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| Bella sitting on the chair next to me. |
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| Monday morning's rain coming in from the west. |
Friday 5/2. I left for Larry & Elsie's at 1:00 pm as planned. After I unloaded all my gear, I let the chickens out of their coup. It was another beautiful day, so I just sat on the patio for a while. Within minutes I had a cat on my lap, two dogs lying near my feet, and Bella, the chicken, sitting on the chair next to me.
I have never house-sat before, so it was a little disconcerting at first to be responsible for someone else's property. Very different from just coming to feed the cats and chickens. Their house is much larger than our little cabin, with a lot more "working" parts. I kept thinking I was forgetting to do something.
The high temperature for the day was 84 down here in the canyon. But it was a very pleasant 84 with a little breeze.
The chickens go back into their coup between 6:30 and 7:00 pm to roost for the night. I put Bella up in the corner next to her friend, Lucy, and just had to poke one feisty hen who was bothering them.
The Chicago Blackhawks were playing this evening, so JB made the pizza and drove Miss Kitty down for dinner. He only watched the first period, but that seemed to be enough and he was anxious not to leave our dogs alone too long.
I never sleep well the first night in a different place, even with all the company I had - two cats and a dog on the bed and another dog on the floor nearby. The cats like very much to cuddle and knead with their claws.
Saturday 5/3. Like our dogs, theirs woke me up at 5:00 am to go outside. It looked like we were going to have another beautiful day, and the dogs did not stay out very long, so it was back to bed. But there is no sleeping in at this house. Their big dog, Buster, is quite the taskmaster and was adamant that I get up at 7:00 am. He is quite an old dog, but was acting like a puppy. He does that when it is time to eat.
By 8:30 am I was back in the kitchen. I had fed the dogs, cats and chickens. Let the chickens out. Watered the garden. Moved the sprinklers on the lawn, and adjusted the water for the blueberries. And finally fixed my coffee. Whew! And the day had just begun. . .
I thought I would be writing a lot more this weekend, but I am just vegging with the animals. It was a much cooler and windier day with a high of 66. I took a couple short naps, which was very nice. Read some of the magazines I brought with me, and did some sudoku.
Bella is quite the gossip, always chatting to me when I am sitting outside. I don't believe half the things she says, and I have to take the other half with a grain of salt as she tends to exaggerate. But she does love to chatter and it is quite relaxing to listen to her.
While I was eating dinner, a humming bird flew by the door as if to say, "Where's mine?!!" Elsie doesn't have any feeders for them, but she does have a lot of the flowers they like.
I settled in for an evening of watching television, with one of the cats on my lap and their little dog on the couch next to me. I had forgotten about commercials! Oh, well. With more than 200 channels to surf through, it was rather fun.
Sunday 5/4. Once again, up at 7:00 am, but eating my breakfast a little earlier. Had a great night's sleep and was moving a little faster this morning.
Larry and Elsie have a lot of swallows at their house, nesting under the eaves. They are quite different than the other birds with all their darting, gliding and swooping. Fascinating to watch. And very easy to watch from inside as the house has a lot of windows, floor to high-ceiling windows in the front which faces west.
I read a couple more magazines. The current issues of Smithsonian and Time are quite fascinating. Time has their "100 most influential people" and it is always very interesting to see who they pick. I also finished the book, Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend, and loved it. I was hoping it would not end in the same manner as The Bridges of Madison County, but then that was a true story. Not much artistic license available there. Slow Waltz was just as delectable, but with a completely different end.
While inside, I had the radio on, listening to "The Greatest Hits of All Time" station. Reliving my teens and twenties. Misty places and faces brought into focus by the music. Fading names and feeling floating just beneath the surface.
I saw rain coming our way a little before 2:00 pm and wondered if the chickens would go back into their coup when it arrived. Twenty minutes later it arrived and they did. I dashed out to be sure they were all in, coaxing the last one in with a bit of corn and shutting the door behind it. Even Bella went in. The shower lasted less than a half hour but it was interesting how, down here in the canyon, the drops come from one direction and then another until they no longer come at all. A thunder storm was predicted, but I did not hear any thunder. About an hour later another rain cell went through, dropping even more rain.
I collected 5 eggs on Friday, seven yesterday and another seven today. Much more than when I just come down to feed the chickens. They must like having me around.
Their dogs are so much fun. Buster usually stays on the porch, but the little one follows me all around and we go for short walks. He is really a character when he gets his toys out and wants to play. But he does get his nose out of joint if I pay too much attention to the cats and Buster. In fact, last night he didn't even come in the bedroom to sleep. He stayed in the living room and slept in his favorite chair. Not sure what I did to deserve that. . .
After dinner, I settled in to watch "60 Minutes" and an evening of English programs on PBS. Was in bed by 11:00 am, hoping that Buster would let us all sleep a bit longer. Even the little one was curled up in his bed.
Monday 5/5. No such luck with sleeping in. It was a Seattle morning with a light but steady rain. Looked like it had been raining most of the night, too. It was very cool in the house, so I put a fire in the basement wood stove after all my chores, and brought my breakfast down there to eat. It was obvious that the dogs thought if I was downstairs with food, it must be for them.
RJ had called Friday morning to let us know he was up for the weekend. He stopped by to visit on his way out at about 9:30 am. He wants to be Up Here when Aunt Nene visits on June 17, so I will have to keep reminding him of the date.
JB needed some meds picked up today, so I planned on going down at about noon to get them. I only let Bella out this morning, as I wanted to clean up Elsie's flower beds from all the digging by the other chickens. I figured if I didn't, they would be down to bedrock by the end of the day. There was a break in the rain, so I got outside with a rake and shovel. Got my exercise for the day. Then I was in for a nice, long, hot shower.
It was very nice to drive just one short mile down to the pavement, instead of four long ones. It was just a quick trip to pick up JB's meds, get the mail, and buy a Jack-in-the-Box burger for lunch.
Back at their house, I cleaned up everything and packed my bags. I decided to leave at about 2:00 pm, knowing Larry and Elsie expected to be back by 3:00 or 4:00. I was surprised at how hard it was to say goodbye to the dogs and cats, even Bella. I am not a bird person, but I am afraid that Bella and Lucy are changing that. Holding them and petting them, and listening to their chatterings is actually quite nice. And they didn't poop on me once!
It was nice to be home again, and our little cabin didn't really seem so small after all. Dinga and Jesse didn't seem to be too put out that I smelled like so many other animals. They were just glad to see me. And so was JB.
Talking to Larry and Elsie on the radio this evening was very interesting. They did have a good trip, but it seems that the dogs actually do not get fed until around 8:00 am. And it is the little dog, not Buster, who is always pushing for breakfast. Very interesting. Elsie thinks it's funny that I am becoming a bird person. She is a convert also.
Tuesday 5/6. This morning was 37 and clear at 5:00 am when the dogs woke me up. I thought I could stay up and post my blog, but by the time I got the fire going and the dogs came back in, I was ready to go back to bed.
It was a great weekend and I told Larry and Elsie, "Now don't get me wrong, but could you please leave again soon?!!"
Thought for the day: They are so much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life. Jane Austen
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