher, to work on the fence.  This tool has become invaluable again as I try to remove the above discussed nails.   Made by ChannelLock they are specifically designed for wire fence repairs.

In the picture below the pliers are positioned to cut the tail of the nail off close to the board.  You can see one of the cut nails just to the right of the handle near the polished area of the plier.

 Once cut short it is a simple matter to use the hammer of the plier to pound the nail out in the reverse direction and then use the head of the plier to remove the nail head.  It works like a charm.

It is much easier to pound out the short piece than it is to try and remove the longer one.  Note:  I hit the long one once with the hammer.

Once the nails are cut and removed I cut the pieces to length to build the planter boxes and then it is a matter of assembly.  Doesn't taken that long to make them.

Looking forward to planting flowers this coming spring at the trailer.

Hope all is well and thanks for visiting.