April 16, 2014 More & More Flowers

More balsam root on the south slope.

Monday 4/14. I sat out on the porch with my coffee for quite a while this morning, listening to the cacophony of bird song and just being in the moment.

Did the dishes and laundry.  Hung the laundry outside and took the dogs for their morning walk, but by 11:30 am I knew I could no longer put off working in the loft.  I have to look in every box, try to consolidate and make more room.  I took a break about an hour later and, while on the porch getting some firewood, I heard shouting.  From the west ridge it sounded like it was coming from down near RJ's cabin.  I called Elsie and she said that their dogs were barking up a storm, but she couldn't hear anything other than that.  I put the dogs inside the house; grabbed my backpack, gun and gloves; then drove Miss Kitty down to the top of the steep part of the short cut.  Everything was quiet.  But since I was this far, I decided to brave the rest of the short cut and drive to RJ's.  Larry had driven down it the previous night and moved the tree enough to drive around it, so down I went.  A little slippery in a couple places, but I made it just fine.  Still no sight or sound of anyone, so I had a nice drive home the long way.

A light overcast formed mid-morning and our high was 53, but with the sun unable to break through the clouds, it was a chilly 53.

The neighbor's dog came to visit.  Haven't seen him for almost a year as it has been that long since they have come over from the coast.  Jesse won't let him come near me and doesn't like me to talk to our visitor.  Dinga just sits on the porch and lets the boys do their thing.

In watching Downton Abby, it is interesting how it could also be entitled Pride and Prejudice.  But then so could almost any story involving mankind.  Rather a sorry state of affairs.

And speaking of a sorry state of affairs, I have been thinking about people who have government jobs.  What would I do in their shoes if I knew my department was being used in a flagrantly illicit way for the whims of the current administration?  In our economy it is difficult enough to find a job when laid off, but even more so when you quit and cannot collect unemployment.  Would I quit?  Would I just do a poor job?  Or would I try to under mind their agenda?  It would be an extremely difficult situation to be in.

Larry and a friend stopped by in the early evening on their way back from target practice with his friends who own the property to the south of us.  Then I finished the evening by watching the last of season three of Downton Abby and all the special features which were fascinating.  I found myself getting to bed by almost midnight.  I had planned on setting my alarm to get up for the eclipse but realized I had "been there and done" that several times in my life.  Plus clouds had moved in, so that settled it.

Tuesday 4/15.  It was 35, clear and breezy this morning.  Instead of coffee, I made a cup of tea, bundled up, and took it out on the porch.  I ended up taking a late morning nap because of my late night.  It was just too windy to work outside anyway.  After lunch I forced myself back up into the loft and actually finished the chore.  But with all that dust and sweat, I had to shower before even taking the dogs on their afternoon walk.  I mention that because a daily shower is not one of our activities Up Here.  It just uses too much water and is not really necessary.  We do wash up every night though.

On our afternoon walk I could see that yellow bells and prairie stars are popping up all over now.  And more balsam root is blooming on the south slope each day.

In watching Downton Abby, I am reminded that my Mother's oldest brother abhorred the way the King's English has been so Americanized, slaughtered really.  I do enjoy listening to the characters talk as it is very reminiscent of my maternal grandparents.  My Mother was born in 1923 and her family lived in France and Belgium until she was two years old, when they moved to London.  They visited us every couple of years and I loved listening to them talk.

It may seem odd that I love watching the early twentieth-century English way of life which is so very opposite of ours, but I love them both.  I go to bed enthralled by the castle, clothes and language, but wake up in our little cabin in the woods loving our way of life even more.

Wednesday 4/16. It is 39 and overcast this morning with a slight chance of rain in the forecast.  But the breeze has calmed, so I may get outside to work today.

Thought for the day: I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson