Wanta feel my muscles?

Yesterday I bought steel shelving for my storage area. You may remember that a few years ago I assembled plastic shelves and they almost did me in, but I held my ground and won that battle. The shelves still stand but they list a little to the front.

This time I went for the big boy: steel posts, metal shelves, over 5'3" tall. I know the approximate height because I'm 5'3" and it was about 2" too tall for me to put together.

I searched several stores before I found the one I wanted at the price I wanted. Still I wavered between a plastic one for the same price, because I can lift plastic. I gripped the box with the metal shelves and lifted it a few inches off the ground. It didn't seem that heavy. After I threw the box into my cart I saw a sign that said "2 man lift" meaning 2 men, not one fat old lady, should have lifted the box. "Now they tell me," I thought to myself.

I picked the box up out of the cart and put it in the trunk of my car all by myself too. At the storage unit, I opened the box inside the trunk and slid the parts out to carry them into the unit a few at a time. Little round rubber discs flew everywhere. I picked them all up, crawling under the car when necessary, and piled them on a box and in my pockets.

The outside of the box said "Easy Assembly No Tools Required". The inside of the box said you'll need a rubber mallet and 2 adults. "Now they tell me."

I don't have a rubber mallet and I didn't have time to find 2 adults so I tackled the job myself. First I screwed all the steel posts together. No problem. Then I put the handy, dandy little clips that make the shelves adjustable onto the steel posts. Then I re-read the instructions and removed all the handy, dandy little clips except for the bottom set. To put each shelf onto the posts, you have to slide the shelves over the top of the posts. The first shelf took some accrobatic moves, but still was easier than the plastic shelving had been.

Then I had to put on the second shelf. Over the posts that are taller than 5''3". Did that. I'm now approximately 5'4". Put on the other 3 shelves. Readjusted the handy, dandy little clips for the 3rd shelf as the 2 on the left side were stationed about 2" lower than those on the right.

I moved the shelves closer to the wall and the self adjusting legs actually self adjusted so the shelves sat level. Amazing!

All done in less than an hour.

Then I saw the pile of little round rubber discs. I re-read the instructions. I studied all the pictures. They weren't mentioned in the instructions at all. "Now you can tell me," I thought to myself.

I went back a few hours later and the shelves were still standing. Proudly. Empty, but proud.

This morning, I have a stiff neck, my right elbow feels disconnected, my left wrist won't bend, and I have a few bruises I didn't have yesterday.

But the shelves are still standing.