Today started fairly early, and goodNESS was it cold! Frost on the windows and the inside of the doors, hard on the toes and fingers.

I headed off to the hardware store for more strapping and burlap, for corner brackets to stop the bed frames from wobbling, and to check on my insulation order. Sadly, the insulation will be another week, as it took them some time to track some down.

Then to the feedstore. Miss Maggie Goat is supposed to be joining us this week, so we needed the bedding for her stall. Sawdust pellets and woodchips, ready and waiting.

Then, since I was alone for once, I decided to indulge in a ‘quick’ trip into the local quilting shop. Dangerous places, quilt shops. So many things to look at. Beautiful fabrics, flosses, threads, dyes. Someday, when I have time, space, and disposable income, I shall have to go back. In the way of rural communities here, I was drawn into conversation with first the manager and then the owner. Who am I? Where am I from? Who are my people? What brought us out this way? We chatted comfortably for probably half an hour, and before I left, she had me leave our number in case she hears of someone looking for laborers. Husband is looking for a job now that the structure is up.

The afternoon’s work was more of the bed frame.

I had run out of burlap before I finished covering the mattress frames, so that was my first job. Husband cut and measured and screwed on support cleats, attached the corner brackets, and both of us hammered on the slat rails of all 3 bunkframes.

The top and bottom bunks are regular, running east-west. The middle bunk will be turned 90°, running north-south and overlapping the bottom bunk. The extra support pole and cleats in the above picture are where the 3rd bunk will rest. Not ideal, surely, but with the space constraints, the best we can do. Tomorrow, we will cut slats and slats and slats and get those set in place, and we will start work on the sink frame. We already started on the mental part of that before we quit for the day.