Winter Update

Do you have any idea why I constructed these three things for the JayBee out of cardboard? The answer is at the end of this post.

Late last fall, after I made sure I had two working bottle jacks, I crawled under the JayBee to level up the house. I tried to wrestle a footing out from under there that had gone wonky and was in my way, but I couldn't do it; I couldn't leverage enough strength in that tight space. So, I enlisted my brother's help.

He was able to pull it out of there. Thank you!

Here was my view after I dug out a spot for the jack and put it to work.

I wedged a block under the northwest corner of the JayBee's trailer, which had previously been sitting on the ground, and got the JayBee leveled up. (The drain pipe you see is the one coming from the toilet.)

I got some primer paint on the shoe shelves, knowing that the access I have now is a lot better than it will be once the wall boards go up.

I put some sound proofing around the shower stall.

I spent a bit of time staining boards for the ceiling. I'd rather do all of these steps down where I can easily reach the boards than after they are installed. First I wipe them down (turns out they have caterpillar hairs on them, which give me a terrible rash), then I apply a coat of conditioner and two coats of stain/finish.

I've been storing stained ceiling boards by length up in the storage loft.

This winter, I have created a number of drawings of storage elements that go in the JayBee, and I'm getting eager to get started building them. When I go looking for wood, though, the door to the "shop" is still all iced in...

...and the door to the garage is behind a big snowbank. I guess I will wait awhile longer yet.

I caught two deer in the early-morning light the other day.

George outside today.

The JayBee as it looks today. It would be nice if I moved into it before it gets too much more weathered.

Answer to starting quiz: I made the two rectangular solids to use outside the JayBee's front door to discourage nest building. The larger, more angular solid is for the top of the air exchanger on the north wall. Nest Arrestors. I will not keep them permanently installed, but I will use them during the prime nest-building months.

Yes, I'm Alive. The JayBee project is still alive, too. (another in the You Know You're Taking Too Long series)

Yes, it has been a LONG time since I posted a blog update. I guess I have crossed some tipping point, though, by letting it go this long; I have heard from a number of people in the last week who are tired of waiting. So, in an effort to regain some momentum--both with the JayBee project, and with the blog posting--here is a mish-mash post of random things from last fall.

Before the snow flew, I finally removed the nest from the top of the light outside the JayBee's front door. I was surprised by the amount of clay/mud included in its construction...

...and by how clean it was. Two birds were fully raised in this thing!

I also removed the nest from the top of the air exchanger on the north side of the house. Finally, once again, the JayBee was nest free!

Here is George happily curled up in a box. If you look really closely, you might see one of his eyes wide open (on the far left).

George looking skinny skinny. Thankfully, around Thanksgiving time, he finally put on some winter weight, so he looks better these days. I'll try to get an updated shot of him soon.

Here's a strange thing I just have to share: In a neighboring town, there is a house that always has a sign posted in its yard--with one word on the sign. Every few weeks, the sign is changed to have a new word. For example...

I go by this house on my way back and forth to my chiropractor, and I have gotten in the habit of making sure I look to see what the latest "word" is. Imagine my surprise when I drove by one day last fall and this enormous cat was in the yard along with the sign! After a few weeks, the cat disappeared. The sign is still there.

Here is a bald eagle circling overhead last fall. Bald eagles in the trees outside my bedroom window woke me up recently. My neighbors tell me it's now their mating season, which apparently explains why they are so active and loud these days.

Tomorrow I will post an update on JayBee progress and plans.