October 31, 2011



An Autumn walk- Rose and Dinga



An Autumn walk - JB and Jesse



Clouds blew over all day on Sunday with the threat of rain that never materialized.  Not much sun, but it did get up to 46.  Our big breakfast was really a brunch, so we made it outside about noon to start dragging logs up to be cut.  The ones we were after were a little further from the road so we had to carry and/or drag them down a bit as the standing trees are more dense there.  JB cut the larger ones in two, and we managed to get a nice pile in just a couple hours.  We could hear RJ and Mike getting in as much target practice as possible before they had to leave mid afternoon. 

Larry and Elsie drove up with their small chain saw for us to use.  And also a round of cedar from some power poles they were able to get for free.  Seems the telephone and power companies give the poles away when they have to replace them.  All you have to do is go pick them up.  We will definitely conside that option next year.

I had to toss the four pounds of rose hips I picked and hadn't used.  Will have to go pick more when I have a chance so I can get the jam made.  I froze the puree I made.  I was wondering why I'm so unorganized this year, then happened to glance through my blog for last September and read that we started stacking on the porch the last week in September, and here it is the last week in October when we did that this year.  No wonder I'm so tired.  We weren't working this hard at this time last year!

And speaking of working hard, since I no longer have a dishwasher I have had to find the best cloths, scrubbers and scrapers for doing the dishes by hand.  The standard dish cloths just weren't cutting it.  I tried some micro fiber ones and with their rough exterior, they make cleaning much easier.  My Mother-in-law had been crocheting scrubbies out of netting for years, and those are wonderful.  I just hadn't had to use them as often in the past.  She can't do it any more because she hurt her hands and wrists in a fall a couple years ago, but she did send me the directions along with her supply of netting.  It may be a while before I can find time to make them, but I would like to.  Another item I finally found is a little plastic disc for scraping baked on food.  My supply was down to one.  So I think I'm set for cleaning the dishes by hand.

Of course, since it is Halloween, I had to stock up on candy when I went Down There last week.  You just never know how many trick-or-treaters you'll get and I have to be prepared. . .

We are still having some problems with our water pumps, so JB is going to make some calls tomorrow and see if he can figure out what is wrong.  The pump is still indicating a power problem when we use it for a long time, like two back to back showers, and yet there is still plenty of juice in the batteries.  Just one of the situations unique to our life Up Here.

The current issue of BackHome magazine has an article entitled, "Grandma loved Heavy Metal", which deals with seasoning cast iron pots and pans.  JB tried it on our smallest pan and the results were perfect.  It recommends shortening instead of oil and seasoning it in the oven several times.   

Forgot to mention that the dogs and I went for a hike Saturday afternoon.  I never cease to be awed by the magnificent beauty and variety of the surrounding landscape.  From the Cascade Mountains that slope down to the Columbia River and on up to the Columbia Plateau, it just doesn't get any better than this.  The river seems to be the dividing line between the forested mountains and the bare plateau.  The trees gradually thin out on the west side and are almost completely absent on the east side.  Two completely different geographical formations.  The geologic history of this area is fascinating from volcanic action to the breaking of a colossal ice dam during the end of the last glacial age and a flood that entirely covered what is now Eastern Washington.  Then the creation of falls several times larger than Niagara.  The land is all dry now with the Columbia River and various lakes being the last remnants of the flood.  Indian tribes on the west side of the mountains remember that flood in their lore.

Thought for the day: If all the beasts were gone, man would die from loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast, happens to man.  All things are connected.  Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth.

                                                                              Chief Seattle

October 30, 2011

One of my favorite cloud photos

I spent most of Friday Down There. A long day with several errands and two long grocery stops. Grocery loads will be much larger for the next month, as I stock up for winter. Felt like all I was doing was getting in and out of the car. I think I walked 10 miles in Costco. By the time I arrived back at Rose Camp, it was time for a nap. The best part of the day was driving down and back up our four mile dirt road with all the Fall brilliance against the backdrop of the evergreens.


Saturday was an OMG day. Blue sky, temperatures in the low 40's. Too warm to wear more than a light jacket. Doesn't take long to get used to the cold Autumn days.

I had just brought in a load of large branch wood, when we heard a loud noise in the area of the wood shed. The dogs weren't barking, but they did look startled. Seems everything I wrote about taking wood stacking seriously may not have sunk in. The top of the last row of wood in the wood shed tumbled down. Actually I think what happened is that the weight of the wood may have pushed the pallet it was stacked on down into the ground at a bit of an  angle. So I re-stacked the wood, making sure that it angled slightly backwards into the stack behind it. I also sorted out a lot of large branch wood from the little kindling size and stacked it as the front row of the small wood that runs along the east side of the shed. Will probably do things a lot differently next year. We use the large branch wood and oddly shaped split wood first while it is not so cold or snowy.

Since RJ and Mike were expected Saturday afternoon, it was our a take-it-easy day, instead of Sunday.  I baked RJ's and JB's gluten free birthday cake from our favorite mix - Namaste's Spice Cake. It is probably the best cake I have ever tasted, even though I am more of a chocolate fan. It's a little pricey (as most gluten-free mixes are) but definitely worth it.

RJ and Mike arrived a little before dinner was ready.  I made everyone's favorite - Ham, apple, macaroni bake.  It has a sweet mustard sauce and is sooo good.  Birthday cake and ice cream for dessert, gifts were exchanged, then the boys played Magic cards while I dog sat.  Since it was so cold out after the sun went down, we let Mikes' dog, Mindy, inside for the first time.  It went quite well as long as there was a referee.  Jesse soon climbed up in his bed on the loveseat and kept one eye open on the girls.  Mindy rumaged around in the "toy" basket which really upset Dinga.  Finally I put the two balls and one braided chew toy up so they couldn't fight over them.  (Sound like I'm writing about two little kids.)  What was left in the basket was about 20 bones.  Mindy took about half of them out, one by one, and Dinga quickly rounded up her favorites.  They both finally settled down, each with a chosen bone.  Dinga on the floor and Mindy in my lap.

We all enjoyed the evening, but when it was time for RJ and Mike to leave it was hard to say goodbye.  We won't see Mike til the end of next June and by then he will probably be six inches taller and look two years older.  RJ will be back up at the end of the week for ten days or so, depending upon the weather.  And that will be his last trip Up Here until Spring.

Thought for the day: Youth is not a time of life.  It is a state of mind.

October 28, 2011



Dogs playing (summer 2010)




September 2010

 

Wednesday night was definitely an ibuprofen night.  The temperature only got up to 34 and really got down into my arthritic bones.  After morning chores and lunch, we were outside cutting wood for about an hour.  The logs we dragged up on Tuesday are good sized and most of the rounds need splitting.  We had one wheel barrow load for the wood shed and a very large pile for the splitter.  I split and stacked two loads.  Those three loads filled the wood shed, so I now I can start stacking wood on the porch.

One of JB's morning chores was to cut up celery to be dried.  We are experimenting by drying it in the oven with just the pilot light for about 24 hours.  The green peppers turned out great and are vacuum sealed in a jar.  Right now I think dehydrating will be better for vegetables than canning.

We saw a mouse in the shop that was at death's door after eating the poison.  I felt so sorry for it.  I wish we could co-exist with the animals without having to kill them.  That's my City Mind again.  Since we have eradicated many of their natural enemies, it's now up to us to control their numbers.  And I'm not just talking about mice, obviously.  The whole situation with wolves and bears vs. farmers and ranchers will never be resolved.  Nature was so balanced until  Industrialized Man came along.  I realize that just life on our planet.  Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Today is my Brother's birthday and I am going Down There for shopping and a birthday treat for him.  He's not a fan of cakes, so not sure what I will get.  RJ and Mike will arrive Up Here at their cabin this evening, then tomorrow afternoon they will come up to Rose Camp to play Magic cards and have dinner.  Will probably be up for breakfast on Sunday, too.  JB's birthday is on November 1, so it will be a combined birthday celebration as we have done so often in the past.

Larry and Elsie came up for a visit Wednesday evening.  They were out for a ride and taking down the ropes they put up across our roads for hunting season.  We'll keep the ropes up here as JB wants to erect permanent posts to hang them on each year.  Larry offered to loan us one of his little chain saws, so JB doesn't have to cut everything with his big one.  (We had decided to wait until Spring to purchase a new, light saw for me.)  May just take him up on that.  We also got to talking about our power problem and Larry asked if JB had tightened the battery cables lately.  Ooops.  Someone left that out of our Off The Grid Survival book.  Seems it has to be done about twice a year to as they tend to loosen up with the hot and cold weather.  So that was JB's first chore of the day on Thursday, and it looks like that may have taken care of the problem.

After lunch we cut wood for about an hour, getting the first load of wood for the porch and another big stack for the splitter.  JB was having a low energy day, so he took a nap while I cut four wheel barrow loads of wood.  Got a nice start on our porch wood.  We figure his energy problem has to do with the fact that he needs a big, protein loaded breakfast each day.  May have something to do with his Celiacs disease.

JB's celery that we put in the oven on Wednesday turned out great, even dried the leaves.  Had them in the oven for about 30 hours with just the pilot light on.  And they are very pungent.

I finished Aunt Nene's Christmas present, finally.  I will post a photo of it after the holidays as I am really pleased with the way it turned out.  Elsie and I were discussing crafts and she is going to show me a wreath her Mother made out of pine cones and hot glue.  Lord knows I have enough pine cones, and I have always admired those wreaths.  Can't believe I didn't think of making them before this.

Thought for the day:  I'm so busy I don't know if I found a rope or lost my horse!

October 26, 2011



Mt Stewart throught the clouds
(see the grey blob on the tree?)





I finally called on Monday about getting my camera fixed under warranty. There is a big, grey blob on every picture from something that I am sure is in the lens. Was very pleased to hear that, once they receive it, I should have it back in 5 to 7 days! Now that is service. And that is Canon. I'll get it mailed out on Friday when I go Down There, so I won't have any current photos for a couple of weeks.


We actually got an early start on Monday. When I get dressed upon rising, I wake up much more quickly than when I just throw on my dressing gown (which I usually do). Another bright, sunny but COLD Fall day. The temperature was 28 at 7:30 a.m. And still 28 when we went out side to cut wood. Didn't have to be concerned about working up a sweat. We worked for an hour and one-half and managed to cut three loads for the wood shed and four loads for the splitter. When we finally quit for a late lunch, the day had warmed up to 30. The high for the day was 40.

After lunch I had to make some phone calls, including the one for the camera. Also, myy bank "up-dated" their on-line banking site and I had to get help on figuring it out. . .

JB worked on the snow blower as he is having problems starting it, and we have snow forecast for November 2. I may have to buy some spark plugs on Friday, too. After my calls, I split and stacked two loads of wood. I'd say one more load and the wood shed will be as full as I can get it. I am not going to get on a stool and stack the wood higher than I can reach. I have already started stacking some small branch wood on the porch.

Tuesday morning JB sliced up his green peppers and put them in the dehydrator, while I had breakfast and tried to wake up. After doing the dishes, JB helped me move some of the furniture around a bit. A couple months ago, Dinga quit using her crate which was her own little castle for three years. Just decided one day that she didn't like it any more, so I finally decided to get it out of the house, which left a big empty area at the end of the love seat. I like the way we have it now. Much more entry room by the front door.

After lunch we spent a couple hours pulling logs down from the east slope. Got another nice pile to cut, and really cleaned up that part of the slope nicely. Then I needed to get the rose hip puree cooked, and JB needed to figure out why the water pump warning light was coming on. He had to open up the panel box and make it happen again to see what the specific problem was. Of course I was done cutting and cleaning two pounds of rose hips before he could recreate the problem. It was the voltage indicator, so we may have an issue with our transformer. JB tried to explain to me about the kilowatt hours, voltage, transformer, etc., but my eyes just glazed over. He did some fiddling around, but now we have to wait til tomorrow when the sun is on the panels to see if he found and/or fixed the problem.

