2021 April/May Island Trip – Day 2

I’m starting each day by working on quilt blocks for a class I’m taking. Taking time at the beginning of the day is a must because after heading out to work, there’s no way I’m going to stop for 1.5 hours and take this time for myself. It’s a very soothing way to enter the day, and entertaining to have Ms. Stella turn into a sewing studio. When living in less than 220 sqft, including storage, furniture etc, it take patience and discipline to keep everything usable. Doing dishes when the sinks are covered by a cutting mat doesn’t work. I am learning to operate very differently than I do in our mainland home.

Weed whacking is a pain in the ass, not because of the task, but because of the tools… We have a brand new heavy-duty line trimmer with handles and a shoulder strap. It’s easier to use than our much smaller line trimmer, except that the line keeps braking. AAAcckkk!!! What a pain in the butt!!! I’ve come to the conclusion the main problem is that the line is likely pushing 20-years old. I’ll spare you the math. The line for the little trimmer doesn’t have this bad habit, so I’ve been using the smaller trimmer which takes more energy because it’s slower, has a smaller fuel tank, has a smaller cutting radius, and doesn’t have the handle bars and strap. Yes, I do use it with the big cutter’s strap, but it doesn’t work the same. I’ll stop now.

I spent time deploying shelving and sprinkling further organization in the lower barn. Most satisfying. I also did an auxiliary mowing session. The place is looking fantastic.

Our AN stopped by and we plotted our next upgrade strategy. We’ll get the ground and deep well systems decoupled Friday. This involves going under the house, which neither of us are fond of doing. At least there’s a vapor barrier down making it less messy. By the end of this exercise there will be water, from the ground well, at the old garden. He’s going to install the new pump room door, and bring in some descent soil for an area below Stella’s pad that needs reseeding, but lacks good dirt.

It turns out the the wheel and kiln are in shakier shape than I thought. The wheel won’t run and needs it’s cord replaced. The kiln has cracks in its interior masonry. My school mate has understandably bowed out. I’ll continue down the list of interested parties.

There is the never ending task of moving things from here to there. Another burn pile is growing. Not nearly as impressive as the others but each time I pass it, I am compelled to carry something from where I am to where it is. Same thing goes for the rock pile in the garden, and the metal recycling pile… This is my obsessive need for order shining through. Neither of my parents were bitten my this bug, as is chronicled all through these writings. Not a character flaw at all. Indeed the flaw is likely mine in that am posthumously trying to right things that never bothered my folks when they were alive…

I finished my work day by pruning dead wood out of the two big rhodies for an hour. This hasn’t been done is probably 15-20 years guessing by the amount I took out. They’re in full bloom, and look so much better lightened of the dead wood, which I took to the burn pile 😂.