Then: April 2008 Now: June 30, 2011

Rose Camp namesake

Then: April 2009


It is certainly the coldest April 1^st that I can ever remember experiencing. Light snow and occasional fog all day long. At least today is recuperation day from yesterday's trip to town. Didn't get home til 7pm as the little trailer kept coming off MAX. At least it had snowed while we were gone and the road wasn't muddy. I dropped off some dog biscuits I had made for Larry & Elsie's dogs. She had given some that she made for our dogs in February. It had only been two months since I had been to town, but going this time is a real jolt to my psyche. Couldn't wait to get back up the mountain.

By April 3^rd we receive another 4" of snow, but it doesn't last very long. Spring is definitely trying to get here. The chipmunks started popping out right on the March day that the Farmer's Almanac said they would. And, of course, Dinga is right there to chase them.

Don't think I mentioned that the water pump froze up again in mid-March. But on April 5^th it thawed out again and the water flowed! Got up to 48 that day.

Standing in the moonlight watching the trees dance. Sitting on the porch listening to the snow melt. Ahhhh, life on the mountain.

Another 3" of snow falls on the 16^th, but is soon gone except for the shady areas in the woods. We are out every day taking loads of slash to the burn pile, which is now about 50' long and 5' wide. The road is thawing but still lots of snow on it. And now it is really warming up. On the 21^st we see the first bees and butterflies. Grass and flowers are popping up.

I discover that this last mouse we have got into the brown rice and beans that were in a plastic bucket. I hadn't sealed the lid completely. But worse than that, it got into my chocolate chips! I repackaged everything and glued a chocolate chip to the mouse trap. Let him get that chocolate! On the 22^nd he tried to and now he's eating chocolate in mouse heaven.

We are moving the carport we use for storage to a place where we can put the two carports together for a shop and storage in which JB can work on MAX or whatever. We get them both setup end to end, and everything moved in by the end of the month. It has already been up in the high 60's, so it's perfect weather for outside projects and I have been out trimming trees. The road is good and we have our car back Up Here. RJ is coming up to his place tomorrow. Haven't seen him since November.

Now: June 30, 2011

As cold as it started out, that was certainly the warmest April we have had so far, especially compared to this year when we had snow into May. In reading my journals and writing this blog, it seems like we did a lot more baking that winter than we have since. Life was a lot more rustic then and it just seemed the thing to do.

It took more than a year to get rid of all the mice that had settled in our house while it was being built.  At first we tried the glue traps which are used at the feed store Down There.  I thought that, once caught, I could set them free outside.  I guess country mice are a lot more wily than town mice, as all we ever saw in those traps was fur.  So then we started using the standard "instant death" trap.  Even then they were occasionally tripped and the culprit got away. 

Our first wild roses started blooming up here on Tuesday.  They had been blooming all the way up the road for a week or so, but now the pink is returning to Rose Camp.  And their scent is heady.

I saw a whole family of wild turkeys on my way to town yesterday about a mile down from our place. No bears this time.

RJ and Mike were here when I got back from Down There. Haven't seen Mike since last August and he has grown a foot, literally. He is 12 and looks 16. Mustache and all. We caught up on everything and the guys played a couple games of Magic Cards. After dinner we showed Mike some pictures of RJ as a baby and how Mike's Grandmother packed so much into our little Volkswagen bug when we would take our Summer trips to Oregon and California. He didn't believe it until he saw the pictures and even then he was skeptical! Our Mother taught school so we always had great Summer car trips. I think I have visited the Sea Lion Caves on the Oregon Coast at least 15 times over the years. And they are always fascinating. As is the drive down the coast on Highway 1.

Yesterday was very windy Up Here, so JB didn't get as much done as he wanted to while I was Down There. He has started the 2' deep trench along the outside of the shop in which the metal sides have to sit. But if he had tried to put in any of the 4'X12' metal sheets, he would have ended up parasailing into the next county.

It's windy again this morning, although it had subsided during the night.  Today JB plans to mow the path again up on the south ridge.  Don't think we will get much else done on the deck/shop until JB returns from Seattle on July 20.  As soon as everything is moved into the shop, we can finally finish our inside walls.

Then: March 2008 Now: June 29, 2011

Winter sun

Then: March 2008


March, and Spring is on the way. Of course there is no way to tell that from Up Here. On the 3^rd we get three more inches of snow, and 10" the day after that! At this point, we have received more snow than we did all of January. Lots of snowblowing and shoveling. We take MAX down to groom the road and it is a real workout for Dinga in all the deep, new snow.

I have been perusing the Lehman's catalog and finally decide to order their double wash tubs, wringer and pressure handwasher. Certainly will be better than a 5 gallon bucket. I figured if it arrived by the end of March, we might even be able to bring it all up in the car.  There's that laughing again. . .

Since we finished wiring the loft, I can now get my crafting nook all organized. In Illinois I had started my own little crafting business, making greeting cards, polymer clay jewelry and wall plaques. I sold them at various craft fairs and Farmers' Markets, and had a lot of fun both making and selling. Not sure I will do that again, but I still enjoy creating different items. Christmas and birthday gifts are all handmade, much to some of my family's chagrin, I'm sure. But there is so much one can do Up Here with pine cones, dried flowers and grass, and bark.

We had an arctic blast due on the 10^th and it is -9 in the morning when we get up. Our nephew from Seattle will be coming up on the 14^th for the weekend. He's quite the outdoors man and really enjoys the snow. Unfortunately there's not much of it on the other side of the mountains. JB meets him at the gate and brings him up on MAX, which is great fun in itself. We have a really nice visit, but he has to leave earlier than expected on Sunday as the weather radio states that all the snow and ice is creating a lot of problems getting over the passes.

The wash tubs and all had arrived the next time JB goes to town, and he is able to bring them up quite easily on the back of MAX. We set it all up. Try out the little hand washer. And, Viola! I am able to do the laundry much more easily and quickly. Never thought I'd be so excited about getting wash tubs.
By the 18^th we have a 40 degree day, and it is beginning to smell like Spring. On the night of the 20^th, the first day of Spring, it is the first time it doesn't freeze. Still snow on the ground, but we can get back to cutting wood. It is quite nice through the 27^th and we are sure that Winter is waning. But on the 28^th we wake up to snow and fog, with a high of the day of 33. By the last day of the month, we get out some chairs to sit on the porch in the sun and 41 degrees.  Typical March weather.

Now: June 29, 2011

JB went to town yesterday, as planned. I just did easy little chores around the house and yard. The two wrens are still hard at work feeding their babies, but I am pretty much taking the day off. RJ and Mike should be arriving at their cabin tomorrow, with the rest of the clan arriving Saturday. Today I am going to town to get all the food for the weekend. Will take my raincoat, as we are supposed to get thunder showers, although I don't see a cloud in the sky right now.

After three years up here, we tend to think of rattle snakes as just a part of life. It is easy to forget that most people have never seen one or even want to. When JB's brother came Up Here in August 2008 to retrieve his camper trailer I had been using, he brought two of his sons. We always tell Summer visitors to be sure and stay on the paths and road while up here, and not to go hiking through the brush. We were walking down the road when we spotted a rattle snake crossing it. By then it was a simple reflex to pull out my pistol and shoot it. Well, the boys (middle school and high school age) had never seen a rattle snake, let alone shot a gun. Right then and there, they gleefully bestowed upon me my BA degree - Bad Ass! Hmmm, never thought of myself like that.

Then: February 2009 Now: June 28, 2011

Dinga on a Winter run 2009

Then: February 2009


Now that MAX is finally working, we can get back to our projects inside the house. JB is wiring the freestanding kitchen counter so we will have two electrical outlets in it. That took about a week and then we finally get to put up the tongue-in-groove pine on the back of the counters. It looks great!

The best news is that the outside water pump works again. I guess the warm weather thawed out the ground enough to melt the ice in the pipe.

Our next inside project is to put up the kitchen cupboard above the stove that will also hold the hood with the fan and light. JB nails in the bracing and then we put up the short six foot long pine wall behind the stove. Got the wall, cupboard and hood all installed, and it looks great, too! Just like a real house. . .

Mid-February it starts snowing again and JB needs to use the snow blower. But it's not enough to interfere with our next project of wiring the loft so we can plug in lights and our computers. He did take a day for driving MAX down to groom the road, with Dinga running along side. Actually running everywhere except along side! We drive 4 miles and she runs 10.

Of course while we are doing all these things, we are also cooking home made soups and stews, and baking breads. Oh my! These all seem to taste so much better up here. And I am really going to have to be active come Spring in order to work them all off.

Even though it snowed a lot the last two weeks of the month, the water pump did not freeze up again. And the snow is beautiful. I love to curl up on the couch with a cup of cocoa, a fire in the wood stove, and watch it gently fall. Everything is so quiet. And so white.

Now: June 28, 2011

And right now, everything is so green and alive with the sounds of Summer. You don't realize exactly how quiet Winter is until the birds start returning in the Spring.

Yesterday was nice and cool, so it was perfect for working on the deck. We installed several more rows of decking, and I think we have somehow solved the problem of missing the joists with the screws. Except when the joists are not straight. We do have a couple with quite a curve in them. But we are a little more than a third of the way done with the decking. For a little while, when JB was working on the deck, I started cutting branch wood and got three wheel barrows full cut and stacked.

Larry and Elsie came up for a visit in the evening and brought us some more fresh eggs. Those eggs are so good and taste so much better than store bought. They are a rainbow of colors from white and brown to teal green. They gave some of the green ones to a friend of theirs who has a little boy. He was so disappointed when they cracked one open and it wasn't green inside!

Tomorrow JB is going to town to finally get new tires for his Jeep Wrangler. He will definitely need them next week as he is going to Seattle on July 5 to be with his Mom for two weeks while his brother goes on vacation. She lives with one of his younger brothers, and none of us want her to be alone for that long. She will be 90 years old in September and is still going strong. He will be taking her to art class and grocery shopping. She also really enjoys going out to eat, so I'm sure they will be doing a lot of that, too.

We are having our annual 4^th of July family picnic next weekend, and although several of our regulars will not be able to attend, there should be eight of us. Hopefully it will be a little warmer than last year when we all had to wear our heavy jackets, and put a fire in the wood stove.

Ruby, we love you and will miss you very much. . .

Then: More of January 2009 Now: June 27, 2011

Lori - first-time target practice

Then: More of January 2009


Repairing MAX was not done as quickly as I had implied, so here is the rest of the story:

It turns out that we need more parts than just the axle to repair MAX. So we get the parts ordered, and once again, Larry brings them up to us. JB is spending most of his time outside working on MAX, while I am doing chores and baking inside unless he needs my help. Dinga is sure than any time we sit on the ground, it could only be to play with her. So every time JB has to sit down to work, he gets his face washed.

By January 26, we have the axle fixed and the tracks back on MAX, but none of the wheels will turn. We look at the chains and they are encased in ice! Snow had melted into the body and frozen and we had not pulled out the plugs that allow water to drain out. MAX is made to go into water like a boat and it was still set up that way. By this time it was getting late, so we decided to get rid of the ice the next day, then JB would go to town on the 28^th.

On the 27^th we tried chipping out as much of the ice as we could and then I poured hot water on the ice to melt it, but it was another very cold day and the water froze again too quickly. Okay, we will all walk down to the car tomorrow and go to town just for mail, prescriptions and few perishables that we can carry back up the 3 miles from where we park the car.

On January 28^th, we start off on our 3 mile hike down the mountain at 9:00 a.m. The snow isn't deep, but there is some ice along the way that we really have to watch for.  Dinga thinks it is a great adventure! It takes us 2-1/2 hours to get to the car, but going downhill makes it a great adventure for us too. We were back from town and parked the car at 2:30 p.m. Now, this being winter, it gets dark early. It takes us 3-1/2 hours to get back up the mountain, and it was NOT a great adventure any more, except in Dinga's mind. We hike the last ½ mile in the dark with no flashlights and arrive back home at 6:00 pm. But it is a clear night and with snow on the ground, it is never truly dark. The next day was strictly for recuperation and reading all our mail, magazines and newspapers.

Of course on the 30^th, we got MAX all ready to go with no problem.

Now: June 27, 2011

Sometimes when I read what I have written in "Then", I want to ask myself, "What are you nuts??!!" But then I think, life should be an adventure and ours certainly is.

This weekend was so much fun! Ann, Jeff and his girls, Lisa and Lori, love the out-of-doors and thought sleeping in the tipi was quite the adventure, if not a bit chilly. It was about 40 degrees when they got up Sunday morning, but soon warmed up to 60, and we had a fire going in the house to thaw everyone out. On Saturday afternoon we went down to my brother's place to do some target shooting. He was unable to be here due to a death in the family. Lisa is 18 and quite the "old hand" at shooting. Lori, at 11, had never shot a gun before and got to try her Dad's .357. Should have put a .38 load in it, as it almost knocked her on her patootie. Two rounds was enough for her. But we had fun, and are all pretty good shots - must be because we are related to Annie Oakley!

The weather cooperated all weekend with sunny skies and a cool breeze. We went for a long hike yesterday morning, but didn't see any wildlife. Upon zooming in on the photo Jeff took, the bear we thought we saw down in the canyon turned out to be a cow. We did see a large tom turkey that the dogs shagged out and made it fly up into a tree. However we did not see any rattle snakes. And Jeff so wants to at least see, if not shoot, a rattle snake. But they left at noon with their official "I Survived Rose Camp" certificates and hope to return again next year, if not sooner.

The post script to this story is that on our evening walk, I shot the first rattle snake of the year. . . (see photo below)

Then: January 2009 Now: June 25, 2011

Mountain sun and valley fog

Then: January 2009

The snow continues to stack up and by the first week in January we have almost three feet. It is very cold, averaging about zero. On January 2, it is a beautiful day and -22 degrees, but we bundle up and take a two hour ride down the road in our winter wonderland.  We stay nice and warm with our hand and toe warmers, long underwear and winter coats.  But when we get back, we take a three hour nap!

On January 6 we get seven more inches of snow and that evening the warm Chinook wind starts to blow, with gusts up to 55 mph. A very noisy night. In the morning, most of the snow is melted and it is muddy. We hear from Larry and Elsie that the melting snow created such a river coming down the road by their house that dug a 4 foot ditch and washed out their drainage bumps.  It takes a week and several loads of gravel for Larry to fix it all.

On January 8, we discovered a broken axle on MAX. We ordered a new one to be delivered to Larry & Elsie's store and will walk down to their house to pick it up when it arrives. Since it has warmed up so dramatically, above freezing, we take this opportunity to cut some more fire wood. About 18 years ago, we had our trees thinned out. The loggers burned the trash and left a nice pile of logs they did not want. Even after all this time, that wood is not rotted and is perfect, dry fire wood.

Larry didn't tell us when the axle arrived. He and a friend just arrived one evening on their ATV's yelling, "Pony Express!", and delivered it to us. I almost cried. Fortunately we had also ordered a repair manual, and also fortunately, the rest of January was fairly mild with little precipitation. We had no garage or shelter of any kind in which to repair MAX, so we were out in the weather doing the work. It was down to 20 degrees a couple days but up to 45 a few others, but we got it done and Dinga thought it was a lark that we were outside so much with her.

When we were not outside repairing MAX or cutting wood, we were inside doing our chores and baking. JB really enjoys cooking and I really enjoy eating, which is probably one reason we have been married so long. The smell of baking bread and cookies often filled the cabin. And Sunday morning JB always makes us a big breakfast.

With the weather the way it is, we often have mountain sun and valley fog. And that is the actual weather forecast description. It looks like we are on an island and all the other mountains are islands. There is no Down There. It is all hidden. We have warm, sunny days while they have dismal, foggy ones. It makes for incredible photos. However, we did get some freezing fog which made for beautiful hoarfrost. That also is great for pictures.

Our cistern froze up the last week of the month. The ground is frozen and there was just no way to get it to work. From now on we will be lowering a bucket into the cistern and getting water out that way. Oh goody. . .

Now: June 25, 2011

Wow! That was some winter back in 2008/09. I had forgotten a lot of it until I read my journal again, or rather I think I just erased the memory on purpose.  But I do remember that even though we were frustrated with repairing MAX and manually lifting the water out of the cistern, mainly we were thinking, "The adventure continues."

News flash!! Larry and Elsie are grandparents of triplets! See photo below of Mom and one baby.

Yesterday I went to town again to get food for our weekend guests and run errands. In the winter we can go 3 to 4 weeks at a time without going to town, but in the summer it seems like we have to go at least once a week. JB did the laundry and mowed while I was gone.  After I returned, we set the middle two poles for the deck in cement.  When we got back from our evening walk, we set up the cots in the tipi.  Now we can just enjoy the weekend.

I don't plan to post in my blog tomorrow, but will resume on Monday, June 27.

  

Then: December 2008 Now: June 24, 2010

                                                                                   

At home in the snow

Then: December 2008


Can't believe it is December already, and we are definitely going to have a white Christmas. Before we left Illinois, I had to downsize my Christmas decorations from eight large plastic totes and two wreath carriers, to 4 large plastic totes and two wreath carriers. I have several decorations from my childhood and I have been collecting them ever since. We have no room for a tree inside, but we do have three small trees in our yard, so I am going to decorate the one closest to the porch. I will just put out a garland and small cloth or plastic stockings. Hopefully the wind won't blow them all off.  I will put the rest of the decorations inside around the house.

We have been working hard to finish putting up the insulation and finally finished it just two days before the temperature dipped to -10 degrees! But now we are toasty warm inside. I love just sitting and watching the snow fall. It is so very quiet out there. We got to take the big ladder out of the living room, so it's looking less and less like a construction zone. We still have the ladder we use to get up to the loft, but we plan to get stairs built next summer. We just have not figured out the kind or direction they will go.

Now that the insulation is done, we are just going to take a break and enjoy the holidays. Never had plastic walls before, but we hope to start putting up the tongue-in-groove pine walls as soon as we can get the wood up in the Spring. Meanwhile I am decorating for Christmas.

Dinga loves the snow and will make snow angels in order to cool off after all her running around. She has kept most of the large the wild life at bay, but the bears and snakes are sleeping now. The snow is great because we can so clearly see all the footprints of our visitors, such as deer, elk, rabbits, squirrels, and wild turkeys who come around when Dinga is inside.

JB isn't so thrilled about the snow as he has to use the snow blower to clear the paths. We just have a small one that we used on the sidewalks in Illinois. We will definitely have to get a bigger model for next winter! We do have a snow shovel, and that gets a lot of use also. After each snowfall, JB drives MAX two miles down to where our side road meets the main canyon road in order to clear and groom it. He doesn't need to go all the way down, as there is enough snowmobile "traffic" to keep that part fairly well clear. Most of the time Dinga and I go with him and really enjoy the ride.

At the end of the month we moved my Jeep down to Larry and Elsie's at their request. We had been renting a car to go to town. JB would drive MAX down to where our road meets the pavement, and someone from the rental agency would meet him there. At the end of the day, JB would turn the car in and they would drive him back up to our road. But Larry and Elsie insisted that was just too complicated and expensive, and that we should park our car at their place. What great neighbors!  Silly me, we aren't on our own at all. 

Now: June 24, 2011

That first winter certainly was an experience! Actually each winter is an experience, but we were much better prepared after the first one. I thought we had enough supplies other than perishables to last until Spring, but we didn't and JB ended up having to bring up a lot more than we had planned  on. I spent the whole winter up on the mountain from December 2 until mid-March. And I didn't miss going to town at all. Larry and Elsie would often come up to visit, and I had my phone and computer to stay in touch with other friends and family.  I stayed very busy with everything we had to do by hand, plus baking, eating, reading, eating, crafting, eating, etc, etc. 

Yesterday I learned, not for the first time, that I could never make it as a carpenter. The deck would be a lot more simple if it were not also a roof to JB's shop. Each piece of decking has to be flush up against the next piece. And it is amazing that even though the joists are straight, we cannot put the screws into the decking in a straight line and expect them all to go into the joists! We only got four rows of decking in and at least three of the lines of screws are zig zag in order to hit the joists. Obviously, there is just something about this process that we do not understand. Thank goodness we can take a few days off now and enjoy our weekend company!

Then: November 2008 Now: June 23, 2011

First snow October 21 2008

Then: November 2008


We had received our first dusting of snow on October 21 and it is definitely getting cold out there, but the wood stove is keeping us fairly warm inside even without insulation. RJ has been up almost every other week helping us, but because of the weather and other considerations, the first week in November would be his last. For me, one of the scariest moments up here was when he said goodbye for the winter. We are on our own. Not much time to think about it as we have a lot of work to do. First we framed the loft, which was the easy part. Then came putting in the insulation. Covered from head to toe and with our little masks on, I cut the pieces to size out on the porch and JB installs them. Once we get a section in between the poles, we staple thick plastic sheeting over it. Most of this is done with JB on the tall ladder, and his feet would be aching by the end of the day. By Thanksgiving we had most of it done, so we took time out to drive over to Seattle for dinner with JB's family.

It's not that we are so slow in doing this job, but everything else takes so much time. Bringing in the water by the bucket; washing all the laundry by hand; heating hot water on the stove; bringing in firewood and keeping the fire going 24/7. I set the alarm clock for about 1:00 am to be sure I get up to feed the fire. It is a lot easier for me to fall asleep after getting up during the night, so I do that and JB gets up first in the morning to feed the fire and get the coffee going. I sleep in a bit. And as the nights get longer, we sleep longer, getting into nature's natural rhythms. Often 10 hours a night.  There are no street lights, sirens, trains or passing cars Up Here.

Because we have to use the generator to recharge the batteries, we try to use as little electricity as possible. We only turn the inverter on when we need it and that is usually when it gets dark outside and we need to turn on a light or two. We will watch a movie a couple times a week, but most evenings we read books or magazines.

We finally put the new tires and the tracks on MAX. I only hope it will get easier the more we do it. Larry and Elsie came up just as we were getting started and helped out with the heavy lifting. They each had a beer and Elsie set hers down on the ground to do something.  As she was going back for it, Dinga was running off with it. She has developed a sneaky habit of grabbing anything you put down - gloves, tools, beer, etc. I have at least a couple pair of gloves somewhere out in the woods. With Elsie's beer, however, she simply drank it and returned the empty bottle! I think she wanted a refill.  She was so mellow for the rest of the day, I am often tempted to give her more.

Dinga loves the cold weather and especially the snow. We finally let her off the leash and she does just fine (and after a few days, so did we). She will go off exploring, but is never gone for more than an hour and usually not that long. She is thriving.

Right now I feel like we fit at least five definitions of "You must be a redneck if. . ."  Our storage shed is a canvas carport from Costco and not everything will fit into it.  We have piles of scrap lumber and who knows what all lying around that there has simply been no time to clean up.  We are using the outhouse to store the tools.  I will be so glad when Spring arrives and we can get it all picked up.

Now: June 23, 2011

Yesterday we worked on the deck and finally got quite a lot done, after sitting on the deck with our coffee and watching the birds in their bath, of course. We filled in all the cracks and laid the tar paper. Then we put up and squared off the outside pieces of the decking, screwed them in and laid all the other pieces in place. We are alternating the wood as two 12 footers, then one 12 footer and two 6 footers. JB cut several 6 footers, and we will cut the rest today. Then hopefully we will get everything screwed down. It is supposed to be cooler today, which will be a great relief from yesterday's warm and humid. Well, humid for Up Here.

We have learned all the tricks to installing the tires and tracks on MAX and can do it fairly quickly now.  We were actually thinking of hiring out but I don't think it would pay enough to be worth our while.

Dinga has outgrown her propensity to grab and run.  I never did find my gloves, but she never got any more beer either.  On Tuesday, the vet discovered that Dinga's problem was not hip displasia but rather an injured knee.  At some point last Fall, she had ruptured a tendon.  We have her on an anti-inflammatory but that will ultimately not prevent her from going lame and we simply do not have the $1500 for the operation to rebuild her knee.  The only other, and less expensive, option is to amputate the leg, but we will deal with that when the time comes.  She's still young, and when the adrenaline kicks in, she runs like she has four good legs.

Then and Now: June 22, 2011

Simply waxing poetic this morning. 

The dogs woke me at 4:00 a.m.  When I let them out, I stayed on the porch watching dawn arrive.  I could not imagine a better paradise.  Each season has its own joys, challenges and beauty.  And as one slips into the next, there are no regrets.  If I choose to stay on this plane when I die, this is surely the place I will haunt.

Then: October 2008 Now: June 21, 2011



Looking out dining room window to wood on porch.

Finally looking like a real home!

Then: October 2008


Our walks with Dinga are so much fun and a welcome respite from all the work. We still have her on a leash as neither of us have had a dog who has had the run of an unfenced area. Maybe in November we will try her off the leash. She is so curious and so alert. She lives to be outdoors and go on hikes. We have a crate for her but she also likes to sleep on our bed and the couch.

The couch! Yes, by the end of the month we have most of our furniture brought up and moved in. The construction zone is finally looking more like a home.  We still have the tall ladder inside. Boxes and tools are stacked around, but the kitchen is installed, if not all fastened down. And it is so nice to have our dining table instead of just a little camp table. We used the sink even before the outbound pipes were in - just put a bucket underneath it. We definitely will not have inbound water for this winter, but RJ has the outbound pipes installed and working. We can flush the toilet, but have to fill the tank back up by hand with a bucket. The drilling company has installed the hydrant by the cistern which we use to fill water containers and buckets every two or three days. We put a water container with a spout at each sink which works just fine. Any hot water we need has to be heated on the stove.

The bathroom fixtures are installed, and for the time being we are hanging our solar shower in the bathtub/shower. We won't be able to use the clothes washer obviously until we have inbound water, so we'll be doing the laundry in a 5 gallon bucket during the winter when the road becomes impassable by car. Right now we are still going to the laundromat.

JB and RJ are building the battery room/generator shed. JB found a great deal on some used batteries and we have the inverter on order. The electrician has been up to do the initial outside wiring. We dug the ditch for the cable from the battery room to the house (NOT fun). He will be back when the shed is done and get the water pumps, generator, and inverter all connected. We will be able to turn on all three of those items from inside the house.

JB is learning to drive MAX which is quite different from other ATVs, as it drives like a tank. Literally. Instead of a steering wheel, there are two levers, one of which has the gas control on it. With those six wheels and three independent axles, it can go just about anywhere. We have the tracks for it and the smaller tires around which they fit. We will put them on when the snow calls for it. Hopefully not too soon.

As usual, I have been busy splitting and stacking wood in the grove and all around the edge of the porch.  I must have done this in another life.  It feels so natural to do, and I really enjoy it.

Our next big project is installing the insulation which has to be done before the really cold weather sets in.

Now: June 21, 2011

As I write this and look at the pictures of the inside of our house in 2008, it's hard to remember it that way. And now that I've had the washer for so long, I can't believe I did all the laundry by hand for nine months. Once the Spring of 2009 arrived, I ordered laundry tubs and a wringer which are much better than a bucket, but still a lot of work. I do not envy my great-grandmother that job.

Yesterday was another beautiful day and we actually got a lot done after we sat on the porch with our morning coffee, watching the birds in the bird bath. A flock of finches has discovered our grove and bird bath in the past week. They are so vocal! And so pretty. According to our handy National Audobon book, they are House Finches and Cassini Finches. They like to drink in the bird bath and will share it, with often a dozen or so there at a time. The chickadees, however, are not quite as social and often will chase other birds away while they are bathing and splashing all the water out.

We finally got to work. The outbound pipe from the washer was leaking a little, so that had to be fixed. JB mowed the path from the south ridge up to the peak. Not a small feat with than incline and just a standard gas lawn mower (even if it is self-propelled)! After hanging out the wash, I discovered several patches of Devil's Thorn and pulled it all out. I swear it grows as soon as you turn your back. Don't want to have to be pulling that out of the dogs' paws.

At 3:00 pm, the dogs & I went for an hour's hike while JB took a nap.  Didn't see any wildlife, but the views and wild flowers were magnificent. 

On our evening walk, as we were going down the driveway, JB noticed a doe walking up the driveway. We all saw each other at the same time, except the dogs who did not even notice her. There was no breeze so they didn't catch her scent. She turned into the woods and just as I was snapping a picture, Jesse finally saw her. He went running and the doe went bounding. Dinga brought up the rear, barking.

Today I am taking the dogs to the vet for their annual rattle snake booster and whatever other inoculations they need.  Plus Dinga will have xrays, as we believe she is developing hip displasia.  This morning is another beautiful and typical Eastern Washington day.  The Wenatchee Valley boasts an average of 300 sunny days per year - now that's what I'm talking about!

Then: September 2008 Now: June 20 2011

Plumbing the propane

Rose splitting wood

Then: September 2008


We started the month with our new companion, Dinga. The portable pen we had for the greyhounds works perfectly for her. She needs to stay as quiet as possible for about a week so she can recuperate from being spayed. She is just so cute and lovable. It has been years since we had a puppy.

A "Handyman" who was licensed for installing propane pipes and fixtures had been recommended to us and was available, so we hired him for that and installing the air pipe for the bathroom plumbing. As late as it is getting, I doubt we will have inbound water this winter. But we will have outbound, connected to the septic tank. Don't know if we will have the hot water heater connected either. But the septic tank is delivered, filled and connected to the house by the end of the month.

JB and RJ finish framing the inside, all except for the loft which JB and I can do. We had to buy a really long ladder for them to use on the 14 foot walls and 20 ft east end. RJ is starting to work on the outbound water pipes. I certainly wouldn't want to climb into our crawl space and do that!

Sleeping on the air mattress is getting old, so we make a trip to storage for our bed, linens and a few other things. Since we've been married, we have always had a king size bed. When we were in Illinois, we bought a queen size bed to match our other furniture and put it in the guest room. When we sold our house there, we also sold our king size bedroom set - downsizing. I thought the queen size would take some getting used to, but after the air mattress, it was so comfortable that I really didn't care how small it was!

We are living in a construction zone, but I keep telling myself that it will only be for couple months. We brought up our wardrobe boxes from storage and are using them as closets. The nights are getting cold and we are going to have to get that wood stove and hearth up here soon. I called a few local delivery companies and found one that has a small flatbed with a special forklift with which they can do this job. So I meet the driver at our storage unit and watch as he effortlessly lifts it all onto the bed of the truck. Then he asks where we are going with it and I think, "Oh Oh!" The dispatcher probably did not give him the details of this job. I tell him a four mile dirt road and to just follow me. I'll go slow. And slow is what we went. When we finally got up to the house and he got out of the truck, well, lets just say that I wouldn't want to be that dispatcher when the driver gets back to the barn. Then in the face of driving the forklift on the dirt and trying to get the stove and mantle as far on the porch as possible, his composure completely dissolved. I really felt sorry for the poor guy, but I was more concerned about our stove. It is going to take four men and a boy to get the stove and mantle in place. Actually it took JB, RJ and Larry to do it. Very slowly, and with a pry bar.

Then came the refrigerator. I brought that up in the trailer, but it took those three guys to get it in the house and out of the box. The kitchen stove was easy compared to that.

While the men are working on the house, I am splitting wood and stacking it in the grove between trees. Stacking it is a learning experience in itself. Seemed like it would be such an easy thing to do. (See my page "Things I have learned building and living off the grid.")

Now: June 20, 2011

There just isn't much "City" left in this ol' girl after yesterday. It was a beautiful day, but I didn't see much of it as I was in our crawl space (the one I mentioned above, where I did not want to be). It was a lot more muddy down there than I had anticipated. In fact we had standing water on the plastic. There were also two puddles, one shallow one around one of the posts and one quite deep one where the pipe comes in from the cistern. I pulled all the sheeting out in nine pieces; put each piece in a big yard bag as I pulled it to the trap door; and JB threw the bags out the bedroom window. By the time I got all the sheeting out, I was sweating, muddy and cranky. After lunch, I went back down with the small shop vac and made about five crawling trips to get all the water out. The water pipe comes in under the dining area at the front of the house and the trap door is in our bedroom at the back of the house. I checked the water pipes and none of them were leaking, so we figured the worst of it came when we had a 24-hour down pour in mid-May. That French drain is definitely going in this summer.  Where is that dry climate we moved to?!

It is supposed to be nice again today, but I'm not even going to guess what all we will get done. .

Then: The 4th Week of August 2008 Now: June 19, 2011

Starting on our kitchen



JB and MAX

Then: The 4^th Week of August 2008


JB and my brother, RJ, spent most of the week framing the inside of the house. Thank goodness for my little brother. Certainly couldn't be doing this without him! I made two trips to town, the first for insulation. Am watching the sales, and got a trailer load of R-30 for a pretty good price. Comparably speaking. This stuff just is not cheap. My second trip was for kitchen cabinets and a counter. I bought a cabinet for the sink and one of drawers to go next to it. For the opposite side of the kitchen, I bought three cabinets and a pantry. We will not fasten down the sink cabinet & drawers as we have yet to put in the insulation and plumbing.

Since the guys finished framing in the bathroom, I got to lay the linoleum. All I can say is, thank goodness it was just one big room with nothing to cut around! Even so, I didn't get it exactly straight. Rustic! I laid the kitchen linoleum with a little better result.

It may just be the end of the summer, but it seems like winter is fast approaching, and we will need special transportation. No car is going to make it up and down that road in the snow. We did not want a snowmobile, and had been looking at the six-wheeled ATVs on which tracks can be put, but the new ones are just too expensive. When we mentioned this to Larry, he said he had a small used one sitting at his place that he didn't use since he bought a Snowcat. It is a MAXIV by Recreatives and seemed like just what we were looking for. He let us use it this week to see what we thought, and by Friday we knew this is just what we needed. And, better yet, the price fits right into our budget. All we have to do is buy tracks for it.  I don't believe in coincidence, but I do believe in synchronicity, Universal Timing and angels.

On Saturday we went to the Humane Society again and this time found the perfect little dog - a four-month old Red Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog). I was so surprised at all the purebred dogs I saw there. She has to be spayed before we can have her, so we will pick her up at the vet's on Tuesday. She is so pretty, and the people at the shelter were thrilled that she will have 40 acres on which to live.  This is not a city dog, but she is the perfect dog for our home in the mountains.

Now: June 19, 2011

Yesterday was overcast for most of the day until late afternoon, with some sprinkles in the morning. Could have been a very dreary day if it weren't for all the colorful splotches of the wild flowers. So we worked inside and put up the final piece of wallboard in the bathroom. The one that goes behind the washer and dryer, and needs to be cut for all the pipes and outlets. The one we've put off doing for almost two years. But now it is in, and we have no excuse not to tape, spackle and paint the bathroom (although I'm sure I'll think of something)  .

Funny how when you are warm, dry and well fed, it is so easy to overlook such unfinished projects. Especially one you are no good at, and dislike doing in the first place.

Our little puppy has grown into an energetic, playful and affectionate companion with a mind of her own. We got a book on AuCaDo's and found that they have very special needs during their first year. Being in the shelter, I'm sure she did not get the one-on-one attention she needed as a small puppy, but we have done everything required for her since then.  She is very protective, and is usually right with us whenever we are working outside.  We call her Dinga, and I explained how she got her name when I wrote on June 9.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice again and we hope to get back to work on the deck and get the the tar paper on.

Then: The 3rd Week of August 2008 Now: June 18, 2011

Building Rose Camp, August 2008

Then: The 3^rd Week of August 2008


The crew foreman is sure they can be all done building this week! We have moved in under the loft with a sheet of heavy plastic hung across to keep out the dirt and sawdust as much as possible. The crew is building the porch and finishing the ceiling. As soon as the porch is done, we move our big propane stove onto it and set up our kitchen.

We have decided to purchase our propane tank rather than rent it. That gives us the freedom of shopping around for the least expensive propane, rather than being tied to a contract. I am hoping that once we get the solar panels up next year we will only have to buy propane every two years at the most, and just to top it off.

Late Thursday evening as it was getting dark, JB was sitting out front with a small campfire in our metal container. All of a sudden, he yells, "Rose, get the gun!" Both I and the crew foreman come running with our pistols, and there, not two feet from JB's chair is a big rattle snake coming close for the warmth of the fire. I hand the pistol to JB and he gets his first snake. Of course his is about 3 feet long, where as mine have been a lot smaller. Now every time someone shoots one, I cut off and save the rattles. I'll probably send them to Ann for Christmas!

By Friday the crew is done with their work, and now ours is really starting. Next week JB and RJ will start framing the inside of our house. I have decided to get the kitchen cabinets and counters from Lowe's. They are nice looking and within our budget. We are actually getting most of our building supplies from Lowe's. Their people have been so very helpful and patient with me.

We went to the Humane Society on Saturday with the list of attributes our new pet would need.  We really need to be specific for the dog's sake as living Up Here is so very different from Down There.  It was extremely difficult, but for the first time ever, I left there without a pet.

