Monday

Came up a little before 8pm with a tarped load in some intermittently heavy rain. Backed the truck into the pole barn and unloaded the woodworking tools and hardwood pieces I picked up after my last trip up. It’s nice having all of that out of the Oshkosh garage, and it’s really nice being able to say I “backed the truck into the pole barn.” Up until a few years ago, that statement would be describing an accident.

Before it got too dark, I noticed how much new-growth grass we had this year in the area between the driveway entrance and pole barn. It’s nice to see the yard reestablishing itself.

The rain really started pouring as I finished wrestling down the last drill and sander from the truck bed. I need to put a small section of rain gutter above the pole barn entry door. It’s like looking out from behind a waterfall. I finished unloading the tools I brought up and the supplies from Menards for repairing the outdoor outlet for the pole barn. My first setup didn’t stand up to winter very well, so this time I got the same type of PVC box and conduit I used for all the other outdoor outlets. I installed this during breaks in the rain, but still need to wire it back in.

Went into the trailer and was greeted with an unpleasant, musty smell. I was worried that leveling it out had caused it to leak somewhere and I had a wet floor or something. The real answer turned out to be simpler but no less gross. I had neglected to empty the 5-gallon bucket that the kitchen sink drains to the last time I was up and the dirty water had gotten pretty ripe. Dumped it outside and resprayed the underside of the sink cabinet with bleach-based cleaner for good measure. I think I’ll make running the drain outside a priority.

I finally replaced the crumbling plastic pendant lights in the living room with the new ones I had brought up this spring. Looks much nicer and they throw off a lot more light. Went through the trailer and swapped out all the remaining incandescent bulbs with LEDs. It’s a lot easier to see in the bathroom now, too.

Left around 10:45 just as the rain started to pick back up. Planning on coming up tomorrow after work to do some lawn maintenance. It’s supposed to be warm and sunny all day, so I’m hoping things dry out enough for that to work out.

Tuesday

Arrived at 5:45 pm and started mowing right away. I focused first on the south end of the yard that hasn’t been managed in a few years. The new mower and mulching blades work great. Thick pine needles, layers of oak leaves, and small twigs and branches didn’t stand a chance. I didn’t run a bagger or sweeper, just mulched for now; I had the entire yard done in just over two hours. That’s unprecedented for up here, even when the landscaping is done more often. Barely used half a tank of gas, too. I’m really liking the new mower. It’s going to save a lot of time.

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I ran the weed whacker around my trailer and deck, the pole barn, the outhouse, and the pump. Also used it like a machete to cut back the growth in the brickpile garden. Packed it in as it started to get dark and set to work on some inside trailer projects.

I came across some small sheets of corrugated plastic from a computer client a while ago and it comes in handy in unusual ways. Along with some white duct tape, I used it to build some ducting around the air conditioner. While its new spot beneath the kitchen cabinets is conveniently out of the way, the fan blows up and under the cabinets and doesn’t circulate air out into the main room. That’s not a problem anymore. The end result looks a little kludged together, but if it will keep me cooler in the summer heat, I can’t complain about aesthetics too much.

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I had stopped at Menards again on my way up with some drain hardware; I didn’t want to have to deal with any more smelly buckets. I used a hole saw to drill through the subfloor beneath the kitchen and bathroom sinks and installed the drain piping. Now both sinks can drain to the ground below. Sure beats washing up outside during mosquito season. And thanks to some flared plastic housings that slide over the ends of the pipes, the holes are completely sealed up to the outside. No new entry methods for critters.

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Cleaned all the sawdust and parts up and put my tools away in the pole barn. Did some organizing and housekeeping as long as the vacuum was out. The trailer is looking pretty good these days. Left pretty late; pulled out of the driveway a little after 11. Hoping to get up here again in a few weeks to get started on the deck rail and new trailer door.