August 29, 2014 Ice Cream & Gasification

Debris in the grove from squirrels & chipmunks
eating seeds from fir cones - getting ready for winter.

Wednesday 8/27.  Off to help Elsie at their store this morning.  Left in plenty of time to get a latte.  Turned out to be the perfect day to be inside enjoying the air conditioning as our high temperature at Rose Camp was 92, and it was at least five degrees higher than that Down There.

Picked up the mail along with my camera and the fire safe on the way home.  Left the 139 lb safe in the Jeep to unload in the morning.

Thursday 8/28.  Another warm day with a few clouds and a high of 86.  Got the safe in the house and moved into it's place.  Just a little bigger and heavier than I thought it would be, but actually even better.  And offering a little peace of mind.

JB was chipping his first load of branches when a visitor arrived.  A neighbor just to the west of our property who lives in town and spends many a day in the canyon.  He was doing an experiment in preparation to attending our BBQ by bringing up ice cream in a small cooler with ice and salt.  He wanted to see if he could get it up here without it getting soft.  He brought up two pints of Ben & Jerry's, and they were at least as hard as they had been when he left.  Of course he left them with us and I suggested that he really should try it a couple of more times just to be sure. . .  He stayed for a couple hours and we had a very interesting visit.  He brought up the idea of wood gasification.  It is something he has done a lot of research on and it sounds fantastic.  Basically it is using the gases from burning wood to run engines, including cars and generators.  It seems that during WWII, there were more cars in Europe running on wood gasification than gasoline because the army was using all the gasoline.  We are definitely going to look into this, especially for the generator.

I took Miss Kitty on a short drive after dinner to some neighbors, but they weren't there, so I dropped off a catalog I thought they would be interested in.  On the way back I noticed that there was a lot of smoke to the north, so there must be another fire.

Regarding the comment from a few days ago about using dryer sheets to deter mice, I have heard that and also using Irish Spring soap.  Personally, I think these myths are perpetrated by the manufacturers of whatever product is making the claim.  As far as pack rats go, I really believe that the only things that deter them are a steel trap or poison.

Friday 8/29. It is 57 and clear this morning.  JB is going Down There to run some errands and get our gas cans filled.  I may just sit on the porch with my coffee for a little longer. . .

Thought for the day: God is bigger than all of us, beyond all of us.  When I pray, I don't really pray for anything, I just try to understand God's will and do the best I can.  Harry Connick, Jr.

August 27, 2014 Play & Work

A couple deer we saw in Idaho.

Monday 8/25. Dinga started barking about 7:30 this morning and roused JB out of bed.  There was a doe and fawn ambling across the south ridge, so he let them get most of the way before letting the dogs out.  There is a fawn or two that show up regularly on our game cam.  They are just beginning to lose their spots and haven't grown into their large ears yet.

Our son got JB set up with Magic on his computer and the internet, so last night they were finally able to play on-line together.  Great fun, and they want to set up a specific night each week to play.

I am drying seeds from Claudia's spaghetti squash and JB's brother's acorn and zucchini squash so hopefully we can grow some next year.  Am also going to try tomatoes once again.

With all our water barrels full, I actually had to throw water from the dogs' dish down the drain today.  It seemed like almost a sacrilege!  I used rain water from a barrel to water the garden rather than the cistern, so I get that made up for it.  With all the onions and some of the potatoes gone, I only needed to fill my watering can three times.

I finished splitting and stacking the last of the rounds.  Turned out to be two large loads and I am a little more than 1/4 of the way into row six in the wood shed.  JB chipped two Miss Kitty loads of branches.

We left at about 5:00 pm for Larry's and Elsie's, going via my brother's cabin to drop off a couple bags of empty bottles for him to use on his outside wall.  Then it was on to the fish fry and a night of good conversation and laughter, sitting on the deck after dark and trying to identify the stars.  A couple bottles of wine always seem to make that more fun.

Tuesday 8/26. It was 59 and clear this morning, with a forecast for a cold holiday weekend.  Was a little slower day after last night. . .

The propane delivery truck arrived at our place just after we finished washing the dishes.  Seems one of our neighbors was in a panic to get more, so this year's delivery is a month early.  Even figuring out another month's worth of use, we used less this past year than we have since we have been Up Here, and that includes the years I was doing the summer laundry Down There.  Interesting. . .

JB vacuumed out the engines of both our vehicles, now that the critter is gone.  I gathered another bag of pine needles, then cleaned out the south side of the out house we had been using for storage in preparation for our BBQ.  

Now that I am done splitting the rounds, we have to wait for some more rain before we can use the chain saw to cut up the longer pieces.  The ground and foliage are drying out again.

I am going Down There tomorrow morning to help Elsie at their store so Larry can be at home for a big delivery they are expecting.  I'll be able to pick up my new camera that has arrived at our mail box, and hopefully also the fire safe we ordered.  Figured that would pay for itself in a couple years rather than using a safe deposit box.  

No clouds today and our high was 84.  That seemed awfully warm now that we have had a few cool weeks.  I can remember thinking that mid-80's seemed very comfortable, compared to the hot weather we had be experiencing.

Wednesday 8/27. It is 64 and the sky is clear this morning.  I want to get on my way by 8:45 am.

Thought for the day: The game of life is not so much holding a good hand as playing a poor hand well. H.T. Leslie

August 25, 2014 Welcome, Randy, to Mountain Life!

Wearing my Boonie hat and
splitting wood.

Storm moving in over the mountains
Saturday evening.

Friday 8/22. It is so nice to have to put on a flannel shirt to go feed the girls in the morning, and to snuggle under a blanket at night.  But, of course, to enjoy this we are experiencing shorter days and longer nights.  Now darkness is quickly descending by a little after 8:00 pm.  Oh well, I'm also getting back into watching a movie mind set.  Hastings had a great on-line sale of 50% off used DVD's and I took full advantage of it.

The pack rat is back in JB's Jeep, having built another nest in the engine.  Thankfully, he doesn't like my Jeep.  I guess we will have to get some new poison.  Hopefully this isn't some kind of hybrid rat. . .

JB chipped three Miss Kitty loads of branches, slowly working his way up the drive.  I split and stacked four wheel barrow loads of firewood.

Clouds floated over all day, but most of them marched to the north like they did yesterday.  That storm caused mud slides and washed a lot of debris into the Okanogan River.  That area to the north of us usually gets much more severe weather than we do.  Our high for the day was a very comfortable 70.

Pine needles have begun to fall.  I collected a big bag of them after dinner - my favorite fire starter.

The clouds switched direction and started coming in to us from the east at about 7:00 pm.  Rain was falling by 9:00 pm.  This all happening while we were watching Monte Walsh, one of our favorite westerns.

Saturday 8/23.  It was 54 and clear this morning. Ding(a) Dong, the Pack Rat is Dead!!  Dinga caught it first thing and it was quickly dispatched. 

Randy arrived at his new northern Idaho mountain home a few days after Nene and I left.  And, like JB and I during our first few months Up Here, he is feeling the panic of being ready for winter.  But he is also thrilled to be there.  Welcome to The Life, Randy!

There is an excellent article in the Sept/Oct issue of BackWoods Home magazine entitled "The State of Freedom in America."  Also "Homestead Medical Supplies."  The current issue of Countryside also has an excellent article, "Homesteading Prep Must-Haves."  It lists some items I never would have thought of.  I also love Countryside because it is always a good source for my "Thought for the day."

Today I got started before lunch and was able to split and stack six wheel barrow loads of fire wood.  I have now completed the fifth row and started on the sixth.  Wish we lived closer to Randy and could give some firewood to him as we will probably have enough for two years, while he is scrambling to get any in.

JB got one load of branches chipped before he got a major jam and had to take the chipper apart to get it out.

Such a great evening, we just sat on the porch and enjoyed it.

Sunday 8/24. It was 57 and partly cloudy this morning.  After our Sunday Breakfast, I got on the computer to send some email only to discover that there had been a 6.0 earthquake near Napa, CA.  And that is very close to Santa Rosa where my BFF, Sandy, lives!  I called and left a message.  Being able to do that meant that her electricity was on, so that was a good sign.  She called back about 1/2 hour later and all is well.  It woke her up at 3:30 am, and she drove to Sonoma to check on her Mom and Aunt, but all is well with them too.  Just some pictures askew and little items knocked over.

Dark clouds and thunder began moving in from the southwest around 10:00 am.  As often happens, the worst of it broke off still going east, but to the north and south of us.  JB was off in Miss Kitty to check things out around noon.  We only got a few sprinkles, but we continued to hear thunder until about 2:00 pm when everything had moved on.  More towering thunder clouds threatened to fill the blue sky left behind, but they soon either dissipated or moved way to the south.  Our high for the day was 69.

After a slow Sunday morning, I split and stacked three loads of firewood.  We had to move the bale of straw that was in the wood shed down into the tipi so I could work on that sixth row.  The bale fit just perfectly in the back of Miss Kitty, and will go in the hen house when the weather gets cold.  JB had a crick in his back, so he took the day off.

The evening before I left for Idaho, we heard the first small cricket in the evening.  By the time I returned, the whole symphony had arrived.  A very pleasant indicator of Fall.

I read that new magazine, Permaculture, and we will definitely be subscribing to it.  Great ideas, especially a wicking box garden that only needs to be watered every two to four weeks!

Monday 8/25.  It is 54 and clear this morning.  We are going down to Larry's and Elsie's this evening for a fish fry.  Oh, yum!!  I baked a chocolate zucchini cake yesterday to take for dessert.

Thought for the day: America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.  Abraham Lincoln

August 22, 2014 Cooler Days & Nights

Jesse enjoying our cooler weather.

