July 30, 2012

A gift

Friday it was my turn to climb the ladder and trim branches. JB also did a few, then I trimmed the large ones and took them to the pile to be cut for firewood. Took the small ones to the chipping pile. Then I cut some of the thinner firewood branches with my large clippers and stacked them in the wood shed.

Thursday evening JB had grilled chicken for dinner along with one of our favorite foods - zucchini slices wrapped in prosciuto. Oh, my! Haven’t had that in years. Then Friday we had pizza for dinner. It has been a month since we have made it because of JB being in Seattle. I sure missed it.

Saturday JB chipped three wheelbarrow loads and was able to cover the rest of the front yard. It certainly works to keep down the dust and mud. We still want to get more chipped and laid on the path from the house to the tipi and outhouse, but probably not before the BBQ on 8/5. Then, on Wednesday, 8/8, we are going to have the tongue-in-groove pine delivered to finish the great room. Hopefully that project will only take two or three days. On that Monday JB is going to run wire under the house and install a plug for the TV area so we don’t have to have the long extension cord that we are using right now. In September we plan to build a 16'X20' garage in which to store and fix MAX.  All that ought to keep us busy and out of trouble for a while.

And speaking of MAX, we drove him down to the game cam to re-install the card yesterday afternoon. Dinga won’t ride, but when asked, Jesse jumped right in and rode all the way down and back up. Yesterday morning we had all gone for a nice long walk down the road and taken the game cam card with us on the way back (no interesting pictures), so he probably figured enough is enough. We drive MAX a little each month to keep him ready for the snow. We don’t use him a lot though, as he is our only way in and out during the winter.

So basically we took Sunday as our day off since we have been working so hard lately. I had just finished The Drop by Michael Connelly. Another excellent Harry Bosch read. So I started Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman. Haven’t read one of his in a while and I am really enjoying it. Thank goodness my Mother-in-law likes the same kind of books that I do. She is an avid reader and sends me everything she has read. BJ came back with a large sack of them for me.

Just a quick note about the rattle snakes Up Here. The one RJ shot was green - a timber rattler. They have a bad reputation as being much more nasty and aggressive than the prairie rattlers which are brown. I have only seen the prairie ones at Rose Camp. I’m sure they come up over the south ridge from that hot side.

Thought for the day: The urge to save humanity is almost always a false-face for the urge to rule it. H. L. Mencken

July 27, 2012 Dinga, Rose & the Rattler



Rattler loves the nice warm rocks


We were relaxing on the porch after moving three stumps from the grove to the splitter late Wednesday morning, when it sounded like Dinga hit her head under the porch.  She came running out in a very aggitated state and wanted to go inside.  We thought a bug got her.  We all went in for lunch and came out about an hour later to work some more.  I was walking past the porch to go up to the shed and get the rake.  It was a very hot day so I was wearing my sandals, and when I do I am always very aware of my immediate surroundings.  Which is fortunate, because at that moment my immediate surroundings included a rattle snake on the rocks by the edge of the porch.  I jumped and yelled at JB to get the gun.  I ran to get my walking sticks, deciding not to waste good ammo.  I held it down with one stick and skewered its head with the other.  Cut off the rattles (4 small ones) and the head.
 
Well, that experience was better than a cup of coffee to get my blood moving. Took a bit for my heart to slow down. I did, however, change my sandals for my boots. . . I remember writing last year what Larry had said after having an encounter with a rattler at one of their ponds: Rattlesnakes have proven that white men really can jump!

The grove is looking good now with all the stumps and dirt clods gone. We will probably set up the food table there for the Rose Camp BBQ and Potluck on the 5^th. It’s nice and shady there, with more room than the porch. So far we have at least twelve people who will be attending.

Yesterday we got out the big ladder so JB could cut some big branches of three different trees. The lack of one of them creates a much better view of the mountains from the deck. Another large one was just one big wind storm away from coming down. JB also started chipping early while it was still cool outside and got two bags done to cover the dirt in front of the porch. So now we have chipping on one side of the "creek" and grass on the other. About 10:00 a.m. I drove down to Larry and Elsie’s to pick pie cherries. They had harvested all they wanted and offered the rest to us. They were so wonderfully ripe that they just slid off the pits and the juice ran down my arms and into my armpits. Sticky, sticky, sticky! Had to practically take a bath in their laundry room sink. Also had to go to potty which meant taking off my gun. I layed it on the table and immediately forgot about it. Wasn’t till evening that I realized I didn’t have it and couldn’t remember what I had done with it. SO glad it was still in their house and not dropped on the road somewhere, having set it on the roof of the car or some such other stupidity. I never would have lived that down with Larry.

The grasshoppers have arrived en force, jumping and clicking all over the place. Seem to be a few more this year. Probably because it is dryer than it has been for a few year. Yesterday we had huge thunderclouds all around us. Could hear the thunder and see the rain a couple canyons to the west, but that was as close as it got. Sure could use some more rain Up Here.

Finally read the news about the discovery in the physics field (of course I can’t locate the name of it right now). But physics always seems to confirm my spiritual beliefs, as I know it does with many others. As I understand it, everything starts out with zero mass then as it slows down it gains mass. Well, that makes sense. We are basically spiritual beings with no mass, until we slow down and experience a physical existence. Also makes sense because in our human form the more we slow down the more mass we amass. . .and usually in our ass. . .

Well, enough of that.  I have work to do. . .

Thought for the day:  If you risk nothing, then you risk everything.  Geena Davis

July 25, 2012 Cheap Redecorating



Look, Nene.  RJ has a door on his cabin!




Our finished, funky fence















Going Down There both Monday and Tuesday was a bit much for the psyche. At least my Jeep is fixed and the shopping is done. Just have to go again on Friday, 8/3, to get some last minute items for the BBQ on 8/5.
 Thought for the day: Politician- a fellow who will lay down your life for his country. Texas Guinan
A little on the late side, but now that our yard is redone and a bit organized, I bought some plants for the barrel planters and flower pots. Just some pink flox and red and white petunias, but they add a bit of color. Might pick a few different kinds on the third if they are still available. The price is certainly right this time of the summer.

Purple has once again been added to the forest color scheme. The asters are beginning to bloom. There is a large group of them where our road turns off from the main canyon road and they are usually the first to bloom. I may try to transplant some into the yard when the blooms appear Up Here. I would also love to get some of the sweet peas growing by the fence, as they are climbers.

RJ will be back late August 1, and this time he will be bringing my "baby" brother, Sam, up from Oregon for a week’s visit at his cabin. (RJ is my "little" brother.) I haven’t seen him since before we moved to Chicago in 2003 as he lived in Florida then. Am really looking forward to our reunion.

It is taking JB a while to settle back in and get his energy back. I am sure people who live Down There don’t realize the noise pollution that is constantly bombarding them, among other things. Watching the news every night didn’t do him any good either. However, he was able to watch a few TV shows we were curious about and really enjoyed them.

And speaking of inexpensive (I must have been at some point), I redecorate the great room about once a month by recovering the furniture. The original upholstery has barely seen the light of day since we adopted our first two greyhounds the summer of 1995. I cover the couch, loveseat, and chair with sheets that have great patterns on them. I usually buy flannel sheets when they are on sale in the Spring. I have also found regular sheets with very pretty and/or unusual patterns in just the right colors at second-hand stores. I tuck the sheets in around the cushions and it looks just like a new fitted cover.

Thought for the day:  Politician- a fellow who will lay down your life for his country.  Texas Guinan

July 23, 2012



Baby Juncos in their nest

















Friday morning I began to hear distant thunder about 11:00 a.m. and it continued throughout the day, only becoming not-so-distant as JB drove up and parked.  The instant he turned off the engine, the rain started to fall.  It was just short shower that moved on as soon as he had the Jeep unloaded.  He was a little later than expected due to heavy rain on the pass, but he is home all safe and sound.  Spent the evening reading mail and unwinding.

Our project for Saturday was putting in the six fence posts to the south of the entrance to our yard.  On our evening walk I discovered a junco nest on the ground by our path near the tipi.  I had to chase the dogs away, but got a great photo of the babies.  I am surprised they built a nest in such a busy place.

After dinner I drove down to RJ's to see the work he had been doing on his cabin.  He has decided to enclose his "porch" and make it a sun room.  It is so cool!  And he finally has a door, even though the front of the room is still open.  But he plans to have it all enclosed by the end of the summer.  He came up for breakfast yesterday, and will be leaving for the west side of the mountains later today.  Was unable to upload the photo I wanted of his cabin, so will have to try again later.

Sunday we cut several small trees that needed to be thinned out to use for fence rails.   Trimmed them.  Cut them to size, and screwed them into the posts.  Today we will put in the last two posts and four rails.  A very funky fence that we both love!

Sadly, on our Sunday walk I found the bird's nest was empty.  The babies didn't even have feathers, so I am sure some animal or snake must have eaten them.  Really don't think it was the dogs though as the nest is in perfect condition, as if the birds has simply been plucked right out of it.  Also noticed that the bear had visited us the previous night as about 15 feet of rocks along the path were overturned.  He must have been looking for grubs.  It wasn't the bear that got the birds as they were in the nest Sunday morning.

The thunder storm that was predicted for our area last night never arrived.   The clouds started moving in from the southwest, but a strong wind came up in the late afternoon and blew all the clouds to the north before they even got to us.  I would have liked some rain, but at least now the road is dry this morning for my drive Down There.  Have to take my Jeep in for new front U-joints.  Will do shopping tomorrow when we go down to pick it up.

Thought for the day:  Expert: a man who has stopped thinking - he knows.  Frank Lloyd Wright

July 20, 2012 JB Coming Home



Fireweed




A little friend under
the porch steps




















JB is on his way back home today and should arrive at Rose Camp by 2:00 pm.  Yes!!  And just in time for another thunder storm.  I can see the big, white, puffy clouds moving in as I write.  Just hope it's not pouring when he is driving up our road.

Larry and Elsie came up to get their ATV Tuesday evening, but it was a short visit as the thunder and lightening arrived about the same time they did.  Elsie headed for home in hopes of beating the rain, while Larry was going to his favorite vantage point for viewing the light show.  The storm actually went to the east and north of us and we got only a few sprinkles during the night.

When I got up Wednesday morning I realized that I didn't hear the wren singing.  I checked their nest when I went to water the garden and half of it had fallen onto the rocks.  As I was watering, the male wren landed on the fence and started squawking at me as if the whole incident was my fault for not having provided a larger shelf under the eaves.  I suggested that they move into the vacant bird house, but I see they still haven't.

I babysat Mindy while RJ went Down There after he drove up for breakfast.  He wasn't gone too long as it was really getting hot.  It was 78 Up Here and just too hot to do much other than dishes and laundry, and of course sudoku and crosswords.  After two years I have at last graduated from easy to medium sudoku!  In the evening I worked in the grove trying to rake out the heavy equipment tracks.

The pack rat succumbed to the poison sometime during Tuesday night and was within easy reach.  I am sure I will always feel regret for having to do such a thing.

Thursday morning I moved more drain rock to the side of the house and put a couple loads in front of the outhouse, then cleaned up more dirt clods.  After lunch I trimmed bushes along our pathways.  The temperature was up to 79, but there was a nice breeze.

RJ and I were talking at breakfast about a friend of his who is 80 and going strong.  He had found his calling early on and has been content most of his life.  We agreed that contentment seems to be the key.  You don't always have to be happy, but it seems to be a companion of contentment, as does good health and longevity.  I think JB and I have found our contentment at Rose Camp.

Thought for the day:  The past is never where you think you left it.  AJ Butler.

July 18, 2012 RJ & His Rattler



The snake's rattles!


It had stopped raining by the time I left for Larry's and Elsie's at about 8:00 a.m. on Monday.  I have been seeing a lot more rabbits and chipmunks than usual along the road.  Looks like we have a bumper crop of both this year.  Things pretty much got drenched in the early morning rain so I just fed the chickens and cats.  The chickens had given me six eggs Saturday evening and nine on Sunday.  With the extra time I had for leaving the dogs alone, on my way back home I drove up to see RJ who had got Up Here on Sunday.  It seems that within a couple hours of his arrival he heard a rattle snake in a pile of wood as he walked by.  Couldn't find it, so a couple hours later he came back and there it was, coiled up in front of a log.  He started to draw his small .22 pistol that he keeps loaded with snake shot, but as he got closer he muttered out loud, "Oh, Hell No!", as he realized how big it was.  He quickly went back into the cabin for Grandpa Herb's shot gun.  Aiming into the coiled viper, he almost blew it in half.  Now these reptiles don't die easily, and even when they are dead their body doesn't realize it.  The front half of the snake was struggling to get back into the wood pile, but the dead back end was too heavy to pull.  So it latched on to a log with its fangs, and it took RJ a good 20 minutes to pull it off using his walking stick.  The snake measured 37" long from the tip of its head to the end of its rattles.  He cut off the head and the nine (!!) rattles, then used the rest of it to try to teach Mindy, Mike's dog, to stay away from them.  Of course the body flipped around for almost an hour, and at one point the headless end lifted up and "looked" at Mindy.  Even as it lay there, little puffs of dust arose from that headless end - still breathing!  They are freakier dead than alive.

When I finally got back to Rose Camp, I worked on the stream bed for a few hours.  Our neighbors were staying up in their yurt for the weekend and came to visit for a few hours in the afternoon.  Always an enjoyable time, and they plan to be up a few more times this year.

RJ came up for dinner, and we both enjoyed a big pot of chili that I had made.  He is going to finish his deck this week and the lumber for it was going to be delivered on Tuesday.  By the end of that busy day, I practically fell into bed at 8:30 pm. . .

Yesterday I spent almost all day working on the creek bed.  It is basically a mosaic, as I am placing each stone in, one by one.  Like a doing a puzzle with only a very general idea of how it is going to turn out.  But it is a very pleasant and relaxing project to do and I am pleased with the results so far.  Very time consuming though.  All these hours I have put into it, and it isn't even half done.

Rather belatedly I realized that there was so much going on Monday that I forgot to do the laundry.  So I did a load yesterday and will do another one today.  Very easy to forget what day it is Up Here, especially when you are alone.  Plus, I am not nearly as schedule oriented as JB is, or as many of us affectionately call him - anal.

I was awakened in the middle of Monday night and realized there was a mouse flipping about in the trap.  In my muddled, 2:30 a.m. mind I thought I would just drop it out of the trap into a bag, then take it outside and let it go as it just had its leg caught.  He obviously wasn't hurt very badly, because as soon as he hit that bag he was gone!  Note to self:  do NOT take live mouse out of trap until you are outside.  When I got up in the morning he was back in the trap.  Only this time he was dead.  And now this morning there are two mice dead in the bathroom traps.  Five mice in less than two weeks!  I hope that is all of them.  Will be so glad when JB gets home. . .

The dogs and I took a nice long walk down the road in the late afternoon.  Turned out to be a very pleasant day with rain in the very early morning and a high of only 72.

Thought for the day: Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart, and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.  Winston Churchill

July 16, 2012 Babysitting the Chickens



Not bad for one afternoon's work



Dinga's favorite place outside

















Saturday morning Dinga is barking.  It's . . . 5:15 am!?!!  A deer is walking across the south ridge and Dinga has a perfect view.  I really need to get blinds for that window.  There's no sleeping now, so out they go and I stay up for the day.  And a good day it was as I think our heat wave is over.  There was distant thunder all around us on Friday, but nothing close by and no rain.   The highs for the three days were 78, 74 and 72 and this morning it is 50 and raining.

I did more general cleaning and clearing outside.  Moved drainage rocks on to the plastic on the north side of the house and am two-thirds done.  Really should have finished that, but it is a really sweaty job and I just didn't want to (finish or sweat).  However Sunday I built the rock wall on the south side of the yard and it looks pretty good, even though I do say so myself.  (See photo above.)

There were black clouds moving in and I could see it raining two canyons over, so Saturday evening I drove the car down to Larry and Elsie's to water the garden and feed the chickens and cats.  Took the dogs with me and let Jesse ride in the front seat so he wouldn't be stuck in back with the wild beast.  He was thrilled.  Actually they both were.  It never did rain.  Just went south of us.

But Sunday morning was pure bliss riding the ATV up and down the road.  If we had one, I would be exploring all the roads and trails on our mountain.  Hiking is great but you simply cannot cover the ground in the same amount of time.  Would love to somehow manage to get an ATV.  Throwing that out to the Universe. . .

I know one thing for sure, If I had to live alone Up Here, I would definitely have a satellite dish.  Does that statement tarnish my self-sufficient, mountain-mama, to-hell-with-the-rest-of-the-world aura?  So be it.  

JB told me to be on the look out for the northern lights as there was a very large solar flare on Thursday.  I looked every night but haven't seen them yet.  I remember as a kid living in southeastern Oregon we would often see them, as Lakeview is a mile-high town with no high mountains close by.

I opened the shop Saturday morning to let some fresh air in and came face to face with a rather large pack rat on one of the shelves.  So I put out a rather large piece of poison.  Checked back in the afternoon and it was gone, so I put out another piece.  Bye bye, pack rat.  Only hope he doesn't find some little hidey hole in which to die, 'cause he will stink.  Like the one last year that JB had to dig out of the wood bin.

I have seen the rufus hummingbird check out the feeder but never partake.  I would love to get a good photo of him as he is a brilliant orange.  Can even spot him in the trees.

Thought for the day:  When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.  Live your life in such a manner that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.  Indian Saying
 

July 13, 2012 Beating the Heat



Result of Sunday's storm



Potato plant bloom -
Who knew it would be so pretty?!

 



















Friday the 13th - didn't we just have one of those?!

Enough bitching and moaning about it being too hot to work outside.  The dogs woke me up at 5:30 am yesterday so I got up, got dressed and got to work.  It was 62 and clear outside, just perfect.  Raked and shoveled, snipped and wheelbarrowed.  Felt good to be working again.  Our new yard is looking better and better, and the new grass is too.  By 9:00 it was too warm and I was too tired.  More than three hours out working may sound impressive, but I spent almost an hour of that talking to my BFF, Sandy. . .  Did get alot done, though.

I left early enough on Wednesday to get a few groceries before Dinga's vet appointment and picked up the mail afterward, but it was just too hot to leave the dogs in the car to get ice cream afterwards and too early to get it beforehand.  So, no ice cream.  I guess I will survive as I have plenty of chocolate. . .  Was home by 10:45 and spent the rest of the day reading mail, magazines, and newspapers.  And taking a nice, long nap.

The fireweed is blooming along the road.  Not quite Up Here yet, but it shouldn't be too long now.  Most of the rose petals have dropped off and the hips are forming.  The lupine is going to seed, so now the predominant colors are white, red, orange and cerise (yarrow, paintbrush & fireweed).

We must have had some nasty winds racing down the canyon Sunday and Monday nights as there were two large trees blown down.  The biggest one is in the photo above and is the one which was partially blown over last winter.  The other tree was a standing dead on our land. 

JB found out that it is only about $70 to fly one way from Wenatchee to Seattle, so he will probably fly instead of drive when he goes over to stay with his Mom next year.  He will also fly over this summer to pick up the wood from his brother's yard.  He will rent a truck to drive it back here.

RJ should be up this weekend for another week.  And I got an email from the couple who owns the property next to us and they will be up for the weekend.  Always love company.

Larry and Elsie drove up last night and brought an ATV for me to use over the weekend.  I am going to water their flowers and garden, and feed the chickens and cats while they go to their favorite lake for a couple days.

The dogs didn't wake me up early this morning, but the alarm did.  Unfortunately, now that I don't have to be to work, I have a tendency to turn off the alarm, go back to sleep and not even remember having done so.  I did manage to get out and move several loads of rock to the south side of the house over the plastic and now am dripping sweat on the computer as I type.  We didn't get the predicted rain last night but there are some promising clouds out there.  It's been 82 the last couple days and this hot spell is supposed to continue for a few more days.  Each day has been about 13 degrees above average according to NOAA.

Thought for the day:  It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.  Chief Justice John Roberts, U.S. Supreme Court (I LOVE this guy!)

July 11, 2012



Elk calf on Claudia's
game cam



Sunset Monday night -
 looks almost like a solar flare

We seem to have a lot more chipmunks this year, or maybe they have just learned how to stay out of Dinga's reach.  They sure are keeping her actively frustrated.  Jesse rarely joins the chase.  He's usually after bigger game.  Yesterday I heard loud chipmunk chirping and looked out the window onto the porch.  Sure enough, there was a tiny little thing on our storage box.  I know the dogs were under the porch but I guess it was just too hot for the effort.

I discovered that the other wren family is nesting up under our eaves on the south side of the house.  There are three places along the sides where there is room for a small nest.  I have seen other birds, sparrows and swallows, try to nest there but I think they are just too big.

Yesterday morning was cooler for a little longer than the past few days, so I was able to get outside and rake some more.  Also worked on getting one of the horseshoe pits situated in the dirt.  But then it was back inside to read and finally catch up on my e-mail.

The grass that JB planted about two weeks ago is really coming up.  Most of the area looks green now.  I may even have to mow it before he gets back!

Yesterday was very hazy to the west, with the mountains almost disappearing behind it.  Am sure it was smoke from one of the fires.  By sundown it had cleared out, so hope it is under control.  Probably, as it is clear out there this morning.

Today I get to take the dogs back to the vet so Dinga can have her eye checked.  It looks alot better as far as I am concerned.  We'll see what the doctor charges to tell me the same thing.  I made the appointment for 9:00 am so hopefully we can pick up the mail, grab a few groceries and get back Up Here before it gets too hot.

My quote about Monsanto certainly got a response from Katie.  Here is her e-mail:  "I have preached against Monsanto for years- - - -In America there were 230,000 suits against Monsanto by farmers- - -the  judges threw out all cases- - -In Brazil there are 500 - million suits- - - - Brazil has a better chance than Americans- -because they will stick together. Monsanto is getting patents on wild plants in Brazil [for medicinal purposes]- - Brazilians want to know how one can patent a "wild plant"- - -by the way- Rufus Murdock owns Fox News - - he built a multi-million $ home- - -not in America- - He knows it is going down- - -but in Beijing,China- - -"  You go, Girl!!

Thought for the day:  Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.  The obedient must be slaves.  Henry David Thoreau

July 10, 2012 Another Wild Night



Our sunset Sunday evening



Thunder clouds to the north last night

















Friday began our hot spell with temperatures well above average.  It was "only" in the high 70's on Friday so I was able to get out and do some raking and hiking before the heat set in.  While re-sculpting our yard, it was discovered that our drain field was full.  I contacted the man who owns the company that did the work and he agreed to put in a new one.  So Friday afternoon he brought up the materials for the job in his horse trailer.  Saturday morning he was up with the backhoe and had the job done in three hours, doing it himself to be sure it was done correctly.  By the time he left it was 82.

There is a lot of raking to be done to smooth out where the drain field was put in but it is simply not going to get done in this heat.  Sunday was 85 and Monday 86, with temperatures in the low 100's Down There.  All I could do was sit and sweat.  The dogs dug out some nests under the porch and spent their days there.  I finally got some reading done though, choosing some history books: The Last Wilderness by Murray Morgan which is the history of the white man on the Olympic Penninsula in western Washington, and Sqee Mus by R. Emmett Hawley which is the history of the white man in Lynden, WA, north of Bellingham.  He moved there with his family in 1871 when he was 10 years old.  It was first published in 1945 and my Mother bought the book from the Whatcom County Museum in Bellingham many years back.  Fascinating books, both.  Yesterday I started My Wilderness: The Pacific West by William O. Douglas (former Supreme Court Justice, who was from Washington.)

Thunder storms were predicted for Sunday night and the static lightening began about 10:00 pm to the south.  Then the clouds moved in and the booming began.  The storm with all its fury had arrived.  The sky was as light as day out there and I new I wasn't going to get any sleep unless my bags were packed.  So I put a change of clothes, my meds and the dog's meds, my computer in a couple bags by the door, along with our 72-hour pack and get-away bag (which is always packed).  Finally about midnight I went to bed with my clothes on.  Soon after I heard the wonderful sound of raindrops.  Listening to their lullaby I was soon fast asleep.

I awoke with a start Monday morning at 6:00 am.  All was quiet and the sun was shining.  I let the dogs out.  Put my boots on and went for a rather belated lightening watch hike.  No smoke anywhere, not even in the distance, which was rather surprising, but quite a relief.  So back to bed it was until 9:00 am when JB called to see how I fared.  They had a nasty storm in Seattle also that started around 1:00 am.  The past two years had been so cool and wet that I don't think we have had a thunder storm since 2009.  Certainly nothing as spectacular as Sunday night.  Elsie called to check on me, too.  She referred to the storm as "biblical proportions".

Monday got up to 86, which was almost unbearable, and another storm was predicted for last night.  After dinner (a yogurt) I decided to move the Jeep close to the house for a quick get-away if need be, but it wouldn't start.  All the electrical came on, but no start and no clicking from the starter.  I called Larry and he said it come up to have a look.  He added that they would be sure I at least had one of their ATV's for the night in case I had to get out.  I decided to at open up the windows in the car to cool it off and when I tried the key, it started right up!  I immediately called Larry and left a message, but he arrived a few minutes later.  He thought there might have been a sensor that just got too hot.  We had a nice visit and he said he hadn't seen a thunder storm with lightening like that since he was a kid.  He used to sit out in his yard and watch the lightening that filled the skies many of the August nights.  He had actually spent most of Sunday night near a ridge just to the northeast of us where lightening has started several fires in the past.  He was there until the wind and rain forced him back home.  The lightening actually did set a few fires way north of us and he pointed out the plume of one of them.  After he drove back home Elsie called to ask if I could let their dogs out this afternoon as they are going out to dinner to celebrate their daughter's birthday.  Then Larry got on the phone to tell me that on his way down, about 1/2 mile past our driveway, he saw a huge, bull elk standing in the road!  If only he had had a camera. . .  What am I talking about, he doesn't even have a cell phone. . .

The Monday night storm never did materialize.  The clouds arrived but were quickly blown north.  However I see that we did get a good rain during the night, which I slept right through.  It is a little cooler this morning, but the hot spell is supposed to last a few more days.  Oh goodie. . .

During the past several months JB has been taking the dead mice out of the traps, although we have had very few.  Of course what happens as soon as he leaves?!  Two mice in the traps, one Friday and one Saturday.  Thankfully they were both killed instantly.

I have realized that blogging just twice a week is not enough, so beginning tomorrow I will be posting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Thought for the day:  Security is mostly a superstition.  It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.  Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run that outright exposure.  Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  Helen Keller

July 7, 2012 Alone Time



The dogs & my new wiggle wood fence

 We didn't have the predicted storm on Tuesday, but we did have strong winds all day - 35 mph sustained with some pretty impressive gusts.  And a high of only 54.  JB spent most of the day outside, braving the winds and trying to get some more projects done before he leaves for Seattle, like moving all the large rocks we took out of the yard back to where I plan to build a small rock wall where the yard now slopes down on the SE edge near the cistern.  He also chipped two loads and spread it on the parking area.  I stayed inside and puttered around.  Did some work on the computer, labeling and organizing my photos, and printing out the invitations to our "4th Annual Rose Camp BBQ & Potluck" which will be held on August 5 for people who own property Up Here or live nearby.  By noon it was chilly enough to put a fire in the wood stove.  Ahhh, July in the mountains. . .

Wednesday was a glorious day to celebrate our country's independence.  If only individuals could be as independent as they once were.  If the government keeps on going the way it is, we will all be forced to be dependent upon it and under its tight control.  But I digress.  This year's 4th of July was truly enjoyable, and as the present, it was one.  The future will be here soon enough.  We had a scrumptious BBQ of salmon, salads and corn bread, played cards and simply enjoyed each other's company.

Thursday it was back to work and we moved about six wheelbarrow loads of rock in front of the shop on which to set the generator and its cover.  We cleaned the grove of items we had placed there to be out of the way when our yard was re-sculpted.  I raked more dirt clods away, and we put the horseshoe pits on the restructured west ridge.  JB got organized and packed for his trip.

I drove down in the morning to say good-bye to RJ and Mike who were leaving to go back to Seattle.  Mike has a really busy few weeks ahead of him.  This weekend he is going to climb Mt. Adams, then has football camp during next week.  On the 14th he, his Mom, along with her significant other and his parents and siblings are going on a cruise up the inside passage to Alaska.  When they get back he is going to climb Mt. Rainier.  Hopefully he will be able to come back up for the Rose Camp BBQ, unless he is just going to take a week off to sleep!

JB left for Seattle yesterday about 8:30 am.  On Thursday he had baked a loaf of bread for me and I had stacked up on food that is quick and easy to make.  I'm not one for cooking much just for myself.  I have plenty of yogurt, apples, carrots, cheese and pre-cooked chicken-spinach-gouda sausages.  And, of course, ice cream.  By 10:00 am it was already 70 outside, with highs in the 90's and low 100's predicted for Down There through the weekend.  That means at least 80 Up Here.  A good excuse to do nothing. . .

Unfortunately, I have a hard time doing nothing, so while it was still nice and cool in the shade I started re-building my wiggle wood fence on the edge of our "new" west ridge.  I finished it after dinner.  Check one project off my list.

And speaking of our government, here is an item from the "Newsroom" in the June-July issue of "Mary Jane's Farm" magazine:

It's been 15 years since two Fox News reports were silenced and fired over their never-aired investigative story about the dangers of Monsanto's bovine growth hormone (rBGH).  After being pressured by Monsanto (including the threat that "there would be dire consequences for Fox News if the story aired") and asked to report false information by their news manager, the two filed a "whistleblower" lawsuit, a legal protection for those who bring corporate or government misconduct to light.  BUT, after six long years, the two lost their suite because the court ruled that there is no law that news has to state the truth, or in the words of Project Censored, "the media can legally lie."

Thought for the day:  Life can be hard.  Sometimes it's full of frustrations and disappointments.  But in spite of it all, we persevere, and suck up the pain, because at the end of it all. . . there is ice cream.  "Pickles" comic strip by Brian Crane (of which, we are great fans!)

July 4, 2012 A Special Request

We have just learned that a neice of mine has been diagnosed with a rather virilent cancer.  She is only 25 years old, married, and has a 2-1/2 year old son.  Her name is Danika and she could really use your prayers.  Thank you.

July 3, 2012 Hummer Wars

Photos from our game cam for the past two weeks.







I am definitely going to have to get another hummingbird feeder!  We can actually hear their beaks slamming together as the hummingbirds fight for control of the syrup.  They flare their tail feathers and tweet as they use their beaks as swords.  Obi Wan has nothing on these little guys!

I did some serious house cleaning on Saturday, what with the recent mud fest and the dogs shedding half their body weight in fur.  It was a high of 68 outside with several short showers as the cells floated over, but very nice overall.  Then about 4:30 the clouds got more serious with a 45 minute downpour accompanied by thunder and lightening.  After it all calmed down and cleared out, I went out on my fire check hike.  A couple spots caught my eye, but after a few minutes it was obvious that they were wisps of fog and not smoke.

JB chipped two loads for the parking area.  Had a lot of fir needles in it, so it smelled like Christmas.  When I was done inside, I went out and raked, trying to smooth out the graded dirt and get rid of the clods.

Even with the rain, Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit, with more eggs of course.  They said that in places there was a river flowing down the road.

On Sunday RJ, Mike and a friend of RJ's who was up for the weekend came for breakfast which was a lot of fun.  Since it was our "day of rest", after lunch I walked aways down the driveway to clip low tree branches and thin out a few smaller trees.  JB mowed the loop around the south ridge, which takes five round-trips to finish.  With temperature in the high 60's and a breeze, it was another great day.

I am really amazed at all the wild roses that are blooming.  The weather must be ideal for them, and the lupine.  Must be just right for the butterflies too, as they are flittering all over Up Here.  And, once again, the wrens have flittered away without saying goodbye.  But I still hear a male wren, so we must have another pair nesting close by.

Yesterday, after dishes and laundry, I picked rose petals for the jelly recipe I had found.  One cup of slightly packed petals is a bit more than it might sound.  I think I shook all the bugs off. . .  In going over the basic canning directions, I realized that I had forgotten to add 10 minutes to the processing time because of our elevation for the blueberry pie filling that I made on  Thursday.  I hope that wasn't too drastic of an oversight.  But the jelly turned out very well, with a slight flavor of roses.  Delightful!

JB was out before breakfast yesterday to mow the road up to the peak.  Then after breakfast he mowed the large triangle south of the house which is created by the driveway.  Makes it look like a park.  After lunch we cut down a few large branches that were hanging low but needed a ladder to reach.  Then he chipped another two loads for the parking area while I moved the branches to the chipping pile and trimmed the edges around the triangle.  He wants to get a lot of these chores done before he leaves for Seattle on Friday.

It is supposed to be stormy today, but nice for July 4, which I am sure is the first time this century.  Looking forward to our BBQ tomorrow with RJ and Mike - and a nice, lazy day.

Thought for the day:  If you want to save face, keep the lower half of it shut.