Winter is here but the work must go on. Jer and I did a day trip in November but without the trailer to stay in it’s pretty miserable. The volunteer fire station that I would have used for a bathroom is closed. While we have our generator for a few indoor lights and outlets, we have no real heat. I don’t count the one small propane heater because the space is so big, limiting it's effectiveness.
Jer went back one more day in November to work on some tongue and grove ceiling in our vaulted area. I stayed home. Honestly, I’ve dreaded going because of how cold I get. Jer works in his shorts and a sweatshirt, while I wear three layers on my legs, four on my torso, two gloves, two socks and my boots, and sometimes two hats. Still, we can’t just take the winter off like we have for the last two years. We have a deadline to meet.
With gritted teeth and working to stay positive, we left at six in the morning. The weather has been warmer but wet. The sun rose as we drove towards our property with the clouds quickly chasing behind it. It’s almost a miracle there was no snow on the roads or on our driveway in December! We would have had to trudge down our long winding driveway on foot if we weren’t able to drive in.
Our goal this Saturday was to see how much sheet rock we could install in six hours. We did one small section around a window about a month ago but this time we were going to start with the ceiling in the bedroom. After lighting our little heater and settling our small dog into her spot, we discussed how to proceed. This is where it gets sticky. Both Jer and I are problem solvers. He’s actually the one who’s done the research, but I have questions. I often defer to him on these things, but it sometimes takes a while to get there.
Homes always have imperfections, and you find them at different stages. The framer misplaced the rafters. This meant we couldn’t just put up the board. We had to add two by fours boards to the rafters where the ends of the wall board met. It was a hassle, but we were incredibly thankful for the lift and all the tools our neighbor has been letting us borrow. It really did help us do the job. We were able to complete one third of the room before we packed up. It might not sound like much but for beginners, it’s not bad.
One of my favorite things was watching the snow as it began to fall, so beautiful, and I wasn’t freezing. A double win for the weekend!
Comments