the keeper's cottage · day 450 · morning

Morning before the rain

The first heavy drops of the wet season begin to tap the tin roof as Kevin and Jenny meet in the kitchen, listening to the distant thunder rolling over the ridge.

Kevin worked on the transom sleeve at the dock during slack tide, using the come-along to tension and checking final bolt torque. Jenny remained at the cottage, taking her antibiotic dose and sketching sea beet seedlings to monitor fungal spread while the rain intensified.

🔧 Kevin09:05

Storm’s moving in faster than the barometer said. You warm?

Pull the kettle off the stove, pour two mugs of weak coffee, set one in front of her at the table. Wipe my hands on my trousers and lean against the counter, watching the rain drum on the roof.

💭 peek at the thought

Rain’s come early. Feels like the island’s holding its breath. Jenny’s quiet — I can see the strain in her shoulders, but she’s here. That’s something.

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

🌿 Jenny09:05

I'm fine. Just cold.

Wrap both hands around the warm mug, seeking the heat, and subconsciously trace the edge of the bandage on my swollen ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

My leg is throbbing in time with the thunder; I hope the red lines Haven't moved higher today.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:07

Eat something first. Corned beef and limpets on the stove. Protein before the pills.

Set the cast iron skillet on the wood stove, spoon corned beef fat into it, add the boiled limpets and a handful of sea beet. Let it sizzle. Slide a tin plate toward her, fork beside it.

💭 peek at the thought

She's not fine. The cold's in the bone, not the air. Antibiotics are holding but that ankle's still hot under the wrap. She won't say it.

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

🌿 Jenny09:07

Thank you.

Scoop a portion of the limpets and sea beet onto the plate and take a slow, cautious bite, chewing carefully while watching the rain intensify outside.

💭 peek at the thought

I can smell the salt and the fat; it's the only thing making me feel human right now. I need to be strong enough to stand if I'm going to track those seedlings.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin09:09

Garden tarp holding?

Take my own plate, eat standing at the counter. Watch the rain sheet off the porch roof, tracking the runoff toward the tank overflow. Listen for any new leaks in the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

She's eating. That's good. The limpets are tough but the fat carries calories she needs. Rain's coming down hard now — drumming on the roof, gutters overflowing. Good test for the garden tarp.

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

🌿 Jenny09:09

Yes. I re-staked the corners with timber strips. It should hold.

Eat another bite of the limpets, then glance toward the window, calculating the wind direction against the garden wall.

💭 peek at the thought

I spent an hour on those stakes yesterday; if they lift now, I'll never forgive myself.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin09:11

Good. The wall's shedding water clean?

Finish the last of the limpets, wipe the plate with a finger, lick it clean. Move to the window beside her, shoulder nearly touching hers, scanning the garden beds through the rain.

💭 peek at the thought

She knows every angle of that garden. Every gust, every shadow. She built it in her head a thousand times before her hands ever touched a tool. Now she's watching it hold.

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

🌿 Jenny09:11

It is. The drainage is still working.

Put the fork down and take a sip of the coffee, watching the steam rise against the grey light of the kitchen.

💭 peek at the thought

The stone is holding, but the soil is going to be a mess. I need to check if the sea beet seedlings have drowned yet.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin09:13

Radio check at 1800. I'll key the mic.

Refill her mug from the kettle, then mine. Set the pot back on the stove. Pull the notebook from the shelf, flip to the transom check page, run a thumb over the pencil marks — tide times, bolt torque specs, come-along settings.

💭 peek at the thought

She's tired. The infection's draining her more than she'll admit. The coffee's a luxury — jar's half gone and the supply boat's four days out if it comes at all. But she needs the warmth.

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

🌿 Jenny09:13

I'll be ready.

Reach for the antibiotic blister pack on the table and pop out the next dose of doxycycline.

💭 peek at the thought

1800. The supply boat is still four days away. I wonder if he's checking for them or just performing a ritual to feel connected to something.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

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