Ranch House Update

Something didn’t work right.

Stella remains nonplussed by the construction and the rain so long as she has her water bottle to chew on.

Here comes the rain again

Falling on my head like a memory

Falling on my head like a new emotion

—Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart

Time for another construction update on our house at The Hermits’ Rest Ranch. We’ve made good progress, if not as much as I’d like. Still, progress is progress.

• The house has been weather sealed, and the exterior siding is starting to go up.
• I’ve started piling sand up where the HVAC heat exchangers will go.
• Jaime has just about finished tiling the master bathroom.
• The drywall has been taped and floated, but there are still huge piles of the waste on the back porch.
• The second layer of subfloor is going down upstairs.

But in the middle of all that, we got another big rain: 1.6 inches over the last couple of days. The ponds are full to capacity again, and everything is soggy. The arroyo in the front is flowing briskly.

At least the rain is good for the little trees we planted last fall. The peaches continue to develop, and the fig shows signs of fruiting.