June 30, 2014 Dropping Trees, Stacking Wood, Gathering Rocks

From this. . .

. . . to this. . .

. . . to this.

Friday 6/27. Post my blog; feed the girls, feed the dogs, feed the humming birds. . .  Finally I could pour my coffee and sit on the porch.  The clouds were breaking up to the east, letting the rays of sun through.  What a life!

The tall stalks of fire weed at the porch and the bird bath are now all in bloom.  Such a striking color, not quite as pink as the wild roses, a little more lavender.  And the roses this year are amazingly abundant.  As are the Indian paintbrush and yarrow.  Pink, orange, white and still a dab of purple scattered throughout the green are the landscape colors right now.

We have a rufus hummingbird at our feeders again.  It is a stunning rust color with a fluorescent red throat, and the rust looks gold in the sunlight.  Beautiful but very aggressive.

The dogs seem to have recuperated from yesterday's trauma.  I thought Dinga would be upset with me, but even though I took her to the vet's, I also escaped with her and brought her back home.  Jesse just seems to take it all in stride, although he was a bit aghast when they took his temperature.

Last night JB overcooked the quinoa pasta and now we completely understand why the directions say: "Do not overcook."  Think jello. . .

I brought up more wood from the west slope.  Then we put the old, small steps from the porch by the side door, which will do quite nicely until we build permanent ones.  Probably in another six years.

Dark skies threatened and finally produced rain at about 2:30 pm.  Got the laundry inside just in time.  Then I defrosted the fridge and baked banana coffee cake, but this time I added chocolate chips.  And, considering the results, I will continue to make it that way from now on.  Yum!

I cut JB's hair so he would look more presentable playing Magic cards this evening, and not like some wild mountain man.  Don't know if it was the hair cut, but he had better luck this time.

We had a high of 70 today, but it sure didn't feel like it.

Saturday 6/28. It was 54 and cloudy this morning with thunder storms in the forecast.  And still windy, but that didn't keep us from sitting on the porch with our coffee.

Found we have three and maybe four more people coming on Friday for the 4th.  

JB dropped eight trees to the north of the tipi and we trimmed six of them.  The tallest was 53' and the shortest about 25'.  All tall and skinny, in a place that badly needs thinning.  We will cut them into rounds tomorrow.

Also gathered rocks for the fire pit in front of the baker.  Used Miss Kitty to bring the larger ones.

Sunday 6/29. It was 52 and clear with a breeze this morning.  It has been so windy so often this year.  I am really getting tired of it.  Enough already!  But the baker is situated so we can sit in front, under the flap, and be sheltered from the wind.  In fact I have been sitting there a lot since we put it up, in between projects and chores.  It is as if we are camping and there is nothing to do but relax and enjoy, sheltered also from the world and daily cares.  That lodge is so full of good memories that they tend to enfold me and sweep me back in time.  Or perhaps simply mix with the joy of being Up Here.  Whatever it is, it is even more deeply relaxing than being in the tipi.

As I write this in my notebook (paper & pen), I am sitting on the porch with my coffee, watching the sparrows and juncos collect dog hair for their nests.  I brush the dogs every morning and it all goes floating out into the yard where the birds collect it in their beaks, creating huge mustaches for themselves.  So cute!

I think the first batch of humming bird chicks has grown and left their nests, as there are a lot of smaller ones about and obviously just learning how to use the feeders.  They are in competition with and not much bigger than the honey bees.

The wren's nest under the eaves is still occupied.  I guess third time was the charm.  In the last two years most of it fell down and the wren's had to build elsewhere.  There must have been enough of those two nests left to successfully build upon.

And speaking of the cares of the world, I think I have become too sensitive to the foibles and troubles than mankind brings upon himself.  I can no longer deal with the atrocities - mental, physical and emotional - that humans inflict upon other humans.  I should have thought that after all these millennia, we would have evolved into more caring, intelligent and logical beings.  Makes one wonder if the Universe will have much more patience with us.  Some days I feel very emotionally frail in the midst of it all, as if being Up Here is the only thing that saves me. . .

But there is work to do and after lunch JB cut four of the downed trees into 16" rounds.  I used Miss Kitty to haul the rounds over to the splitter where I stacked them.  We plan to cut up the other four trees tomorrow.

Our high for the day was 71, but it only felt like it when there was a lull in the wind, which averaged 13 mph.  Yesterday it was up to 17 mph.

Plans for July 4th have changed to four people arriving about noon on Thursday and two more on Friday.  Getting better and better.

Monday 6/30. It is 58 with a clear sky and no wind this morning.  No wind!  Lots to do today.

