Daily Highlight: Despite all of its charming features, Serendipity Farmhouse has some deficiencies. For example, storage is a problem – there are no closets, there is no basement, and the attic is not suitable. Add to that the fact that the only cooling during the hot and humid Virginia summers comes from two portable air conditioners and an array of fans.

So, where do we store the air conditioner parts and fans during the cooler months? Well, the previous owner solved that problem by building a large, two-level storage shed. Yet, for all of its useful features, retrieving items from the upper level of the shed was found to be hazardous to my beautiful wife – especially to her head. Several times items were accidentally dropped on her when I passed them down from the upper level. (For those grievous errors on my part, adorable wife proposed that I reside in the shed for a day or two.)

This is where our friend Bill and his ‘Bill skills’ came to the rescue. He and I designed a pulley system that made use of the upper level hatch to raise and lower items from outside the shed. Now lovely spouse no longer has need of a construction helmet to perform our twice a year ritual.

There remains one minor problem with the pulley system. As you can see in the picture, I am required to perform a death-defying act of strength and agility to make the hoist operational. I have a solution in mind and hope to have it in place prior to our Autumn storage rite.

Photo Credit: Thanks to my dear sister-in-law for her pictures of our Spring ritual.

Weather: This was a perfect day for yard work our storage ritual. (Detailed Summary – click here.)

Plantings: Nothing to report.

Harvest: Nothing to report.