NAILED IT!!

I started today with a bunch of cut boards (*did that yesterday) and 50 lbs of nails. It could not have been more fun!! I was putting in floor joist, enjoying listening to a well made mix of hammering tunes on my iPod. The weather was crisp and sunny, and Lucy, my constant companion was there to supervise as always.
Listening to music while pounding away on nails (into braces between the support beams) I recognized a warm feeling of relaxed energy flowing through me. It was blissful. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the sense of isolation my little place gives me, or maybe it was just that it is something I am doing on my own that is real and tangible. So much of the work I do is so theoretical and in my head, it's easy to forget what something real feels like.

At some point I'll post my list of songs - let's just say it's an eclectic mix. I'm a firm believer that music can soothe the savage beast, or get a groove on, and it is often best figured out as task specific. For instance - writing out logistical frameworks it's good to use really bad disco. For more aggressive writing and drafting things I've got a handle on The Clash, and The Police always come through. And maybe some Taj Mahal or Budy Guy if I'm in a Bluesy mood. For getting started on something that requires a lot of focus and concentration - Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and Fugues are the tonic. And for nailing board together? It seems that a mix of funk, Rolling Stones and Eurythmics with some Fine Young Cannibals, R.E.M. and Gloria Gaynor thrown in is the way to have a lovely afternoon.

This was the first half done:

This is where I had to stop because it was dark. 3 left to go:

So hopefully tomorrow, I'll finish it off. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm trying to make a habit of spending some quiet, reflective, perhaps meditative time at the end of each day out there, just to draw the line between there and coming inside. I like the distinction from the household that I have out there. So taking time to honor that when I start and stop at the end of the day feels right. As I lay back on the center beam and joist I felt an overwhelming sense of love of place. I don't know why it is. I can't really imagine that all builders get this. But it was really wonderful. And I'm glad I did it.

Thanks everyone for reading!!