We’ve been very blessed in the weather so far this winter. It has been unseasonably mild most of the time. The temperature has only a time or two dipped lower than -10 (°C), and usually in the middle of the night. The kerosene heater has by and large been sufficient. A couple of days, though, it has been downright bloody COLD.

When it is so very cold, working with steel is distinctly unpleasant. The fingertips object most strenuously. (On the upside, there are no mosquitos.) Many warm-up breaks are necessary and it makes the work slow and tedious.

On just such a day we finally finished the end wall we had abandoned. The 17’4″ sheet leftover from the front wall fit the next-to-last slot quite well, and the last sheet (actually a partial width sheet. Only about 2/3 wide) we were able to add a single 12″ splice at the bottom in a way as not to be glaringly noticeable. It isnt perfect, by any means, but it means we can finish without having to purchase more steel, and that matters a lot.

While we were figuring out the wall, mom and the kids were beginning to haul the wood inside — now that we HAVE an inside, more or less — to dry out. We’ll be heating and cooking entirely with wood, so it doesnt do for the entire supply to be damp. Some at least needs to be dry and ready when the stove is installed. We have somewhere around 10 cord to split, stack and store, so any amount we can get moved and dry is good.

Having finished the one wall, we decided to begin on the last. We only got 2 of the 6.6 sheets up before we lost both daylight and feeling in our fingers, but it is nonetheless a start. We are less than a wall away from an actual building.

A year ago, on this date, our house wasn’t even on the market yet. What a strange ride this year has been.