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| Heavy clouds over the mountains |
Wednesday was one of those rare, perfect days. Cloudless sky, with a high of 70. It was cool in the morning when we drove down our road with the trailer to gather wood. There are a lot of trees that have been along the road for at least 25 years. They were cut to widen the road for the last logging venture. We have taken a few throughout the years, but there are still enough for several winters to come. So Wednesday morning we loaded up the trailer with some of that wood and headed back home for lunch. I did some laundry while we were resting and eating, then hung it out just before we left again. We found several really good sized logs and pulled them up on the road with JB's Jeep. Then cut them to size and filled the trailer with another good load. The dogs thought it was just wonderful to have two outings in one day.
After we unloaded the trailer for the second time, it was time for a good rest. I finished Patterson's 10th Anniversary, the latest in his series of Women's Murder Club books that I really enjoy. Then it was back outside to cut two wheel barrow loads of the new pile of wood. Most of it was just the right size for stacking. No need to split.
Tuesday afternoon I built a potato "basket" I had been planning for some time. I have always had a hard time keeping potatoes for any length of time, but our two-foot crawl space under the house might be a good place for a root cellar of sorts (as long as I can keep it dry). So I used a wooden crate I had purchased at JoAnn's several years ago and covered it with screening used for a screen door. I also made a cover out of the screen and put in the potatoes I have left. I put it near the trap door so it will be easy to access. We'll see how well that works.
My Aunt Nene told me that when she was growing up on the ranch, they had a shed for potatoes. Each Fall my Grandfather would buy a truckload of potatoes and fill the shed. That worked well except for one year when something caused a dog they had to start foaming at the mouth and take out after her sister, Ginny. My Grandfather had to shoot the dog who then crawled in with the potatoes to die. It was a horrible experience for the whole family, especially for Grandpa Herb who loved animals. (Like me, he tended to get along better with animals than people.) Hopefully, with our potatoes under the house, we won't have any animals dying on them.
My brother, RJ, is up for a couple weeks. He came to breakfast Thursday morning, and after he left, JB went Down There to fill the gas containers, buy our winter supply of oil for all our various engines, and price a new trailer. I split six wheel barrow loads of wood while he was gone, and then another three after he got back. Today I am going to meet RJ Down There at Lowe's to haul two kitchen cabinets back up for him in my Jeep.
New trailer's are just too pricey for us right now, so we will keep our eyes open for a used one. Meanwhile, JB is going to build the floor and sides on a smaller, 4'X5' trailer we have. It is made with the axle and wheels of an old car so it will hold a lot of weight. We may opt to take it over to Bob's brother's the weekend of the 24th, as we have a memorial service to attend for my cousin's husband. I remember my Uncle, who passed away at the age of 92 last year, saying that in his 80's it was that time of life where friends and family were passing on so often that he had to check the paper each day just to be sure he was still here. Aunt Nene and Uncle Jack are the last of their generation on my side of the family. JB's Mom is the last of her generation on his side of the family. Just the natural cycle of life I guess. Or so I keep telling myself.
Good Lord! Didn't mean to write such a downer today what with the dog and the dieing. But I guess it's not all fun and games, even if you're living in paradise. There's always that serpent lurking in the bushes.
After we unloaded the trailer for the second time, it was time for a good rest. I finished Patterson's 10th Anniversary, the latest in his series of Women's Murder Club books that I really enjoy. Then it was back outside to cut two wheel barrow loads of the new pile of wood. Most of it was just the right size for stacking. No need to split.
Tuesday afternoon I built a potato "basket" I had been planning for some time. I have always had a hard time keeping potatoes for any length of time, but our two-foot crawl space under the house might be a good place for a root cellar of sorts (as long as I can keep it dry). So I used a wooden crate I had purchased at JoAnn's several years ago and covered it with screening used for a screen door. I also made a cover out of the screen and put in the potatoes I have left. I put it near the trap door so it will be easy to access. We'll see how well that works.
My Aunt Nene told me that when she was growing up on the ranch, they had a shed for potatoes. Each Fall my Grandfather would buy a truckload of potatoes and fill the shed. That worked well except for one year when something caused a dog they had to start foaming at the mouth and take out after her sister, Ginny. My Grandfather had to shoot the dog who then crawled in with the potatoes to die. It was a horrible experience for the whole family, especially for Grandpa Herb who loved animals. (Like me, he tended to get along better with animals than people.) Hopefully, with our potatoes under the house, we won't have any animals dying on them.
My brother, RJ, is up for a couple weeks. He came to breakfast Thursday morning, and after he left, JB went Down There to fill the gas containers, buy our winter supply of oil for all our various engines, and price a new trailer. I split six wheel barrow loads of wood while he was gone, and then another three after he got back. Today I am going to meet RJ Down There at Lowe's to haul two kitchen cabinets back up for him in my Jeep.
New trailer's are just too pricey for us right now, so we will keep our eyes open for a used one. Meanwhile, JB is going to build the floor and sides on a smaller, 4'X5' trailer we have. It is made with the axle and wheels of an old car so it will hold a lot of weight. We may opt to take it over to Bob's brother's the weekend of the 24th, as we have a memorial service to attend for my cousin's husband. I remember my Uncle, who passed away at the age of 92 last year, saying that in his 80's it was that time of life where friends and family were passing on so often that he had to check the paper each day just to be sure he was still here. Aunt Nene and Uncle Jack are the last of their generation on my side of the family. JB's Mom is the last of her generation on his side of the family. Just the natural cycle of life I guess. Or so I keep telling myself.
Good Lord! Didn't mean to write such a downer today what with the dog and the dieing. But I guess it's not all fun and games, even if you're living in paradise. There's always that serpent lurking in the bushes.
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