Back where we started, with batter boards and Bobcats. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

Yup; back where we were more than a year ago, just beginning this whole process: with batter boards and Bobcats.

Only different.

I bet you don't know what it is you're actually seeing in that photo up there. Yes, the Bobcat, but that's only the means; the end is past it. Up close, it looks like this:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

See how nice and flat all that earth is? That's what Junior dug up and left, scars in the earth approaching two feet deep. Senior came out today for a completely different purpose, which the electrician's failure to show yesterday largely effed up, so he went back, got the Bobcat, and corrected the mess now that the ground is finally drying up somewhat. Raven approves, clearly.

What Senior and his employee showed up to do was to get the gas to the house hooked up, tested, and live. Unfortunately, the electrician needed to have completed his part of the whole hooking-up thing, and of course he bailed with no notice yesterday, so the plumbers could do part of the job, but not all of it. They did, however, manage to get us this:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

A nice new hookup to the propane tank for the house. Once Victor gets the electrical done (and he will get it done this week, because I will be his worst nightmare if he screws around), Ismael will come back out and finish it, and then we can theoretically go upstairs in the house and take a real shower, even if we can't yet live in it. Even a bath, which we have not been able to do in seven years. So you understand my sense of urgency regarding the electrical work.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

The rest of the crew did a little on the woodwork today, but it was relatively minor, because mostly it was finishing up the sealing on the baseboards and small doors and setting them to dry. They spent the vast majority of the day outside, going back to batter boards. you can see them at either end of the house in the photo above. Here's a close-up:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

The chickens, of course, think it's all for them, all this lovely digging and turning up of new earth. What it's really for is the upstairs deck. This morning, Wings and I went to Olguin's to order the posts that will anchor the whole thing. Everyone assumes twisted posts, but no; we did price the ones with the least amount of carving on them, and they're three times more expensive than plain 16-footers. That's a whole appliance, or half the bathroom tilework, so, nope. We're going with plain old 6Xs. [Later on, Wings also ordered the first round of lumber from Olguin's, because it turns out that the local hardware and lumberyard to whom we've given so many thousands of dollars in business over the past year sells "units" of the relevant size for a smooth three grand. Nope, nope, nope. There are a few areas where we've paid out more to upgrade something that will be of considerable use to us or will save us a lot in the long run, like the water heater, but for the basics, we're keeping stuff as stripped-down as possible on expenses, and this is a perfect example.] At any rate, there's not much to show for the day visually, but the guys got a long, long way on getting the groundwork laid, so to speak, for the last of the actual construction. Once it's up, they'll be able to do the color coat and paint the trim much more easily, too.

I am still, however, battling this exacerbation. I have no idea what the specific trigger was, other than, most likely, the cumulative effects of lack of sleep. But my entire body seems to be rejecting, well, pretty much everything, from eating to sleeping to moving around. Going to Olguin's was a big thing for me today, as absurd as that sounds. I'm wiped, so here are the links (and if anyone wants to know, Home Depot cards are far and away the most useful thing right now):

• Wings's site, for sales;
• Lowe's cards (the physical version) via our Amazon wishlist;
• Lowe's e-cards (delivered via e-mail) here; and
• Home Depot cards via the company site. The e-version using my e-mail address is great; I take the tablet to the store with me, and they scan it off the screen.

Please share them all, as much as possible. One large sale would go a long way toward making up the difference (the water heater is paid in full, but now there's all the other stuff, including the softener that has to go in before hook-up; yes, it's expensive, but it's going to save us a ton in the long run). I'm going to limp out to the chicken coop and try to get all the little monsters in for the night, then limp back in and make dinner (I may not eat it, but Wings needs to eat, at least). Miskwaki, by the way, is mostly limp-free now; Dahlia is walking even worse than I am — okay, she's not walking at all; she's hopping on one foot — but she's covering some ground, and if she can keep at it, I guess I can, too. Love and thanks to everyone.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.