SUNSHINE!!!

WEEK SIX After a week of what felt like "putzzing" around, we turned a corner and got to a place where it feels like things are moving faster. We began with putting up the perimeter box. This was four by ten (inch) lumber that sits on the sill plate, and goes around the perimeter of the house. This made our house almost 10 inches higher all at once.

Most mornings, the first thing Frank does is blow leaves out of the basement. He pulls out and opens up the Gypsy Wagon to access the tools we will need that day. The Gypsy Wagon has worked well.

Craig made the trench for our electric service. Frank put in the conduit, and ran a rope through. Now we can do nothing more on this front than wait for the power company to come and hook up our service. It certainly would be handier than starting the generator each time we use a power tool. Also, the basement is getting darker as we add more floor joists. We need to seal up the basement so we can unload the PODS unit.

There followed a couple days of rain and/or cold wind. However, we didn't get any of the white stuff they were forecasting. Frank said that it was "raining little balls of ice." The inside days I filled with working on the games I'm making for Lauren, mending and sewing, and shopping. I hadn't been in to town for over two weeks! I wasn't able to find everything I wanted to, but it was enough. I was glad to come home again. This was my first foray out on my own. I was able to find all the places I wanted to go, and get myself home again without getting lost. And it was even dark by the time I left town! (For those of you who don't know, I think I can get lost simply driving around the barn!)

Now it is sunny and warm. We are working hard while the weather holds. As soon as we had fastened several floor joists, Frank said, "Look! I'm walking on our main floor! The first third of the joists had a lot of detail work with measuring for and reinforcing around the stairway up from the basement.

The next third was mostly attaching the joists across the center of the house. We had to only work around the chimney, and cut a couple shorter joists at the very edges by the walls.

While Frank set joists, Vangie practiced her hammering skills. She put up the hurricane ties, and added the bridging to the joists.

Long days of work in the fresh air bring on yawns in the evening--plus a few sore muscles. It's all very much worth it as we see our dream taking shape and becoming more and more substantial. It's also good to see some of those many bundles of materials getting smaller and even disappearing!!