Catch Up

​It's been difficult to keep up with everything these days---writing time has been scarce. So here is a quick catch up on the last 30 days or so:

Beautiful Ice--Fresh Frozen and Melty Frozen

Fresh

The property in Vernonia had a multitude of various ice formations--we were enchanted by them all. And, when I used the word "enchanted" I really mean it--this stuff is fantastic.

This is the edge of a large container plant by the front gate. Check out the delicate little crystal formations! So beautiful!

This is one of our drainage grates (drainage is a big deal in Vernonia and we are lucky to have any!) Lovely shards of ice fluff. 

This is the first of the many holes I dug for trees a while back. I have no idea how this happened: look at the close-up--it's quite remarkable!

It seems to be a classic microcosm/macrocosm representation--those formations can easily be imagined on a larger scale.

​Melty

Rich took these recently--they are pretty engaging! Nature's Rorschach. 

The perfect triangle reminds me of my childhood sled, Rosebud...and my driving need for power and revenge. 

This one has Munch faces in it--sometimes I wake up at night and I can still hear the screaming. 

This one reminds me of a lost childhood pet, and the abandonment I first suffered at life's bidding.

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Frozen Spring (Rachel Carson's rough draft)

When we first approached the spring it looked normal...

But it was frozen solid!! 

Like, walk-on-top-of-it-without-cracking solid!

I am looking for frozen fish and salamanders---didn't see any, whew! That would have been weird. 

A dead tree fell into the spring a while back. I suggested we tie a rope to it now while we could walk out there so we could pull it up later. Rich walked out on the frozen surface...

I'm holding the rope to tie to a tree AND photo documenting.

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Half a Buck Bed + Abandoned Footboard = Day Bed

Rich is the Master of Acquiring Free Stuff on Craigslist--it is quite possibly the sole reason we were able to purchase this property and fix it up the way we have. He found me a solid wood bunk bed and  I assembled the bottom only.

He had also found a "Shaker-Style" footboard someone was getting rid of....and I put the two together:

Ta da! Not bad, right? I am going to either find or make some end cap type things to fill in the details. We looked for iron day beds and trundle beds and all sorts of versions of such---people want a lot of money for those things! We wanted something that could operate as a couch and a bed. I'm going to make some bolsters for the back and sides and steal the mattress off our son's bed. He might not notice, but even if he does it's no big deal--he's eleven...he can sleep on a towel in the corner of the room--he'll be fine.

Drywall

My triple calculations and measurements for the wall. About half of them were correct! Notice the gross lack of symmetry--one of the reasons this has been so challenging. 

First piece installed!! Not a horrible job! (And, yes, I did assemble the daybed first and then I had to climb up and over it a million times to install the drywall. I've learned that I have to do what I can, with what I have, when I can--if I waited to do everything in "the proper" order--it would take 100 times longer to get anything accomplished.)

I've always wanted one of those chalk lines that I've seen people use and snap straight lines onto things. I bought one a while ago and finally got to use it! It is one of those super clever simple tools that will always work no matter how technological our age  becomes. In this photo I'm trimming the tattered edges off the drywall. 

Finished wall! My first and I am very proud. Not perfect or even great but very much "good enough"--which in this case, is a healthy outlook! 

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Thats everything for now. Going to finish the drywall whenever it's not wet outside and try to figure out a way to make a vent to get heat up to the loft. Being in Vernonia is my favorite thing in the world! 
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Beautiful pewter-colored morning sky: