(Above: The roof is almost finished. Only a few screws are missing. El techo está casi terminado. Solo faltan algunos tornillos.)
1/11/2026: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the low 70s. Foggy, cloudy, and slightly rainy morning ensued by a sunny, breezy, and cool afternoon.
The foggy morning of January 11, 2026. La madrugada neblinosa del 11 de enero de 2026. 
El almuerzo consistía en una ensalada verde cubierta con rodajas de carne de res y huevo de pato duro. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela. 
On the afternoon of January 11, 2026, my father and I gave fluids to a calf to balance the acidity of its blood. I don’t know if it’s going to work. Something quite infectious has been circulating amongst the herd. En la tarde de del 11 de enero de 2026, mi padre y yo le dimos líquidos a un ternero para equilibrar la acidez de su sangre. No sé si va a funcionar. Algo bastante contagioso he estado circulando entre la manada. 
A photo of me on the roof, working. It was a pretty afternoon. Una foto mía en el techo, trabajando. Fue una bonita tarde. 
We made a lot of progress on the roof of Jacobhouse this afternoon. Hicimos muchos progresos en el techo de la casita esta tarde. 
The dinner consisted of a green salad topped with a fried mixture of beef and sweet potato. In addition, there was green salsa, cottage cheese, and avocado. La cena consistía en una ensalada verde cubierta con una mezcla frita de carne de res y batata. Además, había salsa verde, requesón y aguacate. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
1/12/2026: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the high 60s. Weird clouds in the morning.
The sunrise of January 12, 2026 with strange clouds in the sky. El amanecer del 12 de enero de 2026 con extrañas nubes en el cielo. 
Last night I finished this book about longhorn cattle. It was an excellent book and it gave me a history I had never heard before. Anoche terminé este libro sobre los cuernos largos. Fue un libro excelente y me dio una historia que nunca había escuchado antes. 
This morning we went to the dentist for a dental cleaning. Esta mañana fuimos al dentista para limpieza dental. 
After the dental cleaning, my father and I went to Sushi Bistro to get lunch. The appetizer consisted of a bowl of miso soup. Después de la limpieza dental, mi Padre y yo fuimos a Sushi Bistro para conseguir almuerzo. El entrante consistía en un tazón de sopa de miso. 
The main course was a platter full of sushi. El plato principal fue una bandeja llena de sushi. 
Later I worked on the roof of my house adding metal sheets (with the help of Padre and Wag) and attaching them to the wood underneath. Más tarde trabajé en el techo de mi casa agregando láminas de metal (con la ayuda de mi padre y tío) y fijándolas a la madera que estaba debajo. 
The roof has progressed a lot. El techo ha avanzado mucho. 
The dinner consisted of wagyu London broil accompanied by a slice of cheese bread and a green salad. There was also a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce for dipping. La cena consistía en London broil de wagyu acompañado de una rebanada de pan de queso y una ensalada verde. Además, había un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera para mojar. 
The dessert: a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
1/13/2025: Today began in the low 50s and warmed into the low 70s. Mostly cloudy.
A photo of the writing that took place on the morning of January 13, 2026. Una foto de la escritura que tuvo lugar en la mañana de 13 de enero de 2026. 
This is the Mississippi-style stew I prepared for dinner on January 13, 2026. Este es el guiso al estilo Mississippi que preparé para la cena del 13 de enero de 2026. 
Lunch consisted of a mixture of beef, sweet potato, and duck egg. There was also a salad with plenty of green cabbage. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla de carne de res, batata y huevo de pato. Además, había una ensalada con mucho repollo verde. 
This is a cross between a Belgian Blue and an Angus. Esta es un cruce entre un azul belga y un Angus. 
The dinner consisted of Mississippi-style stew garnished with green cabbage and accompanied by a salad prepared by Padre. It happened after a dance class and an agribusiness class. La cena consistía en guiso al estilo mississippi adornado con repollo verde y acompañado de una ensalada preparada por mi padre. Ocurrió después de una clase de baile y una clase de agronegocios. 
