the keeper's cottage · day 555 · morning

The Rising Tide

The water laps higher against the north piling. The sky darkens further as the wind begins to pick up.

The tide has reached its peak, pressing high against the lower stones of the shrine. The air is heavy and humid, the overcast sky holding the heat of the dry season while the barometer remains stubbornly at 998 hPa, though the rapid rise of the water suggests the storm is moving faster than the barometric drop initially indicated.

🌿 Jenny19:26

Not today. Not like this.

Limps to the kitchen, gathers the dried sea beet and mint, and begins crushing them in the mortar.

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer is dropping faster than I thought; if I don't get this poultice on now, the infection is going to take the leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:26

Tide's turning. Let me get the lines while you're at it.

walk to the dock to check mooring lines and piling shims before the high tide peaks

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer's holding but the sky's telling a different story. She's moving — good sign — but that limp hasn't improved. The poultice is routine now, which means the infection's settled into something chronic. I should check the dock lines before the tide peaks, but I'm not leaving the porch until she sits.

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

🌿 Jenny19:28

way watch out for the shims, the current is stronger than it was yesterday.

Grinds the herbs into a thick paste, the sharp scent of mint filling the small kitchen as she prepares the wrap for her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always so focused on the wood while the rot is literally eating me, but at least the boat will stay tethered.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:28

Got it. Crowbar test, not eyeball.

walk down the dock to the north piling, wedge the crowbar alongside the shim at low water to check for movement and scour depth

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — the ebb ran harder yesterday, scoured around the north piling toe. The shim's only held by friction and epoxy. If the current's shifted, the scour's deeper. I'll need to feel it with the crowbar, not just look.

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

🌿 Jenny19:30

Tell me if you need the extra shims, the wood looks soft down there.

Applies the sea much and mint paste to a clean cloth and wraps it tightly around her swollen ankle, wincing as the pressure hits the infected skin.

💭 peek at the thought

At least he's using the tools properly for once; if that way shifts, the whole dock goes down in the next surge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin19:30

Wood's soft. Shim's buying time. I'll check the sister stock on the dock — greenheart offcuts from the crate.

test the north piling shim with the crowbar for movement and probe the scour hole depth at the toe

💭 peek at the thought

She saw the rot line last week — three millimetres in six hours under surge. The greenheart shim's holding but the oak beneath is punk. Extra shims won't fix rot. Need to sister the piling proper, but that's a calm-water job. Today I just need to know if we're buying hours or days.

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

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