Wednesday 8/20.  On the road to Down There at 8:30 am and home by 1:00 pm.  The clouds had cleared by the time I arrived in town, I wished I had worn shorts instead of jeans.  At least the stores are air conditioned. . .  Our high for the day was only 77, while theirs was 86.

I finally found a hat to wear Up Here at Costco.  It's a Booney hat with 100 SPF protection.  It is so comfy and doesn't make my head sweat.  Since menopause, I don't perspire, I sweat like a wrestler.

When favorite actors pass on, it always leaves such a big hole in my heart.  Three of my favorites gone in just the past few weeks: James Garner, Loren Bacall and, worst of all, Robin Williams.  Time magazine had a tremendous tribute to Robin that brought tears to our eyes as both JB and I read it.  Such a guy who gave so much and bore so much emotional pain in his life.  My favorite movies of his: Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, and The Birdcage.  Goodnight, Little Prince.

Thursday 8/21. The day began with a clear sky and a temperature of 56.  Was a very pleasant day with a high of 80 and a cool breeze.  JB thoroughly vacuumed out the engine of his Jeep to get rid of the pack rat nest.  Seems it has moved into my Jeep. . .  There must be more than one of them, as the poison is being eaten and there is still one around.  They are so cute that when we first saw them up here five years ago, I didn't want to get rid of them.  But the damage they cause more than out weighs their cuteness.  Bye bye, pack rats.

I re-potted the aloe plant I bought yesterday.  Then dug out one of the drainage canals on the north side of the house.  Thunder storms were in the forecast for this evening, but it looks like they all went north of us.  We did hear a few claps in the distance and could actually smell the rain, but our skies remained fairly clear.

We received a new magazine in the mail, Permaculture.  It seems that BackWoods has gone out of business and our subscription will be fulfilled with this new one which is published in the UK.  It came in a thin, white envelope that looks like plastic but is made out of potato starch and is 100% biodegradable and compostable.  How cool is that!  If the inside is as interesting as the outside, we may just subscribe, even though it is only printed quarterly.

Friday 8/22. This morning is 57 with clear skies.  We need to clean up the rest of the branches from the trees we felled, so JB is going to do more chipping.  When the splitter is in the shade, I'll get started on the rounds.

Thought for the day: Don't worry if you make waves just being yourself. The moon does it all the time.

August 20, 2014 Snakes, Pack Rats & Worst Buy

Tuesday's (headless) timber rattler in
 the wood shed.

Yours truly ready for JB & the chainsaw.

Monday 8/18. Yes, I am definitely more of a sit-on-the-porch-with-my-coffee person in the morning.  This after feeding the girls and the dogs.  The humming birds are gone, so that chore is over for the year.

Right after breakfast we cut the last two trees into rounds.  JB used the tractor bucket to take them to the splitter.  I cut branch wood, and JB used the chipper for the small branches down the driveway.  He will work his way back up to the yard.

I created and printed out the invitations to our almost-annual Rose Camp Picnic and BBQ for this year.  Will mail them when I go Down There on Wednesday.

Rain was in the forecast, but all the big, fluffy thunder clouds went to the west and north of us.  Our high for the day was 89, but mostly is was in the low 80's.

Last year when we were on vacation in Maryland, I bought a small Canon camera at Best Buy because I had left mine in the car in Seattle.  I also bought an extended warranty.  No one mentioned that I had to come into one of their stores in person if I had a problem with my camera.  The closest Best Buy is 100 miles from Wenatchee.  I have encountered the worst possible customer service from them and the Geek Squad.  I can safely say that I will NEVER even enter one of their stores again, let alone buy anything from them.  'Nuff said.  Anything else would be too profane. . .  My fault for not reading the small print.

There is another dead pack rat in the shop, so we had at least three of them as the one in JB's Jeep is still alive and well.  Shouldn't last too much longer as it is obvious that he has been nibbling on the poison.

Tuesday 8/19.  It was 62 and cloudy with a cool breeze this morning.

It was very difficult to get out of bed this morning, as at 7:00 am I was deep in the middle of a very realistic dream.  I get those quite often and it is very hard to shake them off.  They are usually about family with whom I am no longer in touch.  My mother was fanatic about staying in touch with family and friends.  She would remember everyone's birthday, and always sent myriads of Christmas cards, if not always on time.  She never realized that sometimes people (friends or family) are not always a permanent part of one's life, but may just be passing through.  I still morn for broken family relationships and often wonder how their lives are going.  These dreams bring this back very strongly.

After washing two days' worth of dishes, I cut JB's hair.  Then we pulled two trees' worth of branches up from the side of the ridge where they had fallen.  JB chipped three Miss Kitty loads of the smaller ones, while I cut the larger ones into fire wood.  Each snip of a large branch feels equal to a rep with weights.  I never did this many reps in two days even when I was working in the fitness industry!

I went to stack the branch wood in the wood shed, and as I opened the gate I saw a timber rattler.  Oh, Sh*t!  I ran for my snake stick.  When I got back he was coiling and rattling.  I told him he could do that all he wanted, but I was still going to cut off his head.  Which is just what I proceeded to do.  And then cut off his seven buttons (rattles).  He was about 2-1/2' long and 1-1/2" in width.  I suddenly wasn't tired any more and got that wood stacked in short order.  One look at me carrying that snake to fling over the ridge, and Jesse was down the road by JB.

I took a short nap while JB relaxed with a Magic card game on his computer.  Then the dogs and I left for our afternoon walk.  We barely got started when Dinga dropped her stick and ran back from the edge of the west ridge.  Jesse wouldn't even go near it.  I thought they were just smelling the snake I had tossed off the the edge, but then out of the corner of my eye I caught movement, and then heard the telltale "buzzing."  I thrashed the area with my stick until I finally saw the snake move.  A brown prairie rattler this time.  I finally cut it's bobbing head off, but it only had two buttons, so I didn't even bother with them.  Meanwhile, Jesse was telling himself that two snakes in one day was just too many and he took off down the road.  Dinga and I continued on our walk, but Jesse was still gone when we got back home.  I called him for dinner, but he was no where to be seen.  So I fed Dinga and was about to go looking for him with Miss Kitty, when he came panting up the drive.

JB opened a bottle of wine to have with the pork chops he was cooking for dinner, but I was almost ready for my second glass by the time the chops were done.  I'm sure Jesse would have wanted some too, had I offered. . .

And on top of this, I had e-mailed my sister-in-law yesterday to see if she could possibly stop by Best Buy to pick up my new camera.  I was told they could not fix the one that JB had dropped off when he was staying with his Mom several weeks ago and that some one would have to come in person to get the new one.  They could not mail it.  She called to say she was at the store and we discussed which new one I wanted since they did not have one at the same price (of course).  That settled, it seems that the extra warranty I paid for the first one and should last through 2016, does not apply to the new one.  They wanted to know if I would want an extended warranty on this new one, but what I wanted to tell them would have melted both my and my sister-in-law's phones.  She did get a new phone for me and will have to mail it as the store would not.  I can honestly say that I have NEVER encountered such poor customer service anywhere.

I am going Down There tomorrow for grocery shopping - starting my winter re-stock.  I should probably put a caveat on the picnic invitations I'll be mailing about the five snakes we have had this summer. . . 

Oh, yes - on top of everything else, I have been called for jury duty in September. . .

Wednesday 8/20. It is 57, mostly cloudy and windy this morning.  Hopefully it will be a nice, cool day Down There.

Thought for the day: Sometimes you're the windshield. Sometimes you're the bug.

August 18, 2014 Fire Wood & Onions

The longer pieces of the trees. . .

. . . and the rounds.

Friday 8/15. JB left for Down There at 8:00 am.  Everything is muddy and/or soggy, but who cares?!!  It's cool!  And there's not nearly as much fire danger.

I got busy after blogging and did not go on a morning walk.  I am just going to have to face the fact that I am no longer a morning person.  I am not going to get up and go for an early morning hike unless I am visiting Claudia.  Don't want to let an 85-year-old show me up. . .  But at home I will get my exercise later in the day.

JB had dug up all the onions on Wednesday, so I braided the rest of them.  They are supposed to be hung in a dark, cool place, so I hung them above our dresser in the bedroom.  We keep that room as cool as possible and that is the darkest corner.  I hope it works.

JB was home by noon and after lunch we went to work on the trees we had felled.  JB sawed them into 6 - 8 foot pieces.  I took two loads in Miss Kitty to where the new cradle will be.  We worked for about an hour until it looked like we were going to get rained on.  Just as we got in the house, the first rain drops fell and we heard some far-off thunder.

I love to sit out on the porch while it is raining, which is what I did in order to cool off.  JB lay down for a nap and I soon followed him.  The shower only lasted about twenty minutes and there wasn't any more thunder.

The girls have given us an egg a day since I got home, and that's about what they did while I was gone.  However, we got two today.

Our high for today was 70.  A very pleasant day.

Saturday 8/16.  It was 56 and clear this morning, with warmer temps in the forecast.

Dinga was acting like there was a critter in JB's jeep, so we opened up the hood and there was a nest!  I took it apart and JB put in a piece of poison, so hopefully that will take care of the problem.  I saw the critter and it is definitely a pack rat.

We got out right after breakfast and felled eight trees along the north ridge and by the tipi.  One large one got hung up on some others and we had to pull it with JB's jeep to get it to fall down.  I did some limbing.

Our high for the day was 75 and clouds moved in as the day wore on.  Last night cooled of nicely.  It felt so good to finally pull the covers up instead of kicking them off.  And today was that summer day that quietly whispers, "Fall is just around the corner."

Sunday 8/17.  It was 59 and clear this morning.  With warmer temps promised, we went out to work right after our big Sunday breakfast.  JB made eggs with an heirloom tomato from his brother's garden and O'brien potatoes fresh from our garden.

JB cut one large tree and one smaller tree into rounds.  I finished limbing them all and cut some of the larger branches into fire wood.  JB used the tractor to haul the rounds to the splitter, and the longer pieces to the pile we had started yesterday.  We were done - and done in - by 1:30 pm.  By then it was 81 outside, but with a nice breeze.

As tired as I was, I couldn't put off vacuuming any longer.  I should have done it yesterday, but the sky clouded over.  Today there was plenty of sun, and the ground is drying out.

Monday 8/18. This morning is 64 and clear.  We want to get the rest of the trees cut and cleaned up before it gets too hot.  JB wants to start chipping the branches, too.

Thought for the day: The justification and purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent error and discover truth. There may be other ways of detecting error and discovering the truth than that of free discussion, but so far we have not found them. Henry Steele Commager

August 15, 2014 Rain, Rain, Wonderful Rain!

My quilted girl!

Wednesday 8/13. Fog wafted in and out all morning, and our high for the day was 72.  A great day for working outside, which is exactly what we did.  I planted the yellow raspberry starts that Claudia had given me.  They are the most delicious raspberry I have ever tasted and have taken their place next to peaches as my favorite fruit.  Then I dug up and split my irises which have become quite prolific.  I replanted some by the garden where they had been, and planted more along the edge of the gravel near the lilac bush.

After lunch we cut down five small trees near the north ridge to continue thinning them out.  I limbed two of them and saved the rest for later.  I really needed to restack the row of wood that had fallen over in the wood shed.  It was a very solid row and I was positive that some critter must have gotten in there and caused the problem.  Sure enough, I found pack rat poop.  Something has died in the shop, so I can only hope it was the culprit.

We heard distant thunder about 4:00 pm, which gradually became not-so-distant.  The lightening was fairly close, so after dinner JB drove Miss Kitty out to check for strikes.  Thank goodness the land was so wet with all the rain we had received.  The thunder began again after 10:00 pm and lasted most of the night, going to the north and east of us.  But the dogs were pacing and JB could not sleep.  He ended up going into the living room at about midnight.  About five minutes after he sat on the couch, the dogs settled down and went to sleep.  Unfortunately he could not.  When the thunder finally passed at about 4:00 am, he came back to bed and slept in til 9:30 am.

The hikes I took with Claudia really got me going, so I took the dogs for a hike up to the peak, and hope to do that every morning.

There are signs in the area where Claudia lives stating that your are in grizzly bear habitat.  That's a little scary, but she and her neighbors have only seen black bears.  Years ago Claudia had a malamute named Bear.  One night she went to call him in to the mud room.  It was dark and she saw him just off the small porch.  She called to him but he wouldn't come.  She called again, and just then Bear barked from out in the yard.  It wasn't Bear that she saw - it was a bear!  Her neighbor had one raise up and look in their screen door when their back door was open.  So glad he at least had the screen door closed!

Thursday 8/14.  It was 56 and cloudy this morning.  We already have more than 1.25" of rain for August.  That has to be some kind of record. 

I went on my morning walk again with the dogs before breakfast.  Very invigorating, but not nearly so much as Claudia's.

After breakfast we drove Miss Kitty out to look for "sleepers".  Since it is so wet, if lightening strikes a tree it can just smolder for a while until it goes out or bursts into flame.  We didn't see any smoke, but sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference from the little fog/cloud fingerlings that were everywhere.  JB showed me some new roads that Larry had shown him while I was gone.  On our way back home, we dug out three drainage ditches, the biggest one being at our hair-pin corner.

We had rain and fog off and on all day, and our high was just 62.  I did a load of laundry, but hung it inside.

After dinner JB suggested we have a campfire under the cover of the baker tent.  So we carried out some wood and our wine, and did just that.  What a great evening! 

Friday 8/14. It is cloudy an 59 this morning.  JB is going Down There to get an estimate for the insurance on his Jeep.  Some critter chewed the wires to his front right turn signal and light.  He is also running a few errands including buying spigots for our three "new" water barrels and pipe to connect a couple of them.

More rain is in the forecast for today, but the weekend is supposed to be nice.

Thought for the day: Public apathy is more powerful than public opinion. There's more of it. Dr. Jim Boren

August 13, 2014 More of the Story

A view from the top of Claudia's walk. . .

. . . and back down they go.

Tuesday 8/12. Spent a lot of the day putting my trip paraphernalia away, doing laundry, reading newspapers and magazines.  Just relaxing.  I did help JB adjust the solar panels down, but that was the extent of our outside chores.

Our high for the day was 85, but it was very muggy and felt warmer than that.  Could barely see the clouds moving in through the smoke, but we had several short sprinkles throughout the afternoon.  Then just before 9:00 pm the rain began falling in earnest.  A few minutes later we saw a couple lightening flashes and heard our first - and last - thunder clap.  Rain fell off and on during the night and we awoke to fog.  Lovely, lovely wet!

My brother and his son were at their cabin while I was gone and left the same day I got back.  Was so disappointed to miss them.  They had breakfast with JB on Sunday.

It was good to see our dogs and they were obviously glad to see me.  It was good to see the girls too, but I'm not sure they even knew I was gone.

Regardless of what I had said, I came back from Idaho without seeing a moose.  Every time we were out and about we saw deer and wild turkeys, but no moose.  The scenery was awesome, but just as incredible was listening to Claudia and Nene talk.  They have known each other since their late teens and now they are 85 and 88, respectively, and have shared so many experiences.  Oh, the stories I heard!  I just wish I had had a recorder, as what they were talking about is family history and really needs to be saved.  Claudia is quite the one for such projects and I suggested that she get a small pocket recorder to carry around with her.  That way whenever she thought of a story, she could record it.  If she didn't have time to type it up, at least it would be saved.

One story that Nene told was about when she was growing up on the ranch.  It was her Grandparents' ranch and their homes were fairly close together.  Her Grandparents had a telephone, but they didn't.  She remembers her Grandmother calling down to her Mother when she received calls of major events in the family or nation.  She especially remembers when WWII started and she yelled down, "Edna, we're at war!"

The cabbage that Claudia sent home with us from her garden was HUGE!  She was telling us about one that she gave to a friend and they all tried to guess the weight of it.  Turns out it was 8 lbs!  Nene weighed ours when we got to her house and it was "only" 4 lbs.  I can only imagine how big the other one was.

And, speaking of cabbage, I heard two different ways to cook cabbage.  The family recipe was to brown it in a pan with bacon grease.  The one that Claudia's daughter told us was to cover it with olive oil and bake it in the oven.  They both sound good, but I'll admit that the one with bacon grease is probably the one I'll try first. . .

Wednesday 8/13. The temperature was a lovely 58 this morning.  The rain had stopped falling but it was foggy.  As I sit here writing, I can see that our fog has cleared and it is all Down There.  More thunder storms are forecast for today, but hopefully they will pass us like they did yesterday.

Thought for the day: You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make. Jane Goodall

August 12, 2014 Home Again At Rose Camp

Near Claudia's home in Northern Idaho

Tuesday 8/5. I left Rose Camp at 8:30 am for Aunt Nene's home in Port Orchard.  It was an enjoyable, if warm, drive.  So good to see Nene.  She took me out to lunch and we went to dinner at Vivienne's & Larry's.  Vivienne gave me a quilted wall hanging she had made for me of a chicken - "One of Rose's Girls".  It is so beautiful and just blew me away!

Wednesday 8/6.  Nene and I were on our way at 7:00 am, just as planned.  It was another clear, hot day, and lunch in an air conditioned restaurant in Moses Lake was oh so refreshing. I had never been north of Couer d'Lane before and was fascinated to watch the forest change from pine and fir trees to a wetter combination of cedar and fir.  Not nearly as wet as the rain forests west of the Cascades, but a perfect mix of wet and dry.

We met Nene's sister-in-law, Claudia, at a store about ten miles from her place and arrived at her home at 5:30 pm.  After dinner she took us for a drive and then we came back to a desert of home made huckleberry cheese cake.  What a treat for the taste buds!

Claudia told us that we had to stay an extra day in order to attend their local "Thank God the Hayin' Done" barbecue.  So when we called JB and Nene's daughter to let them know we had arrived, we also advised them that we would be home a day later.

We ended the evening with a few very enjoyable games of Skip-Bo.  

Thursday 8/7.  Up at 7:00 am to go with Claudia and her dog, Jake, on their morning walk - one mile up and then one mile down.  Incredible views from the top of the mountain, and, of course, I took lots of pictures.  

Nene was up by the time we got back, and after breakfast we went for a drive to Randy's home.  He will be moving up from southern California next week, so I just missed meeting him in person.  

The one thing that struck me about the area is that it is so heavily wooded that you wouldn't think so many people live there.  Other than actual farms, no one has cleared out the trees to build large housing tracts.  Everyone just clears enough for the house, so it looks like there are very few people there, when in fact it is quite populated.

We drove on down to a beautiful restaurant on the side of a mountain with a little water fall coming down.  After a delightful rest and snack, we were off again and stopped at a little Mennonite store, before going back to Claudia's.  Once home again, she hand made noodles to go with the roast she had put in the oven before we left.  She had promised Nene the noodles, and we had to practically fight to get any!

After the mid-day dinner, we went on the long, back road drive to Libby, MT, stopping to see the Yaak River falls.  Such incredible country!

Back at Claudia's, it was time for more huckleberry cheese cake and games of Skip-Bo.