Thought for the day: It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.  Voltaire

June 27, 2014 Tree & Dog Torture & A Baker

Our tree tortured by the clothes line!

The baker & the tipi

Wednesday 6/25.  I love how the girls usually "announce" to the world when they lay an egg.  So proud!

Just noticed while I was hanging up the laundry today that the rope around the small tree is now way too tight!  Had to take it down and retie it.  I feel terrible about that.  

We used the tractor bucket to move the white water barrel from the porch to the hen house.  It still had about 20 gallons in it.  We have to put wood under the edges of all the barrels to allow expansion at the bottom when the water freezes.  The bottom rounds out and the barrel won't stay upright.

Then JB mowed north of the outhouse.  Looks so nice, and makes the area look a lot larger.

After lunch we worked on cutting all the poles for the baker (tent).  Had a lot of pieces left over that I was going to use for fire wood, but I am sure we can use them for building something instead.

Dark clouds floated over and filled the sky.  It looked threatening, but we didn't get any rain or hear any thunder.

Thursday 6/26.  I left at 7:30 am this morning to take the dogs Down There for their annual torture session with the vet.  At least that's Dinga's opinion of the visit.  Thank goodness it is only once a year!  Was back home by 10:00 am and taking a nap to recuperate by noon. . .

After a late lunch, we put the baker up.  Lots of great memories with that lodge.  About ten minutes after we finished there was a very LOUD clap of thunder just to the west of us.  Most of the rain fell to the north but we got about a 20 minute shower.  No more thunder though.  Our high for the day was 72.

Miss Kitty needed to be used so I drove her north of the tipi and filled her up with wood from down the slope.  There is lots of branch wood down there that I keep forgetting about and it needs to be cleaned up.

I have discovered that the girls love dandy lion greens and miner's lettuce.  Both are nutritious and all free!  The lettuce is almost all gone, but I doubt we will run short of dandy lions any time soon.  The girls are so much a part of our life Up Here already that I just can't picture being without them.  Blondie loved the nesting boxes from the first day they were here.  She even sleeps in them at night while Betty and Belinda sleep on the top roost, usually one facing the back and one facing the front.

Randy left a message on my phone just after he finally saw his first moose.  I have put Claudia and Nene on notice that I am not leaving Idaho until I see one!

Friday 6/27. It is 53 and over cast this morning.  One week from today is July 4th already!  So far we only have two people coming to our family picnic.  Last year we had more than twenty, ranging from six months old to 91 years old.

Regarding the comments on my last posting, these elderly inhabitants can get by just fine with no hand rails, thank you!

As far as being fed up with the government, I too am sure they will figure out a way to make it worse.  I simply do not understand the greed, corruption and the hunger for power.  Am so glad I am Up Here, even though there is no way to completely escape their madness.  But even with all my complaining, this is still the only country in which I want to live.

Thought for the day: For who can endure a doctrine which would allow only dentists to say whether our teeth ache, only cobblers to say whether our shoes hurt us, and only government to tell us whether we are being well-governed?  C.S. Lewis 

June 25, 2014 More Small Projects & Bureaucrats

Our new porch steps

Monday 6/23. JB left at 7:30 am to meet the septic tank pumper truck at the pavement and was back Up Here with it at about 9:00 am.  It was a much larger truck than had been here two years ago and the driver had to take a few deep breaths when he got out of the cab.  Not a fun drive for him.  But he pumped out the tank and said that with just the two of us, we shouldn't have to have it pumped for another four or five years.  That works for me.

For the past few weeks there have been 30 to 40 honey bees at the bird bath every morning, and they seem to come and go during the day.  A few days ago I filled the bath with water while the crowd was there.  It was a little disconcerting to have them flying all around, but they didn't bother me.  Since then I try to fill it in the evening when there are just a few of them.

I think the flock of transient humming birds have moved on, but I still have to fill the feeders now about every two or three days.  I never get tired of watching those birds.

When JB led the truck back Down There, he took the trailer and went to Lowes for lumber and other necessary items to finally build 8' steps up to our porch.  We had been using the little steps built by the contractor who built our house, and those were supposed to be just temporary.  He also bought a gutter for the hen house.

We built the stairs after a late lunch and it really didn't take very long.  They look so good and the porch actually looks finished now.

It was our hottest day yet with a high of 81.  Thank goodness for that breeze!

Tuesday 6/24.  A clear but cooler morning, and our high for the day was 74.

We put the gutter up on the hen house.  This is the second time we have worked on the girls' place and the second time they didn't give us any eggs.

