Cool and breezy this morning, almost chilly.  Set to work to finish the last of the wall framing and Ken and Joyce arrived around 2:30 p.m. and we got all the rafters and purlins on by 5:00 p.m.  Took a short walk to show Ken and Joyce the pond and Blumsville.  Hadn't been over there in two years.  The path to the pond needs clearing and Mr. Blum seems to be using my side of the the road for various sanitary functions.  Might have to have a word with him about his portable potty chair and other debris. 

Got a couple of big trees down and you can see the house through the trees now across the ravine.  Decided to treat the Yorks to supper in town.  Went into Shoney's and back home by 9 p.m.  Hope to get the roof on tomorrow and last of the OSB on the walls.  That leaves Wednesday and Thursday to install a few windows and tidy up.

TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2006

A beautiful sunny morning, but crisp and cool.  Took an early morning walk before breakfast.  Levi and I got an early start on building.  Levi got all the purlins nailed down and I got all the OSB cut and nailed up.  Ken and Joyce arrived about 3 p.m. and we started putting up the roof metal. No problems and all finished by 6 p.m.

Sky threatened rain, but a false alarm. Library looks great. A nice cozy space with great light and just enough room.  I'm going to put a big partners desk or table under the bow window with matching wing chairs.  Book shelves floor to ceiling on the long walls and the fireplace on the short wall opposite the bow window.  Room for my chaise and another comfy chair flanking the fireplace.  I think I will put that old gasolier and matching sconces in the room.  And keep my eye out for a nice turkey carpet.  Joyce and Ken stayed to supper...baked pasta and meatballs and a big salad.  They left at dusk so they could get back to camp before it was completely dark.  Quiet night reading and early to bed.  Hope to finish the OSB tomorrow, set the windows and put up black paper. Maybe set the arch that links the library to the Main House.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2006

A very bad night, but thank God for good neighbors and even better rural medical facilities.  About 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night I was preparing for bed and made the usual visit to "le petit coin."  Felt bloated and a bit sick so I went to bed.  But within an hour, I had terrible cramps and felt miserable.  Took a Phenogran tablet, but it did no good.  So at 2 a.m., I woke up Levi and he took me across to Adrianna's.  Luckily she and Matt were still both awake and Matt drove me to St. John's Hospital in Lebanon, doubled up with pain.   I must say St. John's is a mighty efficient little operation.  Triage nurse took me right in while Levi got me registered.  BP was 170/80, fast pulse, but no fever and lungs clear.  Told them a GI cocktail usually did the trick.  So rather than let me wait for tests and suffer, they made me up a sample and let me rest. 

After an hour, it hadn't helped so the decided to do some blood work and maybe a cat-scan. They were afraid I might be too big for the cat-scan machine and would have to be sent to Springfield for the test.  But they decided to weigh me first.  So in came the guy with the giant sling scale.  "How much do you think you weigh sir?"  280-285 last time I was weighed.  The technician gives me this "In your dreams" look and says to the nurse, "You know this scale only goes to 400lbs?"  Nurse goes..."Oh he can't weigh near that." So they roll me every which way and my stomach is rolling and gurgling and finally they get me on the sling scale.  Levi found all this vastly amusing while they hauled me off the table and weighed me.  "283 lbs."
Just as I said.  So they pump me full of Kool-Aid mixed with chalk and dye for the cat-scan and off we went. 

The cat-scan looked like a giant beige bagel made by GE and they slid me through while I posed arms overhead like Dorothy Lamour in a sarong.  The worst bit for me was breathing deep and holding my breath.  By 7 a.m. I was feeling better so they dosed me again with liquid Pepcid and let me rest while they waited for the results.  Tests didn't show anything unusual, but the cat-scan shows I have gallstones, but nothing too serious.  They sent me home with new meds about Noon and Adrianna came and picked me up and took us back to the Homestead.  Spent the afternoon resting and puttering around the house.

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