Friday 8/8.  Up at 7:00 am again for our walk.  This is a walk that Claudia has taken every morning that the weather would allow for the past 33 years.  And, at 85 years old, she is in fantastic shape.  She just straps on her bear spray and away she and Jake go.  Her husband passed away seven years ago and they would always take the walk together, now it is just her and Jake.  Her neighbors go with her when they are up on the weekends.

Claudia's daughter drove up from Spokane for the day and we all drove back to Montana to see Kootnei Falls near Troy.  Again, the scenery here is just amazing, as is the Kootnei River.

Off course we ended the day with more Skip-Bo and this evening our desert was home made huckleberry ice cream.  My taste buds are getting so spoiled!

Saturday 8/9. Another walk to start the day, and what a great start it is.  We drove into Bonner's Ferry and stopped at their farmer's market.  Then it was back to Claudia's where she picked some squash and cabbage for us to take home.  She has a huge garden and there was always a large bowl of yellow raspberries for us to nibble on as well as blueberries.  I don't think I have ever eaten so many fresh veggies and fruit in such a short time.

We were off to the BBQ for a dinner of smoked prime rib and a huge variety of other food.  The host provided the meat and everyone brought a dish with them.  We ate in a huge (empty) hay barn.  What a great experience!

Of course we had to end the evening with a few games of Skip-Bo, but with the long drive ahead the next day, I had to get a good, long night's sleep.

Sunday 8/10.  We left for home at 6:30 am and it was very hard to say goodbye.  Such an incredible visit.  There is a Starbucks in Bonner's Ferry, so I stopped for a latte and we were on our way.

We stopped in Spokane to see my Grandma's old house (Nene's Mother).  She and Uncle Jack used to live next door to her many years ago, but their house is gone, replaced by several new homes.

We were on the road for 12 hours, due to a slow down over the pass where we lost almost two hours.  It was very hot, even on the west side of the mountains.  But we arrived at Nene's safe and sound, and very sweaty at 6:30 pm.

Monday 8/11. After all that driving yesterday, I was in no hurry to jump up and get going again.  Nene took us out to breakfast and I was on my way at 9:45 am.  I stopped to have lunch and visit with JB's Mom, then went to his brother's to pick up a water barrel he had for us.  

It was another hot drive and there was a lot of smoke in Blewett Pass.  Once in Wenatchee, I picked up the mail and a few groceries, and was home a little after 5:00 pm.  Home!!  So good to be here.

Tuesday 8/12.  It is 66 this morning with thunder storms in the forecast for today and tomorrow.  There was a light rain for a few hours in the early morning, so the smoke has cleared a bit.

Thought for the day: The constant happiness is curiosity. Alice Munro

Aug 4, 2014 Storms & a Snake

Rubber boa snake trying to swallow a mouse!

Sunday's thunderstorm to the west

Friday 8/1. Another uncomfortably hot day with a high of 96.  No breeze until thunder clouds began arriving at about 3:00 pm.  We could hear thunder in the distance for about a half an hour but never saw any lightening.

We listened to the short wave radio as a lookout operator reported a new fire in Rainy Pass, which is west of Leavenworth and north of Hwy. 2.  Larry said he used to do a lot of backpacking in that area and it was a great place for huckleberries.

When JB went out to bring the dogs' beds in from the porch, he called to me to come out.  There, just outside the door, a rubber boa snake was in the process of eating a mouse!  It was wrapped all around the mouse with its jaws extended around the mouse's nose.  Talk about high hopes!  I didn't think there was any way that small snake was going to be able to eat that mouse, and even if it did, I wasn't sure it would be able to move afterwards.   

Saturday 8/2. It was 71 and clear this morning but with lots of smoke around.  And no snake or dead mouse on the porch.

Since it is the beginning of the month, JB is figuring all the stats for last month.  The chickens gave us 43 eggs in July, and at this point they are all laying in the little nest they have made on top of the straw bale under the nesting boxes.  Blondie still sleeps in the nesting box nearest the door, while Belinda and Betty sleep on the top roost.

Nene called and I told her about the snake.  She said when she was growing up on the ranch in Spokane Valley, one day her Dad came in and told her that there was a nest of baby birds in the hay baler.  She went out to look but all she saw was a snake with several little bumps inside it!

Clouds moved in during the morning and about noon we had a 15 minute downpour.  At about 2:00 pm thunder started rolling in very close and then overhead.  We got another downpour but still didn't actually see any lightening.  I stayed out on the porch to watch for it and then suddenly it was everywhere to the east and northeast.  There was a sudden drop in temperature of almost 20 degrees.  Then more hard rain.  Then a short hail storm.  The rain continued for a while and our little drainage stream was a flood plain.

When the storm finally passed, JB and I got in Miss Kitty to do our after-storm check.  It took about an hour, but we didn't see any smoke.  A second storm passed through after dinner with lots of thunder and lightening but little rain.  JB took Miss Kitty out again while I stayed to (wo)man the radio and talk to Larry, who was also out and about.  I talked to JB on our walkie talkies.  JB spotted smoke to the south of us and called it in to the Forest Service.  Larry also spotted it and had a better take on exactly where it was.  He also called it in.

