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| January valley fog and NO SNOW! |
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| Hoar frost |
Then: January 2011
As the year began, we had about two feet of snow on the ground, and the average temperature was about 22 degrees. But on January 13, a Chinook wind started blowing and lasted for three days. Chinook is a coastal Native American name for a warm, winter wind. Every January that we have been Up Here there has been a thaw, whether gentle or otherwise. Fortunately this warming trend did not cause any major problems in the area, but by the end of the month we had almost no snow. It was as if Spring had arrived two months early. It made for a lot of mountain sun and valley fog, and when the occasional fog did make it Up Here, we had stunningly beautiful hoar frost.
Not much will get me Down There during the winter, but when we started having constant problems getting on to the internet, it was time to change our carrier. I had AT&T for my cell phone and wireless card for the computer, but JB had Verizon for his cell phone and rarely had any connection problems. So on January 5, I went Down There with JB to change all our connections to Verizon. It was time well spent. They have a much better network in this area and excellent reception.
It was nice to be outside a lot and not have to cut fire wood. I was so glad we had put in so much extra. We were able to just do our daily chores and then enjoy. Take long hikes. Read books. Eat. Do crafting. Plan next summer's projects. Eat. Bake. Watch movies. Snack. Drink hot cocoa.
It started snowing again on January 30, and winter returned after more than a two week hiatus. And that's okay. I like hibernating Up Here, especially now that we have inbound water, an electric clothes washer and solar power. Being independent is good, but it's also good to have neighbors who bring up fresh eggs. And it's good to be able to send your husband Down There for chocolate and ice cream.
Now: August 10, 2011
Yesterday we didn't get the early start we wanted. I guess the weekend finally caught up with us. But by 9:00 am we were out on the deck-to-be putting the trim on top of the metal siding, and installing the last two small pieces of metal over the doorway. After lunch we nailed in (tacked) half of the sleepers. By then it was too hot to continue out on the roof, so we put together one of the three six-foot shelving units for the shop. The top shelf is for my outside crafting supplies, such as pine cones, bark, etc., and that will be one crowded shelf. The second shelf will hold our camping gear, and possibly run over onto the third shelf. Everything will be in plastic, critter-proof boxes. The rest of the shelving will be for JB's shop items. I consider myself lucky to have just one shelf. . .
Yesterday I realized that we have another pack rat when I went to get something off JB's work bench, the first rat having eaten the poison and met his demise. So we need to put out more poison. We use "One Bite" as it won't hurt the dogs if they should get hold of some or chew on a critter who died from it. Plus it is just not as toxic as some of the others. It was Larry who recommended it to us.
Now that summer has arrived and we have been working outside so often, I have acquired a farmer's tan, which I really do not like. Yes, I know, still part of my little bit of city mind that is left. I wear t-shirts or short sleeved shirts most of the time, so I am going to have to change to tank tops with lots of sun screen over my tattoos. Oh, I don't think I've mentioned those before. My family started getting body art long before it came into fashion. Not that we are bikers or anything, but my brother, RJ, is one of the best and longest working tattoo artists in the nation. So my sisters and I started getting tattooed about 30 years ago. As a matter of fact, all the women on my Dad's side of the family have tattoos including my 85-year-old Aunt Nene, and now a lot of the guys have them also (except JB). We actually had family tattoo parties at my brother's shop. After all, the family that tattoo's together, stays together.
As the year began, we had about two feet of snow on the ground, and the average temperature was about 22 degrees. But on January 13, a Chinook wind started blowing and lasted for three days. Chinook is a coastal Native American name for a warm, winter wind. Every January that we have been Up Here there has been a thaw, whether gentle or otherwise. Fortunately this warming trend did not cause any major problems in the area, but by the end of the month we had almost no snow. It was as if Spring had arrived two months early. It made for a lot of mountain sun and valley fog, and when the occasional fog did make it Up Here, we had stunningly beautiful hoar frost.
Not much will get me Down There during the winter, but when we started having constant problems getting on to the internet, it was time to change our carrier. I had AT&T for my cell phone and wireless card for the computer, but JB had Verizon for his cell phone and rarely had any connection problems. So on January 5, I went Down There with JB to change all our connections to Verizon. It was time well spent. They have a much better network in this area and excellent reception.
It was nice to be outside a lot and not have to cut fire wood. I was so glad we had put in so much extra. We were able to just do our daily chores and then enjoy. Take long hikes. Read books. Eat. Do crafting. Plan next summer's projects. Eat. Bake. Watch movies. Snack. Drink hot cocoa.
It started snowing again on January 30, and winter returned after more than a two week hiatus. And that's okay. I like hibernating Up Here, especially now that we have inbound water, an electric clothes washer and solar power. Being independent is good, but it's also good to have neighbors who bring up fresh eggs. And it's good to be able to send your husband Down There for chocolate and ice cream.
Now: August 10, 2011
Yesterday we didn't get the early start we wanted. I guess the weekend finally caught up with us. But by 9:00 am we were out on the deck-to-be putting the trim on top of the metal siding, and installing the last two small pieces of metal over the doorway. After lunch we nailed in (tacked) half of the sleepers. By then it was too hot to continue out on the roof, so we put together one of the three six-foot shelving units for the shop. The top shelf is for my outside crafting supplies, such as pine cones, bark, etc., and that will be one crowded shelf. The second shelf will hold our camping gear, and possibly run over onto the third shelf. Everything will be in plastic, critter-proof boxes. The rest of the shelving will be for JB's shop items. I consider myself lucky to have just one shelf. . .
Yesterday I realized that we have another pack rat when I went to get something off JB's work bench, the first rat having eaten the poison and met his demise. So we need to put out more poison. We use "One Bite" as it won't hurt the dogs if they should get hold of some or chew on a critter who died from it. Plus it is just not as toxic as some of the others. It was Larry who recommended it to us.
Now that summer has arrived and we have been working outside so often, I have acquired a farmer's tan, which I really do not like. Yes, I know, still part of my little bit of city mind that is left. I wear t-shirts or short sleeved shirts most of the time, so I am going to have to change to tank tops with lots of sun screen over my tattoos. Oh, I don't think I've mentioned those before. My family started getting body art long before it came into fashion. Not that we are bikers or anything, but my brother, RJ, is one of the best and longest working tattoo artists in the nation. So my sisters and I started getting tattooed about 30 years ago. As a matter of fact, all the women on my Dad's side of the family have tattoos including my 85-year-old Aunt Nene, and now a lot of the guys have them also (except JB). We actually had family tattoo parties at my brother's shop. After all, the family that tattoo's together, stays together.
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