When the drill’s battery runs out of juice, you know it’s been a productive day of playhouse building. We’re on the home stretch now, with the next step being the gable at the roof’s pitch. Before calling it a night at dusk, I opened Merlin, my bird-call identifier, hoping to identify the owl hooting nearby. But in the 45-degree weather that felt more like 20, after a minute that felt like ten, I decided to head inside—some mysteries are better left unsolved.
Now for the million-dollar question: Would it have been wise to pay $900 for assembly instead of investing 30 hours of manual labor? Maybe. But there’s something deeply satisfying about seeing a million pieces of wood whittled down to 40 and knowing you did it yourself. Pride and accomplishment weigh heavy, in the best way.
Earlier today, on an hour-long call with my Spanish exchange partner, David, he asked me what I wanted to learn. At a loss, I said, “Quiero comprender todo” (“I want to understand everything”). Then I guessed it might take me another three years to get there. “Oh no,” he replied, “You learn too fast.” When teaching me haré (the future tense of “I will do”), he added that it’s not something many non-native speakers master.
Learning Spanish has become fun for me. I listen to stations like Beso, Lo Último, and Latino Essentials every night while following along with song lyrics. Something is enchanting about the short, poetic sentence structures and the themes of love and longing that are easy to connect with. Of course, I still have moments of absurdity—like when I thought tacones rojos referred to some sort of red salsa-filled taco. Umm, no. It’s red high heels.
The moments when I understand sentence after sentence—without translating in my head—feel like the moment a magician reveals a dove in the space where there was once nothing. It’s a long-standing dream of mine to become fluent, and although I’m nowhere close, I am closer than I’ve ever been. And that’s taken a lot of work.
With the playhouse now set up against the tree line in our backyard, I feel motivated to do more with that barren space. I envision solar string lights on poles, pathways winding through the trees, and new plants to bring life to the area. Earlier today, I raked a spot near a large oak to create a more permanent composting structure. Dave, ever resourceful, took a pallet, cut it in half, and screwed the pieces together four times, forming a sturdy square. We emptied several plastic planters of compost into the new setup, giving it a proper home. Evelyn’s excitement about the nearly-finished playhouse makes the effort even more worth it.
In a month often marked by stillness and waiting, it feels good to be in motion—creating, learning, and making progress in small but meaningful ways.
Thanks for dropping by. I’ll see you here tomorrow.
Love, Jaclynn
Going On 40 