A subtle shift in humidity overnight had transformed the valley fog into a quiet, icy glaze that bound the dead fern fronds along the terrace steps into stiff, glass-like fans. By mid-morning, the temperature clung precariously to the freezing line, leaving the granite flagged path leading down toward the smithy dark, slick, and treacherous. The air felt thin and immaculately clean, sharp enough to register in the back of the throat like crushed mint leaves and frozen steel.
Our primary undertaking for the day turned from external stone and water management to internal thermal containment. Specifically, we were constructing an insulated, oak-framed double draft-door for the vestibule separating the main hall from the unheated workshop passage. While the exterior walls were thick enough to
