Posthenge

So all the posts are set snug and (hopefully) square. Getting those 16 ft. ridge posts up was a real bitch, but we've really gotten into our groove as far as working together.



Saturday, after setting the posts, Fuzzy and I went to a party at a nearby farm. It was fabulous, from the setting to the food to the Jim Beam. I remember lying on the ground if front of the bonfire, listening to our friends being crazy and hilarious, looking up at the stars and bright embers floating across my field of vision. I don't know if it was the liquor or the beer or the smell of raked hay, but I was intensely, chest-achingly happy.
I'm a lucky girl.

Breaking Ground

On Saturday, Fuzzy and I (again, mostly Fuzzy) broke ground on the pavilion/cabin! The plan is to construct the pavilion with 6x6's, then enclose it after our big August party. Fuzzy used the most-fabulous power auger to dig the holes. I feel butch just typing that.

We set the corner posts, bitching at each other the entire time about keeping things square and level. I wish I could be more laid back about the whole thing, but come on! This is our future house! So yeah, I was kind of a bitch and Fuzzy was kind of a dick, but we're over it and can now see the footprint of our future house! Where we are going to live! Yay!

So here's the east-side posts, where eventually the bathroom and bedroom will go, and in the nearer future, where a few of our drunken friends will probably pass out.


Also, there was much cuteness this weekend. PineTop appears to be plagued with baby animals, specifically little spotty fawns and hoards of turkey babies. I think Fuzzy wanted to punch me after the third time I squealed "Ohmygod, tinybabyturkies!"

Last Weekend

Yep, I'm posting about last weekend on Friday. We've already covered how much I suck, right?

So last weekend was awesome. I spent Saturday painting the outhouse while Fuzzy cut brush. I rather like the color scheme we came up with. Initially, I wanted to paint the whole thing barn red, but Fuzzy thought dark green would blend in a little better. I usually don't give a damn about blending in, but I suppose a marginally legal shithole should perhaps be a little camouflaged. The red trim was my way of saying "But I don't have to like it!"

I think it turned out for the best, though:


That night, after the painting and the cutting, Fuzzy and I went to an honest-to-god drive-in theater. There were kids playing in the field chasing lightening bugs and people grilling next to their trucks; it was like a big casual party. We even saw some friends from town. I heart you, Grafton Drive-In.



And how fucking awesome is it that there is a Mail Pouch barn across from the drive-in? I swear to god, sometimes living in West Virginia is like going back in time. Ok, I'm off to PineTop, more updates on Sunday when we get back!

Food Porn

Tonight Fuzzy and I grilled pizza. Mine came out so pretty I just had to post a picture. A friend of ours gave us some locally produced sausage, so I cooked some of that up and sprinkled it on with basil (from our backyard), cheese, and sliced tomatoes (unfortunately not from our backyard. Ours aren't ready yet). Needless to say, I ate the entire thing.


Also, in a fit of activity (to counter our usual inertia), Fuzzy and I harvested not only our little potato patch, but also the garlic. Pretty nice haul considering we haven't worked with either of these beds since, well, since we planted them. Now I've just got to pick the potato beetles out of my hair.

I Love it When Things Work Out with Little or No Effort From Me

Our front bed, consisting entirely of volunteers and no-care perennials:



We have sedums, which haven't bloomed yet, volunteer bachelor buttons in blue and pink, volunteer nicotiana, calendula, purple coneflower, and perennial sunflowers in the back. Makes me smile just looking at it. Makes me grin when I realize I haven't touched this bed in two months.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes, Turn and Flee From the Strain

So my contract is almost up with my current job. I haven't posted much about this particular job, but it involves working with at-risk kids at a local community center. Technically, I volunteer through a national service organization, which pays me a stipend (stipend = very wee paycheck). Working with kids has been the most frustrating, ulcer-giving, hair-pulling experience of my life. It has also, without a doubt, been the most rewarding. Not to sound too Bill Cosby, but kids really due say the darndest things. Unfortunately what I heard was usually more along the lines of "Mommy's in jail for taking off her house-arrest bracelet," than "I want to be a pony when I grow up!"

Next month, my time with these kids comes to an end. I have the option of renewing my contract, but that ridiculously wee paycheck has kept ends from not quite meeting for the past year. So it's time to brush dust off the old CV and send it to any place in town that is even remotely hiring. But what kind of work do I want to do? Social work? Maybe. Or do I want to give my heart and mind a rest and work retail? We'll see.

Of course I'll probably just take whatever job presents itself first. Ends to meet and all that.

Oh, and here's that Eastern Red-Backed Salamander from our poophole. He's about 2 inches long, nose to tail.