One month?

9/20/19

(Above: Jacobhouse patiently awaiting a resident.)

Building Summary: Today I did not begin Jacobhouse activities until about 10:00 AM. Prior to that time, I was busy checking beefers, meeting with Rachael Weber (the egg lady who I’m making a website for), venturing down to Harbison Farmers’ market, packing the procured produce away on returning to old-house, and preparing lunch (more in TIL).

After all this was complete, I set about ordering internet service for Jacobhouse. The call took about twenty-five minutes, and now I have a technician coming out this upcoming Tuesday. A ride down to my future dwelling ensued whereupon I removed all the salt / 2x4s from yesterday before finding / scribbling down myriad measurements for: the closet-wall’s slide-out door, the two office cupboard doors, the two sections of ‘floor’ to be placed in the closet-wall, and the bathroom cupboard’s door. Before finishing up for the morning, I cut the closet-wall’s faceplate from the makeshift workbench in the barn*.

(7:33 PM Update): I helped Padre and Wag lay some pipe for the Studio and Workshop projects this afternoon, and after I was no longer needed, went about cutting the various cupboard doors listed in the building summary. All I have left to cut are the couple pieces of ‘floor’ for inside the closet wall. I may also smoothen the edge of the bathroom’s cupboard door, because there is a slight bow (1/8″) in the middle of one of the long edges.

TIL: Today I learned how to tenderize roundsteak – one of the toughest cuts of beef. I simply bought a pineapple at Harbison Farmers’ Market, put it in a blender when I got home**, and then poured the slurry into a Ziploc tub. I added the meat afterward and made sure every surface was coated by the marinade.

After putting groceries away and making the aforementioned Centurylink call, I was on my way back to the farm when I realized I did not know how long the steak should be left in its flesh-eating bath (for that is what pineapple does; it ‘pre-digests’ the beef). I looked it up and discovered that I had already let it go 15 minutes too long. It was only supposed to sit in that marinade for an hour!

I quickly rushed home, took the steak out, and rinsed it off, noticing as I did so that the beef was indeed beginning to fall apart in my hands. I still ended up cooking it for lunch, and it was delicious. However, I must say… it could have done without those 15 extra minutes. The outer layer of beef possessed a texture akin to liver (slightly ‘custardy’… but very flavorful). I will be using the method again, albeit next time I will follow appropriate time tables, and I may ‘fork’ the meat to create better marinade distribution.

Commentary: As stated above, I made the call in to Centurylink today, and they are going to send a technician out on the 24^th of September. Internet service shall begin soon after, and I will have one active line at Old-house and another at Jacobhouse. Due to internet not being the ‘cheapest’ subscription, I plan on there being only one month of overlapping service. In a way, I suppose that also means I plan on being moved into Jacobhouse within the next month.

Change is coming, and I am looking forward to it. (***)

Final Note: Tomorrow I intend to cut the other pieces of plywood on my list and then sand/prime all of them.

*The very same workbench I used to paint molding.

** All of it, minus the top. The skin can stay on.

*** Out of everything that I look forward to, one of the main events that I am truly interested to experience is sleeping in an actual bed through the night within the cozy chambers of my own abode. I believe that will be the point where there is no denying the fact: ‘I’m living here, now.’