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| Looking down to our house from the south ridge. |
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| Our jury-rigged battery |
Friday 11/28. I must say, I am getting very tired of all this wind. Enough already! I think our first four seasons Up Here were the only "normal" ones we have had. A hot Summer; a cool, colorful Fall; a very cold and snowy Winter; a Spring bursting with wildflowers. Since then we have not had four "normal" seasons in a row.
I worked on finishing Christmas presents this morning and wrapping them, knowing that we would be spending the afternoon working in the battery shed. We tried everything we could think of to get the bad battery out of the metal rack. The temperature started falling in the morning and kept steadily at it all day, so finally we just let the project go until tomorrow. We will just do without electricity for the night. At least the wind backed off as the air cooled.
We lit lots of candles this evening, and used our neck lights to read books.
Saturday 11/29. It was 17, overcast and foggy this morning. A light snow began to fall around 9:00 am. The snow, fog and sun were all intermittent until noon when the snow took over and we ended up with a little more than an inch. This was to be our warmest day for a while, but even NOAA isn't quite sure exactly what's going to happen.
We ended up jury-rigging the spare battery. Laid it on some wood facing the bad battery and wired it in that way. We are up and running, and the battery will probably stay that way until we get warmer weather in the Spring. It weighs about 75 lbs.
Our high temperature for the day was 29, but that couldn't have been for very long as it had already cooled back down to 15 by the time we went on our afternoon walk at 3:30 pm. I gave the girls more straw and shavings, and had to break the ice on their water several times during the day.
I finally finished the Christmas gifts and wrapping them. Also finished printing most of our Christmas cards.
Set the alarm to get up at 2:00 am and check the fire. It's going to be a cold one tonight.
Sunday 11/30. It was a frigid 7 degrees this morning with clear skies and no wind. Yes! I was still in bed a little before 8:00 am when I heard the dogs barking in the house. JB would not let them out, and then I heard a gunshot. Seems there were two coyotes on the east slope. Haven't seen or heard any in a couple years. There's nothing like a close gun report to get one out of bed, and to scatter coyotes.
I called Sandy and then Randy this morning. It is finally raining in California. Lots of snow in north Idaho and Randy used his leaf blower to get rid of the snow on his porch. Very clever.
We had decided to take today off and cook our Thanksgiving dinner. Got the small turkey in at 10:30 am, then JB started all the vehicles and ran them while I brought in fire wood. I was finally able to do my holiday cleaning, four days after the first holiday of the season. Just haven't had many clear, sunny days in which to vacuum.
JB saw a lot of rabbit tracks all over, so maybe that's why the coyotes were Up Here. . .
Frozen glitter was gently pushed off the trees by a soft breeze, making our white landscape a fairyland. Everything sparkled in the sunlight.
We ate dinner a little after 2:30 pm and got to enjoy Elsie's homemade cranberry chutney a second time, as she had sent some home with us. The chutney she made the evening before Thanksgiving, wearing her heavy coat. When they got home from work that evening, their downstairs was so full of smoke that they couldn't see one foot into the house. They opened the door and the poor dogs and cats came scampering out. It seems that when they left for work, the downstairs' wood stove was not going strong enough and ended up smoldering and smoking. Not quite as much smoke upstairs, but they had to open every window in the house and put on fans for several hours. Brrrrr!
The girls have not been finishing their oatmeal the past few days. I think my Aunt Nene may have been talking to them. She hates oatmeal from having to eat so much of it growing up. Grandma would make her sit at the table until she finished it. At least I don't do that to the girls.
With all the sleep I didn't get last night, my turkey-tummy overcame my desire for an afternoon walk. JB and Dinga went for the walk while Jesse and I napped on the couch. Because of the snow covering their clear hen-house roof, the girls were already roosting for the night when JB went to feed them their afternoon corn coming back home from the walk. I will have to get that cleaned off tomorrow.
Our high for the day was 15, and it is supposed to be like this for a few more days.
Monday 12/1. It is 8 with clear skies this morning. Going to be another frigid day.
Thought for the day: For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are. Niccola Machiavelli
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