Back to McQuack's!

He's doing more on the house - or supposed to be. We shall see. This is a short post, because I have a few week or so old photos to share and then I need to get some writing work done. Oddly, none of my suppliers sites will work on McDonald's wifi, but amazon will, along with ebay and others. Go figure. Not a lot of work will get done on the stores while here because of that, but I can still do some writing/editing and stay out of his hair.

Found a couple volunteer pumpkins out in the longish yard "grass"/weeds the other day due to a peek out the window. Two biggish orange blobs. Went out today before leaving the house and found I have five plus a ton of wild elderberries. Can't do anything with those this year due to lack of equipment, but got two of the pumpkins. Still a tiny bit green but they will make dandy porch decorations. The other three had been trampled by the neighbor's cows from a few lots over on the nearby county road. He doesn't do something about his fence soon, those cows will be going in various freezers instead of back to his pasture. He has been warned by me and the local cops about fixing his fence and keeping it that way, to no avail. Guess it's time for the rifle to be put to use. They are even trampling what little garden I have, so I'm kind of mad. All those tomatoes are stomped to nothing. Grrr.

I do have a few small garden shots, though.

A tiny zucchini on one of the plants.

Another tiny one on a different plant.

Some of the tomatoes that the cows haven't trampled YET.

One of my red bell peppers that hasn't ripened yet completely.

There's three total on that plant alone. They are weighing it down a LOT.

And some more of the late tomatoes that are really just starting to pick up. From the way they are growing, I think these are large cherry.

That's about it for now. Off to get some writing done!

Today's update on insulation

So what was my Sunday like? Ain't done yet, because I still have to get my shower in, do the dishes (they are soaking to make washing easier), make/eat dinner, and get laundry sorted out so we can get it put up.

But ... as a recap.

Got up, pulled together and ran into town to pick up Keaton, a buddy of the hubby's for the extra muscle needed to move heavy things today, while hubby started moving things out of the house and unloading the fridge, as that was the section he was insulating and paneling today. Got back with Keaton, finished up the little bit in the corner that wasn't out yet and swept the floor before heading out to McDonald's for a few hours so they could do everything that was getting done. While I was there, I got a bit done on the Scott's Marketplace and Bonanza shops, and quite a bit of editing done on my next little ebooks.

Came back, hubby had taken Keaton home, and started on cleanup while I headed back. I'd been watching a longish youtube video when he said he was back from dropping off Keaton and it was clear to come home. Knowing the boys, there would have been a lot of racket and cussing, and I got more done at McDonald's than I would have at home, plus was able to stay out of the way. The cats hid in the bedroom the whole time.

Everything got put back where it belongs, trash out and burnt, doody bucket dumped for burning, floor swept, dishes put to soak, shower water is heating up... so a longish day is about over.

Now there are long-term temporary curtains on the front - door and windows. There is insulation and paneling above all the window voids, and a good chunk of the side wall behind the microwave and fridge and down to where the heater is going to end up is all done, with plenty of insulation left over for further work in a week or so. Microwave, well ... it's temporary.

It's only a couple of years old, but most of the numbers buttons (5-9) no longer work for whatever reason, so using it is a bit difficult. Add in that it draws a LOT of juice when it's running, and even HE is beginning to think that a microwave is a pain in the butt. Future kitchen purchases include a solar oven for better weather, and for cold or crappy weather, one of those collapsible camp ovens you put over the burner on a camp stove. As that's how I cook anyhow ... no biggie. Get rid of the microwave and I can move the camp stove over there, next to the fridge.

Because in a couple of weekends, I will hopefully be getting a real sink in here! Still won't have running water, but there will be a double sink. We have one potentially available used for free, just have to fetch it. It will go in the door-countertop (solid-core door, and eventually, the faucet will come up through what WAS the knob hole), with no p-trap. As it is going to be straight greywater, it will go through a bit of pipe from the sink drains into a Y, which will feed to a piece of straight pipe right to the ground. No muss, no fuss for draining dishwater, or the shower water (until a proper shower stall is in). Until the microwave is outta here (working on convincing him NOT to replace it), I can put a piece of plywood on top of the sink to support the camp stove for cooking.

So you wanna see the pictures? Ok!

First picture - side wall behind fridge and down to almost the middle window on that side, which covers the area where the propane heater will go as well. Nothing except perishables had been put back at this point, which is why the condiments shelf is so empty. Why he didn't think the Parmesan cheese needed to go back in the fridge is beyond me.

Second photo is the bedroom wall he built the last couple of weekends. I didn't want brown for the curtain door (cabin is tiny house, so no real room for a swinging door, but curtain door works fine). but it works ok.

Last picture is the front wall. Not completely done yet, but looks a lot better with curtains up to block light and keep in a bit of heat. Only bad part for me is - MORE CAMO. I'm beginning to think I live in a hunting cabin. That is going to CHANGE.

Anyhow, I'm outta here for now to work on shops and other things that aren't done yet.

Update that i forgot to post!

Wrote this last night and forgot to post the darn thing, left it as a draft. Silly me! Back at McDonald's today so hubby and a buddy of his can get the insulation and paneling part done that I mention. More writing work and work on the Scott's Marketplace and Bonanza shops to get things added for sale, since McDonald's wifi doesn't let me go to "shopping sites." But they will allow me to go to places like Amazon and my shops on Etsy, etc...aren't those "shopping sites?"

Anyhow, what I was going to post from the laundromat last night and forgot to do more than save as draft.

Busy day here, after all the long hours at work. Slept in a little bit, fed the cats, came to town with hubby. Hit up his favorite pawn/rent to own shop as they were having hot dogs and chips for an anniversary party and so he could do some window shopping while I sat outside and relaxed and talked with the one guy we use for a salesguy when we get stuff - he is usually willing to work a pretty good deal for us.

