Mr. Scout was here on Friday to install our back window and door, but fate and the odd inventory policies of the Lowe’s corporation conspired against us: there were no 32″ steel 15-pane doors in stock to be bought, so we had to settle for the window and a huge sheet of temporary plywood. He stayed overnight with us in order to get a headstart on his weekend, and treated us to some delicious oyster stew as well as some great company.

I took the opportunity of a rare unscheduled weekend to catch up on some sidelined projects. First up was the attic window I’d replaced temporarily, after having pulled a titanic air conditioner out of the top half and clearing out a nest of drowsy wasps weeks ago. I shimmed up the sides, filled the cracks with foam, and sealed it up to keep the heat in the attic where it belongs.

Next up was the underlayment on the side porch, covering square yards of hard Georgia pine that’s destined to be sanded and finished. I’ve talked about the process of pulling ring shank nails before, so I won’t repeat it here; I plugged into my iPod and enjoyed about ten episodes of my favorite history podcast while I methodically hammered and pulled. It’s slow going due to the sheer number of nails around the perimeter of each sheet, but I’m about 80% complete.

As can be expected, there were casualties. I jammed my knuckle on the edge of a nail on Saturday, and it bled continually until I wrapped it in a paper towel. Sunday afternoon I gouged the meaty end of my left middle finger with the crowbar, which bled like a stuck pig until I bound it in painter’s tape and tissues. (Band-aids were out of reach on the second floor, but I’m rocking Cookie Monster on it now). I was somewhat alarmed at the time each cut took to stop bleeding, because usually I close up fast, but I guess the fact that I was still using my hands meant I was continually opening them back up.

I’m really getting excited about this room, though, and as things keep moving, I can see the pieces falling into place. One of the other things we did Saturday was purchase about $250 worth of electrical gear to run recessed lighting, a ceiling fan, and all the switches, plugs and wires for this section of the house.

I had hopes I’d be able to get to other things, like running the Scout, raking some leaves, and cleaning the basement up, but time was not on my side. I’m thankful for the time I got and the progress made, and there will be more to come soon.