This week the carpentry, painting and landscaping crews made enormous strides toward the project finish line and we also had electricians, geothermal technicians and the plumber on site. The work days started at dawn and didn’t end until the excavator shut down just before suppertime. While friends and relatives in Florida braced for Hurricane Milton, our days here in Sweden were clear, cool and bright. Today Westerly winds are making the trees dance and the windows whistle.

In the basement, Crowell carpenters Carl and Nick prepared strapping to receive the the barn boards salvaged from the farmhouse’s old screen porch and kitchen. They hauled the boards out of our carriage house attic and cut them to size to cover the concrete wall next to the brick.

Kerry Munn finished installing wallpaper in the the parlor, the fourth room in the old house to receive his treatment, and painters followed in his wake, adding last coats to baseboards and wainscoting panels.

As the weather cools, we appreciate the steady even heat produced by the geothermal system that circulates warm air throughout the house via ductwork. We got a briefing from Devon at Gagnon HVAC this week on how to operate the system most efficiently.

As the daylight hours shorten, we are happy to report we now have more interior and exterior lights to illuminate our evenings.

And, in anticipation of a snowy weather, we are happy to now have a mudroom bench on which to sit and remove our boots.

The most exciting and dramatic work accomplished this week was outside the house. Joe operated his excavator with the invaluable input of his able assistant Clint as they trenched, built retaining walls, spread loam, and created granite beds for herbs and flowers along the house’s southern side.

And during the few quiet hours before dark, Nils and I continued our work along the edge of the forest where he is removing stumps and I am tearing out bittersweet. It’s an ongoing challenge but we are making progress. I like working down the hill because it gives me another perspective on the house.