Slipping inside

Last weekend I did a lot of reading. This weekend too. Nothing fancy, just some carefully-selected urban fantasy books, but it was really good. I went through two novels last weekend and one (well, one set of 3) this weekend, and I have some more on order.

This weekend I was also here alone. I dug the last of the potatoes and carrots, picked the last of the brussels sprouts, and turned the birds loose in the garden. They loved that. I also put walls/plywood sheeting on the extension to the woodshed (which is now a birdshed) and put a perch up on the other side of the chicken house. I fussed around with construction adhesive but didn't figure out the posts for the extension right, I mostly cleared a path for a snowblower (just in time, I think this snow is going to stick) and did not paint the chicken perches (may need to run a space heater to get that paint to cure).

The snow started coming down yesterday, sunday afternoon, just about as soon as the last batch had melted and left a big beautiful pond near the pig field. The geese loved that pond. The muscovies love the snow. The ducks were super happy. The chickens.... decided to sleep in the snow on the back of a bench instead of inside, so they cant be that badly off. The little ones from this year are all feral and roost atop the straw in the birdshed but I was hoping the older ones, at least, would remember their homes.

I can't wait for a proper freeze so the mud goes and the light comes back; I can't fully grasp how I used to live on the coast with the constant rain. I am not looking forward to watering the birds in the freeze, but hopefully I can put a grate over the inside wall above the tap and it won't do so badly. I also need to put a bunch of those birds in the freezer.

I still need to figure out my chimney. Chimney and stove needs cleaning, note needs to go to insurance, chimney needs a test run to see if it leaks. Also I need wood I guess, unless I want to run mill ends this year. I may do that anyhow. I still haven't felt comfortable working in the far field on the logs with the chainsaw without someone here, and honestly when folks are visiting we tend to do other things.

It's been really good to have a weekend 1) to myself and 2) with the worst of work season over. I actually recognised myself this weekend, and it has been awhile since that happened. There has been a big sump of snow up north so that may end our season up there; lots of ends to tie up with work but mostly time to rest, recuperate, and find a physics class to do remotely that doesn't involve interaction with classmates ("read these four answers your classmates have written and write a response to one of them" is not what I need in a physics class).

I have also found myself loving my home finally: it has felt ill-fitting for awhile, but I came up with a spot for my sewing desk yesterday and changed some light fixtures a couple weekends ago and everything is getting good. The wood stove is the heart of it, and it needs to be up and running, but I can see things being ok. Long term I still need more square footage, but that is possible here too.

Anyhow, off to work. This journal entry brought to you by daylight savings.

Be well.

Slipping inside

Last weekend I did a lot of reading. This weekend too. Nothing fancy, just some carefully-selected urban fantasy books, but it was really good. I went through two novels last weekend and one (well, one set of 3) this weekend, and I have some more on order.

This weekend I was also here alone. I dug the last of the potatoes and carrots, picked the last of the brussels sprouts, and turned the birds loose in the garden. They loved that. I also put walls/plywood sheeting on the extension to the woodshed (which is now a birdshed) and put a perch up on the other side of the chicken house. I fussed around with construction adhesive but didn't figure out the posts for the extension right, I mostly cleared a path for a snowblower (just in time, I think this snow is going to stick) and did not paint the chicken perches (may need to run a space heater to get that paint to cure).

The snow started coming down yesterday, sunday afternoon, just about as soon as the last batch had melted and left a big beautiful pond near the pig field. The geese loved that pond. The muscovies love the snow. The ducks were super happy. The chickens.... decided to sleep in the snow on the back of a bench instead of inside, so they cant be that badly off. The little ones from this year are all feral and roost atop the straw in the birdshed but I was hoping the older ones, at least, would remember their homes.

I can't wait for a proper freeze so the mud goes and the light comes back; I can't fully grasp how I used to live on the coast with the constant rain. I am not looking forward to watering the birds in the freeze, but hopefully I can put a grate over the inside wall above the tap and it won't do so badly. I also need to put a bunch of those birds in the freezer.

I still need to figure out my chimney. Chimney and stove needs cleaning, note needs to go to insurance, chimney needs a test run to see if it leaks. Also I need wood I guess, unless I want to run mill ends this year. I may do that anyhow. I still haven't felt comfortable working in the far field on the logs with the chainsaw without someone here, and honestly when folks are visiting we tend to do other things.

It's been really good to have a weekend 1) to myself and 2) with the worst of work season over. I actually recognised myself this weekend, and it has been awhile since that happened. There has been a big sump of snow up north so that may end our season up there; lots of ends to tie up with work but mostly time to rest, recuperate, and find a physics class to do remotely that doesn't involve interaction with classmates ("read these four answers your classmates have written and write a response to one of them" is not what I need in a physics class).

I have also found myself loving my home finally: it has felt ill-fitting for awhile, but I came up with a spot for my sewing desk yesterday and changed some light fixtures a couple weekends ago and everything is getting good. The wood stove is the heart of it, and it needs to be up and running, but I can see things being ok. Long term I still need more square footage, but that is possible here too.

Anyhow, off to work. This journal entry brought to you by daylight savings.

Be well.