I washed out the new water barrel with a little water and bleach, then we attached it to the one behind the wood shed.  So now when the first one gets full, it will overflow into the second one.  We are going to put the other white one that is on the porch under the gutter at the hen house.

We still had 3/4 of a bale of straw left from what I had put in the hen house, so I stored as much of that as I could under their nesting boxes.  What was left over I put in the tipi.

The woman at the auditor's office called me back regarding the open space application.  Seems it is the planning commission who is in charge of that and to simply apply for it costs $850!!  Bureaucrats!!  Well, we won't be applying for that.  I am so fed up with the government.  Any part of the government.  And any elected official.

After dinner I walked down to the hair-pin turn to take my frustration out on pulling the knapweed that is still there.  

Wednesday 6/25.  It is mostly clear and 54 this morning, with rain in the forecast for tomorrow and Friday, and probable thunderstorms.

Thought for the day: The art of vacations, like all journeys, lies in letting go of what you'd hoped to find so you can discover what's really there.  Bill Heavey, Field and Stream magazine, July 2014

June 23, 2014 Summer Solstice, Tipis & Bonehead Betty

Our guest lodge awaits

Friday 6/20. We decided to take down the tipi today, as something was drastically wrong.  Took down the skin and all the poles except the tripod.  But when we started putting the poles back up, we came to the conclusion that the problem lay in the fact that we are not using lodge pole pine.  The top of the poles have bent just enough so that they do not fit right into the top of the tripod.  The solution: put up the smaller, 12' tipi.  We can use the same poles, they will just be tied together lower down.  I actually prefer the small tipi as it is cozier and easier to warm up in cold weather.

So we took down all the poles including the tripod and will put them all back up tomorrow, measured and tied for the smaller tipi.  This was enough of being out in the wind.  The sun was hot but the wind was cold.

Betty has earned the nickname Bonehead with her pecking on the painted wood and today she was still trying to do just that.  So I screwed in another metal strip above the others so she absolutely cannot reach the wood.  All was fine until she discovered that the north wall inside the hen house is the same painted wood!  No eggs today.  Betty was probably driving the other two girls nuts with all her pounding.

I screwed in a long piece of plywood over the bottom of the inside wall.  If that doesn't fix the problem, we may be having chicken stew for dinner on Sunday.

JB drove Down There to play Magic cards at Hastings this evening.  Didn't have much luck, but enjoyed the company and camaraderie.  And that's really what it's all about.

Saturday 6/21.  After morning chores and lunch, we put up the 12' tipi.  Had to carefully measure where to tie the tripod together and where to tie the skin onto the lift pole.  It was time consuming, but turned out quite nicely.  Didn't realize how grey the smoke from the September 2012 fire had turned the large tipi until we got the other one out.  It is a beautiful tan with dark brown smoke flaps, and the liner is also brown from the smoke of the campfires we have had in it.

Today was the summer solstice.  By late afternoon it was a little chilly for running naked in the woods, but we did spend the evening with friends.  As we were returning from our afternoon walk, two friends, who live in town and have property Up Here on the flats, drove up the driveway on their ATVs.  They are up for the weekend and we haven't seen them in almost a year.  They stayed and visited for about an hour, leaving with our promise to bring some wine over to their camp after dinner.

Still lots of wild flowers along the roads to their camp, and we had another great visit.  I noticed that they had a water barrel just like the ones we bought last summer and asked where they had got theirs.  It seems that he gets them for free where he works and asked if we wanted any!  Wow!  He actually gave us the one they had and said they will bring up two more the next time they are up.  How cool is that!

We finally arrived back home a little after 8:00 pm, and I fixed some cocoa for us.  We were enjoying it out on the porch when Larry and Elsie drove up.  Another great visit that finished out the solstice quite nicely.

In addition to our human visitors, we had about 15 - 20 hummingbirds jostling for the feeders.  Must be another transient group, stopping on their way through.  I filled the feeders in the early afternoon and they were more than half empty by the time we went in at 10:00 pm.

It seems as though Betty is over her obsession with the painted walls since she can't reach them any more.  They gave us three eggs today.

Sunday 6/22.  The temperature was already 62 at 8:00 am and not a cloud in the sky.  The first full day of summer and it was our hottest yet with a high of 78.  Fortunately there was a slight but cool breeze.

The humming bird feeders were almost empty, so I put on another pot of syrup before breakfast.  Filled them again around noon.

After dishes, laundry and lunch, we put the liner up in the tipi.  I may be spending a lot of time in there. . .  Then we put the big tipi and its liner back in the trunk.  Got out the baker tent, as JB wants to cut some of the left-over poles for it.  We had three extra poles to begin with and now have six, as the 12' tipi uses three less poles than the 18'.  We'll use the rest of the poles for firewood.

I got a call from Larry at about 4:30 pm asking if we would be able jump the battery on their Arctic Cat.  They were just a little ways down the road from us getting rocks from the top of their property.  JB took his Jeep down to help and ended up having to tow them back home as their battery was completely dead.  It is so nice to be able to do something for them for a change.

After dinner we dug out the access to the septic tank as the truck is coming up to pump it out tomorrow.  JB has to meet them down at the pavement at 8:15 am.

Monday 6/23.  It is 60 already at 7:00 am this morning with a partly cloudy sky.  JB is leaving at about 7:30 am to meet this septic tank truck.

Thought for the day: Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded or shall we transgress them at once?  Henry David Thoreau

June 18 2014 A Gift to Remember!

Gift from Nene!!

Fireweed near the house that bloomed
the day after Nene's visit

Wednesday 6/18.  Still basking in the glow of yesterday, feeling all warm and fuzzy. . .

Nene brought a gift for us when she visited.  Said we could keep it or shoot it and throw it over the ridge, but she just had to get it for us!  I love it!! (Not sure I'll keep it on the kitchen table though.)

Our Westie friends gave me some chocolate from Austria when they were here on Sunday.  Oh my!  I can't even mention the kind of chocolate I usually have in the same sentence.

After 18 years of paying to be in the drawing with 5000 others for less than ten licenses to go moose hunting in northwest Washington, a friend of ours finally won!  He has from October 1 through November 30 to hunt for one.  And in the state of Washington, you are only allowed one moose in your lifetime.  Needless to say, he is quite excited.

Thursday 6/19.  It was partly cloudy and 55 this morning, and time to get back to work.  After lunch we mowed the west side of the north slope of the south ridge.  A little more tricky as there are rocks and logs, but once again I walked in front looking for such things.  It was really too hot to do anything else after that.  Our high for the day was 76.

The girls gave us two eggs today.  It looks as though little Blondie has pushed her way up to second in their pecking order, leaving Betty on the bottom.  And speaking of pecking, they have been pecking on the wall of the garbage shed which is on the north side of their run.  They may be after ants and/or peeling paint, so I screwed in some metal siding there.  I'm sure their heads were ringing after a few pecks on it and we haven't heard anything since.

When Nene was visiting, she convinced me to take the trip to Idaho with her to see her sister-in-law, Claudia.  This evening she called to say we will be there from August 6 through 9.  So I will drive to her house in Port Orchard on the 5th and we will leave for Idaho on the 6th.  Am really looking forward to the trip.  We will be staying with Claudia and she lives in the northern mountains.  Hope Randy SoCal can be there then also.

JB is working on his Magic card deck this evening as he plans to go Down There to play in the Friday night tournament.

Friday 6/20.  It is 55 and mostly clear this morning.  No specific plans, but I have a long list to choose from.

Thought for the day: Accept - then act.  Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.  Always work with it, not against it.  Eckhart Tolle, from his book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose.

June 18, 2014 Family & Friends

Looking up the south slope

Monday 6/16. In preparing for Aunt Nene's visit tomorrow, I was thinking about how fortunate I am at my age to have women in my life to whom I can send Mother's Day cards.  And I am so very pleased that Nene can visit us Up Here again.

It was a much quieter day.  I cleaned house and baked.  Read my book.  And looked forward to tomorrow.  It was cool and cloudy with a high of 57.  A soft rain began falling about 6:00 pm.

When JB returned from Down There, he did some more mowing near the house.  I am afraid our old John Deere hand mower has bit the dust.

Tuesday 6/17.  Nene and her friends, Vivienne and Larry, planned to leave at 5:00 am, with a short stop in Leavenworth.  Vivienne called at 10:30 am to say they were just leaving Leavenworth, so we hopped in our cars to meet them at their motel.  We had to take both cars as, thanks to Dinga, there is only one seat belt in the back seat of my Jeep.

I was laughing as I drove down our road.  Mother Nature had put on a stunning performance for the day with wild roses, lupine, still a few arnica, and another purple stalk flower that I will have to find the name of.  Nene and Vivienne rode with me and Larry with JB.  It was so much fun to bring them up, pointing out all the flowers and views.

RJ came up to have lunch with us and afterwards Vivienne and I walked out to the north ridge, visited the girls and Vivienne found their egg for the day.  Then I drove Nene up to the south ridge while the others hiked up.  It turned out to be quite a nice day with a few clouds floating over and a high of 65.

We drove down the short cut to RJ's cabin a little after 5:00 pm for the tour and story of his building.  And then it was on to Larry and Elsie's so Nene could finally meet them.  It was 8:00 pm before we got everyone back to the motel.  A long but fabulous day.

Just as we were driving into town my phone rang.  It was Larry calling to say that their blonde bear was meandering down the mountain and were we close enough to come back to see it!  We really weren't and figured it would be gone by the time we got there.  Oh well, at least Vivienne was able to catch sight of a deer on our way down from RJ's.

That's the story of what we did, but the their visit was so warm and comfortable.  When you are with people like Vivienne and Larry, it seems as though you have known each other for years.  And, of course, the highlight was their bringing Nene Up Here.  We are so fortunate for such friends and family.

When we arrived back to Rose Camp, we had a snack and just basked in the glow of the day.

Wednesday 6/18.  It is partly cloudy and 52 this morning.  I think we will just take the day off.

Thought for the day:  Thank you, God, for this good life, and forgive us if we do not love it enough.  Garrison Keillor

June 16, 2014 A Fantastic Weekend

Paintbrush growing near the garden

Friday 6/13.  A full moon on Friday the 13th must mean good luck.  We had a soft and steady rain all day which is just what we needed.  I obviously looked at the date wrong for the next such event.  My dyslexia most likely kicked in and I thought it was 2409 instead of 2049. . .  Either way, I probably won't be around to see it anyway.

It was a perfect day to clean house.  I figured that since we will be having three different groups of guests soon, it was time to dust.  Especially since we have begun naming the dust bunnies.

I also baked a huge batch of our favorite oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies.  Started a new book.  Caught up on reading magazines.

A good day, and we ended it by watching The Time Traveler's Wife.  Excellent movie!

Saturday 6/14.  It was 44, clear and windy this morning.  It seems as though May and June have reversed themselves weatherwise.  It was so dry and warm in May, and now June is cold and a bit more wet.

JB finished using up the little that was left in the sprayer on our driveway and got it cleaned up to return to Larry on Monday.

The girls gave us three eggs today.  Our high for the day was 67 but with a chilly, strong breeze.

Received an email from our Westy neighbors saying they will be arriving this evening and would like to come to visit tomorrow afternoon.  RJ, Mike and a friend will be up for breakfast tomorrow, so it will be a fun and busy day.

Sunday 6/15.  It was 45 and mostly cloudy this morning, with thunder storms in the forecast for tomorrow.

We served eggs, hash browns and bacon for breakfast, but they weren't nearly as good as the conversation and seeing Mike again.  I swear he has grown another six inches and has to be at least 6' 3"!  He is only 15, but looks 20.  Before they left, they helped us get the tipi out and down to the poles.

After they were gone, JB took down all the poles except for the tripod, so everyone could see exactly how it is built.  I put together a few Native American items to give to the children (from Austria), some trade beads, and arrowhead each and a rattlesnake rattle.  Then I got into in my buckskin dress and trade wool leggings, along with some trade bead necklaces.  30 years old and it still fits!

Our guests arrived at about 2:00 pm and, by their reaction, I am so glad I decided to wear the dress.  With the help of Mr. "Westy", we got the poles back up and bound together.  Then he and JB tied the skin to the lift pole and put it in place.  Well, something was drastically wrong!  The skin was about four feet above the ground, so we had obviously brought out the 12' tipi instead of the 18'.  Everyone (except JB) had a good laugh and helped us get the correct one.  It was finally up and the children helped us lace it together.  They were all in awe of the whole erecting procedure and final product.

After some cookies, we all hiked to the south ridge and up to the peak to enjoy the views.  It was certainly a very successful visit and great fun for everyone.  The ladies had told us how cold they had been during the previous night, so after dinner I drove Miss Kitty down to their camp with our two elk hides.  I think they will keep warm now.  And tomorrow they will all walk down to see RJ's cabin.

It really was a great day, and we just basked in the glow for the evening.  The temperature fell into the 40's by bedtime, so I put a fire in the wood stove before we called it a day.

JB is going Down There tomorrow to get diesel for the tractor and a few grocery items I forgot.  

Monday 6/16.  It is 40 and mostly cloudy this morning.  Can't believe that my Aunt Nene and her friends will be here tomorrow!  Lots to do today. . .

Thought for the day: If "Someone says: "That's impossible."  You should understand it as: According to my very limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that's very unlikely.  Paul Buchheit, creator and lead developer of Gmail.

