Change often takes place slowly, may seem organic on the ground. Shopping last week, bought highlands: Scottish oatmeal, has an interesting almost vinegar taste; barley. Barley cooks almost as quickly as rice, flavorful alternative to that well used grain, belly fills like block of wood eaten - very satisfying. Slowly Earth stove top cook - as nearly all Swett Lodge meals this winter - butter, raisin garnish Scottish oatmeal; satisfies immensely too. Foggy morn, OR hills gaze, wood stove side warm, suck down oatmeal, except for cars whizzing by could be any time in the last few millenia; indeed: without technological 'progress' markers, life would seem to vary little one era to next.
Astrologer friend says Neptune, dreams/expectations/idealizations planet, permanently leaves 'home'/exalted sign Aquarius for Pisces these days after years dally along their border. May not bode well for Hollywood - home of smoke 'n mirrors appreciated for their own sake - as in its exalted sign Neptune has almost literally been dreaming of dreams, while moving into a more pragmatic earthy sign as Pisces may bring more reality into our dreams/aspirations: one can hope. Would be a welcome change for this media child. Don't favor (totally :}) return to homespun cloth/dirty back roads; urge toward more glitz/glamor attenuation seems realistic on planet up against consumption/supply issues.
Fortunately Wednesday morn last broke clear, late in day rain forecast. Two garage roof battens of useable replacement flooring, salvaged from bath cabinets prior to uncovering floor; stripped off, stored with other replacement flooring. Tuck reinforced tan plastic under linoleum/tar paper where they lap over peak; tar under lower edge spots, few 'questionable' roofing lap areas; three strip batten. Await good rain for definitive answer; garage drying up, believe this will do the trick for another stretch - one day: replace entire roof system.
Find first sub floor board rotten below east wall, length of house: remove. 2x4 bottom wall plate rotten mid house to back, pry out.
2x4 bottom wall plate toward house front solid, leave. (Split end behind post to front corner. Note rot shards by foundation.)
Rotten bottom wall plate removed to Swett Lodge back.
Go inside, remove floor/sub floor time. Front room, two ten inch sub floor widths rotten: remove finish floor, two sub floor boards. (2x4 bottom wall plate visible, left.)
Middle bedroom, only one ten inch sub floor board rotten; remove finish floor, sub floor board.
All but one 2x4 stud, plate below middle bedroom window rotten; remove from inside attempt damage siding as little as possible. Full length stud (photo far left) rotten lower portion; circle saw, hand saw cut; remove. Bottom wall plate, studs gone: not much holding siding together: that's OK, beam support under eaves allows wall hang free. Rework header above this window, add studs below later date.
Remove one ten inch sub floor board into bath. Earlier plywood topped 'fix' evident here: it'll get reworked too.
Very little separating east side Swett Lodge from out doors.
Reduce at least one siding board to splinters; all in all not too bad: replace board or two, little putty, some paint will cure most evils. Little choice: prefer not leave opportunistic colonizing rot.
This Swett Lodge cross section photo may be helpful for those wondering what all the technical stuff 'bout beams/walls, etc. is about. Cement foundation wall appears photo bottom, rotten joist end protruding at right. Appears just above cement wall but a few feet inside, new 6x6 beam added by me, board shims atop support pier at left. Atop joist is one inch rough cut sub floor, under finish floor. Outer original wall plate/studs removed this section, temporary 2x6 support wall few feet inside, visible. New beam, temporary wall, beam under eaves support Swett Lodge during reconstruction.
Yank as much rot as possible, stove length dice, final resting place cremation prior: front porch burn pile. Perfect.
Rotten debris scrape ground clean, load paper shopping bag, stove burn. Leave clean, neat work area. A bit anal 'bout site clean up, figure ultimately makes life easier: less trip/fall junk; organized stuff easier find; seeing/noodling issues easier; clean work area return less odious.
Final, largest Hubbard squash meets chop block (keys: scale); remove/dice small section (see opening photo); eat for dinner along with latest Swett Lodge culinary creation: 'Double Penetration Dog' - two wieners atop large lettuce leaf, garnish, burrito roll, consume. (Who says mind's mush?)
Floor and above east side rot excised, crawl under Swett Lodge, circle saw partial cut floor joists. Attempt hand saw finalize, realize rough cut fir requires power equipment. Kate's visiting lake place, request she return with saws all. Friday eve, fire up Gertie, jaunt out, first visit Scrap Jim's house. Collects metal for scrap, comes up with all sorts interesting. Don't want damage nice Stihl cutting joists, kind of under house manipulation large; saws all probably adequate but just; wouldn't mind small chain saw. Hesitant to make trip to Jim's at first, good thing did: has small non working saw to loan. 'Bring it back working.'
First obvious prob: fuel tank, bar oil filled. Black fuel line leads into carburetor.
Drain tank, gas rinse; next prob: brittle/broken fuel line. Bike trip hardware store, buy fuel line, return, install. Starts, runs pretty good now. Final prob: auto chain/bar oiler inoperable. Fill oil tank, discover leaks into crank case. Pull off saw handle/carb unit, pry round magneto off crank shaft, find will be able to hatch (open at seam), get at oiler parts.
Hatch, find oil line brittle/broken: replace. Shiny vertical crank shaft (clear oil hose just right), piston rod extending into vaned cylinder head. Blue gasket goo mating surface smear. Rebuild. Saw starts/runs OK, haven't cured oil tank/crank case leak. Oil tank surrounding circular crank case meant to be discreet: isn't. Jim has second saw could be made run, noodle; decide this saw runs OK, only need to cut joist ends, will use this saw, occasionally dip blade in oil during use, make up for non functional oiler.
Magneto goes on crank shaft, when spinning, electromagnetically excites coil (black blob protruding spark plug wire atop vaned cylinder head) providing spark at plug.
As we've seen here, little is perfect yet where there's a will there's a way: perseverance prevails.
One way or another those joist ends are coming off, each an individual case as rot has taken its own course throughout. Whether Jim's loaned junk saw does the trick, or have to gnaw 'em off - it's gonna happen, and it'll be reported here.
Enjoy. Be well.
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