We are building a greenhouse this weekend. And we need to get it done before the storms. I also need to harvest some weeds before the sheep come to eat them.

Note: The video version of this post gets released on Wednesday, April 24.

When I’d harvested a good amount of dandelion flowers and buds, as well as purple dead-nettles, I started on the greenhouse build.

When a no-longer-cool color of portable fencing went on sale, I ordered some. I am very sick and tired of Pepper’s leash getting tangled everywhere and him not being free to roam. It will also make giving him access to shade and water less of a chore. The water in the lid of my jar apparently tastes better than his water right next to the camera.

Once I was done trimming the grass where the greenhouse will be, I ditched the boots. I’ll take nettles over boots any day.

With the monsters out of the way, I set out to build a base from cardboard I’d saved since the fall. The cardboard would hopefully keep me from searching for screws in the grass all afternoon. As some of the boxes will stay to kill the grass inside the greenhouse, I carefully removed all tape and plastic.

I kept having to untangle Pepper, though. Thanks to the two lovely people who donated last video. You made the fence possible. I also want to thank you all again for your lovely support in the comments. I appreciate you!

This is when I first wondered just how bad the manual was. No matter what I thought, it was worse. So much worse.

I spent forever sorting the parts by how they were grouped in the parts list and checking that nothing was missing. By the time the first pieces were joined, it was time to break for lunch.

I decided to only finish the base before going home for a break. My husband would join me that afternoon. More hands!

I used the cardboard as a base to build on but it won’t stay on there, of course. The base came together quickly. So far, so good.

At home, I quickly used up some eggs, leftover pasta from the night before, and made a quick salad. Nothing fancy. I wanted to get back to work. I also needed an actual break, so I kept the time in the kitchen to the bare minimum.

When we returned to the garden, the ants were busy exploring the metal parts.

We used the windy day to test the new drone. The old one was exchanged on warranty after the crash. I am still glad we now have sensors in all directions and object avoidance while filming in good quality.

Now, time to build a greenhouse.

With too much to do, I forgot to set up a camera. So this part relies heavily on footage from above.

The wind was stronger than we liked for the greenhouse build. But it will be a while before we get another chance.

We made it to the first plastic panels quickly. Part of why the manual is so bad is that it combines three models. It is hard to tell which instructions apply to you.

So once we finished the first side of panels…. We counted them and realized we were using the roof panels. The actual bottom panels were stuck together pretty well, so I played wall support while my husband got them.

Roof panels out, correct panels in. Slow progress.

It was a frustrating build, both because of the bad instructions and the bad quality of the parts. But we managed only a very few parts had to be redone. There was no way to finish that day, though, as the sun was setting, and there is no light here after sunset.

We went home when it got too dark to work, and I was glad to have canned potatoes to use for dinner. I’d have to finish the build the next day with two fewer hands and even more wind.

Even with this quick dinner, it was almost nine when we ate. And every gust of wind outside made me want to rush back to the half-built greenhouse.

Luckily, everything lasted the night, and I was able to return the next morning to finish the rest of the build. Pepper is grateful for all the time spent outside. Exhausted, but happy.

So long, and thanks for being here.