I’m absolutely sure that there are easier and better ways to cut an eight-inch hole in an unfinished exterior wall and mount a kitchen exhaust fan than the way I did it yesterday morning. Neither the process nor the product was pretty. But it’s done, and it works.
There was no wiring to do — it plugged into the same outlet that powers the microwave, and it’s controlled by an in-line rocker switch. That’s the way I’ll leave it for now.
I filled the gap between duct and siding with silicone putty, the same stuff I used on the woodstove chimney.
That said, I’ll be pulling the whole assembly out of the wall when I put up paneling, which will take the place of the pine board supporting it now. Long before that, however, I’ll modify the backdraft damper — this two-flap affair isn’t designed to create a weatherproof (or bug-proof) seal.
I expect I’ll swap the flapper (vertical pivot, closed by a hair spring) for a louver (horizontal pivots, closed by gravity), which also will trim it nicely outside. I’ll fashion a bug screen as well.
The main thing today, though, is that it’s where it belongs and it does what I want it to do. I’ll tweak the installation over time.
Smudge and I went for a ride in the truck yesterday morning. (We’re still working on her issues. She’s making progress.) When we got back home, we were greeted by the chatty northern cardinal that’s been hanging around lately.
Call me crazy, but I still have an inner certainty that he’s Scout’s messenger. She left this world four weeks ago yesterday, and he appeared the next day.
He’s a comfort. That’s all I’ll say.
I paid mid-month bills yesterday afternoon. It was an undramatic exercise, I’m pleased to say, producing no stress.
I still have to be careful, but now, almost six months into this upturned life, I can report that I’m makin‘ it.
Getting to this point has been more difficult than you’ll ever know. I’m beyond exhausted. But I’m good.
From here on, nothing is guaranteed. Naturally, I’ve heard nothing from the other side, so if I wanted to dwell on uncertainty, I could. (I don’t.) I realize that a year from now, Miss Smudge and I may be living in my truck, and if that’s what happens, we’ll be okay.
We’ll make it.
At the same time, and more every day, I believe that when the dust settles, we’ll remain on The Mountain. This is — and will continue to be — our home.
I love this life. I’m grateful both for what it is and for what it isn’t. I live every day with a peace I’ve never known.
It’s great to be here.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable