March 19, 2014 Birds & Bugs & Oven Parts

Dinga on our bare south ridge Tuesday morning.

Monday 3/17. My days alone begin very slowly.  Not only is coffee not ready when I get up, but there is no one to talk to.  Well, I talk to the dogs but their only response is a questioning look or a tail wag.  Not the most stimulating conversation.  But JB calls every morning at 9:00 am, and this morning my Aunt Nene called too, so that was very nice.

Am getting a bit more exercise with JB gone, as I have to take the dogs on their morning walk.  He had been hearing turkeys off the south ridge, but I certainly haven't.  They may have moved on.  However I did see one green shoot that promises a flower.

I worked a little in the loft again.  Am getting into my Spring cleaning mode, getting rid of anything we are not using or I am not wearing.  I spent a little time on the computer, and finished the Jason Bourne book.

The breeze blew most of the day and when we took our afternoon walk it was very cold.  Our high for the day was only 32, not counting the wind-chill factor.

I am always fascinated by how the snow seems to melt more from the bottom than the top, from our one to two feet deep on up to glaciers.  The melt doesn't run off the top, it runs out from under the bottom.  Obviously a concept here that I don't completely understand.

Instead of continuing to watch our normal programs in the evening, I am watching the series Firefly, with Nathan Fillion.  Haven't done that for a while and it is so very entertaining.

Tuesday 3/18.  The day began with 21 degrees and a clear, bright sky.  NOAA is still forecasting a 40% chance of snow this evening.  Not a cloud in sight.

I finally heard some turkeys off the south ridge on our walk this morning.  Such a beautiful morning.  No wind, clear sky and all the mountains standing proudly in their white mantles.  Later in the day, I was standing on the west ridge just enjoying being outside when I thought I heard more turkeys.  After listening for a while, I realized it was my stomach protesting the fact that I had not eaten lunch. . .

The one green shoot I saw on the south ridge yesterday has multiplied into many, many shoots!  Can't wait for the flowers!

Randy from SoCal sent an email suggesting some sites where I might find the part for our oven for less expense.  I checked one out and got it for $44 (vs. $200), including 2-3 day freight!  Thank you, Randy!!

The sky remained clear until early afternoon when big, dark clouds started moving in from the southwest.  They came at quite a pace and by 2:00 pm the sky was almost completely grey.  But no snow.  Our high for the day was 37.

I always enjoy our evening conversations on the short-wave radio with Larry and Elsie.  There was a bit of a glitch this evening as Larry kept calling but it was obvious that he could not hear my reply.  So I called him on the phone and he realized that he had turned the volume way down because of so much noise. . .

My brother, RJ, called to see how the road is.  Our nephew has a track meet in Wenatchee this weekend and they want to spend the night at his cabin.  I told him he could make it to his turn off in his Jeep, but I wasn't sure how much further they could get on his road.  They had planned on snow shoeing in anyway.  Don't know if we'll be able to get down there or not, but I hope so.

I didn't watch Firefly this evening.  Tuesday night is Downton Abbey night for us.  I'll just watch those episodes again next week with JB.

Wednesday 3/19.  It is 29 and mostly cloudy this morning.  Haven't listened to the forecast yet, so not sure if snow is still in the forecast.  The birds are flying all about and looking for food on the newly bared ground.  I love their morning songs.

Thought for the day: To have ideas is to gather flowers; to think is to weave them into garlands. Madeline Swetchine