Jan 11, 2013 Enjoying the Tipi



JB & Jesse in the tipi




View of the Columbia River from
my bench our north ridge























We had been in bed for about half an hour Tuesday night when the dogs suddenly burst into a barking frenzy.  We grabbed our flashlights and went to the front door expecting to see a pack of wolves!  But it was only Buster.  I guess his owner must have come up to his cabin, but it is odd that the dog was visiting so late. 

The wind picked up again during the night, but nothing nearly has wild or warm as on Monday.  By the time the sun came up Wednesday, we had patches of blue sky and 30 degrees.

And Wednesday was one of those days when I get so very frustrated with my arthritic hands.  My fingers are weak and simply do not work as well as they once did.  If I'm not careful, I often drop things.  Like when I was doing the dishes that morning.  The floor and I ended up getting soaked.  Had to change my shirt when I was done.  Nothing broken though, just wet.  And I have to be a bit more diligent when crafting.  Oh well, it could be a lot worse.

We had received more than 5" of snow since our last foray down the road in MAX, so JB took a ride down after lunch to groom the road again and give the dogs a run.  Buster's owner is indeed at his cabin and he was out plowing the main canyon road, so Jesse finally got to play with Buster.  It seems that his owner was out plowing late Tuesday night and into the early morning, trying to get his car up the road to his cabin, so Buster took the opportunity of being out to come visit.  When JB got home, we brought the dogs inside and he drove down for another pass.  I puttered and cleaned and sorted.  Then started book #19 of The Cat Who . . . series.

By bedtime, the temperature had dropped to 20 as the predicted cold front moved in.

Thursday morning the cold had settled in and we awoke to clear skies and 14 degrees.  After morning chores, walk and lunch, JB went out to clear more snow away from the tipi and start a fire.  The dogs and I went for a hike up to the peak on the south ridge and down to the north ridge.  We then joined JB by the fire in the tipi. 

This morning is 10 and overcast, but the sun has found a few holes in the clouds and I can see it slowly stretching across the mountains.

Writing about our granddaughter and the no-talk edict for the car brought back memories of when our son was a little older than she is.  We used to have some of our best talks while driving, even through his high school years, whether it was when taking him to school, going to the mall, or any fairly short drive near home.  When going on longer drives, he always fell asleep.  Now we have our best conversations over the phone.

Thought for the day:  I should be glad if all the meadows on earth were left in a wild state, if that were the consequence of men's beginning to redeem themselves.  Henry David Thoreau