the keeper's cottage · day 442 · morning

Dawn - The Rising Tide

The rain slows to a drizzle as the tide reaches its peak, submerging the lower dock pilings.

Kevin walked down to the dock to check the mooring lines and secure gear as the tide began to fall. Jenny stayed at the cottage to unwrap the bandage and inspect the swelling and redness on her ankle wound.

🔧 Kevin01:43

Kevin — walk down to the dock with the greenheart offcuts and tools, wait for the tide to turn, then check the transom gap and drive shims.

💭 peek at the thought

Slack water's coming. Greenheart offcuts are stacked on the dock. Transom gap won't fix itself.

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

🌿 Jenny01:45

The water's too high for the transom today, Kevin.

wipe a bead of salt-water off the seabeet- sketch page with a dry cloth.

💭 peek at the thought

If the tide stays this high, the shims will shift before the epoxy sets. He's always rushing the wood.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:46

Aye. Slack low's the one. Couple hours.

Turn back toward the cottage, stack the greenheart offcuts under the porch roof out of the rain, and check the dock lines while the tide's still high.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Water's over the transom line. Can't see the gap proper, can't drive shims clean. Waste of greenheart and tide window.

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

🌿 Jenny01:47

Don't get the grit on the sketches.

peel back the bandage on my ankle to inspect the swelling.

💭 peek at the thought

Two hours. My leg feels like it's pulsing with the tide. I need to see if the redness has moved up.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:47

That's your ankle, Jen.

Step back onto the porch boards, boots dripping, and watch her unwrap the dressing.

💭 peek at the thought

She's looking at the wrong ankle. Mine's fine. Hers is the one with the red line tracking up the calf.

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

🌿 Jenny01:49

I know what it is.

press a finger firmly against the red streak to check for heat.

💭 peek at the thought

It's hot. Too hot. The redness is reaching further up the calf than yesterday.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:49

Metronidazole's in the kit. Five tabs left.

Lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, letting her work.

💭 peek at the thought

Stubborn. Same as me. Red streak means the doxy's not winning yet. Might need the metronidazole on top.

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

🌿 Jenny01:51

I'm counting them.

trace the edge of the redness with a pen to mark the progress.

💭 peek at the thought

Five tabs isn't enough if this hits the bone. I can't afford to lose the leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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