June 13, 2014 Fires & Full Moons

Fire from a lightening strike to the west of us
on Thursday

Wednesday 6/11. The girls are getting rather demanding for their breakfast.  As soon as we let the dogs out, they start squawking for food.

With a sprayer borrowed from Larry, JB sprayed our road for knapweed all the way down to the sign, making two trips.  While I, rather belatedly, unpacked my summer clothes and put away my winter ones.  JB makes no such distinctions. . .

Patches of blue sky began appearing by noon and our high for the day was 71, but again with that cool breeze that turned to wind.

Thursday 6/12. Was able to leave for Down There by 8:00 am.  Not too many stops, but I did spend 30 minutes at the Chelan County Assessor's office protesting the rather dramatic rise in the value of our land.  Talked to a very nice, very calm man who explained everything to me and also suggested that we put the 11 acres that are not in forest or building site into "open space", as it is on a steep slope going down into the canyon.  I will make the appropriate call on Monday.

I wanted to make it back to Rose Camp before the storm arrived there and made it with 30 minutes to spare.  It rained for about 15 minutes and then the thunder and lightening started to our west and north.  Larry called, just as I was going out the door to check for lightening strikes, to let me know of a fire a few miles to our west.  I could see the smoke from the north ridge.  After checking on the south ridge, JB and I drove Miss Kitty to two more vantage points two and three miles to our west, but didn't see any smoke.  By the time we arrived back home, the black smoke from the fire had turned while and dissipated quite a bit.  Turns out county fire fighters were able to get there and contain it to under two acres.

While I had been Down There, JB put tar paper on the small, east roof of the chicken run.  Sometime this summer, we will put roofing material of some kind on it.

The temperature was in the mid 80's Down There and very uncomfortable.  Our high for the day Up Here was 72, and once again the wind arose in the evening.

We are getting two eggs a day now from the girls, which is plenty for just the two of us.

Enough excitement for one day.  I was in bed by 9:00 pm.

Friday 6/13.  It is 44 and overcast this morning, and looks to be a wet day.  That's good.  We need the wet.  It is also a full strawberry moon, which won't happen on a Friday the 13th for a few more centuries.

Thought for the day: Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous.  They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.  Henry Steele Commager

June 11, 2014 The Chickens Came Before the Eggs

Inside the hen house

Tuesday's eggs

Monday 6/9. The girls love the nesting boxes and we got three large, brown eggs!  Woo Hoo!  It was a day during which everything just seemed to go right with little projects that offered instant gratification.  JB got the lawn mower started and we got a lot of the two-foot tall grass around the house mowed.  Did dishes, laundry, weeding, vacuuming and defrosted the fridge.  Catching up with everything that got left behind last week.

After the initial morning discovery of the girls, Jessie seems to just ignore them.  However, Dinga loves to lunge towards the fence just to startle them.  She got yelled at all day, and by late afternoon two of the girls didn't flinch.  In fact, it looked as though they were daring her to come closer so they could peck her nose!

And they all now have names: Blondie, Betty and Belinda.  They have to be the Three B's - as in b**ches.  And they have established a pecking order (I never realized that that term is very literal) with Belinda at the top, then Betty and then poor Blondie who is the smallest.  But they don't seem to be really picking on each other, just when there is food involved.

With them Up Here, we seem to be almost complete.  As if there was a big empty hole before they arrived.  I am a little concerned about  the "almost" though.  Not sure what else we will end up with. . .

In talking with Larry on the radio this evening, he said they only got three eggs today also!  Ooops!  Hope they didn't end up giving us their best layers.  We'll compare numbers again tomorrow night.

Tuesday 6/10.  A bit chilly this morning with 48 and a light overcast.  With the girls here, I have a new morning schedule: feed the girls, feed the dogs, sit on the porch with my coffee, feed myself.

It has been very windy for the past several days, with more wind in the forecast.  Our high today was 69, but the wind was very chilly.  

The girls gave us two eggs today.  They were inside the hen house most of the day as they discovered sod with grass growing just under the straw.  They love the grass, so after dinner I cut some and gave it to them.  We have so much "green" growing Up Here that I just have to learn what they like.  Don't know if they will ever be able to get out of their pen and forage with Dinga around.

JB did some more mowing but hit a hidden rock and wasn't able to get the mower started again after that.  Then we had more problems with the kitchen electrical plug, so tomorrow he is going to replace them all with regular ones.  Didn't get to talk on the radio with Larry, so don't know how many eggs they got today.