Meanwhile, I only ended up with 2-1/2 cups of puree when I should have had eight. Hmmm. I think our rose hips have a lot more seeds and a lot less pulp than the ones used to create that recipe. Will cook up another bigger batch tomorrow.

I have been noticing quite often that when I state our plans for the day or the week, some of the projects never get done or are delayed. Well, in a perfect world. . . What we do get done are those that are necessary for our survival and comfort. Never really had to be concerned with that when living Down There. Occasionally I am dismayed by our declining energy levels, which is more noticeable Up Here with our way of life. I really believe that age is a state of mind, but sometimes I'm not sure my body is listening. I would love to have my 50's energy back. My idols are my Aunt Nene and my Mother's friend who is now 96 years old and was forced to slow down and "act her age." Since she has to sit and rest more often now, she has taken up embroidering so she won't be doing nothing!

Thought for the day:  Inside every older person is a younger person wondering
                            "What the hell happened?!"

October 24, 2011



JB's shop stove
warming it up!



Almost 6 lbs of rose hips



JB got his shop stove all piped in and working on Sunday.  It didn't take long for it to start warming up in there.  Meanwhile, I walked down the road about 1/2 a mile to start picking rose hips.  Didn't take long at all to get almost six pounds.  It definately took me longer to walk down and back up again than it did to pick them.  Half of the hips are the size of cherries!  The dogs thought it was great fun and so did I.  It was one of those days I really felt akin to my maternal Grandmother.  She was born in Germany and raised in Switzerland on the shores of Lake Lucerne surrounded by the Swiss Alps.  Her Father built hotels in Germany and Switzerland.  The one she grew up in is still a working hotel, Hotel Albana in Weggis.  She actually used to yodel for me and I loved it!  She passed away when I was only twelve.

I also had plenty of time to split all the wood stacked at the splitter which was two big loads.  I figure maybe five or six more loads ought to fill the woodshed.  JB was upset that I was doing anything with the wood on Sunday, but once we get it to the splitter, the hard part is done.  Splitting and stacking is not that labor intensive.  JB took a wheel barrow load of the short pieces of wood I had set aside for him to the shop.  He is all set now and just in time for our coldest weather of the season so far which is supposed to settle today in through Wednesday.  We will probably cut more wood today since it is supposed to be dry.  Sunday had a thin overcast most of the day with some sun breaks but the temperature did get up to 48.  It may stay in the 30's today.

JB forgot to put pieces of wood against the shop door Saturday night.  It was very windy and the door was making noises all night.  Next time he forgets, I told him he is going out, no matter how late it is, to make it quiet!

When I got out the booklet from the canning class I took last year, I realized that I have enough rose hips to make one half-pint jar of jam for every one of my friends and relatives, including all my cousins in Switzerland whom I've never met!  And there are so many more rose hips out there that I didn't pick.  There has got to be something else I can do with them.  Well anyway, last year I followed the recipe for raspberry jam, as was suggested, but this year I am going to make the specific rose hip recipe.  I don't have the lemons it calls for so today I will make the puree and then buy the lemons when I go Down There on Friday.

In the days before I actually when picking the rose hips, my City Mind kicked into gear insisting that it was much easier to just go to the store and buy jam.  Why to go all the trouble of picking and canning?!  Well, Mountain Mama overrulled, fortunately.  Just when I think I am completely out of my City Mind, it pops up again.

Thought for the day: First I was Young.  Then I was Middle Aged.  Now I am Wonderful!

October 23, 2011



End of our evening walk



Rose bush Autumn
at Rose camp



We actually accomplished everything we wanted to on Friday!  Finished our daily chores and hung the wash inside, then went out to cut, split and stack wood.  I moved the logs along the cutting block while JB cut them with his chain saw.  I stacked two wheel barrow loads in the wood shed, then we split and stacked four loads.  JB put the rounds on the splitter and I split them until the wheel barrow was full, then he continued the splitting while I took the wood to the shed and stacked it.  So that was a total of six loads into the shed and it is almost full.  As soon as it is full, I will get out and pick rose hips.

JB put his red peppers in the dehydrator for five hours and they became leathery just like they were supposed to.  Then we put them in the oven overnight for further drying - no heat, just the pilot light.  It was cloudy most of the day with just a few sun breaks and the dehydrator used a bit more power than we had anticipated.  We may just use it on sunny days from now on.  By Saturday morning, the peppers had dried a little more and were just right.  I vacuum sealed them in a jar and put them under our bed with the canned peaches.  It is dark and cool there, so they keep better.

On our Friday evening walk, we saw three large does on the east ridge.  The dogs took out after them, but just far enough to chase them off our land.  A few of the dogs in the canyon will chase deer clear down to the pavement.  Thank goodness ours don't.

We awoke to rain Saturday morning so we turned on the generator to run the water for washing dishes, refilling our jugs, washing my hair, doing the hand wash and filling pots for making tomato soup.  The recipe called for four pounds of tomatoes and we had just enough to keep one of Elsie's heirlooms out to enjoy in our eggs for breakfast this morning.  Home made tomato soup takes a lot of time, but it is certainly worth it.  What we didn't eat for dinner, we froze.

The rain stopped about 10:30, so after lunch we cut wood for an hour and a half.  Got two loads for the wood shed and three loads for the splitter.  Then it was definately time for a nap, at least for me.  I slept an hour and it felt sooo good.  Just before I got up, Jesse jumped down off the bed and ran to the front door.  It seems that their friend from a couple miles down the road had come to visit.  If no one sees him out there, he will stand by the porch and whine.  If that doesn't work, he barks to get our attention.  It's so cute!

Deer season ended on Saturday.  So glad it is only a week long.  Larry and Elsie saw trespassing hunters shoot a large buck on their neighbor's land on Wednesday.  Larry yelled at them and his neighbor had already called the sheriff.  The buck rolled down the hill and couldn't be found.  The owner of the land went out to look for it but haven't heard if he found it or not.  According to the sheriff's deputies, the laws have changed a bit in Washington regarding hunters.  It is still their responsibility to know where they are and not go into fenced property, but if you own land that is not fenced then you must have it posted (which we do).  The owner of the unfenced land in question does not have his land posted.

