the keeper's cottage · day 548 · afternoon

The Gathering Squ

The first heavy drops of rain hit the garden tarp as the tide reaches the height of the dock pilings.

The steady rain continues, filling the water tank to its maximum capacity. Kevin spends the afternoon reinforcing the cottage against the dampness while Jenny monitors her rising fever and attempts to manage the heirloom seeds.

🌿 Jenny13:11

Kevin, check the tank again. It's filling too fast.

Lean against the kitchen table, gripping the wood to dull the throbbing in my ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

The foundation is going to go if that tank doesn't stop overflowing, and I can't even stand to help.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:11

On it.

Walk to the back wall, inspect the rain tank overflow outlet and the drainage trench behind the cottage. Clear any blockage with hands and spade.

💭 peek at the thought

Tank's at 400L capacity — full. Overflow's been running steady but with this downpour and high tide backing it up, the foundation trench will saturate fast. Need to check the overflow repair I did and clear the drainage trench before water backs into the cottage.

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

🌿 Jenny13:12

Watch for the silt, the rain last night probably choked the pipe.

Sit in the kitchen chair, watching him through the window while rubbing my swollen ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If he doesn't clear the trench, the water will just pool under the stone walls and rot the mortar.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:12

Got it.

Grab the spade from the garden shed and clear the drainage trench behind the cottage, then check the overflow pipe outlet for silt blockage and clear it.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right — the silt from last night's rain likely clogged the overflow pipe. The trench behind the cottage was draining slow even before this downpour. If the pipe's choked, water backs up into the foundation fast.

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

🌿 Jenny13:14

Come back when you're done, I need the salt water.

Close my eyes and listen to the rain drumming on the tin roof.

💭 peek at the thought

The pressure is dropping, but the fever is still climbing. I need to check the ankle again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin13:15

Be back soon.

Walk to the tide pools with the galvanized bucket, fill it with seawater, then head to the north piling at low tide to chock it with cedar shims and epoxy as intended.

💭 peek at the thought

Trench cleared, pipe flowing — tank should stop rising once overflow works. Jenny needs salt water for her ankle soak. I'll fill the bucket at the tide pools while I'm out checking the north piling like I planned.

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

🌿 Jenny13:16

Don't take too long, the tide is coming in fast.

Knead the sea beet leaves for the poultice, my hands shaking from the fever.

💭 peek at the thought

If those shingles don't hold, the whole south face is going to shift in the next big surge.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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