Making Piles, Chasing Projects and Still No Mask

Today I woke up around 9:30, but I opted to stay in bed for a while.

I think the last few days finally caught up with me.

I eventually headed outside around 11:00.

The first thing I did was look for my other gloves. And, well, they were exactly where they should have been.

So that was quick.

Then, as promised, I grabbed my propane sniffer to double-check the connections from the Extend-A-Stay installation yesterday.

No leaks.

That's a win.

After that, I just stood there for a moment looking at the beautiful colors that are starting to appear on the trees.

Every day there seems to be a little more color.

Of course, Wyatt wasn't nearly as interested in looking at the trees as I was.

He wanted to play.

I threw the ball for him for a while, but as usual, no matter how much activity I give him, it's never enough.

Then we headed back to the barn.

I had already pulled out the piece of foam where the yellow jackets had built their nest, so I was ready to see what I could get done.

I started by taking some of the trash I had piled up yesterday and adding it to the other trash pile.

I've noticed that making and clearing piles has become a big part of my daily life here.

Make a pile.

Bag a pile.

Bring the bagged pile to the trash cans.

Repeat.

Wyatt took up his regular position, supervising my every move.

I finished taking the old doors off the barn so I could finally get inside.

And then something happened that probably doesn't sound very exciting to anyone else.

For the first time since we came onto the property, the corral gate closed.

And reopened.

It's a little thing, but around here, those little things feel like progress.

Once inside the barn, I pulled out an old bathtub. Then I filled the tractor bucket with metal scrap, filled a garbage bag with trash, and moved a bunch of old scrap furniture over to the burn pile.

I didn't get very far.

After filling the bag of trash, I decided I should head back to camp and get a mask.

I promised my partner I would wear one.

Everything I had moved so far was right around the doorway, so I wasn't too concerned. But before I started moving deeper into the barn, I wanted the mask on.

So I headed back toward camp with the garbage and dumped it into the garbage can at the street.

I don't know if I've ever been diagnosed with ADD, but I could imagine that would be an appropriate diagnosis.

If you've read any of my previous posts, you would probably agree.

Because after dumping the garbage, did I go get the mask?

Nope.

Instead, I started grading the driveway again.

This time I worked in front of the garage and along the driveway.

Then I went over in front of the bunkhouse to pick up the branches that had fallen.

I want to mow a little at some point. The small twigs can be mulched by the mower, but the bigger branches and logs will damage it, so those needed to be picked up first.

Still no mask.

Then I received a notification that a package had been delivered.

So Wyatt and I headed up to the mailbox.

Nope.

Still no mask.

ADD definitely kicked in.

At that point, I decided it was time for lunch, so I headed back to camp and heated up the remaining chicken enchiladas and had them with more Shepherd's Salad.

Then I started messing around with some of the equipment that had been delivered.

I needed some Ethernet cables to continue working on it, so I headed into town to Walmart.

As I pulled back onto the property, I heard something and realized there was a truck coming toward me down the lane.

It was our contractor, Chuck.

So I spent some time with him going over the projects I need his help with.

I know I can do a lot of this work myself.

The problem is that I don't feel like I'm getting some of the things done fast enough.

So much has already been accomplished, but there are certain important projects that may take longer than we want if I try to do everything myself.

Sometimes getting things done is more important than being the person who does them.

So let's hope Chuck gives me a good price.

After he left, I went back to experimenting with the equipment that arrived today.

It seems to work well, but I need a few more pieces to finish the puzzle.

Before heading back to camp, I stopped again for a moment to enjoy the view.

It's hard not to right now.

The mountain is changing every day.

Back at camp, Wyatt ate his dinner and I had a little snack.

I wasn't really hungry tonight. Lunch was pretty filling.

And as I sit here thinking about everything I did today, I realized something.

I still never got the mask.

Maybe tomorrow.

And as I was finishing up this blog tonight, I heard something I haven't heard in a while.

The central heat turned on.

The temperature inside the motorhome had just fallen below the thermostat setting of 68 degrees, and my weather app says it's 48 degrees outside.

I guess if the changing leaves weren't enough of a sign, the heat coming on certainly is.

Fall is definitely here.

~ Making Memories