Yesterday’s first blizzard of the season was impressive. It lasted all day long and dropped up to 24 inches of snow in some nearby areas. We only received about half of that and it was distributed very nonuniformly because of the winds and drifting. Our new electric snowblower got its first real work out and I am happy to report it was up to the task although, to be fair, the snow was very fluffy and light. Still, it managed to chew through the dense two-foot buildup left by the street plows at the end of our driveway with little complaining. I did, however, deplete both sets of batteries and had to wait for a recharge cycle before I could finish the job. I should probably just bite the bullet and order a third set but at nearly a thousand dollars a pair, it may be worth putting up with the recharge delay for larger snowfalls.

The shed I ordered to house our snowblower and trash cans arrived yesterday at 2:30 pm. It arrived in a large box in kit form. With a blizzard forecasted for today, I desperately wanted to get it assembled and ready for use before the snow started. It took just over three hours to complete the work following 40 pages of pictorial instructions. It should have taken half the time but I was slowed down by the cold weather, a number of ill-fitting components that I had to coerce into place and the lack of daylight for the final hour. All-in-all, I am happy with the result and pleased with the aesthetic match to the house. I will need to add a carpet to the interior because the floor is dangerously slippery as things stand.

This evening we were joined for dinner by our good friends Irene and Eric. Completing the guest list was their dog, Cobi, who is an absolute peach. He is very well behaved and extremely friendly. Jeanine and I continue to discuss the possibility of getting a dog when our new house is completed. Visits with Cobi only increase the probability of that happening.

I have spent a good bit of time this week working on the mechanical systems for the River House. At this point, I think we will be using two cold climate heat pumps, one for each wing of the house. This partition is essentially the night time zone (west wing) and the daytime zone (east wing) allowing for a straightforward temperature setback strategy to save energy. It also means that we will have a measure of redundancy should one unit fail. Furthermore, the east wing zone is almost entirely an open floor plan which means we can use a common return, whereas the west wing is composed entirely of individual rooms which will benefit from having a return vent in each. Locating the HVAC trunk lines is the biggest challenge and I now have a plan which I believe will work very well.

Kyle shared these photos with me of his first 2×4 wall segment. Thus far, I have been leading the effort on his basement renovation project. He has been paying attention and learning how to use all the various tools. After our last work session, I suggested he tackle this remaining wall segment on his own. I wouldn’t say he is a master carpenter quite yet, but he is certainly off to a great start.

Jeanine received this orchid as a present and has been taking great pleasure in its care. It has bloomed for the second time which filled her with much joy. I was happy to oblige when she asked me to photograph it for her.

My work for a new client has been very exciting and I wake up almost every morning with a new idea to improve the design I am working on. It has been a lot of fun but time-consuming to learn about an entirely new field. In many ways, it is like learning to speak a new language. It took me days to get through a summary of the technology, having to stop every third word to look it up. Fortunately, I have hit my stride and I am very confident I can design the machine that will achieve the client’s goals.

Jeanine has decided she would like a mural on one of the walls in her office. We spent some time together going through my photo archive and she selected these three as her favorites. The one above was taken in Switzerland while we were hiking in the mountains during a soft rain. The hanging laundry was taken by Jeanine in India during her coming of age adventure with Maya. The final was taken by me of the Maroon Bells in Colorado while we were visiting Nico at college. Her first choice was the laundry shot but unfortunately, it was not of high enough resolution to use for the 11 foot by 7-foot mural. The angles in the Maroon Bells photo work against those in the room and the dark upper left corner would have made for an abrupt color transition with the space above the door where the mural ends. Hence, the Swiss House is on order and should be here in early February.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch with my nephew John and his girlfriend Quinn today. We met at the River House for a pre-demolition tour and a good location for walking their dog, Miso. We moved on to the Road House for a vegetarian meal and the opportunity to catch up while also celebrating his upcoming birthday. John’s last name is Quinn and Quinn’s first name is Quinn, hence the title of this post and possibly a foreshadowing of things to come.

Mercifully, after almost two weeks of intermittent service, our broadband network issues have been resolved. The root cause was determined to be a poorly secured cable connector located at the amplifier on the power pole at the edge of our property. It has taken a total of three technicians, three linesmen, and one supervisor to resolve the problem. Based on our own observations we determined the problem was exacerbated by low temperatures and made sure this morning’s visit was scheduled for a period of chilly weather. Having endured this major inconvenience, I can honestly say I would have preferred to have no heat than no broadband. Dealing with the front end of Comcast Customer Service is like dental work without anesthetics. There highly automated response systems and similarly-programmed humans are designed to deal with typical problems like the power cable to the modem is not plugged in. It is impossible to talk to them about a problem that does not fall within their framework without first repeating the same set of time-consuming and unproductive diagnostics. By contrast, I found their on-site technicians and technical supervisor to be extremely friendly, capable, and easy to work with.

Maya celebrated with her housemates after all tested negative for Covid. This, after completing 5 days of mandatory quarantine before returning to Olin for the beginning of their final semester. It appears to me that Maya has baked some rather yummy cookies to celebrate the results.

A few weeks ago, I built the platform for a utility shed that I ordered and am waiting to receive. It will be used to store our snowblower, bikes, and trash cans. Today, I placed it in our side yard observing proper setback from the house and our lot lines. I used a laser to level the paver bricks over crushed stone foundation. Jeanine and Nicolai helped me place the very heavy structure atop the bricks. I secured a weatherproof tarp over the platform and it is now ready for the shed which is scheduled to arrive within the week. It might not look so from the picture but it is dead level and insanely sturdy.

Kyle reported from his Florida office this morning. I wonder if he needs an assistant?

Between the snow and rain we have had over the past week, our backyard is starting to look like something of a pond. Fortunately, none of that water is finding its way into our house or basement. Maybe we should start calling this the Pond House rather than the Road House. This tendency to flood will be an issue in the spring when we are planning to host a graduation celebration for Maya and a large group of her Olin friends and their families. A tent will be needed to enhance Covid safety and to accommodate the numbers. April, however, can be a very rainy month. I took measurements of our front and side yards and determined we could fit a 30’x20′ tent there and avoid the risk of getting rained out.

Kyle left this morning for Florida where he is renting an AirBnB for a week. This will be his first foray into the Digital Nomadic lifestyle he seeks to embrace. Pictured here is what he calls his “battle station.” A lightweight, easy-to-transport computer setup with which he can do his job from anywhere in the world given electricity and access to the internet. His plan is to spend the winter months in warm climates and the rest of his time in Boston. The warmth and sunshine are good for his soul.