Saturday may well have been the ideal day for puttering with purpose. I certainly had the weather for it — constant rain, most of it heavy or at least steady, and temperatures in the low 60s.
Inside, the thermometer in the kitchen said that the cabin was hovering around 65°F. I pulled a hoodie over my t-shirt and dove into task #1, which was making lumber-clutter disappear from the bath/laundry.
Ten eight-foot 2x4s have languished on the floor against that room’s north wall for months, tucked behind the chest freezer and laundry pair. Cut-offs and scraps from various projects got piled on top, awaiting future use. Too-small chunks were tossed casually into the corner. It was a mess.
I pulled it all away from the wall and ran the shop-vac, then re-stacked everything tidily and as compactly as I could. The little bits went straight to the kindling box.
Not only did I neaten-up the room, I gained six square feet of clear floor space. That’s more significant than it might sound.
It continued to pour rain, so I moved on to indoor task #2 — cleaning out the woodstove for the summer and putting the hearth to bed ’til next heating season. That was pretty straightforward, and it didn’t take long.
I removed as much ash as I could with a scoop, then vacuumed the firebox. A thorough sweep of flue and chimney will happen later, before fall.
Moving over to the camper during a brief letup in the rain, I filled a tote, brought it back and put the stuff away.
Skies cleared by early afternoon and temps climbed past 70°F. As the sun warmed the cabin, I moved outside to task #3 — starting to purge and relocate the contents of the camper’s (relatively nasty) “basement.”
I was able to consolidate four weatherproof totes into one. Most of what came out of that space went to the shed. That left just two totes for me to deal with.
(Spoiler alert — I ended up taking care of them before sundown yesterday, so the basement’s done except for cleanup.)
And that was pretty much my day. No snappy description, no gallery of images, just the work — and my best life.
Today and Monday are forecast to be soggy, too, and again unseasonably cool. I couldn’t ask for more.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable