May 16, 2012 4th Anniversary at Rose Camp!



The aspen along our road decked out
in their Spring green coat.



Balsam root by the bird bath.


















The drive down and back up the mountain yesterday was alive with color.  Flox, lupine, sweet pea and arrowroot are now blooming amid the balsam root.  Makes me just want to stop, sit and enjoy.  Especially since I chose the hottest day this year for shopping.  Was supposed to get up to 90 Down There, and I believe it did.  It was hot at Rose Camp, too, but "only" 75 with a nice breeze.  JB measured and marked his rows in the garden, and will probably plant his potatoes, onions, and carrots today or tomorrow.

On Monday I painted the bathroom and it looks fantastic!  Now we just have to finish the ceiling, which we should be able to do this summer.  At least our biggest project, fixing the drainage problem, will be done by someone else.

Larry returned home Sunday afternoon from fishing on the coast.  After cutting up his large catch and vacuum sealing it all, he and Elsie drove up to bring us some fresh halibut and more eggs.  I simply do not know where they get their energy, but I sure wish they would share that too.  Last night JB grilled the halibut with butter and wasabi, along with some fresh asparagus.  Oh my!

Tomorrow will be my fourth anniversay of living Up Here, and also my 65th birthday.  (Finally, affordable health care - at least through November.)  What an experience these past four years have been!  The pioneering aspect is over and we are able to settle in and enjoy.  In a sense, life is not so different from Down There, and yet it is not at all the same.  We have our own sources of electricity, water and heat.  And they are ours alone.  We are not dependent upon a government agency, local or otherwise.  We will be growing our own vegetables this year, which is another big step towards self-sufficiency, and maybe someday we will have chickens.  We have our own sources of help and support.  Nearby friends with the same outlook on life; relatives, some of whom may not understand our choice of life but are always there for us, and many who would love to live Up Here also; and even those we do not know face to face who support and advise us. 

Above all, in the past four years, I have learned patience and to ask for help when we really need it.  I have learned to relax and simply be.  Some of that may come with age, but I believe most is from our way of life Up Here.  It is even better than I had imagined and I am so thankful for all the blessings that have come our way, especially those in the form of friends.  Life is good.

So with this fourth anniversary, I will be posting on my blog only twice a week, Tuesday and Saturday.  It is an adventure to live up here, but not as exciting to read about it as it was when we first began.  I will continue to post pictures and write of our endeavors and experiences, just not as often.

Thought for the day:  Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.  Unknown