Now: June 18, 2011

We were unable to get our solar panels up until the Summer of 2010, as we were caught in that Wall Street fiasco in the Fall of 2008 and lost more than 60% of our 401K's. It wasn't a fortune, but it was just about all the financial resources we had. We have had to cut back on a lot of our plans, and take time to save up for the ones we can afford. Fortunately we did have some land in another state that we were finally able to sell in January of this year. Without ranting, let me just say one of the main reasons we are up here and trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, is to be independent from our frustratingly inept and corrupt government on all levels. That said, on with the news.

Yesterday there was no wind, so we got the tipi put up. Unfortunately, a mouse had got into it during the winter, but there are only two little holes chewed near the bottom. Other than that and the fact that the poles are not Lodgepole Pine (not completely straight like they should be), it looks good. And it's good to have it up once again. By the time we were done, it was too hot to work on caulking the deck, so that's what we'll do tomorrow and get an early start.

On June 12 I mentioned a wren that had moved into our birdhouse during the Spring of 2008. We also had a pair of wrens last Spring and again this year. I like to think it is the same pair, but who knows? The male moved in about mid-May and began singing what must be his mating melody. He is the smallest but the loudest bird in our woods, second only in volume to the evening grosbeak (who has absolutely no melody that I can discern). The wren's song seems very intricate and is quite lovely. Once he finds a mate, his song seems to shorten a bit, but is still the prettiest around. He has had a mate for several weeks now, and with all the goings on the last two days, their eggs may have hatched. Last year when his mate moved in, watching her had me in hysterics. The first thing she did was throw out just about all the nesting material the male had put in there. I guess getting rid of the guy's things and remodeling the bachelor pad is not species specific!!

Then: The 2nd Week of August 2008 Now: June 17, 2011

Building Rose Camp, August 2008

 Then: The 2^nd Week of August 2008

The crew arrived back up at Rose Camp Monday Morning and will be installing the front door and putting up the metal sides and roof this week. When they are done, we have to fill in dirt all around the house about a foot up. Eventually we want to have the dirt 2 ft up all around, to be even with the floor. It will insulate the crawl space and, hopefully, keep moisture out.

JB purchased a wood splitter, and I love it! This was a job he thought he would have to do, but it's all mine. He can slice and I'll dice. Since we do not have a wood shed yet, we are going to stack the firewood in the grove and on the porch, then cover it with tarps.

I really would like to get a dog or two, but JB is hesitant. We had greyhounds for more than ten years, and I really miss having at least one dog, even with all the bears, deer, squirrels and chipmunks. We made a list of the attributes our new pet would need, and we will check at the Humane Society maybe next week. Problem is, I have never walked into a pet shelter and walked out empty handed.

We are going to move into our house this weekend and set up under the loft. Yes!! It will all be enclosed with the metal walls up. And JB's brother needs his camping trailer back. Perfect timing! We are hoping that the crew will be all done, including the ceiling and porch, within two weeks.

Now: June 17, 2011

We did get the dirt two feet high all the way around the house in 2009, but with all the rain we have had this Spring, it is obvious that we need to install a french drain on the north and south sides. I am hoping we can get that done this summer. But we took yesterday off just to be retired. Today we hope to get the small gaps in the deck filled and the tar paper put on. And maybe even some of the decking.  It looks like another beautiful day and the wind hasn't picked up yet.

As far as the wood splitter goes, I can split wood all day and not get bored or tired.  It is fascinating the way each piece splits on the grain and how much the grain can change within just 16".  I am an artist at heart, and while I am splitting, I usually put a few pieces aside that I am sure can be used to make something with.  Problem is, I have boxes of wood and bark pieces set aside that I have not had time to do address.  One of these days. . .

And speaking of the weather, another thing I love about being way Up Here is that we can see the weather coming and prepare for it, rather than simply react when it arrives.  The clouds will stack up on the mountain peaks and look ominous, but then little pieces, like cotton balls, will break off and go floating gently by.  We just have to be concerned about the big, dark ones that break off, or if the whole mass continues towards us without breaking up at all.  Now we will be able to sit on our new deck watch the weather form.

Then: The 1st Week of August 2008 Now: June 16, 2011

Then: The 1st Week of August 2008


JB actually made it to Wenatchee Monday evening and I met him there for dinner.  He was thrilled to get up the mountain, and be home for good. And it is wonderful to have him here.

This week the building crew is putting the plywood on the roof and "wrapping" the house. We can actually go in the doorway and walk around inside. Wow!  Our home.

JB brought up his trusty chain saw out of storage and began sawing the huge tree that had fallen on our tipi poles into 16" slices. I had already limbed it. That done, the next thing we need is a wood splitter, which was JB's project. Time is flying by and we have a lot of wood to cut and split before winter sets in.  Not to mention all the work on the house and building a shed for the batteries and generator.

Now: June 16, 2011

Yesterday was another beautiful day, but with a cold wind off the snowy mountain peaks. JB made another "speed" run to town for tar paper and 2X6X12's for the side of the shop onto which we will fasten the sheets of steel. He also bought waterproof sealant for the decking. Upon further investigation, we decided not to seal the plywood, but just cover it with tar paper. $1000 for waterproofing was out of the question.

My cousin, Ann, along with her brother, Jeff, and two of his daughters are coming to visit the weekend of June 25/26, so there is lots to be done. We always look forward to their visits, and this year Jeff's 11 year old daughter will be coming up for the first time. Yesterday I cleaned out the floor of the tipi, and we will get the skin put up in a day or two - when it isn't so windy. I also hung out the wash in the wind which acts just like a dryer, and it was dry in no time.

One of our neighbor's dogs came up to visit today, a big ol' Lab. He comes up once every couple weeks or so and stays about ½ hour. He and our dogs play, running all over, then he leaves but they never try to follow him. 

Two of our favorite magazines were in the mail that JB brought up, Backwoods Home and Countryside.  When they arrive, we always take time out to start reading them.

Then: The 5th Week of July 2008 Now: June 15, 2011



Raising the trusses



Then: The 5^th Week of July

The crew arrived on Monday and began final preparations to raise the trusses. While I was trimming trees, I heard a chipmunk "screaming" and looked up to see a hawk grab it right off a tree. Very dramatic! And not a great way to start the day.

