Melty chocolate, melting snow, melting hearts... it's a Fondue of a February in YIPPEE-Land. Dip in and enjoy!

FEBRUARY FONDUE:

Ingredients:

• VERY COLD OUTDOOR AIR
• A GENEROUS BLIZZARD OF SNOW
• SOME MORE SNOW - reserved for flurries and additional accumulations
• WIND - bitter, cold, and strongly brewed
• LAYERS, LOTS OF LAYERS
• NUTS - exactly two, of the special variety, C+C
• CHOCOLATE and LOVE - and love of chocolate!
• CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES - stained and sealed 2*6 boards, brand new 2*4 boards, cedar shims, deck screws, nails, and whatever else is on hand
• HEAVILY COLOGNED DUDE AT CO-OP - to handle C+C's groceries and transfer his excessive cologne to the food packaging; to make Cass ill, as she unpacked shopping; to make extra work and hassle for C+C, since Chris had to remove and repackage the food, all without Cassandra anywhere in vicinity (at the end of the month, a few things remain isolated and in need of new packaging)
• WOODSMOKE AND CREOSOTE - in generous and horrible amounts; to infuse the month with oh-so-lovely throat and eye burning aromas
• A NASTY LITTLE COLD VIRUS - like the one caught by Chris in his travels, which drastically diminished onsite work the last weekend of the month and, for the last few days of the month, had Cassandra ill with her first cold in at least nine years

Tools:

• 1 VERMOOSE - with accompanying plow and tire chains
• 2 C NUTS (they are not only ingredients, but also the tools that work and love and work and love...)
• 3 FIVE-GALLON BUCKETS, 1 METAL PAIL AND 1 METAL PAN
• 4 FIVE GALLON WATER JUGS - for storage of drinking and cooking water, obtained from Poocham and lugged lovingly uphill by the awesome power of Chris
• 1 HAND-OPERATED WATER FILTER - for filtering shower water, powered by the bulging biceps of Cassandra
• VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION TOOLS - such as screwdrivers and drills, saws, mallet, measuring implements and pencil
• 12 RECHARGEABLE TOOL BATTERIES
• 4 SHOVELS - for moving lots o' snow
• 2 PAIRS OF SNOWSHOES AND POLES - for transporting C+C up hill and down again
• 1 CHEAP PLASTIC SLED - for one valiant, but failed, attempt at hauling water up the steep and snow covered driveway
• RATCHET STRAPS AND ROPE
• 3 AXES - and other sharp wood related tools
• 1 WHEELBARROW - for carting supplies up and down hill, and for carting wood from Woodshed #2 up Park Avenue, and which amazingly, despite its dedicated hard-working duties, remains unnamed!
• 1 XTERRA - for transporting Chris and various supplies, including a special trip uphill with a supply of 2*4's, and for occasional naps
• 1 MONTHLY CONTEST

Instructions:

1. Start with the NUTS.
2. Place them underneath the LAYERS, LOTS OF LAYERS (base-layer bottoms, jeans, khakis, sweatpants, snow pants, base-layer tops, t-shirts (long and short), sweatshirts, jackets, hats, socks, boot socks, insulated boots, reflectix sole inserts, work gloves, mittens, outer glove/mittens).
3. Swirl in the SNOW, WIND and VERY COLD OUTDOOR AIR.
4. Toss everything into the month of February, and melt until the bitter cold and wind make for short sessions of outdoor work, with warm-up breaks inside the Park Avenue yurt, where mid-month, the water freezes for the third and final time, even though the flow had been left trickling by C+C, who have lots of layering to do for outdoor work which involves a lot of shoveling and the Vermoose, who plows by the Woodshed #2, which is completed this month and where Chris uses the axes, to split wood for wood burning heat that is yucky and smoky and continues to require biweekly cleanings, just one item on a long list of tasks which now includes using buckets, pail and pan to collect snow to be melted for flush-water and/or filtering by C+C, those two nuts who work, work, work with various construction supplies and tools to end the month with a complete deck structure (task #213.01 is done!), a deck top that is nearing completion, two yurts that are technically now connected, a properly installed window awning at Park Avenue, a completely shimmed floor for the 20' yurt, and bracing well under way.
5. For a special treat, stir in some strawberry jam (melted into a lovely Valentine's syrup for woodstove French toast ala Cass), chocolates (melted on C+C's tongues and scrumptiously savored), and a big snowy heart (melty in the sun until it grows as more snow is layered on top, gets shoveled out again, and then melts a little more: a tribute to C+C's melting of each others hearts).
6. Finally, top off February's Fondue of Fun with the creation of a monthly contest for encouraging The C+C Nuts to carry on and crank out the site work hours needed to finish building this year! It has already encouraged Cassandra to work out in the cold despite being sick with a cold. Wait... perhaps that is not so good... But, just as Chris rid himself of that nasty cold virus, other time constraints are bound to melt away soon. Cassandra will be able to stop putting hot compresses on her side injury, and begin working without risk of further injury. If the cold weather has truly begun letting up (to at least freezing or above), that will help prolong outdoor work sessions, as will the sun's more leisurely trip behind the ridge. Eventually, outside melting will fill the reservoir again, melt away any ice blockages and flush away all the extra water-related work that has reduced site work. YIPPEE!

