August 21, 2011



Thunder clouds north if us on 8/10



Larry & Elsie's second batch of baby chicks



I woke up with such a feeling of relief yesterday morning - no more boards to screw into the deck! JB worked on planing and sanding the ends of the boards down to where they meet the center board. I was finally able to gather and cut more fire wood. I brought a load down from the south ridge, and cleaned out a pile near the grove that I had been wanting to get rid of since last summer. I took two wheel barrow loads of stick wood to the shed, then cut three more loads with my trusty 10" McCullough chain saw. I have to buy another 10' piece of ½" quarter round in order to finish my part on the deck - filling in the last little gap next to the house. Wish I had to use more cold tar. I love the consistency of it. Almost like a soft sculpting medium.


When I was done cutting the wood I had hauled, I helped JB in the shed. We assembled the last shelving unit, which he will use for dimensional wood. We got all the tarps put into a large plastic container so no pack rats can shred them into nests. And I brought all the dimensional wood scraps down to the shed. We now have only one more tarp covered unit outside! Looking less and less like one of those "You might be a Redneck if" definitions.


As with the solar panels, by building the deck we have created another winter chore - clearing off the snow. That will be my job and JB can continue to deal with the panels. At least I don't have to walk far to get to the deck. . .

According to NOAA, we are in for three or four very hot days, and at 5:00 am this morning it is still warm out there. I thought I might stay up after posting my blog so I could work outside while it is cool, then take a nap in the early afternoon when it is too hot, but it was uncomfortably warm last night and I couldn't sleep much, so that isn't going to happen. In the past week or so, we have woken up to 47 to 50 degrees. Had to put my robe on to go side outside with my coffee which is usually unheard of for August.  Won't need anything but my jammies this morning.

I think I mentioned that I have really gotten back to basics while living up here, and one of the things I use a lot more is baking soda. I add it to my laundry. I use it to scrub out the sinks, and my face. Last Fall I asked the doctor about a small red blotch I had on my cheek that had been there for a few years and seemed to be getting bigger. He gave me a prescription for an ointment, and after spending $28 it had absolutely no effect. A month or so later I started using baking soda as a facial scrub and within several weeks that red spot was gone. I have oily skin which can get very dirty working Up Here during the day. Scrubbing it with baking soda at night has proven to be the perfect solution to any clogged pores or sun spots.

There is a interesting article in the Sept/Oct issue of BackHome magazine about goats, including how they can get rid of noxious weeds.  It is entitled "Weed Control with Goats" by Heather Smith Thomas. We have been considering maybe getting a couple goats, and the comments from others have ranged from very positive to very negative. We're still thinking about it, so we'll see how we feel in the Spring. I'm pretty sure we'll be getting the chickens, but JB may not be able to build their coup this Fall.

In the same magazine, there is also an excellent article entitled, "The Art and Science of Splitting Firewood" by Stephen Gregersen. It's all about splitting wood by hand, which is for much younger folks than us (we'll use the splitter, thank you), but the last sentence is so very true: "The final perk is spending those cold, winter days in our off-grid cabin, reading a good book and basking in the warmth of the wood burning stove." Could not have said it better myself.

JB's brother who lives near Seattle is going to have two very large trees in his yard cut down next week, fir or spruce I think. We are going to take the wood, which should be about two cords. It will save us a lot of work as they will already be cut into 16" rounds, and it will save his brother money by not having to have it hauled away. The timing is excellent because we planned to go Down There on September 7 for JB's Mom's 90^th birthday, and we now can also pick up the wood. We'll stay the night and rent a big trailer in which to haul it back to Rose Camp.  Might have to make two trips. Of course the dogs with come with us, but will probably have to spend the night in the car.

I took photos of the yellow jacket nest we knocked off from under the eaves by the deck. It looks just like a bee hive inside, only with larva in the cells instead of honey. I much prefer honey.

Inside a yellow jacket nest