Nice weather, good progress, unexpected return home.
I got up to the Mountain pretty late last night and went to the job site around eight this morning. I started off by installing the last bit of railing on the porch. All but one board of it anyways, as I came up just short. Then I put some 5/4 board around the base of the deck. I need to go get about three more boards though. The electricians came and got really close to finishing. They say they will get inspected on Thursday. The HVAC guy came and did his rough-in. Kent and Jacob came and did a bit more painting. Hopefully they will finish up later this week. I went back to the cottage after work, but packed up and drove home because Liz needs me to look after Luke for tomorrow at least, maybe longer. It’s a bit frustrating as I have so much work to do up here. I took the highway to Manchester then got on the interstate. Luke is sleeping now but it will be nice to see him in the morning.
Plumbing issues, slow cooking, playing, grandparents.
I woke up this morning with some stomach issues that continued from last night. Actually I woke up around 2:30 wanting to confirm that the Titans won. Then I couldn’t go back to sleep. I did go to Kroger because we had a big list. Luke helped me put the groceries away. The morning was pretty low key. Highlights included lots of reading and a FaceTime call with Liz’s parents. His one o’clock nap was a bit shorter than they have been. My parents came over just after he woke up and he had a lot of fun with them. I prepared rice and beans in the slow cooker and we had that for dinner. Later this evening I’ll drive up to the cottage.
Wet and social day.
We had pretty much Biblical storms today. Lots of branches down here on the farm. This morning I had a meeting nearby to discuss building a house. That lasted a couple of hours and went really well. We just kind of hung out until after Luke’s nap, when we drove up to Nashville to visit some friends. Fortunately the rain had pretty much stopped by then. Luke had a great time playing with their nearly four year old daughter. She was great with him and very generous about sharing her toys. We left there after seven, so he was pretty late going to bed, but he handled it really well.
Missing workers and expensive doors.
I wanted to finish painting today but there was just a little bit of rain this morning and the threat of more this afternoon hovered. I spent most of the morning in my car at the job site waiting for the HVAC guy and the guy delivering rock for the driveway. Neither came, although both eventually communicated. At least I was able to read my diet book a bit. I went back to the cottage and cleaned and packed, then visited with Debbie next door for a little while. Then I drove down to Murfreesboro and stopped at Haynes Brothers Lumber to do a little learning. I was interested in door and windows, board and batten siding, and I-joists. No, the last product is not a new Apple device. The triple door pictured below was amazing, but they wanted $22,000 for it! Pass. I drove home and played with Luke before dinner.
Good looking green house.
What a difference some good tape makes. The new stuff sticks incredibly well and stays in place. I taped the two end walls and the back, then fired up the sprayer. I was a bit rusty on both setting it up and using it. The challenge was not to spray too much and have drips, and also to use my guide boards so as not to overspray. That got a bit tough when high up on the ladder. An unexpected breeze also caused some problems, particularly on the back side. Overall things look pretty good though. One coat was enough, which is a huge relief. The sprayer did very well and cleanup wasn’t too miserable. Kent came and did some more painting in between the windows where the sprayer might make a mess. We didn’t finish, but did make great progress. Unfortunately what remains is the highest and most difficult part. The weather looks iffy for tomorrow. Plenty warm, but a decent chance of rain. I won’t risk it, as much as I would like to finish tomorrow. This evening I just read and talked to my dad, then Liz on the phone. Also more reading of the diet book.
A very educational day.
I started the morning off by paying some bills. Power and water were tiny, but I received quite a shock at the lumberyard. The electrician had charged all of my materials to my account (expected) and they were incredibly expensive (unexpected). For the plumbing supplies I’ll get him to give me a list that I can take down to the valley and buy at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I came to the house and started taping the trim in anticipation of painting tomorrow. That was going great right up until the tape started coming off, about fifteen minutes after going on. Not all of it, but enough to be significant and to really frustrate me. So I knew that there was no way that the tape would stay on until tomorrow. Jacob and Kent arrived and we just started hand painting along the windows and trim. I realized two good things at that point. First, one heavy coat of paint will cover things, and second, the green looks amazing, especially when paired with the cedar trim. But the brush painting was extremely slow going. After dark I drove down to Manchester. At Home Depot I bought caulk and some other painter’s tape that is supposed to adhere to rough surfaces. At Walmart I bought some frozen fruit and vegetables. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice weather for painting.
There is no fun or easy way to put down 3200 deck screws.
I left the house after seeing Luke this morning and drove up to the Mountain via the interstate and Fayetteville. It was a long and pretty miserable day of putting down screws. Fortunately Kent and Jacob joined me and we knocked it out before dark. This evening I’ve just been reading my new book, How Not to Diet. So far it is very informative.
Long, busy day in the valley and on the Mountain.
This morning a woman from the state came to evaluate Luke for communication skills. That lasted about an hour and a half. After that I played with Luke for a while until my mother came. This was due to his normal childcare being unavailable today. I left the house at about one and drove up to Monteagle. I worked on my tool trailer for a bit – I reworked the wood deck to get more clearance above the wheels. After dinner I ended up driving home to take care of something, so I’ll stay here tonight and return to the Mountain in the morning.
Colder, drier, boring-er.
Liz’s parents left just after breakfast this morning, and the house sure felt quiet thereafter. The rain finally stopped, but it was considerably cooler outside, so we didn’t go anywhere. Just lots of reading and playing, and an afternoon video call with my parents. He did have two naps and still managed to go to bed on schedule this evening. He really enjoyed some coloring and pulling toys around in his new red wagon.
