Beginning August

Aug 2

Sam worked alone in the heat this morning. I’m having trouble with the perennial back problem…(Can’t even tie my shoes! ) It usually takes a week or two for me to get things back in working order after a back injury, so Sam is on his own. I might have done just a little too much lifting of stone at the house site and wood at the mill than was good for me. It does look like the next few days will give us a break from the humidity of the last month so I’ll cook a good meal or two for the hard-working Sam while my back heals! Sam did manage today to complete the first layer of stonework on the last of the eight wall foundations. He did a good job on his own and it does make it appear as if we are finally getting somewhere. We also missed the heavy rain just to the north of us that otherwise would have left us back in the mud and unable to get anything done for the next couple of days.

Aug. 9

Finally after more than a week and with a little help from my chiropractor, John, I was able to do a little work on the foundation along with Sam…only small stones in little increments between stretches but work none the less. This has been a particularly bad stretch of back trouble and is far from over, but maybe the mend is beginning. We have two of 8 walls of the foundation at height and nearly ready to begin laying block on. Tomorrow if everything holds we should be able to complete two more. The stone piles appear to be enough to finish without having to hunt for any more materials. We will soon need some dirt for the backfill, particularly on the inside of the house before walls begin to go up. Perhaps the best part of the day was the dew points. The high temp today was about 75 and dew points were in the 50’s for the first time in almost two months, and better yet, the current conditions should hold for a couple more days! Maybe the worst of the heat is finally over but I’m not counting on it.

The hiatus on my part has given me some time to reflect on the project. Sam is indeed lucky at his age to have this experience. With the economy about to maybe enter a second recessionary period and job opportunities for young people so few, Sam couldn’t have a better time to make this multi year commitment. But it has also been good for me. I’m sure I would have found any number of activities to fill my hours but this large scale operation has kept me on my intellectual toes planning everything and has engendered lots of visits from curious and sometimes helpful friends who have been keeping track of the project. I begin to feel a bit sorry for those who don’t have opportunities like this and wonder why other retirees or semi-retired people don’t consider challenges like this…especially ones that include taking a young person on board and giving them a start in life using whatever skills and financial resources they have. There is always the risk if the project collapsing, never to be finished, but I think I have chosen both the project and the helper/recipient carefully. But if it did stop tomorrow, I already feel that it has been well worth the time and money for the pleasure it has given me. Sam will have to tell you if he feels the same.

Jim