RJ and Mike came up after lunch to watch the crew raise the double truss. Four of them climbed the third and fourth outside poles, one on each pole and each with a pulley attached to one end of the trusses. Working together, they pulled the trusses up the poles into place. Amazing! But with the trusses in place, it was discovered that the loft rafter was 3" too high. Lowering it was their job for Tuesday.
My job on Tuesday was to work on filling the well pipe ditch to the cistern. Mike helped, and RJ finished it. What a job that was!

Friday is JB's last day at work. He is taking his three weeks in time rather than extra pay so he can get out here more quickly. Retirement! I have an idea that it is going to be a big adjustment for him. He's leaving on Saturday and should be here by Wednesday or Thursday.

I asked the crew foreman if he could put in the ceiling for us which would be the insulation and tongue-in-groove pine. I also asked him to build the front porch. He agreed and gave us a very reasonable quote. Thank goodness, because there's no way I could see us finishing that 20 foot ceiling, or building the porch with everything else we had to do.  And regardless of what else we had to do, there was just NO WAY we would even know how to go about doing that ceiling.

JB left Illinois Saturday morning and got to Sioux Falls, SD. It's time for the annual Sturgis motorcycle gathering so he's surrounded by "hogs" on the highway. He got all the way to Billings, MT, on Sunday! He will probably arrive by Tuesday, so I get Down There to do shopping and laundry. That little camping trailer is about to become a lot smaller. Saw a couple wild turkeys on the south ridge just before I left.

Now: June 15, 2011

It is 34 degrees outside this morning, but sunny and clear.  And the ceiling is wonderful.  Even with our pine walls, the ceiling is one of my favorite parts of our home.

Yesterday was another beautiful, but windy day, with no rain. Perfect for working outside. JB finished nailing all the joists into their hangers, then we got all twelve 4X8 ft pieces of plywood put on top and nailed in. Now we can actually walk on our deck! It is very firm and sturdy, but it is a bit rustic. Our next step is to put up the three middle poles, then waterproof the plywood and cover it with tar paper. At that point, we will be ready to put on the decking and the railing. The outside steps up to it will be built after we put up the steel sides.  Looking at what I just wrote, it feels like we'll be lucky to finish by August. . .

I do need to mention our wild flowers. They are everywhere. It's just like living in the middle of a 40 acre garden right now. I have been carrying around my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wild Flowers with we for the last two years trying to identify them all. So far I have found the names of 35 of them, but there are still a few that I can't find. Named or not, they are all beautiful.  Yellow is the predominant color with Arrowleaf Balsam Root vividly covering all the hill and mountain sides.  We also have the yellow Arrowleaf Arnica.  There are a variety of purple flowers, the most numerous of which are Lupine and Wild Sweet Pea.  There is also a myriad of small to tiny white, blue, and pink flowers.  The white Flox is just blooming and is stunning with its tiny orange center.  I enjoy all the seasons Up Here, but I think Spring is my favorite, watching the solid white turn into a rainbow of color.











Then: The 4th Week of July 2008 Now: June 14, 2011



Our visitor June 13, 2011





Building Rose Camp July 2008

Then: The Fourth Week of July 2008


The crew arrived Monday morning and started framing the floor, which they completely finished on Tuesday and started on the loft. It was so very cool to actually be able to walk on the floor of our house. This is really happening!

When I wasn't watching them, I was back to trimming trees, as usual. And going to town. I had to go three times this week for laundry, supplies, etc. If the crew needs anything, I go down to get it so the work doesn't slow down. They said the whole project should take about four weeks.

On Wednesday they framed in the windows, finished the loft and started building the trusses. It certainly will be interesting to see how they get those in place! On Thursday they put up the loft rafter, and the header against the west end of the house which we will use to attach the deck, whenever that gets built. They left late Thursday for Spokane as one of them had to be back for Friday.

One of the guys on the crew is a real city boy. I think this is his first time ever camping. I had warned them all of the wild life Up Here, especially the rattle snakes, as I've shot a couple more of them since my cousin's visit. Well, this crew member was being SUCH a city boy, that he was getting razzed by all of us. At one point I went for a walk up on the South ridge and shot off a round. When I got back to camp, he asked if I had shot another snake. "No," I replied. "That damn cougar is just getting too nosy, so I had to scare him back into the woods." I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn so white, so fast. I let him shake for several minutes before I said, "Gotcha!"

As I was getting into bed Thursday night, I heard a noise on the other side of the trailer where I keep all my clothes. I turned on the light, poked around and discovered a nest with 6 little baby mice! Mama was running around, very anxious about her brood. I got an empty plastic container and put the nest in it, stood very still, and soon Mama was in with her babies. I put a piece of screen over the top, and we all settled in for the night. I missed not having a pet - now I had seven of them!

Saturday I found that a chipmunk had moved into the empty birdhouse. I put peanuts and raisins in there for him and he would sit just inside the hole so I could watch him eating them. Almost like another pet.

Now: June 14, 2011

I should never have "adopted" the mouse family as they are so cute. I had a hard time in the winter setting traps for them in the house. At first I made JB set and empty the traps, but as the months wore on, I disposed of the dead mice down the outhouse hole. I couldn't just toss them out in the woods as Dinga would find them. I have also had to get used to her catching chipmunks. The first few times she did, I almost cried. In the past year, the chipmunks seem to have moved away from the area around the house and we hardly see them any more. The squirrels, however, are another story. They drive the dogs wild and so far have never been caught. I am very sure that they purposely tease the dogs, coming just far enough down the trees so the dogs can't reach them.

JB finished mowing yesterday morning and I continued weeding, which is a never-ending job. I am finding a lot more of the Devil's thorn than last year. It is a really nasty, miniature relative of the Devil's Club. It is a creeper and Elsie told me that the thorns can get hard enough to puncture a bike tire.  I can only imagine what they could do to a bare foot!

After lunch, JB started nailing each joist into its hanger. Hopefully he can finish that today.

And speaking of my city mind - yes I was, it's right there in the title of my blog. I cannot stand to see pine cones on the ground that the squirrels have eaten to the core. They look like someone ate a small corn-on-the-cob and just tossed it away. Litter. They are offensive to my visual sensibilities, which surprises even me! Obviously one of my very few city mind sets that remain.