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| Sapling rubbed by deer antlers. |
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| Frozen art along our road. |
Friday 11/14. In a rare moment of mental acuity this morning, I remembered to pour hot water down the pea trap of the washing machine before using it. Last December, during a similar arctic blast, it froze and we ended up with water all over the bathroom, kitchen and hallway floors.
Yesterday I noticed broken blood vessels in JB's right eye and today they looked worse. So after lunch I drove him down to the clinic in town. Very convenient for such circumstances when you can't get in to see your doctor and an emergency room is not quite appropriate. Turns out it is nothing to be concerned about - spontaneous ocular vein explosion (or some such term). JB is one of those lucky people who can go to sleep at night in a very healthy state and wake up the next morning with any possible number of things wrong: bloody eyes, swollen knee, sore shoulder, etc. Don't look at me! I don't kick in my sleep.
Our high for the day was 24, so the drive down and back up wasn't too chilly.
Saturday 11/15. It was 15 and clear this morning. A bit of a warming trend in in the forecast for mid week, with possible snow. I'll believe it when I see a white landscape.
The dogs have been very busy lately, chasing away either real or imagined intruders. We have actually seen some deer, and it is rutting season. . . But Jesse has been gone for more than two hours at a time, which is very unusual for him in such frigid weather. However, considering his gaseous emissions, we think he has found a kill, or perhaps made one.
Am using my sled now to bring in the fire wood. It glides across the frozen ground almost as effortlessly as it does on the snow.
This afternoon we cut up the two trees that we had dragged up the other day. Used Miss Kitty to move the rounds to the splitter. Then used her to move the two bags of chicken feed from my Jeep to the hen house. Nothing like hefting rounds and 50-lb bags to work the muscles. Although this 67-year-old can most likely attribute her defined biceps to trimming trees with the clippers.
Our high today was 25! Woo Hoo!
In reading our off-the-grid and homesteading magazines, I always feel like we could be doing more. Wish we could have started this life earlier in ours. So many things I would like to do, especially with the garden. I keep saying, "Next year", but they never get done. Hopefully next Spring. . .
Sunday 11/16. It was 17 and icy clear this morning. Beginning to sound like a broken record. Had calls from both Sandy and Randy this morning, which makes for a great day.
Randy is beginning to learn how to dress for northern Idaho. A whole new concept compared to southern California. Upon his inquiry about whether certain winter clothes were proper, I responded, to paraphrase Yoda, "Proper there is not. Only warm there is." And that is the truth. Who cares what you look like, as long as you are warm. I think his next purchase will be one of those long sock hats or possibly the sock monkey/critter hats to go with his ski pants.
The girls are giving us an egg about every other day now. I think Belinda is the main layer. When I put alfalfa pellets in their oatmeal the other day, she tried it but the other two just did a WTF dance. Okay! No more alfalfa in the oatmeal. Today Betty was doing the Monty Python crazy walk.
On the way home yesterday we saw some saplings that looked like they had had the bark either chewed off of them (porcupine) or rubbed off (deer). So after lunch we drove Miss Kitty down to take a better look and get photos. I walked part of the way with the dogs. Looks like it was deer, thank goodness. Rubbing their antlers.
Our high for the day was 25 again. One can only hope this is a trend.
Monday 11/17. Once again it is 17 and icy clear. I was up at 2:00 am to stoke the fire, and then my bladder insisted I get up again at 5:00 am. So I took JB's watch, stoking the fire and letting the dogs out. Not much sleep. Looking forward to a nice nap sometime today.
Thought for the day: I want to live a life that causes my soul to dance within my body. dele olanubi
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