"A loud noise at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." - Jerome K. Jerome

We got 2.7" of rain yesterday and another x.x" so far today. Because we don't have any paved areas just getting from the back porch to the car is a pretty muddy, soupy proposition. We consider it an inconvenience, nothing more.

I'm taking advantage of breaks in the rain - on the days that have breaks - to get supplies and work on outdoor projects. Near the top of that list is getting the woodshed built, prioritized once I saw the sign on the back of Pony's wood delivery truck: "Don't come crying to me in February."
Sure wish I had a truck I could use for things like getting 4"x4"x10' posts home.

I've been doing some research on the possibility of getting manufactured home instead of building a tiny house. The smallest available come in at >800 sq. ft. for a normal model, which is OK, but the industry assumes that if you're buying one that size you're at the bottom end of the economic spectrum and can't afford anything but the cheapest finishes. The options for flooring, fixtures, and cabinets are not what we're looking for. One of the advantages of going small is that you free up budget space for better quality, not pressboard and laminates.

Two days ago I found a firm whose offerings include a 972 sq. ft. model that's a double wide unlike anything else I've come across. It's made up of two unusually short, narrow sections that when assembled comes close to being square, a much more attractive shape that the typical long, skinny single wide like MoHo.
Note: our tiny house sketch-up is 20'x30', but includes a loft, which raises total square feet to near 900.
This model has vaulted ceilings in the living area and can be customized with whatever finishes the customer wants, including granite, ceramic tile, and hardwoods. Because these are all built to customer spec they don't have models on lots, but they do have a factory outlet in Phoenix, OR (!) about three hours south of us. So we may make a day of it sometime early next year and drive down to take a look at their pictures. I talked to them on the phone yesterday and it sounds like it might be a potential option.

I saw a commercial on TV today for an indoor splash park in Eugene that included the line, "And no sun screen is required!" Uhm...it's Oregon, lady.

I also heard an interview on NPR with an archeology professor from the Univ. of North Carolina who fancies herself an expert on life in Israel at the time of Christ. Yeah, the typical seasonal interview where they go find someone who can talk about a Christmas related topic.
Makes me furious.
Because only two of the four gospels mention the circumstances of his birth, and only one says Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, that detail, (as well as the birth narrative in Matthew) she said, was invented and supplied by Luke. Why? Because he needed to show Jesus' connection with that City of David in order to make his case that Jesus was the Messiah. (She never explained why Luke bothered to have them start out in Nazareth instead of just making them residents of Bethlehem from the get-go.)
If she read four articles about the dramatic drop in the price of Apple stock, one each from:

1. USA Today
2. People Magazine
3. The Wall Street Journal
4. The Financial Times

and read details about the influence of that drop on international markets only in The Financial Times (a British publication), would she therefore assume that content was invented for some questionable reason? Or could it be...just maybe...that TFT gave accurate information of particular interest to its specific readers? 

But because she has a position at a major university and wasn't challenged by the show's host 99% of the listeners will accept her bovine manure without question. 

I got seven of the eight 4x4's for the woodshed set in the ground. The eighth has to be a 10-footer to compensate for the slope and I didn't have room for it when I picked up the others at Lowe's this morning. So tomorrow I'll go fetch it and the bag of insulation for Fred's loft that I meant to get on today's trip. Add in some 2x4's for the shed's rafters and I'll be ready for the next stage. 

We got 2.7" of rain yesterday, another .6" so far today, with more expected later this evening. All the streams in the area are high, fast, and muddy with water over the roadway in a few places. In Florence, on the coast 50 miles west of us, a woman was killed when a mudslide hit her house. The ground just can't take any more moisture.

Emmaus has a church Christmas party Sunday night with pizza and some games. We're all supposed to come dressed "festively" with a prize for the most outrageous Christmas themed outfit. I'm pretty competitive, but I'm even more Scrooge. I'll learn to cope with defeat.