11/11/19
(Above: The title of this post says it all.)
Active Summary: Today began with a ride around the beef pasture followed by a return to Jacobhouse where I wrote for about 1.5 hours. This was followed by my venturing outside and working on the deck railing – an endeavor that consisted of: fastening all the boards I cut yesterday* onto their intended sides, straightening all of the corner posts, and beginning the process of installing railings for the stairs. The lattermost task itself consisted of measuring/marking/cutting miniature versions of the deck’s railing, meaning that I used a 2×8 for the top, two 1x6s for the sides , and 2x6s for the internal supports.
(6:36 PM Update:) This afternoon primarily entailed cattle-work, part of which included the introduction of new neighbors (weanlings) to the lot surrounding Jacobhouse’s yard. It should also be noted that I did take time to tend to the garden before dusk arrived in full.
TIL: Today I learned the difference between subjectivity and objectivity. Subjective information refers to that which is garnered or produced through personal perspective, opinions, and sensations. Objective information, on the other hand, refers to empirical and proven facts.
Commentary: The first thing I noticed when looking outside the office window this morning was the arugula. Though the sproutlings were minuscule, I could tell from a distance that a large number had emerged from the soil during the night. To add to this, when I went outside to have a closer look, I noticed that there were little green seedlings poking up from the broccoli and kale rows.
I proceeded to test the soil and found it slightly dry to the touch, so I ended up turning on the sprinkler for half an hour. After that half-hour was up, I returned to the garden to ensure that the water had not uprooted or damaged any of the new arrivals. I found all to be well, and if anything, it seemed that even more shoots could be seen poking from the soil in the broccoli and kale rows, appearing almost like glittering green gemstones in the bright morning’s light. Objectively, I suppose it would have been better if they were emeralds, but subjectively, I’d much rather observe and tend to living, thriving flora.
Final Note: Tomorrow (and possibly later today), I intend to continue working on the railing for the deck stairs. Also, Padre gave me an idea on how to straighten the slight bows in those same steps, and I plan to implement the strategy within the next day or so. The fix will comprise of my cutting some 4x4s via sawzall that I will then endeavor to attach to the bottom side of each step via deck screws. My hope is that the power of those fasteners and of the thick 4x4s will be enough to straighten and strengthen the steps.
*The railings (2x8s) and the support boards beneath that tie the top 2×8 pieces to the pre-leveled 1x6s.