I have been reading one of the books JB gave to me for my birthday, Living With A Wild God by Barbara Ehrenreich.  Didn't really know what to expect.  Took me a while to get into it but in some ways it is very entertaining.  Unfortunately, we have quite opposite views about life.  She is obviously very intelligent and clever, but intelligence can only take you so far and clever doesn't always cut it.  I am amazed and perplexed at how she arrives at some of her conclusions about God.

I will be going Down There on Thursday for groceries.  Aunt Nene and her two friends will be here next Tuesday already!  And this weekend our Westy neighbors just down our driveway will be up with friends from Austria.  I guess their friends are really into the "wild west", so they will be up to see our place and help us put up the tipi.  I may just wear my buckskin dress from my rendezvousing days. . .

The temperature dropped into the 40's this evening making it cool enough in the house for a fire in the wood stove.  I do miss them during the warm weather.

Wednesday 6/11.  It is 47 and clear this morning, with thunder storms in the forecast for the weekend.

Thought for the day: The sign of intelligence is that you are always wondering.  Idiots are always dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life.  Vasudev

June 9, 2014 Chickens! . . . and the "D" Words

The finished chicken coup!

Meet The Girls!

Friday 6/6.  We really should have had someone filming us during this whole chicken coup project.  We could have submitted it to America's Funniest Home Videos and won some big bucks.  Of course some parts would not have been appropriate for family viewing. . .

While we work working today, three red-tail hawks were circling us.  I could just hear them talking to each other:"Yum!  Looks like a chicken coup to me!"  We also had swallowtail butterflies flitting all around.

The wind has picked up in the late afternoon on these clear, hot days, subsiding at sundown.  We pretty much subside at sundown, too.  Will be so glad when this project is done and our new family members have arrived. . .

We quit working early today so JB could shower and go Down There to pick up a few things we need, like a bit to replace one that broke, and to relax for the evening at Hastings.  They are starting up Magic Card games on Friday nights.

Today is D-Day.  My Father was fighting in the Pacific, but I always enjoy the articles in the paper and AARP magazine about this day in Europe.  The other "D" word is being used now - drought.  This has really been a dry Spring and already there is a ban on open fires, which usually is not declared until July.

Saturday 6/7.  Happy Birthday, Sandy! (And I completely forgot to call her until late afternoon - blame it on the chickens.)

It was another clear, hot day with a high of 75.  The sun forced us back inside at about 1:30 pm, which was a perfect time for a nap.  We have been eating early suppers so we can work in the cooler evening air.   And by this evening, we were almost finished with the coup and run.  We attached the tarp on top of the roof and the other end to a plastic pipe so we can roll it up.  Put in a gate through the chicken wire and took care of all the final details.  Tomorrow I will fix up the inside of the coup with diatomaceous earth, straw, food, water and make up the nesting boxes.  Almost done!

Sunday 6/8.  The day began 55 and clear sky, and we ended up with a high for the day of 76.  But there was a nice breeze all day long, so it didn't seem so hot.

By mid afternoon, we had all the details taken care of and the tools put away.  We showered away all the dirt and sweat, just in time for a visit from our neighbors to the south.  Was nice to sit out on the porch and catch up.

After a late supper we just relaxed until Larry and Elsie arrived with our new family members at about 9:00 pm.  Larry took each one out of the box and set them on the roost.  Needless to say, they were a bit discomboobilated.  But they are here!
Whew!

Larry and Elsie's reaction to the chickens' new home is that it is more like a chicken palace than a coup!  I'll take that as a compliment.

Monday 6/9.  A very chilly and windy morning.  Only 51, without taking into account the wind chill factor.  I was up and out to feed the chickens at about 7:15 am, but they were still on the roost.  Trying to figure out just what had happened last night, I'm sure.  I'll go back out to feed them their scratch, cabbage, broccoli and apple peelings after I post this.  Then I think I will just take a chair down to the coup in the shade and watch the girls all day. . .

Thought for the day:  Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. John Lubbock

June 6, 2014 Roses & Irises

Our project as of Thursday evening -
almost looks like we know what we're doing.

My irises are blooming!

Wednesday 6/4. We didn't get the early start that I wanted to as the dishes and laundry could no longer be ignored.  I had written that we wanted to get the roof on and the chicken wire around the run today, but I forgot that we had to frame in the run.  And I have decided that we really need to put a small roof over the east side of the run where their door is, for shade and outside shelter from the snow.  So we did all the framing and some other little things, and tomorrow we plan to put on the roof, make the people and chicken doors, and build the roost.

It was another clear day with a high of 74.  And my irises are blooming!