The November issue of Outside magazine has a couple articles that I really enjoyed.  "You Need to Hear This", by Tom Vanderbilt, is about the sounds of nature and how you cannot find them unadulterated by human sounds any more.  "How The Nomad Found Home", by Michael McRae, is about Mike Fay who is the uber-ecologist and savior of the planet.  Absolutely fascinating!

The current issue of Countryside magazine continues their series of articles on essential oils.  I am certainly going to look into the home made shampoos using oil of rosemary. 

Thought for the day:  Be kind to Mother Earth.  It may be the only planet with chocolate.

October 21, 2011



Unidentified bush
(Deer brush?)



Dinga and pine drops



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JB finished our little trailer on Wednesday, except for shortening the wires to the lights which he did Thursday morning before we drove Down There. I finished splitting all the wood at the splitter which was only one load, but it included several large pieces of pitch wood that I sliced into small sticks. We had planned to pull up some more logs, but the day simply sneaked by and before we knew it the dogs needed dinner and so did we.


This incredible Fall weather is very invigorating, but it is hard not to take time off to just enjoy it. I guess maybe because of that we were just a little slower in our chores, but that's okay, too. I am learning to slow down a bit and do just that - enjoy.

Thursday we wanted to get an early start but somehow that didn't happen either. We finally got the trailer loaded with more than half of the garbage and made it Down There by 11:00 a.m.  We will have to make two trips this Fall since we don't have the big trailer.  We always have more garbage in the Fall because of our Summer projects and guests. We have six garbage cans in the shed into which I put the kitchen bags than contain food scraps.  The non-food garbage gets stacked in large, black yard bags.  And we recycle everything we possibly can.  After dumping the garbage (of course the cost has gone up about $5), I stopped at the grocery store then went to look at chain saws. I can get an electric one for under $100 that will probably only last two or three years, or I can get a good gas one for $400 that will most likely last as long as I need it. Of course one unscheduled event that costs money always seems to attract another one or two. So with these several unscheduled events, I may just buy the electric saw. By the time it gives out, I can probably afford the gas saw.

We picked up the mail - enough with the catalogues already! - and headed home, knowing that we would not have time to pull up more logs when we got there. Another day in which time has just slipped by. Not going to get upset about it. The drives up and down the mountain were just delicious with all the vivid colors. Every deciduous bush and tree is trying to outdo the other with their Autumn fire. Hues from light green and yellow to brilliant orange, red and gold light the mountainsides. The aspen are now a bright yellow and even the tamaracks are finally starting to turn.

JB bought fresh, local red and green peppers when he was Down There on Tuesday in order to dehydrate them. Last night he cut up the red ones and will dry them today. He will do the green ones on Saturday, then (hopefully) on Sunday we will make tomato soup from his newly ripened tomatoes and the ones Elsie gave us.

As soon as he gets the dehydrator going this morning, JB is going to use his big chain saw to cut the logs we dragged up. Then I will stack the smaller pieces in the wood shed split the larger ones. There's quite a big pile so I am hoping it will finish filling the wood shed and we can start stacking on the porch. Once we can start that, I will feel much better and not so pressured.

And, speaking of time sneaking by, we didn't make it to Oktoberfest again this year. The weather on the second two weekends wasn't very conducive to being outside. I suppose if you drank enough beer it wouldn't matter what the weather was like, but that was a long way to go just to be cold, wet and buzzed.

Though for the day (this is for you, Kim):  It is what it is.

October 19, 2011



Rose Camp in the evening light



On our evening walk



We are in the middle of a perfect Autumn, and what we are hearing from our favorite weather prognosticator, it promises to be like this until Halloween.  It certainly perks up the spirits.  I think JB and I had been in a funk since mid-September.  We both seemed to have snapped out of it in the past week and are getting re-organized and re-energized.

We washed sheets on Monday and JB hung them outside for me while I got ready for the day.  I can't say enough about laundry that is dried on the line.  It is an absolute joy to take it down and fold it with its fresh mountain scent.  Even after sheets and clothes have been in the closet for awhile, they seem to retain that freshness.

We spent a total of 2-1/2 hours pulling logs up the driveway and got quite a pile.  Like cutting the wood, it is not too time consuming, but it is very labor intensive.  We do take a lot of breaks.  About half way down our driveway on the east slope there still is a multitude of downed timber which we will continue to pull up and pile for cutting until I decide on a new chain saw.  When JB took mine Down There on Tuesday, he was told that McCullough is out of business and it would be cost prohibitive to fix the saw.  So now I have to decide whether I want another electric saw or a small gas one.  I will probably go Down There within the week to check them both out.  I really liked the electric one because it is so light, but if I can get a 12" gas saw that isn't too heavy, that is probably what I will do.  No dragging the little generator around with it.  Meanwhile, JB can cut some of the larger logs into rounds for splitting.

Am still reading our favorite magazines that came in the mail last week, Backwoods Home and Countryside.  They both have some great articles, as usual, and JB and I read them cover to cover.

The other day I noticed the the outside background "buzz" is gone, along with the flying, biting insects.  We still see and/or hear the occasional hardy yellow jacket, but the traps are no longer collecting them and are ready to be taken down and cleaned out.

While JB was Down There on Tuesday, I cleaned house.  After vacuuming, I started to do some basic dusting and found that it was about an inch thicker than I had realized!  So I decided to just bite the bullet and do it all.  My goodness the house looks good!  And, of course, we just had quite a spate of visitors, so we probably won't see anyone else til the 29th when RJ and Mike come for dinner.  By then everything will have a thin coating of dust again.  If we were living Down There, I might be concerned.  But we live in a "cabin" in the woods, so I'm not.  And you thought I was kidding when my Thought for the Day was "My idea of cleaning house is sweeping the room at a glance."

After JB returned and we had a chance to look at the mail, we worked on stabilizing the solar panels a bit more.  JB pounded in some re-bar around the pole and we poured two more bags of QuickCrete at its base.  We may just add two more.  Will have to wait and see.

