Work, Work, Work

We were planning to finish up our taxes last weekend, but it was not meant to be.  Water backed up into the utility room of our basement and we had to deal with the septic system instead. Rog dug in the middle of one of my perennial flower beds to access the septic tank so it could be pumped.  Unfortunately, that was not the main problem -- the pipe between the house and the tank was stopped up. The old cast iron pipe is degraded and very rough so stuff  can easily snag on it and clog...the joys of an old house with a very mature infrastructure.

On the bright side, Rog's digging did give us proof that spring is coming. He unearthed a bunch of sprouting tulips. (I cringe to think of how this poor  flower bed will look this spring now.)

Our daughter Cadence has returned from Mexico for a couple of  weeks before she heads to Maine for spring term at college. She is earning a whole bunch of good daughtering points by taking over some of the chores and cleaning the chicken coop!  The chickens and I are very appreciative.

Since the snow is still too deep to use the wheelbarrow,  she is loading the old chicken bedding into contractor bags and hauling it to the compost pile via the trusty toboggan.

Meanwhile, I am working on a large commissioned painting on aluminum that will incorporate four relief-carved faces.  I cut out the face shapes from 2-inch foam insulation.

Using a saber saw, a dremel tool, rasps and files, I have been carving the face details.   The carving makes an incredible amount of foam-dust that  clings to everything.  I will be very glad to complete this part today, seal the foam with a hard acrylic-cement layer, and begin painting!