Nov 30, 2012 Eggnog, snow & skunks



Sun peaking through the fog
and clouds


Wednesday breakfast.  Newspapers, and eggnog in my coffee.  I just love the holidays!  One thing I do miss is having the morning newspaper delivered, but so many other things make up for it that I can easily live with just having it every week or two. 

It was cloudy all day and the predicted snow began falling about 1:30 pm.  Within minutes the ground matched the trees and bushes.  I went out early to get the fire wood and Dinga stayed out rejoicing.  She would love living in Alaska.

Laundry day.  I wasn't sure about my new washer at first.  I haven't had a top loading machine in almost twenty years.  But it holds larger loads, uses only the water needed for each specific load, and spins it all dryer.  I can live with that.  We'll have the electrician up in the Spring to determine why it won't work without the generator. 

Talked to Elsie Tuesday evening.  Larry took the dogs for a run with their ATV Monday night and encountered a skunk who obviously wasn't aware that it was supposed to have gone into hibernation on the 19th.  So Elsie got to spend a few hours bathing both dogs, especially their little beagle who really got sprayed, in hydrogen peroxide and Dawn soap.  She certainly was thorough because I didn't smell anything when I visited on Tuesday afternoon.

It was early evening when the clouds parted to reveal a full Beaver Moon that lit up the white landscape.  The nights have been so dark lately with no snow on the ground and so much fog that this was a very welcome change.

Thursday.  Fog, again.  It's not so much the type of weather, but rather the lack of power.  No sun, no power.  Except for the generator.  And that uses propane.  And that costs money.  Well, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it except adapt and use as little electricity as possible.  Since we had to use the generator anyway, I did another load of laundry.

Not sure exactly what I did for two days, but I was very busy.  Cleaning here, re-arranging shelves, puttering there, washing dishes, hanging and folding laundry, defrosting the refrigerator and freezer, getting firewood, shoveling off the deck of 2" of snow, reading, napping. . . 

And speaking of napping, it's always so much cozier when it's snowing.  After a cup of cocoa.  With a fire in the stove.  On the couch with a blanket and the pillows placed just so.  Mmmmm.

Tis the last day of November and it's about time.  With Thanksgiving so early this year, it seems as though December is late.  Am having a hard time getting into decorating the house for Christmas.  Maybe this weekend, although ol' Bah-Humbug JB would be just as happy if I never did. . .

A footnote on the timber project that JB is working on.  The property taxes do decrease dramatically, however if it is ever decided to take the land out of timber, then all the back taxes have to be paid.  Doubt we would ever want to do that.  Can't have more than one house per 20 acres anyway.

Thought for the day: Happiness is like a cat, if you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come.  But if you pay no attention to it and go about your business, you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap.  William Bennett

Nov 28,2012 Sleep & Rime



A line of rime
(not the poetic kind)





Rime on my Jeep's antenna
















Despite the sun on Monday, it never warmed up to more than the mid-twenties.  Was an inside morning for chores: dishes, laundry, cleaning, running well water; and a lazy afternoon.

JB has been working on quite an extensive computer project for the past couple of months.  Now that the Chelan County Assessor knows we are living Up Here, we want to designate 38 of our 40 acres as timber, which will greatly reduce our property taxes.  Elsie gave him copies of their report and he is adapting it to our land.  We could pay $300 or more for the county to do it or trudge through it ourselves.  Amazing the paperwork it involves.  You must own enough land to put a minimum of 20 acres into timber and have a least one acre in addition to that for your home if you are living there.  Basically it means that you plan to manage that timber acreage to keep it healthy and will not build anything on it.  We have to have it filed by 12/31 along with a fee of $250, but that fee will be more than covered by the amount we save in taxes.

Watched Midnight in Paris and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Four books down and 24 to go in The Cat Who. . . series.  So light and fun to read.

With all the walls done in the great room, we don't have to set the alarm on exceptionally cold nights to get up and tend to the wood stove.  It is still in the low 60's at 5:30 am.  However, I will need to replace all the seals in the stove next summer.  And my bladder did wake me up at 5:30 am on Tuesday.  The stove was dark, so I put in a new fire.  I snuggled back into bed and almost immediately the dogs wanted out.  Great timing, guys!  Something  was out there and Jesse spent the next 1-1/2 hours barking along the south ridge.  Dinga always comes back in fairly quickly, but if Jesse is barking, he will not come when called.  I laid down on the couch to await his arrival, knowing that he would scratch on the door to announce himself.

I am definitely going to have to start using the small, hand-held recorder that JB gave me a couple years ago.  Ideas flit through my mind like fireflies and many of them blink out before I can get them down on paper.

A thick fog crept in during Monday night and everything was white with rime, as if a light snow had fallen everywhere but the ground.  It was a cold 16 degrees when I left for Down There, and not much warmer when I arrived.  Ran errands, picked up the mail (we hit the jackpot what with catalogs and packages) and grocery shopped.  Stopped in at Larry and Elsie's to pick up a Christmas gift that Santa Elsie helped me with.  Let the dogs out and gave them treats.  And stayed to pet and converse with my four-legged friends.  When I finally got home, unpacked and put most of the groceries away, I just collapsed on the couch while JB cooked dinner.  Almost like Christmas to open the four packaged we received.  One was a gift for someone on our list.  One was 40 books of sudoku I had ordered from Dell for only $16!  Another was from JB's Mom with lots of books and goodies.  And the other was from JB's youngest brother, full of gluten-free food.  How nice!

It is overcast and cold this morning.  Still white with rime as yesterday's high was only 20 and the rime didn't have a chance to melt.

Thought for the day:  The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Ronald Reagan

Nov 26, 2012 Cards, Books & Sunshine



Our white board


Fog, fog go away!  I haven't seen this much fog since we lived in the San Francisco Bay area, excpt that Down There it often cleared up by mid-afternoon.  But Friday rather than go away, we had rain most of the day also, which, according to the weather report, was supposed to be snow.  Stayed indoors and worked on my Christmas cards while JB made a pumpkin pie with a crust made of almond flour.  Thanksgiving dinner at someone else's house usually means no leftovers, but in this case we had already bought a turkey breast and yams, and we had leftover cornbread and sausage dressing.  Once again we got to enjoy a houseful of scents that only this dinner can create, and a second such dinner in as many days.

I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  Incredible!  Just as the first two books were.  Now I am in the mood to read Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who . . . series of books.  All 28 of them.  I usually do this ever two or three years.  They are most entertaining in a very relaxing way.  Perfect for the holiday season.

Well, maybe just writing the words  for the fog to go away is the key to it actually happening.  Saturday morning brought a cloudy sky with patches of blue.  JB fixed two fence rails that had fallen down at one end, then took the dogs on a run with MAX up to the property east of us.  I worked on our Christmas cards, again.  The clouds dispersed for the most part and we had lots of sun.  Next year I am going to have to come up with a much simpler design for our cards.  Am not sure all the effort going into this one is worth the result.

We keep a small white board on the side of our refrigerator right where the door opens and onn it I keep track of everything in the freezer.  We have forced ourselves into the habit of also noting all the leftovers as we put them in the refrigerator and erasing them when they are gone.  It sure has saved a lot of food from going bad.  But beginning the evening of Black Friday it was full and we drooled every time we looked at it.  By noon Saturday we ended up having our third Thanksgiving dinner in as many days, switching the potato/broccoli soup to supper.  I think we'll have ham for Christmas. . .  But I have come to the conclusion that turkey gravy and cranberry sauce are like bacon.  Put enough of them on anything and it will taste good.

Sunday was cloudless with brilliant sunshine all day.  I stayed in to finish my Christmas card project.  Got the adult cards all done.  It's the children's cards that take the most time individually as each one is different, made to fit each child's age and personality as much as I can.  My muse was really with it and I was able to make them all.  Thank goodness that project is done.  It's not that I don't enjoy making them, but . . .

Our game cam died about a week ago and JB had been working on it ever since but with no luck.  He put it together once again and it finally came back to life.  Then he drove MAX down our frozen driveway to put it back on the tree and give the dogs a run.  When he got back home, he realized that he had forgotten to turn it on.  So our afternoon walk was down to the camera to activate it.  Very little ice or snow, just frozen dirt.  I needed that exercise after more than a week of sitting at my craft table.

It's a brisk 16 this morning.  There is a little cloud cover, but the sun is shining and so are the mountains in their mantle of white.  The road should be just fine for my trip Down There tomorrow for groceries and mail.

Thought for the day: No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan

Nov 23, 2012 A Wonderful Thanksgiving



Deer eating rose hips just
across our driveway



Finally read my e-mail when I blogged Wednesday morning.  Elsie had sent me one inviting us to Thanksgiving dinner.  I called her at work and fortunately, it wasn't too late to accept her invitation.  Other than that, it was a lazy day reading books and puttering around.  Did a load of wash.  Worked on Christmas cards.  We had lots of sun in the morning, but by mid-afternoon the edge of the snow storm that was dumping on the mountains had reached us.  The wind was blowing so hard that very little snow hit the ground.

I have discovered that my firewood sled works almost as well on mud and frozen ground as it does on snow.  And thank goodness for that!

Thursday.  Mmmmm, Thanksgiving!  We began the day with German pancakes heaped with peaches and brown sugar.  Then JB made cornbread and sausage dressing to take to dinner with us.  And we actually got to take a real shower before we went!  One of the best parts of having our water back. . .  Anyway, as the dressing smelled so good and I had to hold it on my lap while JB drove down to Larry and Elsie's, I'm surprised it made it there without any bites out of it.  Was the first time in four years that we spent this holiday with anyone but ourselves and we completely enjoyed ourselves.

Thought for the day:  Friends are family we get to choose.

Nov 21, 2012 Sun and Washer



Rain barrel we have inside so it
won't freeze.  Not finished with the
water we put in it before broken
pipes were discovered.


Monday brought rain for the day, so we ran the generator while I blogged and then we did the dishes.  The service man for the washing machine called about 10:30, so JB drove my Jeep down to meet them at the pavement.  He had a four-wheel drive pickup and was able to drive up to where our road turns off the main canyon road.  JB drove him the rest of the way in the Jeep as the hair-pin turn below our driveway is a muddy mess.  He was able to figure out what is wrong with the washer, but said we could use it until he comes back to put the parts in.  Great!  And that's just what I did on Tuesday, since we had already used the generator Monday.

I worked on Christmas cards and gifts while JB was driving up and down the mountain.  We played cards at the kitchen table after dinner using just one light as we didn't want to use much electricity.  Used a candle lantern in the bathroom.

In looking around Tuesday morning, it seems like we are just 100 ft or so short of having received snow instead of rain on Monday.  All the mountains and ridges nearby are white, but Rose Camp is brown.  Almost all of our snow disappeared with the rain.  Throughout the day we had just about every kind of weather: wind, fog, pouring rain, and even moments of sunshine and blue sky when the wind blew the clouds and fog away.  This morning we have sunshine and lots of blue sky, but we did receive a heavy dusting of snow during the night.  Very windy, with more snow predicted.

JB drove MAX down the road aways to try and smooth out a couple ruts, and dig a drain for the water.  I wrapped gifts for a few hours.  It's not that I have a lot of gifts to wrap, but I tend to get obsessive about having whatever is printed on the wrapping paper centered just right on the front of the package.  I know I waste more paper than I should, however. . .

Talked to Nene and she said they had 5-1/2" of rain on Monday!  Lots of streets are closed due to flooding, and the rain has similarly affected many other small towns on the Olympic Penninsula.  She also told me that the weather people are predicting a Pineapple Express for this winter.  Oh, goodie!  More mud.  I much prefer snow to mud.

And speaking of our road, it is funny how our attitude towards driving on it has changed over the years.  When we were camping Up Here, we would always joke that if it rained we would have to call in sick to work because we couldn't get out.  After living at Rose Camp for more than four years now, our attitude is more, "Oh, it's only been raining for three days.  Should be no problem." Or: "It's only 10" of new snow.  The Jeep will do just fine."

I've also been thinking about how being constantly involved in activities that have to do with our daily needs is so very satisfying.  Very grounding.  Not just turning the tap on and taking it for granted that the water will flow, but having to fill the cistern and maintain access to our water supply.  Not just turning on the furnace and assume the necessary fuel is there, but gathering, cutting, stacking and bringing in firewood for the stove.  Maintaining a supply of food so we don't have to drive Down There so often, or just in case. . .  It's all part of the life that I believe people these days have become too removed from.  Everthing is too easy.  For many it seems that any part of life that requires work seems very irritating and unwanted.  Even down to taking time to understand how our government works.  So many people blame the wrong office holder for what goes wrong, and give credit to the wrong ones when things go right.  People just don't realize that we have to work at democracy, or we will lose it.  And it seems that we may be well on our way to losing it.

Thought for the day:  To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will. Ronald Reagan  

Nov 19, 2012 Where is the Sun?



"Thank goodness deer season is over!"




JB bringing a rain barrel up on MAX
















Friday we were once again engulfed by fog with a high for the day of only 25.  An indoor day spent relaxing with new magazines, catalogues and our books.  Did the dishes and ran the well pump.  Another couple times and our cistern should be full again.  Hopefully our new washing machine will be working by then.  The service appointment is for 1:00 pm today.

I have finally started the third Lisbeth Salander book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, that I bought months ago.  I waited until our here-for-the-season snow, knowing that it would be a hard book to put down, and I wanted more than just snippets of time during which to read it. 

Saturday we had light fog with a frozen rain falling most of the day.  JB dug out the creek bed that had been driven over.  I dug a trench from the north side of the house through the grove so the water would drain down the mountain.  The whole area needs to be graded with the rake next summer.  I wasn't sore that evening, but I definitely needed ibuprofen Sunday morning!  That was quite a chore.

I also worked on Christmas cards as I finally got this year's card designed.  We had to run the generator since we have had a complete lack of sun for a few days.  I can only use my embossing heater when the generator is running as it sucks too much power for not having any sun.  Actually now we have to run the generator every day.  So much for saving money on propane this year.

We had a nice lazy start to Sunday with our big breakfast and crossword puzzles.  There was no fog, but it was cloudy all day.  I worked on my Christmas cards again.  JB drove MAX down to get the card from the game cam as we haven't checked it in a couple weeks.  It was just too icy in the morning to walk down our steep driveway.  Even the dogs had problems.  We did have some good pictures though, especially the one of the deer I have posted above.

RJ called around noon to say he was Up Here for a few days.  So I quickly wrapped his and Mike's Christmas presents; stuffed them in my back pack; and headed on down to his cabin.  By then most of the icy snow had softened and I had no problems walking down the short cut.  We had a nice visit and RJ showed me everything he's been working on.  Just amazing!  He is tending to all the little details, now that most of the big projects have been taken care of.  He even built two sofa's in his living room and will put futon mattresses on them.  He hopes to make it up once more before Christmas.  It took me and the dogs about 40 minutes to make the mile climb back up to Rose Camp, whereas we had made it down in about half that time.  No gentle slope that short cut.

And speaking of catalogues, one of my favorites that I receive this time of the year is from the Victorian Trading Co.  It has items priced from $10 to $2000.  If I had the money, I could easily order something from every page and thoroughly enjoy them all.  Of course I'd need a much larger house and a completely different attitude towards "things."  Nevertheless, in another life. . .

Thought for the day: Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Mark Twain

Nov 17, 2012 Fog & Rime



Valley fog to the southeast
Wednesday afternoon.





Rimed spider's web on
Thursday















Wednesday was another glorious day of mountain sun.  No fog Down There until late morning when it started creeping up from the river, filling the valleys and canyons like slow incoming tide.  Creating an ocean of white below us.  Great for photographs.  Not so great if you live Down There.

Since I had worked so hard on Tuesday, the dogs and I went for a hike on our south ridge.  We headed west, following the deer and elk tracks along the crest.  Absolutely breathtaking!  And, of course, my camera batteries died about a third of the way into the hike. . .  Oh well, we had a great time getting some good exercise.

JB puttered around in his shop, trying to organize and make room to work.  Got his wood stove going, and generally enjoyed himself.  We ran the well pump for 20 minutes, bringing in, I'm sure, at least 60 gallons.

On my Wednesday blog, I mentioned the "winter" sun.  Well, it may be just mid-November, but it's winter Up Here.

We were fogged in all day Thursday and everything was rimed.  Even the spider's web hanging from the battery shed.  I decided to go Down There to see if I could get a better phone, buy a few groceries and help Santa do some Christmas shopping.  Thanksgiving is so early this year!  Just yesterday I realized it is next week already!  The drive in these conditions is always a little more dicey going down the mountain than coming back up, but it was beautiful.  The road was sprinkled with the gold of Autumn's last hurrah, and covered in the tracks of rabbits, squirrels and deer.

Thought for the day:  Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills to the far horizon? Hal Borland

Nov 14, 2012 Mountain Sun & Valley Fog



Mountain sun and valley fog early
Tuesday morning


We had more fog on Monday with the sun trying its best to blaze through it in the afternoon.  Well, as much as the winter sun can blaze.  But it did succeed for a while, allowing our solar panels to suck in some power.  Did the dishes another load of wash, and turned on the well pump.  Water gushed into the cistern and we let it run for about 30 minutes.  But our new washing machine now has a nasty rattle in the rinse cycle.  Made an appointment for service on Tuesday, however the fact that it would be 1-1/2 hrs just traveling to and from our place in our Jeep didn't get relayed and now we had to reschedule for next Monday.

JB tested all the batteries and they seem to be just fine.  Then he once again tried to get the snow blower going but with no luck.  If the road permits, we will try to take it down in the trailer to the repair shop.  Would have been much easier to do last summer. . .

Tuesday brought beautiful mountain sun and valley fog.  With all that power coming in I vacuumed and did the dishes, then dusted and washed the kitchen and bathroom floors.  (I must be coming down with something. . .)  I remember Elsie telling me when we first moved Up Here that with solar power when the sun comes out it's:  Quick! Vacuum, wash the dishes, do the laundry!  Anything that takes a lot of electricity.  And she was right, especially when we have had a lot of cloudy and/or foggy days, I am in that mindset.  JB worked outside clearing the snow and ice off the cars, and puttering around in his shop.  It warmed up to 32 and our 6" of snow is down to 2" or 3".

Since Sunday there have been new deer and elk prints in the snow each day on our south ridge.  Yesterday about 5:00 pm we saw what we thought was an elk up there.  He was large, and with a rack big enough to be seen in the dusk from the house.

With our having water again, I am back to hanging up the laundry to dry in the house.  Then folding it all on the bed.  There is something very relaxing about that.  So much better than going to the laundromat.

My doctor's appointment last week was for problems I am having with the ball of my right foot.  The diagnosis was another one of those that began with, "Well, as you get older. . ."  Older, schmolder!  I'm not getting older, I'm getting better!  Anyway, it should be able to be taken care of with just a metatarsal pad in my shoe.

Thank you for your comments, Don.  Yes, I am sure our inverter is the culpret.  Since we do not have a true sine way inverter, there are some things we just cannot do.  Larry and Elsie have a true sine wave and are able to run their front-loading washer just fine without the generator.  And one of the other families Up Here runs their front-loader on their non-true sine wave inverter.  Very confusing. . .

And speaking of relaxing, as I go about my chores Up Here, I am realizing how much I have changed in the past four years.  All my life it seems I was always rushing around in a hurry.  Get it done now.  I want to see results now.  Here, let me help you so we can get it done more quickly.  Like my Mother, I had a hard time just sitting down and relaxing unless I had a book to read, TV to watch or something to do with my hands like needlework of some kind.  Now I find myself being very methodical.  Moving more slowly, not necessarily because I have to, but because I want to.  I can enjoy just sitting and being.  Or watching the birds and little critters.  Or the clouds.  Or the wind in the trees.  Maybe part of it is my age, but I think it is more being away from the hustle and bustle of Down There.  I think it is from being surrounded by nature, and not constantly being pounded by electronic buzz of some kind.  Whatever the reason, I am enjoying life so much more.

Thought for the day:  We are not troubled with things, but by the opinions we have of things.  Epictetus 

Nov 12, 2012 Girls Rule!



Snow and fog at Rose Camp on Sunday



On Friday it snowed gently all day.  As gently as the fog wafted in and out. Our fog isn't like that on the coast which rolls.  Ours wafts.  And "wafts" is one of those words that when you say it often enough, it sounds like pure gibberish. . .

JB made a "quick" trip Down There to pick up meds that he had forgotten to order so that I could have picked them up. . ., got gas and bought a few more packages of Bob's Red Mill GF Pizza Crust mix that was on sale at Fred Meyer for 25% off.  There's a recipe on the back for cinnamon rolls that I want to make.  Don't really need it for pizza crust as JB has his own figured out. 

I had gone to gas up his car on Monday and the yellow Shell station was now a blue Exxon!  Then Wednesday I discovered that the other Shell station in East Wenatchee was also an Exxon.  We have a Shell card and have purchased it for years.  Looks like now we will buy our gas at Fred Meyer or Costco who are currently engaged in a gas war.  Last week at Coscto the price was down to $3.09.  JB gassed up at Fred Meyer and got it for $3.07.  I just love free enterprise!

While he was Down There, I worked on Christmas gifts.  Finally got going on them.  Don't have our Christmas card designed yet, although I worked on it on Saturday.

And speaking of Saturday, we woke up to 16 degrees and more snow falling.  There was almost 2" on the ground and it snowed most of the day, adding another couple inches.  So it was indoor projects, reading and a nap.  Rufus, the internet weatherman, says this snow is here for the seaason and he is usually right on.  Depending how much we get today, we may take my Jeep down the mountain for the winter.

Sunday morning we woke up to 14 degrees, but no new snow overnight.  Since we have some more water in the cistern, we tried out the new washing machine.  Unfortunately I think we have some electrical problems as the washer wouldn't start without the generator.  In mid-September my phone started going dead within 24 hours of being charged.  I got a new phone and it won't hold a charge either.  JB's still works fine, but his is a different make.  We may have a bad battery or two.  Will check for that today.  If so, I may not be blogging for a while. . .

Larry and Elsie came up to visit last night.  We played "marbles" and the tide has turned.  The girls won!

When Larry was up here last Monday helping to dig for the broken water pipe, he also helped JB with the snow thrower.  JB had used some gasoline additive in the gas he used last year and Larry thinks that's the problem.  The just kept trying to start to snow thrower, trying to work the old gas out.  Larry says he learned his lesson when he used an additive in his generator.  Took him forever to get it going again.

In our new "Home Power" magazine, Kathleen Jarschke-Shultze has written yet another great "Tales of Off-Grid Living".  This one is about three tools that she cannot do without: duct tape (Hippie Chrome), ball bungees, and zip ties.  And I completely agree with her.  We are constantly using all three of these.


Thought for the day: Politics must be the battle of the principles. . .the principle of liberty against the principle of force. Auberon Hubert  (Seems like force is winning right now. . .)

Nov 9, 2012 Fall Colors Remain



Brilliant Fall colors in an orchard I pass
on my way Down There



I spent the last two days going back and forth from Down There.  Lots of shopping and errands on Wednesday.  When I left at 6:45 am yesterday for laundry and two doctor's appointments it was a cold 24 degrees and snowing.  It seems my mamogram was scheduled for the 8th, not the 7th.  Fortunately I had plenty of time between the two. . .

When I arrived home on Wednesday, JB had all the piping done except for the last piece.  So I climbed down into the hole again and glued it in.  We let it set for a while then turned on the water.  JB could see it go through the flexible pipe we had inserted, but nothing got to the cistern.  Okay. . . 

We started digging where we thought the end of the cistern was and, hopefully, the pipe going into it.  This was much easier than the other end, as the cistern isn't nearly as deep.  Less than two feet down we found the pipe.  The broken pipe.  Now we know where most of the water was coming from under the house!  Well, by then it was dinner time and it was starting to get dark.

While I was Down There on Thursday, JB dug a bigger hole, cut the broken ends off the pipe and glued in new connections.  When I finally got home, he was just waiting for the glue to dry.  It had only warmed up to 33 but there was less than 1/4" of snow.  We turned on the water, held our breath and heard a huge rush of water going into the cistern!  Those pipes must have been leaking for a year or two because this is more water than I ever remember coming in at once.  The gusher only lasted for about 20 minutes, so we will try again today.  There may indeed be a low water table still and we may only get a little each day.  But it seems we do have water.

Before I left on Wednesday, we watched a couple deer just across the driveway munching on rose hips for breakfast.  The dogs were going nuts, but we didn't let them out til the deer were gone.

By the time November arrives, all the leaves have usually fallen and left the trees bare.  Not so this year.  The brilliant Fall colors remain everywhere.  The orchards are bright colored spots all over the valleys.  Just gorgeous!

According to the Old Farmers Almanac black bears headed to their winter dens yesterday.  I hope they had that date marked on their calendars.  Skunks are supposed hibernate on the 19th and I certainly hope they do.

Our son had to go to England on business for a week and just got back last weekend.  I had asked him to send me a postcard, which he did, and I received it this week.  I love postcards.  I buy them whenever I travel, and have quite a collection dating back almost 100 years from my Mother's parents.  There is one sent to my Grandfather about 1918 from a friend who visited Washington state.  The photo on it is of the Wenatchee River in Tumwater Canyon just west of Leavenworth!  I actually have a photo of my Mother and me that my Dad took in almost the exact same spot.  No, I do not believe in coincidences. . .

Thought for the day:

Nov 6, 2012 Water!!



Wild Rose working in the hole. . .


In driving Down There on Monday, I discovered that what I could see of the earth scorched by the fire is already greening up with grass.  I expected that in the Spring, but certainly not this early.  The bogo at Albertson's was a little disappointing - it's been a long time since I bought meat at any store except Costco.  But I did get some nice pork chops.  Then it was back up to Elsie's spa for a nice hot shower.  I practically melted in it.  Filled all our water containers & drove back up the mountain.

Over the weekend we had talked to a neighbor who lost water the same time we did and his is back.  So JB called the well-drilling people again on Monday and got some great advice regarding a possible broken pipe.  He found this out after I returned home and just as I was finishing up splitting the rest of the green wood that JB had previously sliced into 16" lengths, which turned out to be three large wheelbarrow loads.  That green stuff is heavy!  I tried very hard not to work up a sweat after that wonderful shower.  And just as I was finishing, Larry drove up in his Jeep with the intention of taking one of our 50 gal rain barrels down and filling it up for us.  However, when he heard the news on the well, he and JB got busy digging.  They had to dig down to the pitless adapter which is where the water comes through the well pipe to the pipe going to the cistern and is almost five feet down.  (Actually Larry did most of the digging, bless him!)  Sure enough, the pvc pipe was broken!  We turned the well pump on and water spilled out.  So we have water.  We probably have had it all along!  We assumed that since others ran out the same time we did, that was the problem.  Well, you know what happens when you assume - it makes an ass out of you and me. . .  Just another example of how much we still have to learn about living off the grid and dealing with equpment we have never had to deal with before.

First thing Tuesday morning, JB left for the drilling company to buy the necessary parts to fix the leak.  While he was gone, I made the hole larger and a little deeper.  At one point I was sure JB would get home to find me head-first in the hole with just my wildly flaling feet sticking out.  Once again I tried not to work up a sweat, but to no avail.  After he got back and had some lunch, we went to work and got everything out that we needed to but couldn't get one piece of brass pipe loose from another.  So it was back to the drilling company again for JB, but he didn't have to buy another of the piece that was stuck, the guy at the drilling company used a vice and got it out for him.  But that was long delay and JB got home just as dark and rain were falling. 

He will try to get it all back together while I am Down There today.  I have to go down for my annual mamagram and bi-annual bone density test, so I will do some grocery shopping also.  Hopefully we will have water by the time I get back, or I will help JB connect everything if he had a problem.  The hole down to the pitless adapter isn't really very wide, so he may have a problem getting down to the bottom to do everything.  Being the smaller one, I get to do all the fun things, like crawl under the house, work in holes, etc. . .

I am not going to comment on the election.  It is what it is and life goes on. . . maybe just not the way we know it. . .

Thought for the day: Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. John Muir

Nov 5, 2012 Deer and Cowboys



Can you see me now?


Friday morning we watched our small herd of deer leisurely walk across the south ridge, nibbling on bushes and grass as they went.  Didn't let the dogs out until the deer at reached the fence on our east slope.  The young ones were very frisky and a joy to watch.

After lunch JB cut the branch wood in the "cradle" with his big chain saw and I stacked it on the east side of the porch.  It was about 2-1/2 cradle loads, which was five wheelbarrow loads.  A good workout for both of us.  Still a lot of fog wafting in and out.

We knew we had to take the garbage Down There before any more bad weather, so we loaded it up Saturday morning and made it down the road without getting stuck.  On our way through the aspen, a small buck crossed the road in front of us.  He watched us watching him and posed for pictures for several minutes before slowing strolling deeper into the trees.  (See photo above.)

While we were Down There we also bought two "rain barrels" at Coastal, which are actually 50-gallon plastic containers that had been previously used for either olives or jalepenos.  They have a wide top with a lid, and a spigot at the bottom.  Will try to get them filled up with water brought from Larry and Elsie's.  Then checked the mail, bought some newspapers and we were on our way home.  The dogs are getting used to being left behind lately, and they haven't gotten into anything for a while.

Going back up the mountain was a little more dicey than going down, even with just the two light barrels in the trailer.  We couldn't make it up the steep beginning of our driveway, so we left the trailer there.  JB made three trips back down with MAX, bringing one barrel up at a time and then the trailer.

I love going back on standard time and gaining that extra hour for the day.  We decided to watch Broken Trail - all three hours of it.  One of the best westerns made and staring the ultimate cowboy, Robert Duvall, with Thomas Haden Church.  I grew up on westerns and several weeks ago while in Costco, I discovered a special collectors edition magazine, "Legends of the West", published by "American Cowboy" magazine.  The cover states, "Celebrate 104 of your favorite stars", and that's exactly what it does.  I learned that the hat which Robert Duvall's character, Gus, in Lonesome Dove was later named "Gus" in honor of him.  Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Sam Elliott and so many more.  I love them all, but Robert Duvall was born to be a cowboy.

Yesterday was really busy for a Sunday.  I split five loads of large branch and small tree wood - three dry and two green.  The dry wood finished off the outside row on the east side of the porch.  The green wood got stacked in the wood pen, but not in the shed.  Getting a good start on next year's fire wood.
JB made two trips with MAX and the small trailer to take straw bales down to the hair-pin corner just down from our driveway.  It is getting really wet and muddy.  Was a really nice day, partly cloudy but no fog, thank goodness.  After all that, JB cooked up a big pot of split-pea soup, and I baked about nine dozen chocolate chip cookies.

Today I am going to visit Elsie's spa for a nice hot shower.  And since I am already that far down, I am going to make a "quick" trip to Albertson's to take advantage of a great bogo they're having on meat.  It was windy most of the night, so hopefully the road dried out a bit.

I always appreciate comments from readers.  Thank you!

Thought for the day:  I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. And I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them. John Wayne as John Bernard Books, The Shootist (1976)

Nov 2, 2012 Happy 70th, JB!



Jesse on the path to the
North ridge.



JB turned 70 yesterday!  Of all the cards and gifts, I think the most precious as to be able to receive a card from his Mom.  I sure wish I could. . .  I think in this time of our life, age becomes a badge of honor.  I gave him two items he had asked for, which were tools for his chain saw.  Probably not the average gift for a retiree his age!  He always opens his cards and gifts first thing in the morning, then he made breakfast.  Popovers!  Never had them before and they were so good!  He spent half the day Down There spending his birthday money.  Today he will probably put his gifts to use as we want to get the branch wood cut.  I have loaded the wood cradle and we still have a large pile left. 

The fog cleared out of JB's head early Wednesday morning, but managed to keep the mountain socked in all day, until it finally dissolved at sunset.  Simply disappeared along with the sunlight.  We did the dishes and just had a relaxing day reading.  I tried to get started on Christmas crafts but wasn't too successful.

While JB was Down There yesterday, I cleaned out my very cluttered and neglected crafting area.  (Now maybe I can get started.)  Then did other miscellaneous household chores and read some of my current book, American Assassin by Vince Flynn.  Very hard to put down, like all his others.

When JB returned home, we tried the well pump again but got nothing.  I think the water that got in there was a leak from somewhere (the top again?) because the water coming out of the faucet is pretty murky.  Another of Mother Nature's jokes?!!  Will call our neighbor tomorrow and see if his well is working yet.

Thought for the day (one of my very favorites):  Sometimes no one feels your pain. Sometimes no one sees your tears. Sometimes no one hears your cries. But fart just once. . .