Larry and Elsie came to visit Sunday evening.  They were duly impressed by the sliding shop door and the fact that the whole project is finally done.  We had an enjoyable visit, as always.  Elsie said she would leave some eggs out for JB when he went Down There on Tuesday.  Well, not only did she give us eggs, but she also gave us some wonderful tomatoes and garlic.  They have been canning tomato and pasta sauce like crazy.  Larry says they now have a total of 17 cases of them both!  I should be so energetic.

Thought for the day: Good friends are like angels.  You don't have to see them to know they are there.

October 17, 2011



Another view of RJ's outhouse,
top corner is all green bottles



Looking up into RJ's tower loft
from the fireplace



Sunday was Autumn incarnate.  Dawn brought 30 degrees and frost, but the day later warmed up to 47 with blue skies.  RJ joined us for JB's breakfast which was the perfect culinary start to the day.  The guys played a game of Magic cards afterwards, while I got started cutting wood.  We all enjoyed ourselves.

I ended up cutting 5-1/2 loads for the wood shed and one load for the splitter before my chain saw started throwing the chain off the sprocket.  JB will see if he can fix it today.  If not, he'll take it Down There to be fixed when he goes on Tuesday to get his flu shot.  He worked on cutting and painting the last two pieces of the fenders for the little trailer.  We didn't pull up any logs since JB got a late start and then had to start dinner early.  Pulled pork takes several hours, but it is so worth it.  We will probably spend most of today pulling up logs.  Supposed to be nice until Tuesday afternoon when the rain moves in again.

Since the days and night have become colder, even though it is warm in the house, Jesse has begun nesting again.  In the evening he will jump up on our bed and paw at our blankets and pillows until he has them just where he wants them.  Then he snuggles down and sleeps.  It's just too cute to get upset with him, unless, of course, he has just rubbed in some bear scat or cow pies. . .

Time magazine has devoted more than half of its October 17 issue to Steve Jobs.  I had no idea the scope of his genius.  The articles are fascinating and there is an incredible quote from a commencement speech he gave at Stanford in 2005:  "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life," he said sounding as if the very thought of living someone else's life infuriated him. "Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of others'  thinking .  Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary." 

Wow!  That says it all.  And that is pretty much my thought for the day.

October 16, 2011



4 Wheel barrow loads when split



More Fall colors



 Friday was overcast and drizzly all morning.  We finally got outside about 12:30 when the rain stopped.  JB was able to cut and paint most of the fender parts for the trailer - out of wood.  I split all the wood I had cut, which turned out to be four wheel barrow loads.  I had several large chunks of solid pitch wood and finally learned how to slice it on the splitter into nice little sticks.  I am thinking that small bags of the pitch wood might sell at the Farmer's Market.  I sold my crafts at a Farmer's Market in Illinois and really enjoyed it.  Now that our major projects are done Up Here, I may want to sell my greeting cards along with the pitch wood next year.  Will have to see how many cards I can make over the winter and how willing  I really am to pack up my booth, tables, wares and displays at least once a week to make the long trek Down There.

Late afternoon, two neighbors from the next canyon over stopped in to visit.  They were out looking for deer on their land for hunting season on Saturday.  Both are avid hunters, but for the meat, not the thrill of the kill.  I like venison, but I don't think I would go hunting unless I really needed the food.  Even when you buy a license, there's no guarantee you'll end up shooting something, and the hunt itself is not appealing to me.  The last time JB went hunting was in 1977.  I know that hunting season keeps the herds down and the numbers healthy.  It's just not for me.

Saturday was a beautiful day but a slow start for us as I am fighting off a bug that I figure I picked up on Tuesday Down There.  Plus it was the 16th anniversary of my Mother's passing.  Can't believe she's been gone that long.  Some years it hits me harder than others, but  Mother's Day is always hard.  A little after noon we drove down to see RJ's outhouse and tower he had finished inside.   (See photo below.)  I am always amazed at how he can see his ideas in his head and then just pick up some logs or lumber and physically build them.  His birthday is the end of the month and he plans to bring up his son, Mike, on the evening of the 28th for the weekend. 

After returning to Rose Camp, we ate lunch and then headed down the driveway to pull up some more logs.  Didn't get quite as many a last time, but there is a good pile to keep me busy.  If it is nice again today, we'll pull up some more.  RJ is coming up for breakfast this morning and JB plans to make O'brien potatoes, maple sausage and eggs with his tomatoes and some red peppers.  Afterwards the guys plan to play a game or two of Magic cards.  I hope get out and start cutting wood. 

It is now obvious that we will not get two of our big projects done this year: painting the porch pillars (it's too cold now), and finishing the inside walls of the great room.  I still plan to clean the chimney and finish caulking outside, plus we have to put some rebar and cement in the cracks in the dirt around the solar panel pole.  As I mentioned the other day, a younger couple would certainly done everything we had planned, but I am learning to slow down and not push so hard.  I want to be around a long time to enjoy what we have built.

Thought for the day:  My idea of housework is to sweep the room at a glance.

RJ's outhouse 1/2 done -
floor is for future shower.

October 14, 2011



Finished shop door



Dinga- Can't believe she's comfortable!



Wednesday morning was nice and leisurely.  Too many magazines to read in the mail I picked up on Tuesday.  But once we did get going, we (mainly JB) got the sliding door to the shop finished.  Yes!!  Boy, does that feel good.  However, in the middle of the night, JB was awakened by a scratching on the metal.  A mouse-sized critter could have gotten under the door, but a large pack rat probably couldn't, although I would think he could have dug under it.  I certainly hope it wasn't something bigger than a pack rat trying to get in. . .

I cut one load of wood for the shop and several for the splitter.  We also put up one of the tarps to close off the shed to keep the rain and snow out.  Then one of our neighbors who was up for a few nights came to visit, which was so enjoyable.   Probably the last time she will be Up Here til Spring.

