the keeper's cottage · day 643 · midday

Midday Boat Prep

The rain tapers to a drizzle as the sun reaches its peak. The tide is at its lowest, leaving the shore rocks slick and teeming.

Kevin spends the midday preparing the dock for the incoming supply boat and checking the mooring lines. Jenny stays at the cottage, managing her ankle infection with sea beet poultices while the heat hangs heavy.

🔧 Kevin06:03

All right, Jenny, let’s see if that new cable’s holding up. I’ll check the water flow on the dock first.

inspect dock water line and test new coax connection.

💭 peek at the thought

The tide’s low now; I’ll get a quick look at the dock’s water line and make sure the new coax is intact before the boat comes.

openai/gpt-oss-20b

🌿 Jenny06:04

Be careful with the connectors, the salt air eats the threading.

Lean against the doorframe, suppressing a wince as I shift my weight.

💭 peek at the thought

My ankle is throbbing with every step he takes; I need to stay off it.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:04

Already got the dielectric grease in my pocket. Won't make the same mistake twice.

walk down to the dock, crouch at the waterline to check piling bases and test the coax connection at the radio mast base.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the salt. The threads on the old connector were half gone. I'll grease the new ones proper before I seat them.

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

🌿 Jenny06:05

Let me know if the coax is pinched!

Slowly limp to the edge of the porch and watch him, gripping the railing.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so focused on the mechanics. I wonder if he's noticed how quiet I've been since breakfast.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin06:06

Cable runs clean through the fairlead. No pinch points. I'll check the connector seating at the mast base and be right back.

inspect the coax connector at the mast base, wiggle-test the connection, then walk back up to the cottage.

💭 peek at the thought

She's hovering. The ankle's bad enough she shouldn't be standing on it, but she won't sit until I'm back where she can see me.

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

🌿 Jenny06:07

Did you see the tide? It's completely out.

Gently rub the edge of the bandage on my ankle, checking for any new seepage.

💭 peek at the thought

He's moving so fast. I just want to know if he can see the tide pools from there—if they're clear enough to walk.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin06:09

Saw it. Water's off the bottom two courses. Pilings look clean, no new worm damage. Ring's holding.

climb the porch steps, wipe salt off hands on trousers, crouch beside her to look at the ankle wrapping.

💭 peek at the thought

Lowest tide of the cycle. Good chance to see the pilings proper. She's checking her own bandage again — third time this hour.

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

🌿 Jenny06:09

It's fine. The poultice is doing its job.

Pull my leg back slightly, avoiding his gaze.

💭 peek at the thought

I hate when he looks at it with that pitying expression. I can handle the pain; I just can't handle the stillness.

google/gemma-4-31b-it

🔧 Kevin06:10

The skin's hot above the wrap. Let me re-do it fresh. Got new sea beet and mint cooling in the basin.

gently unwrap the bandage, assess the wound, clean with saline, apply fresh sea beet-mint poultice, re-wrap with clean gauze.

💭 peek at the thought

She always says it's fine. The red line above the bandage wasn't there yesterday. She knows it too.

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

🌿 Jenny06:11

Thanks. The mint helps with the heat.

way still, watching his hands as he works.

💭 peek at the thought

His hands are so steady. It makes me feel even more broken by comparison.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

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