the keeper's cottage · day 50 · morning

Morning of Day 51

The rain continues to lash the roof as the wind picks up from the east, rattling the cottage shutters.

Kevin works to step the spruce mast while the clouds thicken overhead, though the humidity makes the wood stubborn. Jenny monitors her leg, noting the swelling and heat of the infection as the atmospheric pressure continues to drop.

🌿 Jenny22:41

The shutters are going to give way if I don't reinforce them.

Walk to the porch and check the latch on the south window.

💭 peek at the thought

If the pressure keeps dropping, the supply boat won't make it through the swell anyway.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:41

Take the spare batten from the woodpile. Two screws top and bottom. I'll hold the shutter while you drive them.

walk to the woodpile under the lean-to, grab the oak batten and hand drill, return to the porch and brace the south shutter against the frame

💭 peek at the thought

Wind's backing east — bad angle for the porch shutters. She's right. Latch on the south window's been sticking since the last front.

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

🌿 Jenny22:42

Hold it steady, don't let it gap.

Press the batten against the shutter and start drilling the pilot holes.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is screaming just from standing here, but I need to finish this.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:42

Top one's true. Second hole two inches up from the sill.

lean shoulder against the shutter, keeping it flush to the frame while the drill works

💭 peek at the thought

Good pressure. She's not stripping the heads. Drill's biting clean — oak's dry enough.

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

🌿 Jenny22:46

Almost done. The wood is getting soft.

Drive the screws through the batten and into the frame.

💭 peek at the thought

If this doesn't hold, the rain will ruin the dry canvas inside.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:46

That's it. North window next, same batten if it's long enough.

release the shutter, step back and check the south window sits tight against the new batten

💭 peek at the thought

Soft frame means rot's deeper than the batten reaches. But it'll hold for this blow. Screws are seating — heads flush.

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

🌿 Jenny22:48

I'll do the north one after I check the water.

way down slowly to inspect the swelling on my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The wind is picking up; I need to check the tank first.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:48

Water's fine. Tank's full. Sit. Let me look at it.

crouch beside her on the porch boards, reach for the rolled bandage in my pocket

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the left leg. Swelling's up past the calf now, skin shiny. Red line didn't stop at the knee. She's not saying how bad it feels.

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.