Thursday I had to go Down There again, even though RJ changed his mind about buying his windows this year.  I had ordered meat that was ready, and needed to take a last, big load of cardboard to recycle.  It was a "short" trip, but very tiring since it was my second trip in three days.  When I got back to Rose Camp, I ate lunch, shrink wrapped the meat for the freezer, did the dishes and took a nice, long nap.  JB put the finishing touches on the shop door - the edging and handle.  He also worked on organizing the inside, so he can pull the little trailer in to work on since it is supposed to rain the next day or two.  He has to build fenders for it, then we can take the garbage Down There.  He thought he could use the fenders off the big trailer, but they are too small.  The little trailer has much larger tires as it is a car frame.

I think the cloudier-than-usual Fall weather is a bit depressing this year because we had such a short summer.  Either that, or we just over did it with building the shop and deck, and thus did not get the other projects done that we had planned.  Plus we have to drive down the road a little ways to pull logs up to be cut.  During the past three years we have cut all the downed logs near the house.  Well, I guess that's just all part of living in the mountains, off the grid.  And it's the life we chose, so I don't want to complain.  A younger couple would probably have finished all the projects, but at our age we just don't want to (more like can't) go full bore all the time.  We want to enjoy our life.  Which is not to say we don't enjoy the work.  We really love doing so much for ourselves, we just don't want to kill ourselves doing it.  So leisurely mornings, breaks and naps are the order of the day.

Wednesday night was the first of the season that we had a fire all night.  When I awoke at 1:00 a.m. I re-stoked the fire and added wood, but had a hard time getting back to sleep.  Same thing when the dogs woke me at 5:00 a.m., which is another reason I took a long nap on Thursday.

Deer hunting season starts on Saturday, which means we really have to be on the lookout for trespassers.  Hunters are the worst of all.  Many of them think they have a right to go anywhere they want to, even when your land is posted.  No wonder this last full moon is called a Hunters Moon.  So, on that note, I will have a hunter's thought of the day:

If God had wanted us to be vegetarians, He would have made broccoli more fun to shoot at.

October 12, 2011

A glimpse through the fog on Monday

Monday was wet as advertised. Fog all day with scattered showers. It was fascinating to watch the fog blowing in and out, like smoke from a chimney on the whims of a breeze. It was an inside day of dishes and laundry, books and crafts. I finished reading my current book; worked on Christmas gifts; and readied catalogue orders for the mail (I usually prefer to send a check rather than put it on a credit card). As I peruse the catalogues marking things I would like to order for myself, I also mark all the items I would like to buy for friends and relatives. But as with the items I mark for myself, that would be in an alternate universe. The one where I win the lotto. If that every happens in this life, those people will be receiving packages every week.

In writing my blog, I find it very interesting that I keep track of exactly how many wheel barrow loads of wood I cut, split and stack, as if my success is defined by that number. I suppose it is in a way. The more loads, the more quickly the wood shed is filled, and thus the more wood we will have to keep us warm through the winter. But even more than that, is how good I feel about being able to do all this at my age. Not that I am that old! But I am trying to keep up with my 85-year-old Aunt Nene. Granted, she may not do the heavy lifting that I do, but she is certainly very active. And I know I have to be more so if I want to be as spry as she is when I am that age. Plus, it simply makes me happy to be so involved with my own survival, and not just writing a check to pay for the utilities. I feel like I have really accomplished something.

Having written that about contributing to my survival, I went Down There on Tuesday to pick up the mail; order meat from the butcher; pick up a sharpened chain for my saw; buy a oval to round adapter for JB’s shop stove; buy groceries. All things for which we rely on others. At least it was much warmer than at Rose Camp as we woke up to 36 degrees with about a 25 mph wind. I kept peeling off the layers as the day wore on.

(It looks as though Blogspot may be having more problems.  When I opened the draft this morning to do my tweaking before posting, everything from here down was gone!  Lovely.  Guess I'll just have to see how how well my memory cells are working this morning.)

I arrived home with time to unload the Jeep and still be able to cut three loads of wood - 1-1/2 for the shed and 1-1/2 for the splitter.  I helped JB move the frame of the shop door around so he could get it almost finished.  It is very big and unwieldly.  Basically all he needs to do now is put the metal on it.  Should be able to finish it today if the wind is calm and it doesn't rain.  It is too big to work on inside the shop.

RJ came up for dinner.  He has been able to finish the basics on his outhouse, and has been working on sealing around his tower.  We hope to get down to his place on Saturday to see everything he has done and take pictures.  They guys played Magic cards after dinner while the dogs and I went for our evening walk.  Just as we were getting back to the house, our son called and we had a nice long chat.

The Hunter's Full Moon lit up the night and even as I write, bright clouds fill the sky, backlit by the moon.  Looks almost like sunrise, but it's way too early for that.  The dogs are out barking, probably at all the deer moving about. 

Thought for the day:  When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you.

October 10, 2011



JB's two Bell peppers



More Fall colors



Blogspot seems to be having a problem with spacing, so all my paragraphs are running together.  Hopefully that will be resolved shortly.

I worked all day Sunday, having convinced JB that I would take off today instead, as it is supposed to rain.  I wanted to get as much of the wood cut and in the wood shed before it got wet, so JB used his large chain saw to cut several of the bigger logs into rounds - about four loads for the splitter.  Then I cut two loads for the wood shed and one for the splitter.  After stacking the two loads in the shed, I split and stacked the other five loads.  We got a late start as RJ was up for breakfast.  He got a late start because he over slept.  We tried a different breakfast menju - gravy and biscuits.  One of JB's favorites, but we had never cooked it before.  We used Italian sausage and the gravy turned out quite delicious.  So did the biscuits that JB made from a gluten free Bisquick mix he found last time he was Down There.  A little pricey, but good.

RJ was feeling much better than he had anticipated with having his teeth pulled.  He has been working on his outhouse and should have it finished today, except for the insulation and outside walls.  He's building it from the inside out.  Fortunately none of the sod and dirt he put on his roof washed off or even moved during all the rain last week.