Nothing more was spotted and no more cells passed over, but it had been a long, hot day.  Our high was 97, but at least the rain cleared the air and cooled it down.

Sunday 8/3.  It was a pleasant 67 this morning with partly cloudy skies.  And a big Sunday breakfast.

I spent most of the day putting the finishing touches on getting ready for my trip to Idaho with Nene.  It probably looks like I'm leaving for the rest of the summer, but I believe in being prepared.

I washed the inside of my Jeep and didn't realize how very dirty it was.  I am so embarrassed that I actually drove Nene and Vivienne in it!  It was filthy!  Up Here everything gets coated with dust, but even with JB having vacuumed it out, there was still dog slobber all over the windows and doors.  I am such a klutz that I tend to splash my lattes about, so there was gunk on the console between the front seats.  Well, you get the idea.  It took me a while, but it is much, much cleaner.  There will probably be a layer of dust on everything by the time I get Down There but that's just the way it is.

By mid day, large, puffy thunder clouds were forming everywhere.  During the early evening there was a lot of thunder to the west and we could see that rain was falling probably on Hwy. 97 coming in from Blewett Pass.  Fortunately for us, the storm moved to the north and did not come close to us.  I got some great photos though.

Monday 8/4.  It is 72 and clear this morning, but with smoke on the horizons.

Since I am the one who feeds the chickens, JB has to learn to do it while I am gone.  He watched yesterday and actually did it this morning.  Unfortunately, he is not as small and agile as I am, so picking up the chicken poop under their roost is a bit of a challenge for him.

He won't have to feed the humming birds as they are all gone now.  There was just one hanging around yesterday, but I took the empty feeders down, so he will be gone soon too.

I will not be taking my computer with me to Idaho, so my next blog posting will be on Monday, 8/11, and all about Nene's and my adventure.

Thought for the day: Money talks, but chocolate sings! 

August 1, 2014 Falcons, Cougars & A Rant

My braided onions hanging on the
indoor clothes lines.

Wednesday 7/30. Despite the heat, we really needed to get some work done outside.  So right after breakfast we drove Miss Kitty down our road to snip bushes and branches that were encroaching on the road.  Drove very slowly with rest stops for the dogs on the way back up as it was getting hot.  I got out and walked the last 1/3 mile with Jesse while JB drove on home as he was obviously feeling the heat.  Hot and dusty but with a light breeze.  Needless to say, it was time for a shower when I got back home.

JB got the card out of the game cam on the way back up.  There were lots of deer with a few bucks and one doe with a spotted fawn.  There was also a rather large cougar.

The little frog was back in the dogs' water bowl.  It is so cute how he just clings to the side of the bowl lowering himself down into the water then back up, over and over again.  

JB got the bird book out and we identified the bird I thought was a hawk.  It is a prairie falcon, and JB saw a pair of them fly through the yard.  The are probably Up Here since they eat other birds, and we have a lot of them.

Since the onions I pulled had been drying for a few days, I brought them in, washed them off, and braided them with string.  There are directions in a book we have and they turned out quite nicely.  I made two strings and hung them on our indoor clothes line to cure.

The wild fires exploded again in this hot, dry weather.  We could see two big plumes to the north.

Our high for the day was 103, but mainly it was in the high 90's.  This is not fun.  Am starting to get cranky again. . .  We sat out on the porch trying to cool off in the late evening breeze, watching the bats.

Thursday 7/31. It was 68 and clear this morning with smoke on the northern horizon.  JB left at 9:30 am for Down There to pick up a computer our son had refurbished and sent to him.  JB had been tracking it on line and it was delivered yesterday.  He also had a few errands to run, including looking at some heavy duty weed wackers.  We have decided that it would be more practical to get one of those that could also cut brush, than to replace our lawn mower, as there are many places where we cannot get into with the tractor.

There is an excellent article in Time magazine regarding hunger in America.  How so many families end the month with no money for food.  How so many poor neighborhoods are a nutritional desert.  How millions for children get their best meal(s) at school for free, and go hungry when the schools are closed.  And yet our government gives Billions of dollars in aid to other countries, without addressing the same problems in our own country.  And speaking of Billions, that offer of $2 Billion for a basketball team is just obscene.  I simply do not understand the priorities of greed, power and corruption.  These events get all the notoriety, but thank God (literally) that there are so many good people too.  With the fires in Washington, there has been an outpouring of help for the people whose homes have been lost.  And there are always daily stories of goodness shared.  Those are what I have to cling to.

And cling to them I do, especially in this heat since I am getting cranky again.  This is just a really nasty summer.

Friday 8/1.  It is 77 with a partial overcast this morning and absolutely no air movement.  Yuk.

Thought for the day: Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. Edmund Burke