February Journal

02/01/07 - Thursday

213.04 attach decking

• moving, measuring, marking, and moving boards
• Time: 3.25hrs

02/02/07 - Friday

Notes:

• Sunny in morning. At one point Chris was down to base layer on top, shedding jackets, hat, sweatshirts and gloves

275.04 Materials Transport

• 2*4s up to MLA, unloaded from the Xterra and stacked in the 30'.
• Required tire chaining the Xterra
• time: 1.5 hrs.

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• Added more blocking near and under 30' yurt
• time: 1 hr

213.04 attach decking

• Chris cut more boards
• Cass checked fittings and remarked for additional cuts that Chris made
• Cass attached more boards
• time: 2.5hrs

310.01 Keep deck clear

• time: 0.25 hrs

02/03/07 - Saturday

Notes:

• Brick Metal Echo: C&C jam on woodstove accessories
• C&C discover (by Cass getting sick) that the food purchased at co-op yesterday retained the cologne contamination of the dude who helped Chris bag at checkout. Soooo Not Good!

310.01 Keep deck clear

• Chris shoveled some of the deck
• C&C used some creative rope skills to get snow off the 20' yurt roof so it wouldn't slide down onto them
• Cass finished deck shoveling deck
• time: 2 hrs

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• Attached blocking under yurt
• C&C squared up four more joists that Chris later marked and cut
• time: 2.75 hrs

310.06 Shovel: MLA to Driveway

• time: 15 min

213.45 Bracing: yurt platforms

• Chris started marking for placement on 20' yurt platform
• time: 30 min

300.45 Woodstove Maintenance

• time: 30 min

213.16 Connect the two yurts

• C&C checked out joist placement and marked up drip-edge to be removed
• time: 30 min

288.08 Split and stack firewood

• Big pallet of wood outside shed (existed before shed) is no more
• time: 90 min

310.04 Plow Main Drive

• time: 45 min

02/04/07 - Sunday

Notes:

• Chris made Reflectix insoles for his and Cassandra's boots.

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• more joists and blocking installed
• one creative blocking board attached to posts on both platforms
• time: 2.75

213.16 Connect the two yurts

• Drip edge under doors removed
• three short joists placed
• the yurts are, technically, now connected
• time: 2.75

310.01 Keep deck clear

• time: 15 min

213.04 attach decking

• Cass added more boards to the north side
• time: 2 hrs

288.08 Split and stack firewood

• time: 30 min

213.47 Woodshed #2

• Chris finished putting up tarp walls
• This task is DONE!
• time: 1 hr

02/05/07 - Monday

Notes:

• Chris home since is away on Friday this week.
• Park Ave water pipe scare in AM, but opening valve fully (instead of usual trickle) and flushing couple times released icy blockage.
• C+C are nuts. Not sure what kind, but they are!

315.04 repair boiler dented from windstorm

• No damage under dented roof panel. Chris will get price on replacement and then this task can be set aside until spring.
• time: 45 min

213.45 Bracing: yurt platforms

• 20' yurt temporary bracing placement started
• time: 1.25 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• Cass added more boards to the north side
• time: 1.5 hrs

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• measured and notched drip edge for last two joists
• trimmed one of the joists
• installed joists. All deck joists are in! Only a few blocking and shimming installs remain.
• time: 1.75 hr

02/06/07 - Tuesday

Notes:

• Brrr! Very cold Cass again, after only 3hrs outdoors.
• Layering at Project YIPPEE involves: base layer bottoms, jeans(for chris) and khakis (for cass), cass also adds pr sweatpants, snowpants, base layer top, t-shirt(or long sleeve for cass), sweatshirt, and another sweatshirt, jacket, hats, socks, boot so
• At work today, two of Chris' coworkers had the following exchange: (after pointing to Chris) "Why d'ya think he's wearing a short sleeve shirt?"... "He's a hippie and lives in a tent, what d'ya expect?"...

213.04 attach decking

• screwed down few boards, measured and marked another, marked joists for placement along 30'.
• Time: 2hrs

213.01 P+B+J (deck)

• blocking boards selected and marked. one attached under single deck board.
• Time: 0.75hrs

02/07/07 - Wednesday

Notes:

• Windy and cold again. Too bad remaining deck work is all in the shade.
• Cass tries out new schedule, in effort to still get work done but not get as thoroughly shivery and chilled as happened on weekend: work a couple hrs and then warmup etc break in yurt, then go do a couple more hrs.