After slicing the logs into rounds, JB started work on the door to his shop.  But because he got such a late start, he was just able to install the top piece of wood that hangs from the rollers.  He had to quit early, too, in order to start dinner.  He found a really yummy sounding recipe for sausage and bean dutch oven stew that has to cook for a while.  It tasted as good as it sounded.

JB discovered our first (and hopefully only) leak in the shop last Wednesday when we had the pouring rain.  We did not seal where the deck meets the metal sides, so water was dripping down around the inside edges.  The metal edging is screwed in tightly against the tar papered wood, so I can't imagine how water is getting through, but on the next nice day we will caulk all around where they meet.

When we were finished working on Saturday, I put a chair out on the deck and just sat.  And vegged.  And enjoyed the magnificent view.  Jesse even came out to join me for a while.  He is so proud of himself and his new-found daring do.

JB finally harvested his two bell peppers on Saturday.  They look more like jalepenos than bells, but that is as big as they were going to get.  As I said before, we had a very short growing season this year.  We would like to build a small green house of some sort and that may be our main project for next year.  Still haven't decided if we are going to get the chickens or not.

My muse and I have not become completely coordinated.  She is a night entity, as opposed to me who likes to sleep whe it's dark.  So I always have a pencil and a pad of paper on my night stand.  If I don't write down her ideas, she will not remind me of them in the morning.  JB has almost learned to sleep through my turning on the light at all hours and writing.

Thought for the day:  I may have my faults, but being wrong isn't one of them.

October 9, 2011



Pulling logs up to Rose Camp



Fir cone rosette



Two more crisp, Autumn days.  Two very busy days.  JB left early Friday morning with the big trailer for Down There to buy lumber for his shop door and run errands.  He made it to where the dirt meets the pavement before the trailer sighed its last breath with a big "thunk."  The last two two welds gave way and the back of the tongue was on the ground.  Guess we didn't do such a great job of fixing it after all.  We should have just shot it and put it out of our misery.  At least he wasn't on the paved road and could just leave it where it died.  He managed to get the lumber he needed inside his Jeep, along with just about everything else he went down for.

While he was gone I had a lot of things to take care of inside.  I did the laundry; washed the dishes; vacuumed; found a place for things in the last box; put the three stacking chairs we had on the porch in the outhouse for the winter, and defrosted the refrigerator.  After lunch I was able to get outside and cut the rest of the wood - one load for the woodshed and one load for the splitter.  Then I split and stacked all the wood that was at the splitter, which was three loads.  JB arrived home just as I was starting the third load.  I finished that after helping him unload, then we both took a rest.  Read the mail and relaxed.  About 4:00 pm, JB drove back down to see what he could do about the trailer.  He rigged it up with a few straps and slowly pulled it back up the mountain.  Then it was time for a late dinner and absolutely nothing else except a movie.

We both grew up on Westerns and really enjoy a good one.  Thursday evening we had watched "Monte Walsh" with Tom Selleck.   One of the best ever.  But too heavy to watch more than once a year.  Monte was supposedly the last real cowboy, but I like to think my Grandpa Herb was one of the last latter-day ones.  Friday night we watched "The Bucket List" which is also pretty heavy, but very funny too.  Only Jack Nicholson could play the part of Cole.

Saturday dawned clear and cold with a specific job planned - gather more wood.  First we dragged the last log off the south ridge.  Then we drove down to the bottom of the driveway to gather more logs.  There are still quite a few downed trees there on the slope and we pulled several down to the road.  I climb up the slope and try to puzzle them out so JB can drag them down.  Most of them aren't more than six or seven inches in diameter and all very dry, so not very heavy.  The longest ones I wrap a strap around, then JB attaches the other end of the strap to the Jeep and pulls them down to the road.  The short ones I can just wrestle down by myself.  The really long ones, he just continues on up the driveway with them to the cutting area.  The shorter ones, we bundle several together on the road with the strap and he pulls them all up at once.  We did a couple loads before lunch and a few more after lunch.  Ended up with a good sized pile for me to start cutting today.

My Brother, RJ, is back up for a week and will be coming up for breakfast this morning.  He had several teeth pulled last week, getting ready for dentures, so I'm sure he won't be doing a lot of heavy work this time up.  JB is going to have to have that done next year.  But today he is going to build the door to his shop.  He thinks he can get it all done in one day, or at least two.

As I mentioned, both the past two days have been crisp.  I doubt we will see anything above 50 degrees from now on, unless we are blessed with an Indian Summer.  That would certainly be nice.

I have finally started seeing the fir cone rosettes on the the ground.  (See photo above.)  They are what is left when the squirrels finish eating the seeds from the fir cones.  They are actually very pretty and can be used in crafts, as opposed to the pine cobs they leave.  I suppose you could paint rosettes different colors, but I prefer them natural.  They make very pretty bouquets.

We are coming up on a full moon and it is already out when we take our evening walk.  Really quite awsome above the snow covered Mission Ridge.  The nights are much brighter and the animals are moving about more.  We had a coyote near the house about midnight Friday, but he just yipped a few times and howled once.  Of course the dogs wanted to go out, but that wasn't going to happen.

Thought for the day:  Wine a little.  You'll feel better.

October 7, 2011



First snow of the season
 on Mission Ridge



Mule deer buck



The pouring rain on Wednesday didn't stop til mid-day.  Then the fog moved in, and it was a foggy mind day for both of us.  Fortunately I had cleaned out and widened the drainage "ditch" outside the house on Tuesday.  It was a river on Wednesday.  The water pours off our steeply pitched metal roof and I am sure that is why we have a wet crawl space.  I am working on ideas on how to temporarily (this Fall) and permanently (next year) fix that.

We worked inside on Wednesday and spent a lot of time wiping off muddy dogs' feet.  I did the wash and hung it inside, then made birthday cards, since I had completely run out.  JB read a book and puttered around.  We did Tuesday's dishes in the morning while we had the generator on for the laundry.  The sun peaked out just after we finished dinner, so we thought we could turn the water on and quickly get the dishes done.  Then we went for a muddy walk.   But by 7:30 pm the inverter was letting us know that our battery power was getting very low,  so we ran the generator for half an hour to re-charge the batteries.  We shouldn't have turned on the water to wash the dishes.  Last winter the big windstorm rotated our solar panels a little to the east and now they don't capture the sun's rays like they should at the end of the day.  We only have to rotate them back west about an inch or so, but it would take five men and a boy to do without completely taking the panels off the pole.  Maybe we can use a strap and the Jeep.

