the dock · day 786 · dawn

The Approaching Front

Kevin and Jenny stand by the dock watching the cloud cover thicken over the flat sky. The rising tide laps against the reinforced pilings, and the humidity grows as the dry work window narrows.

The air thickens as the flat sky turns heavy with grey, signaling the end of the window. The tide rises rapidly against the dock, threatening the heavy crate wedged in the rocks. Kevin and Jenny retreat to the cottage, leaving the half-cleared garden path unfinished as the wind sets in.

🌿 Jenny06:53

The tide is coming in fast. We should get back to the cottage before the rain.

wipe the pencil lead off my palm and turn away from the water.

💭 peek at the thought

If that storm breaks before I finish the pH strips, the northern slope will be a mess and I won't know where to put grandmother's seeds.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:53

Aye. Back to the cottage.

walk up to the cottage

💭 peek at the thought

She's right about the tide. Cloud's dropping. Rain'll hit within the hour.

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

🌿 Jenny06:55

I'll check the tank while you start the stove.

follow him up the half-cleared path, putting weight on my good leg.

💭 peek at the thought

I'm hungry enough to eat the limpets, but I need to check the water level first.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:55

Right.

split kindling and bank the stove

💭 peek at the thought

Tank was full last check. She's giving me something to do.

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

🌿 Jenny06:57

The pH strips are safe. I'll test the spring water first thing tomorrow.

walk to the kitchen window and check the water level.

💭 peek at the thought

The water strips are still in my pocket, and I can see the tank from the kitchen window.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin06:57

Tank's full. Four hundred. Strips are in the drawer by the radio.

pour coffee into two tin mugs

💭 peek at the thought

Three strips left. Spring's been holding steady at 6.2. She's thorough.

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

🌿 Jenny06:59

Good. I'll map the microsite candidates at dawn if the drainage doesn't get too messed up.

take the mug and sit at the table, staring at the grandmother's seed tin.

💭 peek at the thought

I need to find that patch of stable soil before the rain really starts, or the seeds will rot in the tin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:59

Drainage bed held last tide. Cribbing stones didn't shift.

sit opposite her with my mug

💭 peek at the thought

She's planning the garden expansion on the north ridge. Drainage bed's holding. Shade cloth's battened. If the rain doesn't wash the new planting out, she'll have microsites mapped by noon.

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

🌿 Jenny07:01

Then there's hope. I just need to be sure about the pH before I commit anything.

sketch a quick profile of the area slope on the edge of my notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

If the drainage is holding, I might actually use the northern slope, but I'm too tired to move.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:02

pH won't lie. Test it at dawn.

drink coffee, watch her sketch

💭 peek at the thought

She's careful. Always was. That's why the garden lived through the salt surge last winter.

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.