Quick Hoop - Maybe too late but worth the effort

I like to read about people who are both more skilled and braver than I am when it comes to homesteading and gardening.  There is a joke in my family that if I can do a project and have nothing burn or keep all my digits, then it is successful.  

Despite my overall lack of skill with tools and inability to understand how machines work, I am drawn to self-sufficiency.  Last year I bought Anna Hess's Weekend Homesteader e-books (www.waldeneffect.org).  She created various projects someone like myself could undertake and move towards greater self-reliance.

Yesterday I took her instructions from the October e-book and made my own Quick Hoops.   Of course I'm a little behind, since it is November, and I do wonder if I've given the seeds a chance given the angle of the sun and diminishing sunlight.

The Quick Hoop required a trip to the Home Depot and secure re-bar, electrical conduit, and plastic.  And, in my case, a hacksaw.  I did have a hand sledgehammer (I, um, borrowed it from my dad a decade ago) to secure the re-bar in the ground.

In undertaking this project I had three goals:

Goal number 1:  Do not cut my fingers off with the hacksaw.  

Goal number 2: Relax while making it.

Goal number 3:  adjust as needed

Strangely enough, my ineptitude causes me a great deal of stress.  The only way I can describe this is that as an adult there is an expectation that I should be able to do simple man work (sorry for the sexist characterization).  This is akin to asking me to be an accountant, computer programmer, or any other specialized profession today without proper training.  Yet, I expect some type of magic to happen.

The other part of it is my concerned that my slightly left view of yards, food, and gardening will cause my neighbors and loved ones consternation (and cast judgment on me).  Whatever I undertake to build surely will not look like the model.

When I started building the Quick Hoop the tension built.  I managed to breathe through it and experienced a great deal of satisfaction as I wrapped the plastic over the hoops (the Quick Hoop measures about 25' x 10'.  It rained last night and the plastic sagged a bit (see Goal 3).  Today I'm going to run support tubing down the center of the hoops and pull the plastic tighter.  

Despite the tweaking, I've viewing this as one small step for man and one giant step for me.  

By the way - I still have all my fingers . . .