Miles: 109.2 | French toast, honey from backyard bees, and a day spent pouring concrete while rain pounds the roof — and for once, I’m warm and dry. Between crushed glass countertops, pigs, popovers, and one last quiet night, it feels dangerously easy to settle in. But as always, the closer it gets to leaving town, the louder my anxiety grows — and I practice talking myself through it, one breath at a time.
Donn made us some stuffed French toast for breakfast with real maple syrup or honey from the bees they keep in their back yard! Right after breakfast we went over to Olga’s (Donn + Sandi’s friend) house in progress to help her fill her concrete countertops. We met their friend Seth as well, the brains behind the operation. As we pulled the concrete mixer under the carport it began to downpour. It was incredible to realize: it’s raining and I’m not wet!
He showed us how to mix the proper concrete mixture for the base. We poured the base and put in some galvanized structural wire. Next, we mixed a new batch of concrete with an epoxy mixture and poured that over the top of the structure and into the molds around the border. We used trowels to smooth out the surface and then used rebar sticks, a sander without sandpaper, and a rubber mallet to get the edges moving to eliminate too many air bubbles inside the border molds.
After, we took recycled glass that Olga had crushed and sprinkled it all over the countertop. Next, we used trowels to smooth the glass into the countertop. We have to wait 28 days for the concrete to completely solidify. Once it does, Seth is going to sand down the top layer to reveal the glass and then clear coat it. It was so fun visiting Olga and Seth and learning how to do this awesome project! We even got to meet Olga’s pigs and help her son look for arrowheads in their future garden area that they had tilled.
We went back to Donn and Sandi’s house. After cleaning the concrete off of ourselves and our clothes, Michelin and I took a solid nap. Then we helped Sandi make shrimp etouffee popovers with squash. They were divine.
Donn and Sandi went out dancing and Michelin and I stayed in. We went for a short walk, packedDay 21: Concrete Counters, Dry Feet, and the Anxiety of Leaving Shelter our bags, and then went to bed early. Our last night at Donn and Sandi's.
Like I do every time I have to leave town, I started to feel nervous like I wasn’t ready. My heart rate was all over the place and it was hard to breathe. I get so close to having a panic attack and talk myself down from it. Every. Time. I. Leave. It’s quite annoying, really. I know I’m fine out there and I’m prepared and I know what I’m doing (sort of). Why do I freak out? I’m learning to talk myself down from it.