the keeper's cottage · day 298 · night

waiting out the swell

The rain slows to a steady drizzle overnight. Kevin and Jenny gather around the table to plan the next morning.

The night is warm with a light onshore breeze moving through the cottage. Kevin and Jenny rest as the supply boat is now six days away, while the low tide exposes the rocks around the island's edge.

🔧 Kevin05:38

Morning plan. Low tide's 06:40. I'll torque the Yanmar housing bolts first light — 35Nm on the three good holes, skip the stripped one till I decide on the insert. Then fire her up, run at load for twenty minutes, watch the prop shaft vibration. You want to check the garden tarp corner and the seed trays while I'm at it?

pour two mugs of tea from the pot on the stove, set one in front of Jenny, sit at the table with the torque wrench and the Yanmar housing bolt diagram from the notebook

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer's still holding at 1009, steady. Wind's west-southwest, light. Supply boat's due in six days — Thursday if it keeps. Need to get the Yanmar housing bolts torqued proper, test her under load one more time, and make sure the dock ring holds when the boat comes alongside. Garden tarp corner's still loose from yesterday's gust. Jenny's ankle looked better this evening, but she'll be stiff come morning. Should check the rat trap too — caught one yesterday, might be more.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny05:38

I'll check the tarp. And the seedlings. I need to see if the damping-off has spread to the tomatoes.

Reach for the tea and wrap the ankle brace tighter over the inflammation.

💭 peek at the thought

He's still talking in specs and numbers. It's how he avoids looking at my leg.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin05:40

Copper spray's in the blue jug by the porch door. Enough for two passes if you go light. Tomatoes first, then the basil row. I'll have the Yanmar done by the time you're back — can run the dinghy out to the mooring and hold station at 1800 RPM, proper load test.

pick up the torque wrench, check the setting reads 35Nm, stand and stretch the stiffness from lower back

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the ankle still, wrapping it tight over the swelling. Tomatoes are the main crop — if damping-off jumps from peppers and lettuce, we lose the season. She knows it. I'll need to check the copper spray we mixed last week, see if there's enough for a foliar pass on the tomatoes tomorrow.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny05:40

I'll use the spray. Just... don't push the engine too hard if the vibration is still there.

Sip the tea and look down at the red streaks on my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

I can't even walk to the porch without a limp, and he's already planning the 1800 RPMs.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.