Just after lunch the dogs started barking and trying frantically to get out.  Looking outside we saw a huge muledeer buck up on the east slope.  He was staring at the house, probably waiting so see if we were going to let the dogs out.  We didn't, so he just meandered up the slope, nibbling grass and leaves along the way.  (See photo above.)

Thursday we woke up to blue sky, wind and 36 degrees.  Once we got outside, we were treated to a view of the first snow of the season on the Cascades and Mission Ridge (which, technically, is part of the Cascade mountain range).  Getting our priorities straight, we quickly fixed the large trailer and put the sides on so I could go get more wood to cut.  I got a nice, big load from one of the piles just down the driveway, while JB worked on finishing up the little trailer.  After lunch I cut four wheel barrow loads of wood - two for the wood shed and two for the splitter.  A lot of it is really hard mountain maple which will burn nice and slow.  However, it does tend to dull a chain saw blade rather quickly.  

I realized that the leather work gloves I was wearing have lasted me a couple months now, which is really unusual as I normally go through a pair every three or four weeks.  I think these have lasted so long because the fingers are black with pitch.  Hmmm.  Maybe I'll just rub pitch on all my new gloves.

I was going to go Down There today, but JB decided he wanted to get the wood for his shop door so he could get that built as soon as possible.  OK, he can run the errands, which includes dropping off our winter coats and overalls at the laundromat.  They will do your wash for you and with what it would cost for us to wash and dry that load there, it's worth it to have them do it.  ( Whew!  Got out of going Down There again.)  I will have to go Down There next Tuesday or so for grocery shopping and to pick up the laundry and sharpened chains.

With the holidays getting closer, I am starting to receive a lot of extra catalogues.  I love catalogues and enjoy going through them and marking all the items I would like to buy - in an alternate universe.  When I have marked everything I want, I toss the catalogue in the recycle box.  But I especially like the ones with t-shirts and clever gifts.  One of the crafts I love is making magnets with sassy sayings, quotes, and thoughts worth remembering.  These catalogues are where I get a lot of my magnet ideas.  I may have mentioned this before, but on our first annual Rose Camp Potluck and BBQ, I gave Larry a magnet for his birthday that said "My Indian Name is Runs With Beer."  I have such a long list of them that I thought I would start ending each of my blogs with one or a favorite quote.  So here is my first thought of the day: 

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.    Faith Whittlesey

October 5, 2011



2nd day - 2nd rattler!



Jesse - completely exhausted after
2 rattlers in 2 days!



Two days - two rattlers.  Amazing that we have seen two of them after the weather has turned cool and only one the whole summer.  Jesse found this second one on our evening walk on  Monday.  It was on the south ridge, just pulling its head out of a ground squirrel hole right on the side of the trail.  He was 4 or 5 inches longer and a lot wider that the snake the previous day.  Once again I just put my walking stick on his head and skewered him.  And, once again, I neglected to take a photo first.  Much larger and longer rattle.  Even yesterday evening as we went on our walk, Jesse wouldn't go near where he had found it.  He literally ran past the spot!

JB drove Down There on Monday to go to his annual Medicare benefits meeting.  Also ran some errands and did a little shopping.  I gathered up our summer clothes and unpacked our winter ones.  I keep our out-of-season clothes in one of my Dad's Marine Corps locker boxes.  Unfortunately it is at the bottom of a big stack of "stuff."  After everything was put away in their respective places, I worked on rearranging the storage area of the loft to make room for the last items we brought up from storage.  So when JB returned home, the eight boxes that had been sitting just inside the door were all gone.  The only things I haven't found space for are my two boxes of candy molds.  They may have to go into plastic containers in the shop (but I won't tell JB just yet).

We started Tuesday morning nice and slow, reading all the mail, magazines and catalogues that JB brought back with him on Monday.  He also had a stack of brochures from his Medicare meeting that he started reading Monday night and most of Tuesday morning.  He will probably stick with the insurance he has even though the premiums have gone up.  I'll be covered under Medicare after my birthday next May; save $225 per month on health insurance premiums; and have better coverage.

When we finally got going, I cut and stacked two loads of wood for the woodshed.  JB worked in his shop and built his first little fire his the wood stove.  No, he couldn't wait to put in the stove pipe that takes the smoke out.  He just made a very little fire with very little smoke, and just enough heat to keep his coffee warm.  After lunch I cut another two loads of wood - one for the wood shed and one for the splitter - which finished all the wood we had stacked to be cut with the chain saw.  I split the one load and stacked it in the wood shed.  JB was working on getting the 12 ft rail up for his sliding shop door.  That is one heavy piece of metal.  I helped him slide it into the the rail hangers, now all he needs to do is build the door.

It is pouring as I write this, our first rain storm of the season.  The dogs don't like to go out when it's really coming down, so they didn't wake me up.  Guess I'll have to set my alarm on blogging mornings, just in case.

I was looking through a box of my Dad's personal items and came across a picture of the girlfriend he had when he met my Mom.  Behind the her picture were two poems she had copied and given to him.  One is following.  Both she, Dad and my Mom were in the Marine Corps.  He had previously spent more than a year in the Pacific with Roosevelt's Raiders.  Here's to you, Dad.

                    The Eminent Quest

Here let me be alone with poetry

Tonight.  Today was too much.  Let me be

Intoxicated with the ecstasy

Of imagination; something wide, free,

Something perfect, something to bury the pain,

Something greater than disappointment or

The cause  of disappointment.  Let the rain

Fall then, if it must; let any door

Close, if it can.  Once I have been alone

With poetry, the silence will tell

Where heaven is and where the unbeknown

Of God and beauty awaits; where true thoughts dwell

Unborn and where there's something greater than

The small things that can happen to a man.

                                                        C. Faye Bennett