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| Arrowleaf Balsam Root |
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| Dwarf Waterleaf |
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| Alpine Shooting Star |
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| Our finished wood shed |
When I returned from California, we jumped right into building the wood shed. We used the south end of the dog pen which was just perfect as it already had the wooden slatted sides and poles sunk into cement. We just had to add a center pole to help support the roof. We installed the headers and joists, then up went the metal sheeting. I ended up screwing in most of the metal as it was easier for me to climb onto the roof. I tend to be just a little more limber than JB.
This whole project was a lot more simple than I had anticipated. Building the shed was certainly easier than filling it with the wood. We had about a cord left on the porch and two large pallets full of branch wood. Wood that we had already stacked once. I read an article in one of our off-the-grid magazines about how many tons of wood is moved in cutting just a couple cords. First it is cut and dragged or carried to a road. Then it is cut to size and lifted into the trailer. Then we drive it to the splitter and unload it. Lift each piece into the splitter. Lift the split pieces into a wheel barrow. Move it to where it is going to be stacked, then lift it out and stack it. When we are ready to use it, we carry it into the house. I get tired just reading about it!
The month of May 2011 was almost as wet as May 2010, and we frequently were only able to work outside half days due to the rain. Quite often it didn't arrive in sprinkles, but rather Seattle-like downpours. We also had several hail showers that turned the ground white. At least we didn't have any out-of-town visitors to disappoint this year. But by the end of the month, the wild flowers were going, well. . . wild. The balsam root had started to bloom Up Here, and several other varieties were showing up. Spring was in full swing.
Now: August 15, 2011
Yesterday felt more like September or October than August. It was a cool 63 degrees, but perfect for working on the deck, which we did when JB got back from Down There. We were able to install seven more 12 ft boards.
While he was gone, I completely reorganized and sorted out the storage area of the loft. We had some camping equipment up there that can now go in the shop. And I finally got rid of several boxes I had been keeping that specific items had come in. I'm terrible with that, but there is just no room in our small home to hoard boxes. I certainly don't plan to move again, so they can go.
We returned Elsie's ATV yesterday evening and I really bundled up for the ride. JB followed me in the Jeep. It was much warmer at their place than ours although it had still been a cooler than normal day for them also. We had a nice chat with Elsie and she gave us some potatoes and onions fresh from her garden.
We really want to get our garden growing next year. It will be very simple, probably just potatoes, onions, carrots, squash, tomatoes and peppers. JB has several tomatoes on his two plants we have in grow boxes on the porch. Still green, but full of promise. His pepper plants have finally taken off and we just may get a few peppers.
With the recounting of May 2011, the "Then" of our story is complete. It has been three years to the day since we moved from the pop-up tent into our home. So as the philosophers and physicists would say, "There is only Now."
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