The dessert consisted of a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre consistía en una manzana roja en rodajas es espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogurt griego.
1/14/2026: Today began in the low 50s and warmed into the mid 60s. Mostly cloudy. Slightly drizzly afternoon.
11/14/2026: Today began in the low 50s and warmed into the mid 60s. Mostly cloudy. Slightly drizzly afternoon.
A photo of the flock of sheep on the cloudy morning of January 14, 2026. Una foto del rebaño de las ovejas en la madrugada nublada del 14 de enero de 2026. 
This is a rib roast from a Wagyu steer. I got it from the butcher today. Este es un asado de costilla de un novillo Wagyu. Lo conseguí del carnicero hoy. 
A photo of one side of the roast. Una foto de un lado del asado. 
The dessert for lunch (leftovers from the previous night’s stew): a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre para el almuerzo (sobras del guiso de la noche anterior): una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
A photo of a sheep being treated on the cloudy afternoon of January 14, 2026. Una foto del tratamiento de una oveja en la tarde nublada del 14 de enero de 2026 
On the cloudy afternoon of January 14, 2026, I finished attaching the roof sheeting to Jacobhouse. (Padre and Wag helped me put the panels on top of the house.) En la tarde nublada del 14 de enero de 2026 terminé fijando las láminas del techo a mi casita. (Mi padre y mi tío me ayudó a colocar las laminas sobre la casa.) 
The roof is almost finished. Only a few screws are missing. El techo está casi terminado. Solo faltan algunos tornillos. 
This is the Wagyu tri-tip I prepared for dinner. Esta es la colita de cuadril de Wagyu que preparé para la cena. 
The plated dinner: a few pieces of tritip accompanied by a green salad, a slice of cheese bread, a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce, and a glass of red wine. La cena emplatada: algunos trozos de colita de cuadril acompañados de una ensalada verde, una rebanada de pan de queso, un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera y un cuerno de vino tinto.
1/15/2026: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the mid 50s. Sunny and windy.
This morning (January 15, 2026), I placed the lamb from the freezers into some new baskets that Brimage made. Esta mañana (15 de enero de 2026), coloqué el cordero de los congeladores en algunas nuevas cestas qué hizo el Sr. Brimage. 
A fountain of diarrhea on the morning of January 15, 2026. Surprisingly, the calf is doing quite well today (1-16-2026). Un fuente (de diarrea) en la mañana del 15 de enero del 2026. Sorprendentemente, el ternero está bastante bien hoy (16-1-2026). 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of duck eggs and beef. All of this was accompanied by a salad made by Padre. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos de pato y carne de res. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada hecha por mi padre. 
Today, after lunch, I prepared the stew for tomorrow’s lunch. It contains 12 pounds of beef and a chicken and tomato broth seasoned with fresh rosemary, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and chili de árbol. Hoy, después del almuerzo, preparé el guiso para el almuerzo de mañana. Contiene 12 libras de carne de res y un caldo de pollo y tomate condimentado con romero fresco, orégano, albahaca, laurel y chili de árbol. 
On the afternoon of January 15, 2026, I finished securing the edges of the roof panels with screws. En la tarde del 15 de enero de 2026, terminé de fijar los bordes de las láminas del techo con tornillos. 
Dinner consisted of a Wagyu hamburger steak topped with Tomme cheese and accompanied by a large salad garnished with chopped onion and slices of pickled cucumber. La cena consistía en un bistec de hamburguesa de Wagyu cubierto con queso Tomme y acompañado de una gran ensalada adornada con cebolla picada y rodajas de pepino encurtido. 
The dessert: a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
I was still hungry, so I ate a small dessert of peanuts, árbol chili, and a little honey. Todavía tenía hambre y por eso comí un pequeño postre de cacahuate, chile de árbol y un poco de miel.
1/16/2026: Today began in the low 30s and warmed into the mid 50s. Sunny.
