Building Codes

Had to laugh, remembering some hoops I've jumped through. The building inspector, when I was working on Thomas Jefferson's father's house, in Virginia, just stopped by once in a while, we'd have a cup of coffee and chat. He came and got me once, to look at a rammed-earth place under construction, I didn't like the rafter attachment, and recommended a cheap and easy solution, after that I was the resident problem-solver. Building a place off the grid, twenty miles from power, I had to wire a house for an electric clothes dryer. The mice are going crazy, I guess it's the warmer temps, they skitter about. I've eaten a few mice, but they're not worth the bother. The bones are a problem. Twenty-four blackbirds baked in a pie. I'm not easily driven to temper, I'd rather be eaten by a shark, which I view as a horrible way to die, but I got upset, listening to the radio, a bunch of asshole politicians spinning whole cloth. I heated some beans and rice and listened to The Grateful Dead. I'd gotten out the small book binding press and was repairing the binding on a couple of books. The light wasn't good, I couldn't see what I was doing. I'm not a Luddite, but I do resist change if things are working ok. But I changed the location of the goose neck lamp I usually keep on when I'm reading or writing. I have to say, I'm often amazed at my stupidity, but I never would have imagined moving a lamp eight inches could make such a difference. Was blind, but now I see. I can't help but feel I've missed my calling: Saint Tom Of The Crab Pots. Gardy Loo. Kim's brother sent a price list, and transportation expense, for buying storage containers. Why doesn't FEMA use these? I spent several hours sketching a 16x20 foot space, different configurations. My needs are quite simple, four hundred feet of bookcases, a kitchen, and a reading nest. No bathroom, no bedroom, a sofa, a sink, my usual gray water system.