Groceries, and ran into a work friend and his wife there and talked for a bit to catch up on general news (she doesn't work at the plant). Home Depot next for a package of batt insulation for the cabin that will fit the voids between the studs (he thought of getting more 15" wide rolls, and I said no, for $70 they have packages of 23" batts that will fit perfectly in the voids - 10 per pack 93" long ought to insulate a LOT of wall in a tiny cabin like ours), and a few more pieces of paneling to cover up what will go up tomorrow.

Some of it likely won't get covered right away, but that's what masking tape or gorilla tape is for if the cats get funky about trying to climb it before it gets paneled over. What's done so far looks great, along with the little wall he built for a real bedroom wall. All voids above windows are done, but a ways to go yet before real deep cold hits. By end of the month, the soffit vents and roof turbine will be covered for the winter to help keep heat in and moisture out - any stiff breeze and the vents spray in, lol. As one is right over the head of the bed, it gets a bit annoying when it's really raining and blowing hard. I need to get a photo of the wall with the curtain door so I can show that off.

Then it was split up - it was getting a bit late and he wanted to get gas and house water filled, home and unloaded before dark, so I said go ahead and head home, while I go do laundry alone. Oh, I also did a bit in the garden before we headed out. Got a couple more tomatoes and a small purple bell pepper, and found a couple of small acorn squashes starting to do well plus a couple zucchini that are good sized already. One is around 8 inches long; the other is about half that. Both look great. Can't wait to peel and slice them into something like a hash or stew.

Thankfully, tonight is the only other cold night we are expecting here for a few weeks, giving more time to get insulating and such done before deeper cold sets in. Must admit, even with the chill last night, it was nice under all the covers once I got warmed up a bit. I woke up to three cats deciding under blankets with Momma was just terrific (their higher body temp means even in 90 degree summer weather, they want to sleep with/on me!), and several more were curled up on me and around my feet. I was TOASTY!

I've got a bit of time to work on the shops before the dryer is finished and I have to head home, so I'm off to do some fun work!

Not feeling well, updated shop logo

I didn't feel too well all weekend. He built a bedroom wall over the last couple weekends, so now the bedroom is actually physically separated from the rest of the cabin. This is nice. I should have known I would end up calling in today when I stayed home yesterday while he finished up above the door and all, and with all the banging and whatnot, I slept through it. I slept through it for nearly four hours.

Today, I got up and got ready for work, not feeling great but feeling like I could just manage the day, and got to the plant and ate lunch, etc., only to start feeling awful again. Before the cutoff time, I grabbed my things, told hubby I was going home and why, and left. Called in from the parking lot as a personal day, and headed home. Got to the cabin in one piece and went in. Didn't bother opening a single window or anything, just kicked off work boots, emptied pockets and stretched out. I figured I would try to rest, but didn't expect to take a nearly four-hour nap. Guess I was feeling worse than I thought.

I didn't feel like trying to mess with starting the gennie at that point, so while I still had a tiny bit of fading daylight, as sun had set but full dark had not arrived just yet, I took the opportunity to pack up the laptop and head to McDonald's for wifi to work on the shops and for a quick burger fix. I'm feeling quite a bit better and have gotten some shop work done, including a new logo for Halloween for the Etsy shop. Is this neat or what? I downloaded a free spooky font called Gypsy Curse and got a free background/border from I forget where offhand. I think it's kind of neat. I wanted a blood-dripping font, and got that, and wanted something kind of spooky but not overwhemlingly so for a border. Poof. Ten minutes work and I have a new shop logo for October. Sadly, Etsy cuts off the sides, but the top and bottom are there and the words, which is enough, as folks at least see the bats and graveyard.

I finished up a small ebook of just under 30 pages and will upload that to Kindle later tonight. It's on cheap Chinese/Oriental cooking. The next one is cheap and dirty crockpot recipes that I used frequently when I was on-grid. My crockpot hasn't been used in six months, and it likely will be a couple of years until it is used again, when the solar/wind system is finally installed. I miss my crockpot meals that fed so well for so many leftovers. I would use the bowls that went from freezer to microwave for leftovers (one regular bowl full was enough for us both for later), and when the freezer was full, I would pull out one a night till the freezer was empty. I'd stick them in the fridge while at work to let them thaw out and nuke them or dump them in a pot with a bit of water for a few minutes when we got home. Made for cheap grocery bills long before I could get in any size of garden.

Speaking of which, I got a good bunch from the garden the other day, and the seeds are being saved. Have at least one acorn and one zucchini going out there, along with tons of tomatoes in bloom, so whatever gets going before first frost will be it. Never did manage to scrape up time for a fall garden. I need to get a small portable greenhouse early next year so I can get going sooner, and over winter I am planning on building several raised beds plus ordering a lot of seeds so I have plenty for a few years of heirlooms and open-pollinated varieties of everything I will eat. There isn't much I can't stand, and even those things, I could figure out how to stomach in a pinch, because when you are that hungry, hating brussel sprouts does not matter. If I could cut the grocery bill to less than $30 a week, I could possibly quit the day job even without the shops doing great at that point. We shall see.

More small ebooks are in the works, and a LOT of them. I have so many ideas that it is going to take years to do them all, but between my Amazon royalties and the Etsy and Bonanza shops and any local craft fairs I can get to, I am hoping that I can eventually quit my day job and do what I love most. My goals daily are to get at least three items in the shops each and to complete at least one page in a book. Not huge goals, but attainable ones, even on rough days. So, for now, it's back to work promoting and working on things and doing some other things that I can do while I can do them before I have to go pick him up from work. Hugs and love, all!