Organizing Paperwork

I worked this weekend on organizing papers, drawings, receipts, etc. related to the JayBee project. While I was at it, I created a new Downsizing Chronicles page on this blog, and I updated the Costs page as well.

My return from the grocery store today just happened to coincide with the moment an eagle chose to circle overhead and land in one of trees along the river. Without any leaves on the trees (and since I happened to have my camera with me!), I was able to snap a shot.

Downsizing

This last week, the weather changed from pretend winter to real winter--snow, freezing rain, temperature below zero this morning. The river is finally frozen over--see the new logo photo! All of this does not invite working outside on the JayBee. Thankfully, the JayBee is holding its own under cover so far.

Lately I've had energy for getting rid of stuff. This week I gave away all of my back issues of these magazines: Fine Woodworking, Mother Earth News, Nature Conservancy, Outside, Smithsonian, and This Old House. Just under 350 magazines! The other thing I did was consolidate all of my DVDs into a thick notebook. Now I have over 70 DVD cases to give away. I do feel like I'm on a roll, but I will have to continue divesting myself of this much stuff every week for many weeks in order to be ready to move into the JayBee. Even if I do have a storage building.

And I will have a storage building. I ordered a pre-cut kit for a storage building this week as well. Now, to find just the right place to assemble it this spring...

New Year's Musings

So today starts a new year. This should be a new beginning, should it not? Funny that, because I've had significant new starts in my life, and all of them occurred due to events far more significant than the flip of a calendar page. Even so, this new year causes me to take stock.

I am not one for making New Year's resolutions; I can be too complicated and sometimes self-defeating to make simplistic resolutions work. I have been thinking a lot about the interplay between living in the moment, having dreams, and making plans. If I spend too much time dreaming and planning, I can miss out on the only thing guaranteed to me--this moment, now. If I spend all my time in the moment, I might not accomplish much. Because isn't it the pursuit of the reward of completing a project (in the future, like the JayBee) that helps me persist through all the moments that are discouraging and wearying--that are not all that fun in the moment? I've been wondering if it's possible to be more in a moment--even a discouraging one--in a way that also keeps me on track (as opposed to derailed) when trying to achieve a goal.

Amidst all of these thoughts today, I attempted to make a little progress on the tiny house...

After three bitter-cold days, today was warmer again. It's quite a dramatic weather roller-coaster ride we've been on. The JayBee was dry and well-covered. Even though the day was sunny, the sun is low in the sky this time of year; it casts a long-shadowed light no matter the time of day.

I made a new sign to display over the septic pump. My hope is that this will help the plow guy avoid breaking the pump when he plows my driveway. (Yes, hope springs eternal. I've had other versions of the sign out there, and they have not yet succeeded in fully protecting the pump.)

It took me hours today to install new blades on my two power saws. I put the blade I received as a Christmas gift (thank you, Dale!) on the table saw. That job went fairly quickly and easily.

I found a brand-new, never-before-opened-or-used blade when I cleaned out space for storing the JayBee windows. A spare blade I'd completely forgotten I purchased back when I bought my miter saw. (As if I needed it, this is more evidence that I need to continue doing some serious downsizing. What is the point of having a bunch of stuff if I don't know I have it and, therefore, am unlikely to stumble upon it and make use of it?!) It took me a long time to install the new blade on my miter saw, but finally the job was done.

It is going to be heaven the next time I use these saws. Happiness is a sharp saw blade.

It was too nice a day not to go for a walk with the boys and get a river fix. Check out my driveway! Since it slopes down to the north, it will probably be ice-covered until the spring thaw. :::sigh:::

Down at river's edge...

This small airplane flew downriver at low altitude.

For some reason, I thought the plane might have something to do with the smoke I saw downriver (see just right of center in the photo below). On second thought, there probably was no connection.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Windows 1

All of the JayBee windows and the door arrived yesterday. Hammond Lumber has been storing them ever since I ordered and paid for them back in June. (Nice service, don't you think?) Since I'm still not ready to install them, I was dreading their arrival. Even though I cleared out space to store them, I was worried they wouldn't fit. I managed to wrestle all of them into the house, unpack them (they look great!), and stack them all into the allotted space.

Now that they're here, it's nice to have them here. They help renew my motivation for getting out there and working on the house--even if it is bitter cold today!

Also see:
Windows 2
Windows 3
Windows 4

Still Here!

I apologize to my regular readers for my long absence. I'm still here, the JayBee is still here...but the project has been in hibernation these last several weeks.

We have had strange weather all fall and into the beginning of the winter. The Kennebec has been trying to freeze over, but we keep getting unseasonably warm stretches of weather that loosen things up all over again.

I had hoped to work on the JayBee roof rafters some more this week. Tuesday night we had high winds and driving rain all night long. The rain washed away all the snow. The booming of bricks slamming into the sides of the JayBee kept waking me up. I got up and looked out at the tarps several times during the night; when the bricks stopped making noise, I awoke again and realized the tarps had probably blown off. Sure enough.

Strangely but thankfully, the day started off very warm--near 50 degrees. I spent all day mopping up water in the JayBee, drying off things stored inside, and refastening the tarps. (All these weeks since my last post, this has been the first tarp disaster. Thank goodness, because all this cleaning up and trying to get back to where I started can get discouraging.)

I heard eagles calling all day long. At one point while I was looking out at the river, I watched a bald eagle circle around and land on an ice floe.

Then, a second eagle swooped in and joined the first. I guess they fish while floating downriver on these floes.

The temperature steadily dropped all day long--ending up around 20 degrees. All in all, a fine day, even if I made no progress on the JayBee's roof rafters.

Giving Thanks

I am grateful that...

...the more than 10" of snow we received two days ago has not leaked through or torn the tarps on the JayBee. (In fact, not all of it has even managed to stay on top of the tarps.)

...my plow guy did not hit the JayBee during the first plowing of the season (even if he did manage a direct hit on the septic pump).

...my family agreed to a Thanksgiving plan that allowed us to enjoy time together and share stories and laughter.

...I have managed to get enough rest over the last few days that my sense of humor is intact and my flares of temper/irritation have been brief (silent, internal) sparks rather than huge, expressed explosions. (I do recognize that sometimes there are only a few degrees of separation between a blessing and a disaster. :-)

...I have a few more days at home to use as I choose.

Roof Rafters 8

Last weekend, Dale and Arlen came over to help install rafters on the northwest corner of the roof.

Two and a half hours later, when they had to leave, we still didn't have the first three-foot corner rafter installed. They now have personal experience with the joy of figuring out and cutting multiple compound angles to make a rafter fit.

I finished up the corner rafter and installed it this weekend.

Also see:

Roof Rafters 1

Roof Rafters 2

Roof Rafters 3

Roof Rafters 4

Roof Rafters 5

Roof Rafters 6

Roof Rafters 7

Roof Rafters 9

Roof Rafters 10

Roof Rafters 11

Roof Rafters 12

Roof Rafters 13

Roof Rafters 14

Roof Rafters 15

Roof Rafters 16

Roof Rafters 17

Roof Rafters 18

Roof Rafters 19

Roof Rafters 20

Roof Framing Wrap-Up