Thursday 6/5.  While I was sitting out on the porch with my coffee this morning, I called Sandy to let her know that her birthday present was going to be late.  Her birthday is Saturday and it won't be sent until Friday when JB goes Down There.  She can blame the chickens.  Actually it will make up for all the times she has opened her gifts early. . .

We had the fiberglass roof on the coup by lunch time.  After lunch we discovered that it may not have been the best choice as it was quite hot inside the coup.  I put a tarp over it which made a big difference, so we are going to rig up a tarp than can be pulled down over the roof on hot days and rolled back up when we need the sun for heat.  That may be a great idea or fail miserably. . .

We made the people door, cut out the chicken door, and built the roost.  Then I found four 2"X4"'s that we need for supports for the little outside roof.  So tomorrow we will build that roof, with a wood top, and try to get some of the chicken wire up.  We told Larry and Elsie this evening that we should be able to receive the chickens by Sunday evening.  It will be easier for them to get the three of them when they are roosting, so it will be around 9:00 pm when they get Up Here.

One thing that I have learned in all the research that we have done and talking to friends and salespeople at the stores is that there are as many different ways to care for chickens as there are people caring for them.  In general they are the same, but the details vary greatly.

Enough about chickens.  Our wild roses are beginning to bloom.  They may be the only wild flowers still in bloom by the time Aunt Nene visits on the 17th!  And mid June is usually the most beautiful time for flowers Up Here.  Oh well, as Larry says, every year is different.

Friday 6/6. It is 54 and not a cloud insight this morning.  We really will get an early start today.

Thought for the day: Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose.  There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

June 4, 2014 Frogs, Snakes, T-Storm & a Steer

Our first rattlesnake of the year,
sans head & rattle.

Monday 6/2. Another warm day with a high of 74 and our first thunder storm of the season.  A very early thunder storm.  

We worked all day on the chicken coup.  Put up the south wall and half of the west wall.  Dug holes for the three outside posts to hold the chicken wire for the run and put them into concrete.  Did various small jobs on it.  Looking good.

We heard the first thunderclap at about 6:15 pm and the storm moved down the canyon to our south.  We didn't get too much rain and when it was all over, the dogs and I went out for our walk to check for lightening strikes.  Up on the south ridge all I saw was a beautiful rainbow but no smoke and was about to leave when I heard an awful bellowing down below.  I could barely make out some cattle way down in the canyon, but this sound was coming from much closer.  It sounded like a cow in horrible labor or one that had been attacked by something and was in great distress.  So I called our neighbor who owns the cattle and told him what was going on.  After I described the sound, he laughed and said it was a horny bull venting his frustration!

On the smaller side of critters, we had two little frogs in the house today.  Still can't figure out where they are getting in, but we put them back out.

Tuesday 6/3.  Took the rest of garbage Down There this morning in our trailer and then used it to bring back all the supplies we will need for the chickens, and the rest of the lumber.  Another hot day that was even hotter in town.  Our high was 76 and it was at least ten degrees more Down There.

By the time we unloaded the trailer, it was almost time for the afternoon walk.  So we waited until after an early dinner to work on the coup.  We put in the five roof supports, worked on the drainage and got a few other little things done.  Whew!

While we were working, Dinga came running up to me with her tail between her legs and obviously scared.  I walked around to the other side of the outhouse to see what the problem was and there was our first rattle snake of the year.  Using my snake stick, I cut off its head and then the rattles, then tossed the rest over the west ridge.  Dinga was ever so grateful.

When all the tools were put away, we just sat on the porch and vegged out. . .

Wednesday 6/4.  It is 54 and clear this morning.  We want to get started early, while it is still cool.  Hopefully we can get the roof on and most of the run wired in.

Thought for the day: If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.  Les Brown

June 2, 2014 Busy, Busy Weekend

Friday morning

Friday evening

Saturday evening, after a trip
Down There for building materials

Sunday evening

Sunday, also building the
nesting boxes

Friday thru Sunday 5/30-6/1.
Beautiful weather for our project, mostly blue skies.  Sunday being the warmest with a high of 76 and the most fun day.  RJ came for breakfast, then after washing 2-1/2 days of dishes, we got a late start building.

Our new neighbors way down the canyon came to visit and we had a great time showing them and their two sons all around, including RJ's cabin.

Monday 6/2.  A very good weekend and now we must get to work again this morning.  We plan to finish the nesting boxes and most of the coup.  Tuesday we will go Down There for the rest of the building supplies we didn't have room for in the trailer on Saturday.  Hopefully we will be ready for the chickens by Friday, as we also want to paint the coup and need to get the chicken wire up for their run.

Thought for the day:  The best teacher one can have is necessity.  La None