Hot and marginally productive.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I got a late start and it was miserably hot by the time I got to the house. I worked on the raised landscaping beds for a while. That went pretty well, although it was a bit tough at times. I ran out of materials and decided to call it a day after about three hours. I had a late lunch and then went next door to see Debbie. Charles was there too and we chatted for quite a while until they were ready to leave. I drove down to Home Depot in Manchester to get a few things. Back on the Mountain I had dinner at Waffle House, a decision that I started regretting about halfway through my meal.

Hot but fairly productive.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I got going at a reasonable time this morning and started working on repairing the driveway. It had gotten all rutted out by the rain, and was impassible. Fortunately most of the gravel didn’t get pushed too far away. So I shoveled it into the wheelbarrow and deposited it into the gully. Then I drove my car over it repeatedly for compaction. My other big accomplishment on the morning was installing the mailbox post. After lunch I went to the supply yard for railroad ties, but they were all out. I drove down to the Co-op in Manchester and they were out too. Then I decided that I would just use pressure treated 2x8s. So I returned to the supply yard and got some. While there I met a guy who said he could haul my tractor up from Columbia this weekend. That will be really nice. I unloaded them then showered and went to the Goat Market for an early dinner. It was nice to talk with Eric for a bit there. I was once again too lazy to go out photographing, so I just chilled around the cottage.

On the road.

Posted on by David Maxwell

It was a day spent mostly in the car, or at least it felt like it. I started the morning by driving down to Winchester, where I bought a few things at Home Depot. They didn’t have everything I needed though. Next I went to the surveyor’s to learn about getting the new property subdivided. He gave me a lot of good information, but unfortunately he is about eight weeks out. He also seemed a bit expensive. I had lunch and was preparing to drive to Alabama, but I saw Randy next door on the way out, so I stopped and talked with him, then Debbie and Charles, which ended up taking about an hour and a half. I took the scenic route to Fort Payne, where I visited a building supply place to see what they had in stock. They had some windows that should be good for me, and also some nice bathroom vanities. I took a different route back to the cottage and enjoyed the drive. It was nice to be done and out of the car though.

Back on track.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I got a fairly early start this morning. After breakfast I went to the house and quickly built a post for the mailbox. Then I began preparing to paint the interior doors. Setting up the sprayer was a real pain, but eventually I was ready to roll. I painted one side of the doors then let them dry. My parents came by to check things out and brought me some water. Then I flipped the doors over and painted the other side. Cleaning up the sprayer was horrible. I went to the cottage for lunch and after I installed the doors and their knobs. It was tiring but felt great to be done. I think they look pretty good. I took a pallet and some trash to the dump before returning to the cottage. I showered then finished reading a Daniel Silva book I started last night. It was pretty good. I feel too lazy to photograph fireflies and will try to sleep early tonight. Now I’m at campus using their internet.

Frustrating day.

Posted on by David Maxwell

I left the farm a little before eight this morning and took the back roads up to the Mountain. I unloaded the trailer (just a few pieces of wood) at the house and then dropped the trailer off at the cottage. After a slight rest I returned to the house and focused on using my new pump to empty the electrical trench. That was difficult initially but once the pump got going it did great. Unfortunately there were some underground springs that basically refilled the trench after I finished pumping. After that I packed up and went by the supply house. There I saw the plumber/electrician’s grandson and told him I was ready for them to return. Hopefully they will come soon. This evening I have just been relaxing and talking to my parents, who are spending a couple of nights here.