I unpacked the last three 5-cu barrel boxes and finally found the sofa cushions, the iron, and the spirit level. And Tosh has almost finished the stairs; just quarter-round and balusters still to go.

Meanwhile, the garage is full of bundled packing paper and flattened boxes, and the deck out back is stacked with broken-down picture crates and flooring boxes. Tosh has promised to return tomorrow with a one-ton truck to take the debris to the dump, and the three leftover boxes of flooring back to Home Depot. By Monday, I might be able to get on to the next thing — finding a design-build kitchen and bathroom contractor. I would like to get kitchen cabinets and drawers that work, a bathtub deep enough to wallow in, and stowage for the toiletries and first aid supplies stashed in a box in the linen closet.

Thanksgiving is upon us up here in the suddenly chillier North, and with it the fifth anniversary of Edmund’s death. I think I’ll go to the pub for supper tonight.