The text messages started flying at 7 a.m. this morning. “The drillers are coming! The drillers are coming!”

Which, if you’re one of the three Big Fockers, is an announcement that’s even more exciting than a visit from Santa. It means the beginning of Serious Work on the warehouse foundation.

The guys from Skyline Drilling arrived with an Armageddon drill bit in tow.

Harry Stamper: I will make 800 feet. I swear to God I will. Colonel William Sharp: Then let's turn this bomb off.

The Focker Chess stakes were raised considerably today. How many gigantic pieces of machinery can you get on a postage-stamp sized scrap of dirt with cliffs on three sides? Let’s see!

First, Skyline Drilling… drills.

Shannon Morrell strikes a saucy pose as Skyline prepares to bore the first hole

Next, Donny the Don (not to be confused with Don the Don but… right. We know. You’ve got the, er, drill) hops on the backhoe to push the dirt over the south cliff.

Into the breach, dear friends

Then Donny scrambles off’n the backhoe and onto the track hoe to place the tomato cage.

Doc and Leroy supervise the planting

Finally, two or more gigantic Tonka toys move out of the way to make room for the Thompson Redi-Mix truck and the concrete is poured.

Leroy,? and Doc fillin' the hole

Here’s Jan’s action video, as seen from the inner sanctum of Shack v 2.2:

Sadly, we missed the photo op of Doc holding a clipboard and orchestrating this very impressive game of Focker Chess. Sadly, Doc didn’t have a clipboard. Maybe we’ll get him one and take a photo tomorrow.

Meanwhile…

The Fast Boys of Morrell Construction finished up the siding on Shack v 2.2.

Sean, Shannon & Michael whip it into shape

By the end of the day, we had a little Hardiboard Shack in the Ozarks, surrounded by a forest of tomato cages.

Eat your heart out, Laura Ingalls Wilder.