the energy is getting electric

Ok, so it's been a spectacularly long time since I updated the blog, and I was feeling pressure for a clever title.  I admit that I was reaching.

Thing is, I'm pretty excited about good progress that we've been making lately.  I think Matt's on a kick to get this thing done.  Not that we're in the final stretch...but people can hope, right?

Lately, it's been all about wiring.  Here's Matt, basking in the goodness of having succeeded in pulling wires through the long underground conduit that connects the house to garage.  He got it all connected into the garage box, and all is well.

Since the day of this smile, which was just over a week ago, he has been up a couple times, checking items off the "Things To Do Before We're Ready for an Electrical Inspection" list.  It's getting shorter.  (Well, and then occasionally longer as we think of more things...)

I think it's pretty cool to walk through the house with all these little blue boxes, full of wires.  Thanks to everyone who's helped hang 'em and pull the wires to them!  You can see evidence of Dad's good planning and meticulous attention in the notes on these wires.
Besides the electrical work, in the space between the last post and this one, the rough plumbing is done and inspected.  Matt came home from Iraq, Emily got engaged to Matt R., more trash went down the hill, some clean-up bits of framing have gone up, and more.

Now that the house is mostly enclosed, it's more tolerable to work up there in the winter.  (And, of course, "winter" weather in Julian is quite variable--remember several years ago when we poured our first concrete on a warm, sunny January day?)

Lately, it's been snowy--last weekend, the snow from the night before melted during the day, only to be replaced in the late afternoon by big, thick, gloopy, stuck-together snowflakes.  As we were leaving, the snow was beginning to make things look serene.

The only catch to the serenity was the new condition of Matt's windshield wipers.  Well, wiper.  Only the driver's side wiper stopped working.  I, in the passenger seat, could see clearly.

Remarkable how good Matt's humor remained, in spite of the challenge, no?

We're thankful for a safe drive home, and looking forward to more trips up the hill.  You can pray for warm weather tomorrow--which might just lure Mom and Dad up for a bit of work on President's Day!  :)