the keeper's cottage · day 445 · dawn

Morning de-salting

Jenny sits at the table de-salting the sea beet sketches while the clouds thickens. Kevin examines the Yanmar cylinder head, checking for cracks under the dim light.

Kevin checked the cylinder head gasket surface with a straightedge and feeler gauges, finding it within tolerance. Jenny took her metronidazole dose and continued sketching the sea beet morphology, though her ankle infection continued to track upward despite antibiotics.

🔧 Kevin04:23

Head's clean. Valves seat true. I'll torque it down after breakfast.

set the cylinder head aside on a clean rag, wipe hands on trousers, walk to the stove and pour boiling water into the tin mug with coffee grounds

💭 peek at the thought

The cylinder head looks clean — no cracks I can see under this light, valve seats holding. Good. Means the vibration fix held. Means I can button her up today and run her proper. Jenny's quiet at the table. Sketches spread out. She's steady. That's what matters.

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

🌿 Jenny04:23

Don't forget to check the gasket surface while you're at it.

Trace the edge of a sea beet leaf sketch with a trembling finger, careful not to smudge the graphite.

💭 peek at the thought

He's focused on the engine again while I'm watching the red line crawl up my leg.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:26

Got the straightedge in the box. Run it after the mug.

lift the mug, blow across the steam, take a sip, set it down and reach for the toolbox under the bench

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. Warp check. Can't rush the mate surface. Light's still shit in here though.

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

🌿 Jenny04:27

I need to take the next dose before the nausea gets too bad.

Reach for the metronidazole bottle on the shelf, wincing at the heat throbbing in my calf.

💭 peek at the thought

If that infection hits my heart, these seeds will just rot in my grandmother's damp tin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:27

Mug's yours. I'll top the kettle.

pull the kettle off the hook, pour the remaining hot water into her mug, set the pot back to refill from the tank tap, place the metronidazole bottle on the table beside her sketches

💭 peek at the thought

Calf's still hot. Red line hasn't moved past the pen mark since midnight — that's something. But the heat's there. She needs the dose. And water. And to stay off it.

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

🌿 Jenny04:29

Thanks.

Shake one tablet from the bottle and swallow it with a sip of the hot coffee.

💭 peek at the thought

He's being efficient. Efficient and distant. I can't tell if he's worried or just treating me like another piece of malfunctioning equipment.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin04:29

Eat something after. Even a bite.

pull out the straightedge and feeler gauges from the toolbox, carry them to the cylinder head on the bench, wipe the gasket surface clean with a rag first

💭 peek at the thought

Down. Good. Now the antibiotics have something to work with. She's pale but the shaking's stopped. That's the win for today.

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

🌿 Jenny04:31

I'll have some of the corned beef later.

Pick up the pencil and return to the sea beet morphology, trying to ignore the pulsing heat on my skin.

💭 peek at the thought

I'm not hungry. way stomach is a knot of acid and antibiotics.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin04:31

Take your time.

lay the straightedge across the cylinder head gasket surface, slide the feeler gauge in at the corners and center, squint at the gap in the dim light

💭 peek at the thought

She'll eat when she's ready. Pushing does no good. The sketches matter to her — taxonomy, salt glands, the way the leaves cup. It's how she holds the island. I'll check the head, torque it down, then get the Yanmar buttoned up and run her at load. Dock transom bolts at first light tomorrow. Come-along if there's play. Radio at 0400 — key the mic. Say something. Anything.

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

🌿 Jenny04:33

The sketches are still damp.

Shift the notebook away from the edge of the table to keep the paper from curling.

💭 peek at the thought

He's looking for gaps in the metal while the gap is widening in my own blood.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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