Clothes Closet Shelf

I decided to add a shelf to the bottom of the east section of the clothes closet. Remember, this section will pivot open as a unit. If I want to keep things on the floor of the closet and don't want those things to scatter every time I open the closet, I will need a shelf to put them on.

I started by added a cross piece to the bottom.

Then, after much fussing and futzing, I added a shelf.

I am happy with the results!

On a completely different note...

After not seeing any cows at the neighboring farm all winter, they are back outside again. As they walked along this fence looking for something to eat, their feet crunched loudly through the ice and snow.

Three of them here among the trees.

These three cows on top of the hill were fiercely butting heads and pushing each other backwards. At first I thought it was some kind of testosterone-driven springtime male head-butting thing; then it occurred to me maybe they were just fighting over the one small patch of grass they'd unearthed.

More Clothes Closet

Not much sign of spring yet--except for the ducks and geese starting to return to the river. Brrr! It's been so cold! The river is mostly open, but sheets of ice and icebergs float by occasionally.

It is challenging getting much work done on the JayBee in this weather. It's cold, and navigating back and forth between the JayBee and the tarp garage to use the saws is not fun. Then, I track wet and mud into the JayBee--ugh. The days are longer, though, and I am determined, so I have made progress with the east section of the clothes closet.

Here is the east wall mostly done.

And the north wall...

The south wall underway...

...and done.

I cannot access my wood stores at the moment; the deep snow and ice are blocking the door. I found a few scraps in the JayBee--out of which I crafted some trim pieces. After adding the backing trim to the ironing-board cupboard, I joined the north and east walls.

Then I added the south wall.

The framing for the east side of the closet is pretty much done! I think I might paint it all now (before adding the hinge to attach it to the north wall of the JayBee), while I can flip it around and get to all its parts, but that can wait for a warmer day.

More snow is supposed to move in tomorrow night into Thursday. That's just the way we roll up here (along with the rest of the northeast, apparently)--endless winter.

Unending Snow!

Day 2 of this blizzard...and it's still snowing.

First thing I noticed this morning, for some reason...

...was the snow stacking up on the JayBee's vent stack.

I guess we have about 12 inches of snow from this storm so far.

I have managed not to get up on the roof to shovel so far this winter. Hmm...

Clothes Closet

The Kennebec was brilliant today. A gorgeous lull before the next blizzard.

The bright light blue in the sky looked more painted than real, and it was reflected in the water.

I realized a few days before last week's blizzard that the snow had receded enough that I could get into the back storage room and dig out some framing lumber. The day before that storm hit, I scrambled to pull out a bunch of 2x4s, I cleaned up the table and miter saws that hadn't been used all winter, and I cut all the framing lumber I would need to build the east side of the clothes closet for the JayBee (colored green in the drawing three images down). It is good that I made the effort that day because last week's blizzard has made the back storage room inaccessible again.

To refresh your memory, I built the west side of the closet awhile ago. It includes a ladder to the storage loft...

...and it includes some built-in shoe storage shelves. Note the blue tape on the floor to the right of this section in the photo below; that is the outline of the east closet section.

This east section of the closet will consist of three connected wall pieces that will sit on ball-bearing casters. The whole section will pivot open on a piano hinge that will be attached to a wall stud at the red X. Constructing this closet section is complicated (cuz that's just how I do things!) because the eastern wall (the longest wall of the three) will have a folding ironing board as well as a little alcove for a small speaker embedded between the studs on the living-room side.

Here are the studs for the east wall of the section. It's hard to see due to the poor lighting in the photo below but there are cut-out sections in some of the studs. You may also notice that one of the studs (the second from the right) is very warped. I initially had a very nice, straight stud--but I totally messed up the cut-away bit, so this is what I had to use as a replacement. Hopefully I don't lose my mind trying to wrestle this warped stud into place.

I decided to hustle today to get some of this east closet section assembled before tomorrow's blizzard begins. As I laid out these pieces, I became puzzled by the bottom plate of the wall. It turns out that instead of this...

...it really needed to be cut like this...

...so it can be installed at the bottom of the wall like so.

Assembly underway.

It took awhile, but this part is done so far.

I've been watching this snow hanging off the JayBee for a week. It finally let go today--just in time for the next storm.

Ahem! While George may not be the cause of the plastic pulling away from the house (I think it was the wind during last week's blizzard that did that), he is an incredible opportunist.

George visited the JayBee today once I put out the step ladder for him.

George supervising.

Ready for tomorrow's blizzard.

Just When You Think Winter is on Its Way Out...

...it comes back!

For some reason, I have raging spring fever--and it's WAY too early in the year for that. Where I live, the entire month of March is still winter. It's no wonder, though, why I was teased into thinking that spring might be on its way. Just days before yesterday's blizzard, the JayBee was looking very snow free.

Enough ice had left the yard that I could leave the front door of the house without wearing crampons.

The river had gone from thinning ice...

...to broken up ice (with a little help from some Coast Guard cutters)...

...to open water...

...with ice chunks only left along the shore.

On one of my rambles, I found some nesting eagles.

Here is one of the parents--circling before a nest landing.

But, then, the blizzard started.

After one plowing, it was still going strong, and we had eight inches of snow.

A few hours before it ended, the snowfall was up to 12 inches.

After it was done, and another plow later...it looks like winter again.

The snowbank in front of the garage is huge again, too.

This snowfall was all heavy, wet snow. Perfect for building a snowman or an igloo, or for having a snowball fight. Shoveling it out of the yard? Not so fun. While I was shoveling, a sudden, thunderous sound had me instinctively diving into a duck-and-cover move. It turns out this chunk of snow had let loose off the JayBee's roof. Thankfully, I was not standing under this eave. Made me chuckle afterwards. What did I think--that the sky was falling?