A vast, low-hanging cloud bank of slate grey had settled over the upper peaks by early dawn, cutting off the sunlight and casting an even, shadowless illumination across the valley basin. The temperature had risen slightly above freezing, turning the hard frost of previous days into a pervasive, heavy dampness. A light mist drifted down from the pine slopes, clinging to the cedar shingles of the main hall and dripping continuously from the eaves into the stone cistern below.
Our work shifted to the eastern outbuilding, where the homestead’s flax and tallow stores were kept. With the seed vault secured and the house interior fully draft-proofed, the onset of persistent dampness brought a new maintenance priority: repairing the heavy wooden smoke-hood above the tallow-rendering hearth. The
