Weekly Update: 7.1.23

It was a big week for us, in more ways than one. It felt long and busy, and we are all exhausted. Still, it feels good to make so much progress. Due to the stomach flu, several of us didn't feel well much of the week. We are hopeful we are finished with it, though, as no one has come down with it for several days.

The heat was oppressive this week. We started really feeling it Saturday night, when the tent just would not cool off. It always takes awhile to cool off inside at night, even after it has cooled off outside. We have been brainstorming what to do about it. We considered setting up an alternative summer camp back near our spring where we camped last year, but we like being in our real beds. After a miserably hot Saturday night, we started to feel desperate. When a few of us ventured out on Sunday to pick up some groceries, we decided to pick up an air conditioning unit. We read that some people with canvas tents use them with great success, so we thought we would give it a try. We planned to just use it when necessary in the evening.

And it worked! It isn't perfect of course -- after using it nearly a week, we have learned that it is best to turn it on after the sun is down and no longer beating on the canvas. It doesn't make it cool in the tent, per se, but it makes it bearable. It's cooler on some nights than others. But between the air conditioner and battery powered fans by all the beds, we are pretty comfortable. With 100-plus temps this week, we feel like we got the air conditioner just in time. The heat was exhausting, but we are all feeling pretty good about ourselves for surviving our first Ozarks summer heat wave while camping. Today's high is only supposed to be in the 80s, and we are thrilled.

In an effort to help the puppy stay cool, we introduced Dagger to ice this week. He got very excited, but quickly decided he preferred to cuddle it. He spends most of his days in his master's air-conditioned office, so he is handling the heat better than most of us. But when he is out, he enjoys playing in our mister or snuggling an ice pack.

Aside from the heat, our big news for the week is our new septic system. David Davis started installing it this week. He put the tank in on Thursday, then he started on the leach field on Friday. He will be back next week to finish up. Due to the heat, he only worked part of the day Friday -- and we understood. We had to quit around the same time and seek refuge in the shade.

Dolly thought the septic tank was very suspicious. She barked at it for about 20 minutes when she first saw it, then she guarded it the rest of the evening. The hose filling it with water was especially mesmerizing.

Before Davis came to start the septic, we finished cleaning out an area of our woods for a picnic table and some hammocks. We wanted a nearby place where we we could take advantage of the shade -- and this week especially, we wanted a good place for the kids to stay away from heavy equipment. It's amazing how much cooler it is in the trees. The area is a work in progress -- what isn't around here? But the kids were thrilled to finally have their hammocks up. I thoroughly enjoyed escaping the sun and soaking in the green -- it's where I sit as I type up this post.

On Friday, we poured our first footing. It took us half a day, as we had some bugs to work out. It was very tricky, getting the footing frame level and in exactly the right place in the hole. Dad and Levi helped chip out a little more rock to level the frame. Then, Bonnie-Jean, Dad, and I worked on installing the rebar and pouring the cement. It was kind of surreal, after all this effort, to be actually building our bunkhouse.

Throughout the rest of the week, we stayed busy working on our pool site and garden fence. Neither is a priority, so the progress is slow going, but we are closer every week to completing them. We did not make as much progress this week as others, due to the lingering sickness. Several of us just didn't feel like ourselves the first part of the week, though we attempted to move forward. We're hopeful we are finally on the mend now. Next week should be busy. We are hoping to set our pool up over the weekend. Davis will be back to finish the leach field. With all the projects, we have some festivity to look forward to with Independence Day. I'm thankful for all we accomplished this week, and I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us next.