So close. So far to go. Shares needed.

We are so close to this phase's goal. Less than a grand away from closing it out.

There's a big phase yet to come. There is so much that remains to be done: finishing the interior window/door casing; interior and exterior plasterwork, and all the materials costs that go with both; exterior window and door casing and building of the balcony; purchase and installation of interior doors; installation of bathroom fixtures; purchase of flooring, appliances, cabinetry, water heater; installation of the woodstove (which, thankfully, we've had for many, many years); completion of the still-unfinished wiring (and purchase and installation of lighting fixtures); the rest of the painting (which we're doing on our own); and that damned replacement septic system. And, of course, all the labor that goes with all of it, which is always the single biggest expense. We're currently down to a two-man crew for Monday's return, but when they reach the point of beginning the interior plasterwork, we've going to need to hire a third again, at least temporarily. There's no end to it. And the goal for the final phase is going to be very nearly as large as the one we're about to close out for this phase. We are stuck with mostly fixed costs here (and believe me, we're still getting a hell of a deal on most of it), and things are what they are. We've come too far on it to stop now, and I refuse to spend another year with us breathing the toxic air in this place. I'd sell off body parts to make it happen at this point, but I doubt mine are much use to anyone anymore. [I should also perhaps point out here that this is not a "starter home" for a young couple just starting out; we're far too old for that, and we're never, ever moving ::knocks wood superstitiously::. We are doing all of this exactly once, and no more. No additions, no renovations, no changes beyond what the woodwork and walls need to stay fresh. Once it's built, it's going to be maintenance and upkeep only, so that's why we're so insistent on doing it right the first time around.]

There is an internal deadline here, a point by which I need to have the house livable, and that line is about four months down the road. That's a lot to do in sixteen weeks. And I have to get it done, one way or another. And however tired you are of seeing these posts, you're nowhere near as tired as I am of writing them, or of dealing with the construction. I've done nothing but this for a year, technically more, and I am so very, very tired. But the first thing is closing out this phase, so I can get the guys back at it on Monday with whatever materials they're going to need to finish the casing and start the plaster prep, and then turn my attention to funding all the rest of it. So we're going to need shares for a good long while yet:

• Shares of our YouCaring page via the widgets provided, especially the widget code, which has once again been moved back to the purple box at the lower right-hand side of the page, that produces the image shown just above.
• Shares of Wings's site; sales also fund the construction (indeed, they are the baseline for it). Testimonials help.
• I've added Lowe's gift cards to our Amazon wishlist. We're having to spring for lumber, lath, and plaster material locally. The rest of what makes it habitable — flooring, paint, appliances, etc. — are coming from Lowe's, which is giving us the best selection and price, and therefore best bang for our buck, but it's still a lot. A LOT. And so one of the best, most immediate ways to help at this point is with Lowe's gift cards. I have three separate denominations posted on the wishlist, but cards in any amount whatsoever are useful; they all go into the same pool. We're going to have to take care of the flooring very, very soon.

Still, before you share our links, please go share Laura's. Lin's spirit is where the water meets the light, but Laura will still need our help for a while. Please T/R/share/donate to her fund if you can. Especially that last. It's needed.

In the meantime, please also take a moment to share the links above.

I had planned to throw caution to the winds and resume painting today, but Wings has insisted that I not do anything that taxing yet; we'll go back to that on Thursday, when the crew is off again. He's right; I'm nowhere near ready for physical labor yet, and frankly, neither is he, but being so far behind is frustrating me to no end. Our low rate of sales (not abnormal for this time of year, but not at all helpful either) is also frustrating me endlessly, because all it would take is a couple of the larger items to sell and I'd be assured of being able to order all the materials the crew needs for the remainder of the month. On that note, I also can't emphasize enough the utility of Lowe's cards. It's far more expensive to buy most of this stuff locally (except the lumber and lath), and being able to order it from Lowe's saves us a tremendous amount in materials costs. So please, continue to share all the links, and to those of you who have stuck with us all this way and continue to do so, thank you, from the bottom of both our hearts.

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