Another cold and dark day. I have been busy though, looking through boxes of old papers mostly, trying to get things moved away from the leaks. It has rained all day.
Daniel has gone to work and won't be home till around 3:00 a.m. he is working some over-time this week and hopefully that will help us out a bit with the holidays coming. I mostly want us to rent a couple movies, maybe get a canned ham and stay home. LOL
We don't have the money to celebrate like most people do, but really, we have a pretty stress free holiday because of it.
Part of the day I spent trying to find one of the cats that has come up missing. I've had her for about five years now and I don't know what has happened to her. She didn't show up this morning like she usually does and when I was going upstairs I noticed blood on the wooden steps and prints running all through it. I hope she comes back tonight.
One of the windows on the third floor was blown out, I went up to put it back in earlier and noticed a couple of what I'm pretty sure were piles of owl droppings on the floor up there. Long furry looking things. I couldn't say for sure but that's what I think it was. I only have windows in the front of the building, the two in the back are wide open so I suppose an owl could fly in without much trouble.
The view from up there is phenomenal. There is a little door on the roof that I like to open sometimes and stick my head out of, kind of like having a moonroof! That side of the building looks out up the creek where the ancient willow tree is. It's also where the tin-man's head is too.
Well, the window was not broken and I have it back in place so the front of the building doesn't look quite so forelorn and haunted like it did before I got windows put back into all the dark holes. Vandals had really done a number on this place before we came here.
Dec. 16, 2000
It's early evening here, Daniel has gone to band practice and I am here alone. Just me and the cats and my little dog Earnie. Today was ungodly warm for Dec. we're having a terrible thunderstorm now. The thunder rolled over here so loudly I thought it was an explosion at first.
Earlier the sun was out and it felt like a warm spring day, so I took a picture of the mill and if it turns out ok I will post it soon. I hope to post a lot more pics of the mill here so you can get an idea of the place and the area.
There's a little window in this room. The room that used to be some kind of office or farm store, and I can look out it and see into the mill, towards the area where the Mangler (that's what we call the big machine that has fallen through the floor)is. I can see the big oak rafters overhead and watch as the sunlight fades along them. It is all dark out there now, nothing moving but the cats and the occasional shadows from the storm. It's all good. If you like dark old buildings full of 100 year old machinery and piles of junk. LOL
I have set up a video camera outside this window to see if I can find out what is making all the noise out here at night. I'm sure it is a racoon or opossum or something. Surely.
If I can figure out how to put video on my website, I will install it ASAP!
Dec.19, 2000
I have been alone here at the mill for several days
now. Getting a bit stir crazy, if you know what I mean.
Daniel is at work, there is no one here except me and Earnie, the dog and a multitude of cats. No, my gray cat has not come home.
The storm we had the other night was part of the system that caused all the tornadoes in Alabama. It is awfully cold here now, I have my feet up in the chair to keep them out of the draft. LOL
We got about 3" of snow last night and some more today. It will be 12 degrees tonight. The trees look so brittle and gray, all laced with white, every little twig outlined. It's like a black and white photograph outside, like glass. If I threw a pebble into it, wonder if it would shatter?
