Color at sun up
Wednesday was a total washout. I called and cancelled the ride to exercise class. I eventually got the kitchen cleaned up but spent most of the day resting/dozing/sleeping. I felt bad enough in the afternoon I called the doctor’s office to see about being checked out for walking pneumonia. I’d been sick off and on for nearly 2 weeks.
They couldn’t get me in but said to go to Urgent Care in the morning, so I would have my #2 intern to take me.
Shade pulling supervisor
I was up at 5:30AM on Thursday but wasn’t doing so well. I got the kitchen cleaned up and waited for my #2 intern to arrive at 8AM. I planned to set her to work on the firebricks in the wood stove while I got a shower.
When she hadn’t arrived by 8:30AM I got in the shower. She arrived about 8:40AM and we headed over to Urgent Care. They gave me an X-ray and multiple tests and announced no pneumonia just a really persistent viral upper respiratory infection.
I had sent my intern home to work on the firebricks and when she returned to pick me up, I was getting into the car when an older woman backed right into her. Minor damage to both cars, so they agreed to let it go.
So we got back to work on the firebrick. She had not been able to get the new bricks in, just a fraction of an inch too large. So we started sanding them down on a side and eventually she got all but 1 in. She left late for her next thing.
I managed to get the last one sanded down and in. I rested for the rest of the afternoon and about 4PM I got up and laid the fire and lit it. All this week it’s been cold in the house as we’ve not gotten the promised sun. If I had done the stove earlier in the week and lit it, we’d have had sun and the house would have been in the 90’sF.
Not a great photo but the job was inspected.
Maple leaf
My helper friend arrived at noon and opted to be outside away from sick me. So he started the Big garden clean out.
He started on the north end and pulled out that huge mound of nasturtiums. Then he could find the row of Walla onions that were under them and harvest them. I went out a while later and brought them inside.
Next he pulled up the artichokes that were done and started on the basil. He found one plant untouched by the cold and saved it to take home. Then he got the rest of the nasturtiums, the tomatoes, and some of the weeds.
He worked until 4PM and came inside and decanted the last of the sauerkraut and got it into the fridge.
By 6PM it had warmed up to 70F in the office. I did not light the masonry heater. That takes a long time the first time and burns for 24 hours and I don’t need heat in that part of the house during the day.
My son messaged me from work about 8PM saying the northern lights were spectacular but neither I nor the camera nor the old phone could capture it. The phone did get the moon though.
So I didn’t do much of the work that got done, it wasn’t me.
On Friday my helper friend is here again and I’ll let him decide if he wants to be inside or out. It will be pretty cold out at 8AM. But there’s plenty to do inside as usual.