The sunny sunrise on January 16, 2026 on the center field. El amanecer soleado del 16 de enero de 2026 en el campo central. 
Lunch consisted of Italian-Polish style beef stew garnished with grated Tomme and Swiss cheese. This was accompanied by a salad made by Padre. El almuerzo consistía en guiso de res al estilo italiano-polaco adornado con queso Tomme & Suizo rallado. Este estaba acompañado de una ensalada hecha por mi padre. 
A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
The sunny afternoon of January 16, 2026, in the easternmost field of the ranch. La tarde soleada del 16 de enero de 2026 en el campo más al este rancho. 
Dinner was almost the same as lunch: a few bowls of beef stew accompanied by a green salad. There was also a slice of homemade pizza prepared by my father. Dinner took place quite late, after dance class. La cena fue casi lo mismo como el almuerzo: algunos tazones de guiso de res acompañados de una ensalada verde. Además, había una rebanada de pizza casera preparada por mi padre. La cena tuvo lugar bastante tarde después de clase de baile.
1/17/2026: Today began in the high 30s and warmed into the low 70s. Sunny.
Lunch on January 17, 2026, took place after a busy morning at the Master Blend store. It consisted of beef sausages, sardines, and a salad garnished with slices of pickled cucumber and chopped onion. El almuerzo del 17 de enero del 2026 tuvo lugar después de una mañana ocupada en la tienda de Master Blend. Consistía en salchichas de res, sardinas, y una ensalada adornada con rodajas de pepino encurtido y cebolla picada. 
The dessert: a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and served with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego. 
This is a homemade Almond Joy, made by one of my customers (Tammy). Although I could sense the presence of sugar, it had an excellent taste and texture. Este es un Almond Joy casero, hecho por una de mis clientes (Tammy). Aunque podía sentir la presencia de azúcar, tenía un sabor y una textura excelente. 
The mostly cloudy afternoon of January 17, 2026. La tarde mayormente nublada del 17 de enero de 2026. 
Dinner consisted of leftover Italian-Polish style stew. This was accompanied by a green salad made by my Padre and two slices of toasted sourdough bread. La cena consistía en sobras de guiso estilo italiano-polaco. Esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre y dos rebanadas de pan de masa madre tostadas.
Final Note: Just this week, I’ve reached a couple major ‘checkpoints’. Firstly, the roof is in place and firmly fastened to Jacobhouse. Secondly, I’ve completed the outline for Book 2 – To Lands Beyond. I found it interesting how I ended up writing the book’s prologue last. I’m including its epigraph here. It contains a bit of Olna’s rough wisdom from her life in the East Woods of the Rhoanoke Plateau:
“You ever seen somethin’ kick it ‘cause they were stopped up?”
“W-what?”
“From not takin’ a shit. Have you ever seen something die from not taking a shit?’
“No.”
“Terrible way to go. You have to eat, otherwise you starve, but then you eat and the pain just builds. It keeps buildin’ and buildin’ until nothin’s left but pain. No hunger. No thirst. No desire. Just pain. One of my old sows died like that, few roundin's back. Told myself the next time I saw it happenin', I’d just knock the poor crichur over the head...
“I see that look; still not a clue what I’m talkin' 'bout. It’s what you’re doin' to yourself, girl. You’ve got to let go. Loss is as much a part of life as shittin’ is part of eatin’. You had your mum. A good mum who taught you, protected you, nurtured you. And you had your mutt. Your dog. Kalb, was it? He probably did all the things dogs do. They helped you, but they can’t help anymore. No more than a biscuit you ate three days past.
“Now, I’m not sayin' you have to take Bear with you, ’cause I’ve come to enjoy that little clod, but you’ve got to let go of your mum and your dog. You’ve got to let go and make room for more, 'cause you’ve got to eat t'live. And life don’t wait. Life goes on whether you want it to or no.”
- East Woodswoman Olna to Shantrel d’ Papari
Incredible week, congratulations on the roof, and I’ll just reiterate that writing is ridiculous, so glad you share.