front window

We picked up wood for trimming the windows and corners of the cabin yesterday. I began trimming some of the front windows today. A cool, cloudy day — with a spot or two of rain — made working outside pleasant, much more pleasant than the chainsawing of the last couple days.

Ate an interesting lunch of carrots from local farmer, organic pear from Chile, almost ripe apple from tree next to cabin, butternuts from down by the barn, and oolong tea from China. The butternuts are a special treat. I harvested them two falls ago and dried them in oven but have had trouble cracking them open. Our creative young genius Carlo applied his extensive ingenuity and figured out the skillful use of hammer. We now can feast on the fruits of that almost two years ago harvest.

Looking out from the door of the shed between cracking open the nuts and sipping tea the view remains a delight. I am grateful for these healthy pleasures to go along with the healthy aches & pains of a body that’s done a lot of lifting & ladder climbing recently.

poultry palace

Jo Marie has been finishing the poultry barn. Looking quite pretty.

Friends from Santa Fe Vipassana Sangha have kindly posted the talks and guided meditations from the retreat I lead there in June. You can access these MP3 audio files from http://santafevipassana.org/2010/07/santikaro-retreat-audio/

Many thanks to Dave, Joan, and others in Santa Fe.

back wall

We’re putting in the soffits now, with help from Carlo and Peter this weekend, and Austin a few days ago. Interesting stuff.

Takes some measuring & figuring, and weird arm angles on top of ladders. That part goes slow.

Carlo at the cutting bench

Then some cutting & pulling, which can go pretty fast, if careful of sharp edges.

Once we reach the end of a side, more figuring, pondering, & special cutting.Sometimes the insight takes a while, sometimes there is sudden awakening.

Petere screwing on F-channels

Many little surprises here & there. Frustrating pieces and little triumphs.

out front, up on top

Kind of fun.

And throughout, this weekend, Monte practiced in noble silence.

Thomas Jefferson: “May (July 4) be to the world, what I believe it will be — to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all — the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form (of government) which we have substituted restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.”

From the Capitol Times: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/article_1ad1454d-3da6-5030-aa58-5b3b30adcb8f.html

Enjoying the early summer greenery

There is always lots to do at LP, especially in Spring, such as gardening and mowing.

And it’s also time to make the cabin inhabitable, the main project for the coming months (now that the ducks & geese have a snug home). We’ll be finishing up the outside, putting in a septic field, installing electrical wiring & plumbing, and doing the interior over the next few months. Due to various constraints, we can’t say when it will be ready; only that we will keep working steadily.

one of the new doors (bathroom)

The cabin now has proper doors. One in front off of the porch and two in back, out of the bathroom and kitchen. Installing them is one of the easier jobs, as they come pre-hung. Still, it took Santi some time & experiment to figure it out (with help from Dallas & Pam).

While the view from the porch promises to be a joy in all seasons, the views out the other doors aren’t at all shabby.

Looking up the hill from bathroom

From the bathroom door, looking north, we can see up into the hickory and oak woods above, with sky peeping though underneath.

view west from the kitchen door

From the kitchen, looking west, there’s more of the hickory and oak woods, plus raspberries and many other natural riches.

woods in green glory

The site is well protected from winter wind, gets good sunlight, and benefits from some natural cooling effects. Further, it nestles into the trees pretty well, so doesn’t stick out like a banged thumb.