Inside

It got cold and rainy this week, so I shifted my focus to inside the greenhouse. Kind of bummed the windows weren't in yet! That should happen this week. Made good progress on the wood stove, the table, and the fans. Nothing is quite there, but at least the roof is done. Nervous that it shrunk in the cold, so now there is tension on the membrane, but we shall see what happens. Looks great for now anyway. 

The girls had a more normal week for a change. Fun to have Grammie here on Thursday & Friday. Took a nice walk or two. Naomi is still super busy and is working all weekend. What a bummer. Glad she has such a nice office though! 

Had another cookout last night with some neighbors. It was fun. They are immigration lawyers and explained that the big 100k price tag on a certain type of visa is meant to force companies to use AI instead of people. They still have no shortage of clients, though. 

Lots of strawberries and weeds.

Another sunrise at Meijer with Amélie!

Visit from Alaska

We had a lot of fun with Kalia, Joshua, Evi, and Willa. It was great that they could spend a couple days up here along with my parents, lining up with the Monday the girls had off from school, and we even got to see them on Wednesday for a bit of bonus time. The girls had a half day of school and we went down to Escanaba for some apple picking and birch bark hunting. 

Our girls are starting to hang out with some friends in the neighborhood and they take their bikes to the park and such. Lots of fun for them and a big adjustment for us! Quickly turning into teenagers. Amélie is really excited about getting an aquarium for Christmas. We were checking them out at the pet store and the one she wanted is, of course, one of the most expensive ones. Not sure how, but two days ago she was biking to the park, and spotted that exact same aquarium next to the road that someone was giving away! What are the chances. Naomi happened to be driving behind them with the car, so she picked it up. Now we can pick up any needed parts that aren't working and focus on getting more fish and plants for her!

Naturally, I grossly underestimated the amount of time it would take to knock out the brick work for the entryway of the greenhouse. Managed to get it done this week. Just a bit more grading to do and the outside earthworks will be done enough for winter. Now my back needs a break. Most of the landscaping is for the spring. The stovepipe is in and sealed up! Ready for organic material. Got the southern facing green roofs in too. Amélie helped with that and we planted a bunch of spring bulbs. It was fun. 

Dead River hike.

Ice cream at Jilbert's

Stove pipe is sealed.

Apple picking in Escanaba.

Backside of the wall.

Green roof guts.

Got some mint and strawberry in too!

Should be solid.

Cheese Roll

Apparently the cheese roll is a thing in the UK. A group of racers chases a wheel of cheese down a mountain and the first one to get to it gets the cheese. Lots of broken bones. They are starting up the tradition here in Marquette, and we went to the ski hill to check it out. It was a lot of fun! I'm definitely happy in the spectator role. After that we went out to our land for a fall cookout with some friends and family. My parents, sister, and her family came up to stay with us for a couple days. Lots of fun!

It's good to take a little break from the greenhouse. I have been pushing really hard this week as I had the tractor for a couple days and wanted to make the most of it. Then the rain was coming, so I wanted to get the roof on the north side. Sure am grateful for that tractor! Got two months of manual labor done in two days. 

The girls had another cooking class and it was a lot of fun. Naomi's Zumba class got canceled, so we walked out to the Presque Isle lighthouse instead. It's a lot farther than it looks! Amélie and I also had a lot of fun thinking about an aquarium for her room. She volunteered to cook dinner for me when I wasn't able to finish my greenhouse work on time! It was delicious and much appreciated. 

Southside roof finished up!

Got a table built too for some structural support. 

Unwrapping a giant present!

Way out into the lake.

Moonrise.

Getting the insulation in.

Working on some drainage.

Extending the performance envelope invisibly.

Fun at the mountain.

It was a great cookout!

August in October

Not really sure what is going on with the weather - but it is unsettling! A month ago it was cold, rainy, and we lit the fireplace. Yesterday we were at the beach and one peach tree still has peaches that are ripening up! Last night it barely dropped below 70 and the wind kicked up. The days are shorter, but the temperatures don't agree.

Forgot to water the garden yesterday - it has been so dry and the tomatoes are still going strong! Also forgot to take a picture of the greenhouse. Mom helped again with the final round of woodcrete. Managed to get the lower roof on as well. Sure looks different now! Also got the southern structural supports done on the inside. Just need to get the plastic and insulation installed, then I can take the tent down. We shall see how bad the wind is today. Grateful it has stayed so dry, but once the tent comes down, need another stretch of dry weather to get the upper roof on and the earth filled in. 

The girls had a great cross country meet nearby our house, and Grammie and Grampie were here for it! Hard to believe that just a week ago we were heading down to Escanaba to pick up the girls. Naomi continues to work too hard and it is starting to catch up with her. Unfortunately, not much of a break in sight, and I am feeling slammed with the fact that it is actually October and there is a lot left to do before the snow comes, so I am not much help for her. Probably rain tonight for the first time in a long time, so that adds another wrinkle. 

Naomi and I got to enjoy a great lunch with just the two of us!

Sealed up!

Using the bricks we made in June.

Making the air intake.

Great running at Forestville!

Caught a mouse. 

Amélie and I got to see a beautiful sunrise from Meijer's parking lot!