Insulation hat

Clear and cold (low 30s)

Ah. The fire is going and I’m eating chocolate. I’ve got my knitting and a crossword puzzle, too. Whew. That said, today was kind of crazy, and I still haven’t really done any work for camp, besides work on my own house.

The craziness of today was a field trip to Home Depot, to get pieces of wood to finish the ceiling in here. I left as the fog was burning off of camp, driving down the road in a crisp autumn morning with no one around. I was nervous about driving the truck (also known as the FMT) on the big roads—roads on which I have to use gears above first—but I was excited to get out. “I’ll get a newspaper,” I told myself, “after I’ve got the materials to finally make this cabin into a place where insulation doesn’t fall on you while you’re brushing your teeth.”

Things started off well. I successfully manually shifted my way to the Home Depot, and found the wood section (I believe it’s actually called “lumber,” now that I think about it). There, I approached the most friendly-looking employee, and asked if they had the stuff, which I happened to be carrying a nice sheet of in my hand. “Uh, I don’t know,” he said, and walked away.

This was the first in a series of perplexing things that happened at the Home Depot. He didn’t know? Was he going to check? I loitered for a few minutes, but he didn’t come back. So I walked the aisles by myself for awhile, hoping someone else would happen by, but they didn’t. So I walked over to the “Pro Desk,” still holding my stupid piece of wood, to ask. I stood at the counter while the employee (the “Pro,” I’m assuming) stood around in his hoodie and surfed the internet. Finally I broke him out of his reverie and asked if they had any of this thing I was holding in my hand.

He glanced up, for about a millisecond, before saying, “I don’t know,” and getting back to his myspace. “Huh,” I said, “Where would it be if you did have some?” At this point he gestured generally back at the Lumber section. “Any particular area?” I asked, more than a little pissed. He shrugged.

So I walked back, and, after much searching, found 2X4 scrap pieces of my ceiling, and considered making a sort of ceiling quilt out of little bits before realizing it wasn’t going to work. So I marched back to the Pro Desk, now holding two samples, to ask if they had a bigger version.

“Dunno,” Pro Hoodie said helpfully when I returned, “Do you want me to send someone from Lumber to meet you there?”

“Someone from Lumber” turned out to be a completely useless lady who told me that my piece of wood was absolutely the same as this weird stuff with a different thickness and different grain, and I wanted to kick her in the head. This is all very boring, and for that I apologize; it's just what happened today.

After a few conversations with Carlo, it was determined that I would head to the Home Depot at 82nd and Johnson Creek and wish for better luck.

Of course, driving to Johnson Creek and 82nd involved (dum dum dum) The Freeway. The Freeway involved (gasp) Fifth Gear, which the FMT and I had never before experienced. But we did fine, and had a dandy old time at the other Home Depot, involving helpful employees and dozens of contractors in big trucks who all wanted to help me load my five pieces of light wood into the FMT. But I laid out the tarp, put in the wood, and tied it all down, and we made it back to Slanty in stunning sunlight.

So then I tried to put up insulation. Carlo had told me to staple the sides to the… joists? Was that the word? Anyway, I was to staple-gun the stuff up. So I found a staple-gun, and I found some staples, and then I tried to staple, which ended up requiring both hands. The next hour was spent in stapling the stuff up while holding up the rest with all my might, only to have it suddenly rip out and fall on my head. I started coughing from all the fiberglass in my lungs, and I started cursing mightily every time the stuff came crashing down on me. Finally I got a good section up, and Carlo came in, and then explained that you’re supposed to bend it up and staple on the inside of the rafter thing, and… oh well. I re-did it, and did a few more sections, and felt better. At least I didn’t put it in upside-down, unlike some people who have installed insulation in this particular building.

Last night I slept okay. I was a little scared, and stayed up late knitting. Then I awoke around 3:00 and couldn’t sleep, thinking of too many things. And it was cold last night. I should probably bring another sleeping bag, or another blankie, because it’s pretty chilly, and bound to get chillier.

My fire is in need of a poking. I’m going to stop rambling about Home Depot and insulation, and poke instead.