213.04 attach decking

• more boards by 20' put down
• Time: 3.25hrs

02/08/07 - Thursday

Notes:

• Cass' late start turned out to be for the best in one respect: if she had gotten outdoors when planned, she would have gotten very sick from the low-flying military jet that flew through mid-morning. She was quite sick enough today without that.

213.04 attach decking

• more boards down, went thru SBU pile to see if any sections of those boards could be used
• Time: 2.5 hrs

02/09/07 - Friday

310.01 keep deck clear

• removed snow off shaded working areas
• Time: 0.25hrs

213.04 attach decking

• marked few boards. Worked on next layout, carrying boards in and out of yurt
• Time: 2hrs

02/10/07 - Saturday

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• Cut more boards
• time: 15 min

213.45 Bracing: yurt platforms

• long bracing boards for 20' are in temp positions
• time: 90 min

213.04 attach decking

• Chris cut more boards
• working on next layout, carrying boards in and out of yurt, (carefully!) placing them... C+C gotta review! This has got Cass incredibly demoralized and down... Colors and quality, possibly not enough boards? Does Cass continue spending so much time mak
• Time: 2.5hrs

02/11/07 - Sunday

288.08 Split and stack firewood

• time: 1.75

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• Last blocking pieces installed
• This task is DONE! ... except that at 7:45 pm we remembered some shimming still needs to be addressed, so this isn't done yet :(
• time: 1.75 hrs

300.47 Redo/fix window awning

• Carefully corrected by C&C
• time: 45 min

213.04 attach decking

• C&C assessed remaining boards available and decided to make them work despite their lack of aesthetic qualities. What the hey...its only the back. And if all else fails there may be a rock garden, flowerpots or some other non-deck items between the joi
• time: 2 hrs

02/12/07 - Monday

213.04 attach decking

• screwed down cut boards from weekend, got string along angle, more selecting and organizing
• Time: 4hrs

02/13/07 - Tuesday

Notes:

• Cass had some excruciating pains ("the intense kind you are not at all sure you can survive") from detoxing that she hasn't had since Poocham days. Feeling ill most of day.
• Also, water pipes freeze again. Trickle not enough to prevent. Toilet line was not frozen, and kept running until in evening, when gurgle gurgle gurgle and nothing...
• But, day ended on an up note. Chris home for night...

02/14/07 - Wednesday

Notes:

• Chris slept great, at home with Cass! So good that he (for once) is awake and feeling refreshed!
• C+C wish Chris could have a snow day and experience the blizzard together. After shoveling Park Ave, and having a very enjoyable breakfast with Cass, he heads back to work. 5 hrs to drive!

310.05 Shovel: Park Ave

• time: 30 min

310.01 Keep deck clear

• shoveling deck
• cleaned off and brought some loose boards into yurt, other boards lined up on sides
• important bit: cleared snow off yurt roofs
• snowing very fast
• Time: 2 hrs

02/15/07 - Thursday

310.05 Shovel Park Ave

• Time: 1 hr

310.01 Keep deck clear

• fully shoveled. Well...except for the heart from cass to chris...
• Time: 1.75 hrs

02/16/07 - Friday

310.04 Plow Main Drive

• Plowing 18" of snow is a really not-so-fun task. Chris got it done but swore a lot and managed to run over the GIPPEE shower pan. D'oh!
• time: 2.25 hrs

310.05 Shovel: Park Ave

• Chris got out the square sand shovel and made quick work of moving compacted snow chunks
• time: 45 min

300.45 Woodstove Maintenance

• Cough, cough.
• Good thing we bought a really expensive insulated outdoor pipe and spent a weekend raising it (including six stitches) because it would really suck to have to clean the stovepipe out every two weeks like we did last wint.....oh....right
• time: 30 min

02/17/06 - Saturday

213.01 Posts + Beams (Deck)

• shims in
• NOW this task is done!
• time: 1 hr

213.04 attach decking

• C&C reviewed some problem areas until a really-low-flying plane caused Cassandra to get sick
• time: 45 min

02/18/06 - Sunday

Notes:

• Sun is staying out longer; at 2 p.m. it was still not over the ridge. Woo-hoo!
• Snow-collection-and-melting continues. Water level still really low.

288.08 Split and stack firewood

• more winter fun with sharp tools and wheelbarrows
• time: 1.25 hrs

310.06 Shovel: MLA to Driveway

• Got thru a big pile of snow from which Cass had pushed off the deck.
• time: 30 min

213.48 MLA flooring: shim

• Chris finished 20' yurt floor
• time: 1.25 hrs

213.04 attach decking

• Cass worked on marking and placement.
• Chris cut a few more.
• Together C&C harvested some temp bracing and leftover scaffolding boards for deck.
• time: 3 hrs

310.01 Keep deck clear

• time: 15 min

02/19/07 - Monday

Notes:

• Radio weather report "Windchills today -10F to -25F"

213.01 is done! Finished last little bit on 17th. The full task includes footings, post, beams, joists, blockings; all were lumped together, and had estimated 20 days, way back when this project was originally started. Work was don