Cutting wood versus cuttin’ cattle.

6/25/19

(Above: Plywood, 2x4s, and furring strips cut and ready for fastening to the closet-wall.)

Building Summary: I started off this morning by sifting through a bucket of screws to locate ones that were suitable for fastening up plywood. It took about ten minutes of sorting, but I came away with half a container* of suitable screws ranging from 1 ⁵/₈” to 2″ (rather than 3″ to 3 ½”). Then, amidst a little extra farm activity, I marked, measured, and cut all of the plywood, 2x4s, and furring strips that I will be using on the inside of the closet-wall’s shelf area.

Commentary: There were two primary points of interest this morning – a highlight and a shenanigan. I think I’ll begin with the latter. It arrived in the form of a midmorning arm activity and consisted of moving heifers from the east pasture to the so-called ‘lagoon lot’. Ordinarily, this is a simple process, but today there was a bovine of Brahman lineage that decided she really did not want to join her compatriots at their new home. Thus, after some difficulty (and after my having to retrieve a nearby plank of wood in the name of self defense), the beast broke out.

We couldn’t go after her right away, because we already had a mini-herd of other heifer caught and ready to move, so we had to let her be for a time. She was nowhere to be seen when we finished, but we thought we heard some cars slowing down on the nearby highway. So, we mounted the Segways and went searching. Sure enough, Padre found her pretty quickly and somehow got her into the yard of old-house where he awaited my aid in putting her back into the pasture.

Due to the above description only presenting a vague image of the shenanigan, I’ve included a map below where one can see the half-mile distance that the beast ran.

As for the morning’s highlight, it was a much more pleasant experience that came in the form of a fully air-conditioned Jacobhouse. Now that the postern wall (Wall #6) is completely sealed, my future dwelling place is presently well lit and cool. I left the air on all night, because I wanted to see what the place would feel like when the appliance was allowed to catch up with the outside temperature. It turns out that the portable air-conditioner is more than able to keep Jacobhouse cool. Every time I had to go make a measurement at the closet-wall or fetch an additional supply, I was greeted by a welcome blast of glacial air. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that cold, but it certainly felt it compared to the oppressive morning blaze.

Final Note: Tomorrow I intend to fasten up the boards I cut today (already tested, and found that they will fit), and then I will begin working on the plywood for the closet-wall’s east and west sides.

*An actual screw-container that was previously filled before the onset of dump-wagon and Jacobhouse. About a pint in size.