Dec 16, 2013 Mud & Cougars

Cougar track on our south ridge.

Friday 12/13.  The last "Friday The 13th" of the year and exactly 13 weeks since the last one.  Interesting.  It was a good Friday for us.  Since it was so warm (24) and we had no new snow, JB decided to go Down There.  The last of our packages we had ordered had arrived and one of the items was a Christmas gift that needed to be mailed in order to arrive in time, and we were concerned that with these warmer temperatures now and another arctic blast due next week, our road might turn to ice.  He got a late start at 10:30 am and was back by 2:00 pm.

While he was gone, I finally got rid of the dust bunnies that were nestled among the picture frames on the coffee table.  A little sad, as I have mentioned before, Up Here we consider them pets not pests.

The sky has been fairly clear these past nights, so, as the poem says: "The moon on the crest of the new fallen snow" makes it look like daylight.  So beautiful!

Since we are having a problem with water backing up in the pipe, we don't wash dishes on the days we do laundry.  Since it was laundry day, I didn't get stuck doing the dishes by myself.  JB is going to try to snake out the pipe probably on Monday.

I finished The Hunt Club by John Lescroate yesterday - an excellent read - and have started The Forgotten by David Baldacci.  I really did not read very many books this summer and fall, which is unusual.  I guess the snow has put me back in the mood.

There were several magazines in the mail JB brought back, including BackHome.  It has an article on honeyberries which we think are the berries that started growing in our garden this year from Larry and Elsie's chicken manure they gave us.  Turns out these are quite a "hardy and nutritious" berry.  There were also several Christmas cards, in the mail not the garden.  Another great thing about the holidays.

Saturday 12/14.  It was 24 and overcast, but cleared up a bit and we had sun peeking through in the afternoon.  Our high for the day was 30.  The snow that used to crunch and squeak under my boots now barely makes a sound at all.

It was a busy day, doing a lot of little things.  I was in a cleaning and sorting mood that usually doesn't hit until closer to New Year's.

On our afternoon walk, we saw what were definitely fresh cougar tracks on our lower south-ridge-loop road.  They are at least twice as big as the dogs' tracks but with no claws.  And they were not there yesterday. . .

The snow has begun to melt in the sheltered areas where there was less of it to begin with, and where the sun hits it.

Sunday 12/15.  Quite warm this morning, 32 and partly cloudy with a light wind.  The sun shone most of the day and our high was 37.  The snow is really melting now and there are lots of muddy spots, plus the ice on the areas where we have walked a lot.

Another magazine we just received is Archeology.  My Dad got me interested at a very young age as I spent my childhood summers exploring the southern Oregon deserts and mesas looking for Indian artifacts.  We would also often come upon primitive cabins insulated with old newspapers that we could still read.  My Dad's interest was mainly in U.S. history, but my interest has spread world-wide.  I always read every word of this fascinating magazine.

I am still amazed and so pleased with the wonderful taste of our home-grown potatoes.  They are so much better than the store-bought.

On our afternoon walk, we saw fresh cougar tracks again.  So he has been down this road twice now in the past two days.  Oh, goodie. . .

And speaking of eating, I really to have to cut down.  I have been blessed with a high metabolism and could always eat as much and whatever I wanted to - until I moved to Chicago at age 56 and was introduced to all their fatty foods.  But that aside, with our now-healthy diet I can eat a lot and not have a weight problem.  However, I tend to nibble when I am not hungry, just out of habit, and that is not good.  So now I have to exercise some self-control and just stop that.  Unfortunately, self-control is not one of my fortes.  My unhappy stomach is helping me though, it's just really tough around the holidays.  Especially when I buy eggnog and receive such gifts as petite fours!  I really overdid the nibbling today and I am sure I will pay for it.

Monday 12/16.  It is 28 this morning with a very light overcast.  No night time fires needed these past few days.  The house is still warm in the morning from our last evening fire and we certainly do not need to keep it stoked during the day.  It's getting awfully muddy though. . .

Thought for the day: There are mornings when everything brims with promise, even my empty cup.  Ted Kooser