June 24 - Summer in Nowthen

A Rainy and Sunny Summer Day -

Bright sunshine alternated with brief showers on a pleasant summer day at the church. 

Farmer Paul was out preparing the back forty for grass seed. Two evenings this week were devoted to picking rocks and a substantial pile was accumulated. I heard that today would be seeding day but Paul said a little more dirt work is required on the near side of the drainage puddle before the seed goes in. So, if not today, one day soon the seed will be sown and the green grass will sprout where dirt now reigns. 

Mrs. Chronicler prepared the Saturday lunch, marginally assisted by her husband. Here we see the work crew enjoying the lunch break on the back porch. The patio furniture is a tad limited. A few folding chairs, a prototype pew and an improvised Adirondack chair that Bill is using. 

Sloppy Joe's and watermelon - just like a picnic in the park.  

Straggler Bees - 

Last Saturday a swarm of bees encamped behind the building on some siding boards. A local beekeeper happily came to remove them from the church, where they are not really welcome, to his hives. I am sure both the beekeeper and the bees are better served. I am sure their usefulness at the church would have been limited. Perhaps of some value to illustrate a sermon text or two, but for most of the year they would just be a nuisance. The photo shows those bees that missed the ride to the new location. They are still hanging on to the boards, lost and without the necessary female around to keep them content and usefully employed. I am surprised to see them still hanging out a week later, but that just shows that I really don't know anything about bees. 

Hanging Drywall - 

The major, continuing task for the forseeable future is hanging drywall. Acres of drywall need to be hung, one panel at a time. Each panel is secured by a few hundred screws, meaning that a near infinite number of screws must be drilled in. Here Bob, resorted to the portable scaffold when his arms proved to be too short, even while standing on tip-toes.

Aare and Ami seemed to be enjoying their task. They were working in the soon-to-be restrooms. As they worked, Aare was singing a bright song about an aching heart, the very core of longing, perhaps recalling days gone by. I overheard something about the kernel of the yearn-al.

Ed the Insulator -

Ed and Bill are shown here adding sound proofing to the firewall. It looks like insulation to me. I commented to Ed that I think he is a better insulator than conductor. He replied that I have never seen him in the role of a conductor so I can not draw a well informed conclusion. He is right. It did remind me of a story I once heard about an orchestra leader that was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair. However, the execution failed since he was such a poor conductor. I cannot vouch for the truth of the story but Ed did bring it to mind.

Another new thing is the installation of door frames. This one is in the firewall. Bob said we should take note since it is a very expensive item. So, be sure to look it over and maybe even give it a compliment or two.

 Finally, a look at the sanctuary as it exists today. Drywall is hanging on the outside walls, but still missing from the room up front. The trim boards all stacked up waiting to be planed and cut to size. Under the shroud in the center of the picture are the posts that will proudly stand on the pyramidal bases and keep the portico roof from falling to the ground.