the keeper's cottage · day 561 · afternoon

Midday Heat and Rising Tide

The air is stagnant. The tide now covers the lower edge of the dock planks.

Kevin retrieves the greenheart shim from under the piling to save it from the rapidly rising tide. He moves the heirloom seed packets inside the cottage to protect them from the increasing humidity and rain while Jenny watches from the porch managing her pain.

🔧 Kevin01:08

Kevin — walk to the north end of the dock and crouch to examine the greenheart shim under the piling toe where the water meets timber

💭 peek at the thought

Tide's pushing hard against the north pilings. Three days until the supply boat and the dock's still holding, but the shim under the north toe is fresh — only been in since last low. Need to check it at slack, see if the greenheart's compressing. Jenny's ankle looked cleaner this morning. Less heat. She didn't say much. Doesn't have to.

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

🌿 Jenny01:08

The tide's coming in too fast for a shim, Kevin. Don't get it wet.

Limps onto the porch, leaning heavily against the doorframe to watch him.

💭 peek at the thought

He's checking the structure again while my leg is rotting off.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:10

I know. Just seeing how it's sitting. Won't leave it in.

carefully extract the greenheart shim from under the north piling toe, wipe it dry on my trousers, and place it on the dock planking above the high tide line where it won't get wet again until low tide

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — shim's for low tide only. Water's already lapping at it. If I pull it now I'll lose the adjustment, but leaving it in risks rot or swelling. Greenheart's dense, but it's not meant to soak. Should've checked it at last ebb. Didn't think the flood would move this quick.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny01:11

Keep it off the salt. I need it dry when the boat finally comes.

Sit down on the porch steps, pulling my leg up to rest the throbbing heat in my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

At least he's being careful with the wood, even if I'm falling apart here.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:12

It'll dry. Got the spare tarp — can tent it over the crate on the porch. Air moves there.

pick up the greenheart shim, carry it to the cottage porch, and prop it against the wall under the overhang on a dry newspaper sheet, angled so air hits both faces

💭 peek at the thought

She's thinking ahead — supply boat's crane will need solid pilings. That shim's the difference between the dock taking the load or the north stringer shearing. Greenheart won't rot fast, but salt crystals in the grain will crush it over time. Drying it slow in the shade is the only way. Her ankle's still hot to the touch through the gauze. She won't say it hurts.

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

🌿 Jenny01:12

Just make sure the seeds don't get damp while you're it.

Watch the rain hit against the roof, counting the drops in the tank.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right about the air, but the humidity is still thick enough to swallow.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:14

Moving the clean packets inside. Stove'll hold the humidity down.

walk to the porch crate, lift the tarp, gather the newspaper-wrapped heirloom seed packets (tomato, pepper, clean basil subset), and carry them into the kitchen to set them on the shelf above the wood stove where the rising heat will keep t

💭 peek at the thought

Seeds are the only thing on this island that can't be replaced. Tin's already got mold at the edges — caught it early, wrapped the clean packets in newspaper, but the tin itself is compromised. Damp gets in through the lid seal. Tarp over the crate helps, but condensation's the real killer. Need to move the packets inside the cottage proper. Stove heat'll keep the air dry.

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

🌿 Jenny01:14

Keep them away from the flame, I don't want them parched.

Lean back against the stone wall, watching him work in the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

The stove is the only dry place on this godforsaken rock, hope it works.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:16

Top shelf only. Flue runs behind the back wall — shelf stays warm, not hot. You should stay off that foot.

place the newspaper-wrapped seed packets on the top shelf above the wood stove, spaced apart so air moves between them, then turn and lean against the counter watching her

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — too close to the flue and the heat'll cook the embryos. Top shelf above the stove gets warm, not hot. Newspaper wrapping breathes. Should be fine there. But she's watching me work instead of resting her ankle. The gauze is clean, no fresh bleed-through. Metronidazole course finished yesterday. Doxycycline's got two doses left. Infection's retreating, but the tissue's still fragile.

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

🌿 Jenny01:17

I'm sitting down. Just... make sure the mold stays out.

Reach for the tin of antibiotics, wincing as the swollen skin of my ankle brushes the fabric.

💭 peek at the thought

The heat is good for the seeds, but my ankle feels like it's on fire.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:18

Tin's sealed. Newspaper's dry. Mold won't jump. Take the dose. I'll check the dock shim at low tide — see if the greenheart held its shape dry.

pull out the wooden chair from the table and sit opposite her, forearms on knees, watching her take the pill without hovering

💭 peek at the thought

She's taking the last doxycycline. Two doses left in the blister — one for now, one for tonight. Metronidazole finished yesterday. If the infection flares again after this course, we're out of antibiotics. The supply boat's three days out. Weather window holds for now. Barometer's rising. But the sea doesn't care about barometers.

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

🌿 Jenny01:19

If the wood is warped, we're starting over again.

Swallow the pill with a mouthful of lukewarm water, staring at the rain-streaked window.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always watching, like I'm a way under a glass.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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