update

The summer days have settled into a type of rhythm.

First, our outdoor alarm clock awakens us promptly at seven. Men with hard hats are hard at work just out my bedroom window, running large machines, shoveling gravel, drilling water lines, and generally getting 'er done. I step out onto the porch after getting dressed, stretching and yawning as I shut the door behind me, in order to survey their progress.

Hubby is usually up and out the door before the rest of us are awake. Slowly, the remainder of the household arises, slaps down a bowl of cereal and a strong cup o' joe, and reads dad's chore-list. One might assume that we are busy beavers this summer, and that assumption is very correct. But the project at the top of our list is the finish renovating one of our rental properties up the hill, not fixing up the stone house!

Our family loves a project. Each day, I attempt to devote four to five hours painting and rolling at the properties. Jon has been sheet-rocking, Matthew has been taping, "mudding", and sanding, Ben has been putting up trim and screwing down floors, Ana has been painting trim and cleaning the work site. It has been quite the family endeavor! Our goal is to complete three apartments by the first of August. (Pictures to come!)

In the Old Stone Home department, I painted another cast-off chair for the front porch. Also, Ana and I brought home some beautiful hanging annuals. (We hope these little touches detract from the porch's creaky flooring and the sagging ceiling!) Other than unpacking a few boxes of books and keeping the yard mowed, this is about all the attention we have given our new abode this week.

The bridge crew and the road crew are busy digging on both sides of the property. Our driveway is blocked off for a few days as they continue to yank old, rusted oil tanks out from underground. (This favor is one of the "extras" that we recieve for the inconvenience of all the construction.) The workers told us that the tanks are a throwback from the days when the mill powered its engines from private tanks. This means that these tanks date back to the 1930s, at least.

The persistant rains have caused the river to rise quite significantly. The crew's dams have given way and they are scrambling to keep the project moving ahead. This week, they are working on placing wooden forms underneath the stone arches so that they can be repaired.

The swollen river has not prevented me from a daily kayak workout, though! I steer clear of the falls and enjoy a trip to the railroad bridge and back, viewing blue heron and painted turtles along the way.