Then: First Part of October 2009 Now: July 10, 2011



Firewood stacked behind the house



Mountain view from Rose Camp



Then: The First Part of October 2009

One quick note about September. It was such a busy month that I forgot to mention the backhoe. We have to fill dirt in around the house 2ft high and we know by now that there is no way we were going to be able to do it with shovels and a wheelbarrow. So we hired the contractor who did our site excavation to bring a backhoe up for a day and get it done. We also had him work on our driveway above the house. Rather pricey but very necessary.

October 1 our friend, Kathy, called to ask if she could come visit on Saturday, 10/3. We met her when JB went back to college at Western Washington State University in Bellingham in 1979. She went on to get her law degree and practices in eastern Washington. RJ is also coming up this weekend, so we will have them both for dinner on Saturday.

Meanwhile we finish sheet rocking the bedroom and get the closet framed in and then finished on 10/2. Yes! A real closet with lots of room to hang my clothes! With that and running water, I am beginning to feel almost civilized.

I meet Kathy at the pavement and bring her up Saturday afternoon. RJ comes up for dinner and we all enjoy the food, company and beautiful Fall day. I neglected to mention that Kathy was my first visitor when I was Up Here by myself in 2008. We hadn't seen each other for almost 20 years and it was great to reconnect.

The next week we sheet rock the bathroom, all except for the wall behind the washer and dryer. I cut more branch wood, and on separate days we take our Jeeps in for their annual lube and oil. We also get the tarps up over all the wood, both stacked in back of the house and on the porch. Weather forecast sounds wet. Our goal each year is to be completely ready for winter by November 1. All the wood cut and stacked. All the necessary food and supplies in. The first snow that stays is usually around Thanksgiving, but this is the mountains so you never know for sure.

I have been working on Christmas presents and rush to get my Aunt's, Uncle's and cousins' done before 10/16 as I am driving over to Port Orchard for my Aunt Nene's and Uncle John's 65^th wedding anniversary celebration. Every five years friends and family go with them Blake Island for dinner. Most of the island is owned by the Tlingit Indians and they have a huge lodge in which they smoke salmon and put on a play based on their lore regarding their origins. It is fascinating, and the food is beyond delicious.

On 10/13 we get 2-1/2" of snow, but the next day it is melting. I climb under the house to put the insulation on the pipes. Not my favorite job, but it only needs to be done once. I get everything ready for my trip and leave at 6:30 a.m. on 10/16. It is a whirlwind 4-day, 3-night visit, staying at a different place each night to visit both family and friends.

Now: July 10, 2011

Our pair of wrens have returned to the birdhouse. They have never done that before, come back once they have left. And the male is singing again. I guess some parents do that when the kids finally leave.

Yesterday I did more wash and baked goodies for my next guests. Probably should have waited until today to bake them, so there would be some left when Rick and Maureen arrive on Monday. Simple Toll House bars, but sooo good. Then I raked the horseshoe pits. They finally got used for horseshoes over the 4^th of July weekend, instead of being a sand box for Adam or a tanning bed for Jesse. I also read a book and did some sudoku, to which I have become addicted. I just do the easy ones and send the medium and hard ones to my BFF, Sandy, in California.

The dogs and I also went for another hike down the road, but this time I took my big clippers in order to thin out several clusters of small trees that are close to the road and some bushes that are sticking out too far. I usually let the trees grow a bit until I can tell which ones are the healthiest, then I cut the smallest ones. I also took a hand held recorder I have and am trying to relearn how to use. I am not real good with new technology that has a lot of instructions. It took me three weeks to get this blog started, and I still don't understand all about it, as you can tell by the way the pictures are often placed. I put the recorder in my back pocket which turned out to be too snug and the "on" button got pressed. I ended up recording 44 minutes of me snipping trees and bushes, and talking to the dogs and trees. Yes, I talk to the trees and consider myself quite the accomplished tree whisperer, as evidenced by all our healthy and well behaved trees. Of course when I do that, Dinga starts looking around to see who I am talking to. I wish I was a dog whisperer instead. I need to get a shirt that reads, "Things to do today: Let the dogs in. Let the dogs out. Let the dogs in. Let the dogs out."

Coming back up the driveway I saw a dung beetle. I had no idea we had those Up Here. He was working so hard to get a small ball of "dung" across the road. Not an easy task on such a steep surface.

Today I am going to generally clean house and maybe bake some more goodies. Probably do another load of wash, as I got behind with all our visitors. We both seem to change into clean clothes more often when we have guests, for which I am sure they are grateful.