November 7
Well, it FEELS like nineteen different things are going on all at the same time here at the building site today. I don’t think there are actually that many, but you get the idea.
The place is HOPPING!
Here’s what is happening today:
1. Water tanks are being connected to each other and to the water pipes.
2. Propane tank has arrived. It is installed and connected.
3. Backyard patio has been laid out and the footings for the adobe walls that will outline the patio are being poured.
4. Kitchen cabinets are now on the walls, thanks to Arnold’s amazing woodworking skills.
5. My bathroom is being prepared for tile.
6. The West End of the house has been dusted and vacuumed and is now partitioned from the rest of the house with a big plastic sheet.
7. Both kivas are completed. We are waiting to decide on the color scheme of the kivas. Might go lighter or darker in the Living Room, depending on how the kiva colors work with the kitchen tile colors.
8. Steve goes off to buy a long list of items from the hardware store…
Progress has been steady and, in the case of Arnold, fast!
technical
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- This is new: cement!
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- Gas or electrical?
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- Don’t know, but I am happy to see this stuff anyway.
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- Now THIS is gas!
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- And here is the propane tank!
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- Steve promises this will never blow up. Confidence is high.
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- The big guns are both here today: Tony the Plumber and Steve the Builder. Yay!
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- More cement. And more on this later.
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- The sand pile grows and diminishes each day…
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- More pipes…
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- Still more pipes…
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- Even more pipes! Rainwater reclamation project is looking good.
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- Getting connected.
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- Bella asks: What is going on over here?
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- I’m not sure yet, Bella, but check out this dirt pile!
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- Ah, they are pouring the small foundation for the adobe block walls for the patio!
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- Here comes more of that cement we saw earlier!
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- Bella and Niles find this fascinating…
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- I think I love the new kiva…
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- Through the window, you can see the footings for the adobe walls for the new patio.
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- Behind me, there are now kitchen cabinets on the walls!
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- A little lighter, maybe? A little darker? We will decide later when the kitchen tile is in place…
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- So much storage!
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- The oven goes where the ladder is, with the microwave above it.
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- Thanks to Arnold, this kitchen is taking shape!
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- Fridge goes where the vacuum cleaner is…
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- Looking outside again, the footings are being poured.
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- A quick check of my bathroom–getting ready for the “Paloma Azul” tiles…
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- Mechanical Room door: is it about to be stained/varnished/distressed? Hope so!
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- We’ve got some magical blue skies today.
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- Camo in action!
personal
We walked the Old Walk today, thinking the cows had chosen somewhere else to be, with the weather growing colder. Nope. They were still around. Bella and Niles stalk them and make a big show, but the black cows just stand there, implacable. Unless one of them is spooked–and then they all hightail it to a safe place, about 10 yards from their original spot. They do not like to move much…
We saw evidence of Autumn today and the air was a lot cooler. I bring the same amount of water as usual, but we drink less. The burning sun of Summer is now hidden behind a blanket of clouds and I wear a hoodie every day. Winter Is Coming…and that’s wonderful!
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- Such a strange sky. Clouds blanket the blue.
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- After the “greening up” of Spring, we have the “browning down” of Autumn.
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- Remember how green the plains were, far away? No longer…
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- And the sotols really are starting to decline…
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- Sotol Exhibit A. This is the real sky. I did not enhance this image in any way.
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- A Chihuahuan Desert Autumnal Landscape
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- Still some green, of course, but Winter Is Coming.
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- We will all miss this mesquite tree when it sheds its leaves…
Going ahead fast indeed!
😀
Thanks, Verónica! Yes, things are moving fast now.