Then: The First Part of April 2011 Now: August 13, 2011



Mud season April 2011



An April snowfall

 Then: The First Part of April 2011

There was still lots of snow on the ground as April arrived, but it had begun to melt. And as the new month was ushered in, so was mud season. By the middle of the month, more than half of our snow had disappeared even though it snowed once or twice a week. I was finally able to get out and trim trees on the east ridge. I am always sore the first few days this endeavor while my muscles get back into shape, but it is a good soreness.

Now that there is a lot less snow, the dogs tend to stay out longer first thing in the morning at 5:00 am. Since I have such a hard time staying awake while waiting for them, I have started taking them out on leashes so I can quickly get back to bed. On the 17^th when I took them out, it was moonset with a huge full moon that looked almost like a harvest moon. An ol' hooty owl was announcing the event. God, I love it Up Here!

During April I read "Women of the Klondike" and "The Klondike Fever." Having been to Alaska's Inside Passage three times, I have become fascinated with the history of that area, especially the Klondike gold rush. My Dad got me interested in the history of the settling of the west and the Native Americans when I was growing up. During my elementary school years we lived in south central Oregon and spent the summers out camping and hunting for arrow heads and other Indian relics. On our outings we would come across old cabins that were insulated with newspapers dating back to the late 1800's and it always fascinated me to imagine what it was like when people lived there. Dad was always reading some book about the history of the area and talking about it. I was hooked for life.

Now that we are retired, both JB and I are catching up on all the reading we have wanted to do. I have always been an avid reader but rarely made time for non-fiction. Up Here, during the quiet winter days and nights, it is the perfect setting for history.

Now: August 13, 2011

The dogs woke me early this morning (4:30) and there is a bright full moon out.  Not quite moonset and not nearly as big as in April, but beautiful all the same.

JB drove Down There yesterday for his dentist appointment and shopping. I did a load of wash and hung it out. Got an early start, while it was still nice and cool, to gather branch wood from a few piles on the north and south ridges. Then I cut three wheel barrow loads for the wood shed and one load for the splitter. It was getting hot by noon so fortunately I was able to finish by about 1:00 pm. JB was home by 2:30 pm.

RJ and Mike came up about 3:30, then Mike and I left for Larry and Elsie's to feed the chickens and water the plants. I am so glad he decided to come with me. He didn't want to last year. I love riding the ATV for a lot of reasons, but one is being aware of all the different smells on the mountain. The roses have finished blooming, but there is an abundance of fire weed and many large patches of asters. I can also feel all the hot and cold pockets along the road, and the cold ones feel good on such a hot day. So we both had a great experience riding down and back up. Except for when we passed below our spring and could smell the skunks that the dogs had been barking at most of the day.  I certainly hope they haven't decided to spray the area and keep the spring as their own. . .

When we arrived back at Rose Camp, JB was grilling pork chops and baked potatoes. After dinner the guys played Magic cards (of course). This week will probably be Mike's last visit Up Here for the year, as school starts on the 31^st. He will be going to middle school this Fall and will probably grow another six inches by the time we see him again next summer.

Our resident wren has at least two babies in the bird house. She is definitely a single mother, and a very busy one. I sure hope we get to see these babies learn to fly.

Since we now have the correct size of screws for the deck, today we will once again work on finishing that project. Let's see. We started building the shop/deck on June 5 and it is now August 13. This has to be the longest, most frustrating project we have attempted to date. It will feel so good when it is finally completed!