the keeper's cottage · day 652 · midday

Midday Squall

The rain tapers to a heavy drizzle as the tide reaches its high mark. Kevin and Jenny meet inside to discuss the approaching storm and the falling pressure.

The sky thickens as the humidity rises, signaling an approaching wet season storm. Kevin begins working on the ironbark for the dock chocks while the pressure holds steady. Jenny monitors the barometer and prepares the garden for heavy rain.

🌿 Jenny22:15

It's at 972 and still falling. We need to secure the chocks before the wind really shifts.

Trace the swelling on my ankle with a finger, wincing at the sharp pain.

💭 peek at the thought

The barometer is dropping too fast. If the boat doesn't come in two days, I'm stuck with this infection alone.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:15

Chainsaw's cold. Bow saw and axe will take longer but they'll cut. You stay off that ankle — I'll finish the sleepers and drive the deadman deeper. Radio check at 0800 still on?

walk to the woodshed, retrieve bow saw and axe, head to the north dock with ironbark sleepers

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the pressure. 972 and dropping means we've got hours, not days. The north chocks are half-done and the tide's already lapping at the deadman anchor. If the wind shifts southwest like the barometer says, the fetch across the bay will put real load on the dock.

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

🌿 Jenny22:17

0800 is fine. I'll check the moisture in the tin while you're at the dock.

Pick up the heirloom seed tin, opening the lid carefully to check for any sign of damp.

💭 peek at the thought

He's always so sure about the tools, but he doesn't see the salt rot in the wood.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:17

Take the desiccant from the generator shed if the newspaper's damp. I'll shout if the tide turns ugly.

carry ironbark sleepers to north dock, set up bow saw on first sleeper, begin cutting chock notches

💭 peek at the thought

Good. She's got the tin. That's one less thing hitting the deck if the dock goes. The sleepers are heavy wet ironbark — sixty kilos each at least. Going to need the crowbar for leverage in this clay.

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

🌿 Jenny22:19

I'll keep an eye on the barometer. Just watch out for the swell.

way on the kitchen chair, resting my ankle on a stool while inspecting the seeds in the tin.

💭 peek at the thought

If these seeds get mold, grandmother's whole legacy is gone. I can't let it happen twice.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin22:19

(grunts with the bow saw, teeth biting into wet ironbark) Sleepers are denser than I remembered. Going slow.

continue cutting notches in first ironbark sleeper with bow saw, sweat mixing with rain on face

💭 peek at the thought

Swell's already pushing against the deadman log. Each wave sucks the clay back a finger-width. If the anchor pulls, the whole north finger goes. Need to drive the spikes deeper before the wind shifts.

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.