January 30, 2015 A Dog, Two Ravens & Some Crow

Our yard of ice!

Wednesday 1/28.  I was able to get a nice early start this morning.  Got up at 7:00 am and left at 8:15 am.  As I was getting ready for the day, looking through the bathroom window, I noticed a deer just ambling along the south ridge enjoying the morning sun.  Certainly a better view than having a grey-haired, old lady staring back at me in a mirror. 

Wasn't at all pleasant spending the day in the fog, but I got all the laundry done and the errands run.  Much more fun driving back up into the sun, and I was back home by 3:00 m.  It was cold Up Here though, didn't even reach 40.

While I was gone, JB was preparing crow to eat when I got home.  I had told him that I really didn't think the well pump was working and all we were hearing  and seeing was seepage.  Seems I was right.  He told Larry on the radio this evening that he still had a couple of feathers in his teeth.  He had been working on the generator to try to figure out what was wrong, but hadn't been able to yet.

Note to self: empty the water barrels by the end of October, thereby preventing the formation of 55-gallon ice cubes.

I love the new attitude in the fight against breast cancer.  I saw a T-shirt that said: Of course they're fake.  The real ones tried to kill me!

This afternoon the short-wave radio was so quiet when we turned it on that we thought it might not be working.  We usually get "skip" all the way from Illinois, Alabama and Louisiana.  Larry came in loud and clear though, so it must have just been something in the atmosphere.

Thursday 1/29. It was 29 this morning and once again we had mountain sun and valley fog.  Very high fog today, probably up to about 3000 ft.

Lots of papers and magazines to read at breakfast this morning.  I love that!  There was an article about Homeland Security confiscating phony SeaHawks' jerseys.  What is that all about?!  Are they a threat to America?!  Unbelievable!  I know I heard something about counterfeiting now being considered an act of terrorism, but this is ridiculous.  We really need someone in the White House who actually has a brain. . .

Over the years, Dinga has made "friends" with the ravens around here.  She barks at them, and they fly down squawking their variety of calls to her.  A few days ago a couple of them were sitting on a low tree branch just talking away to her and she was replying.  I imagine it was quite an interesting conversation going on.

JB put the new fuse in Miss Kitty and we now have a functioning windshield wiper.  We checked out a few more things with the generator and just couldn't figure it out.  But just before we were ready to go to bed, JB realized that we were probably looking at this whole situation as more involved than it needed to be.  K.I.S.S. - keep it simple, stupid!  So tomorrow we will try his theory and see if it works.

I finally cut JB's hair this afternoon.  Several months overdue and now he looks much less like a fur trapper of old.

Even I could walk on top of the snow today with all the freeze/melt/freeze/melt we have had.  Our high for today was about 37, but that wasn't til about 3:00 pm and there wasn't much melting going on.  And after having written that the sun doesn't seem to have moved very far north, I noticed this afternoon that it has moved far enough so that it just barely peaks through the trees and into the loft window at about 4:00 pm.

Friday 1/30. It is 23 and we are rimed again.  The fog moved in about 10:00 pm last night and it is still here, although I can see some blue sky above us.

Thought for the day: It is much easier to get up early in the morning the night before.

January 28, 2015 Efficiency, Needles & A Birthday

Mount Baker trying to peek out from behind the
clouds to the northwest Tuesday afternoon.

Monday 1/26. I love watching Dinga outside in the winter.  This is her special time and she attacks it with such glee.  The outdoors is her snow cone and a blank canvas for snow angels.

When I first moved Up Here, I was always trying to do things in the quickest and most efficient way possible.  Well, efficient is good, but sometimes you just have to slow down and enjoy the process.  There is rarely rush and hurry at Rose Camp.  Yes, I know that part of this is because we are retired, but in the chaotic hustle and bustle of life Down There, so much is missed.

I am getting pretty good at solving "medium" sudoku puzzles on most days, but the jump to "hard" still evades me.  It requires a completely different thought process and tends to make my brain ache.  Sandy only does the hard ones and she doesn't even belong to MENSA, which seems to me to be a prerequisite.

I am noticing snow mold now in many places, but it doesn't seem to be bothering me yet.  Our high for today was 47, and we ended up with a light, partial overcast.

I made scalloped potatoes and ham for dinner this evening.  I don't particularly love to cook, but I do love to eat, so the two even out.

I actually got a lot accomplished in the loft today, especially cleaning up my crafting area that tends to accumulate things I don't have a place for.  I also vacuumed, with all the power we were pulling in.  My new vacuum is so much lighter and easier to use that I may just do this more often. . .  JB started all the vehicles and let them run a bit.  Then he made sure that Miss Kitty, MAX and the generator were full of gas.  He also spent a lot of time working on his computer.

From our perspective, the sun seems to move north more slowly during the first month after the winter solstice.  The days are certainly getting longer, but the sun doesn't look to have moved much otherwise.  The last six weeks before the summer solstice is when it really seems to quickly march north.

We finished watching the second season of Longmire this evening, and what a horrible ending!  I am going to have to find the third season on sale - SOON!

Tuesday 1/27. It was 40 and mostly cloudy with valley fog this morning.  Our high was about 45, and the brown ground is growing.  Still lots of ice on the driveway and paths, but the massive crop of fir needles really helps with the mud in a lot of places.

We pumped more water into the cistern, but we are also getting seepage from all the melt.  JB worked on Miss Kitty's windshield wiper and found a burnt fuse.  Then we cleaned the wood stove.  Always a joy.

I really like our wide windowsills, but they are quite the dust catchers and playgrounds for dust bunnies.  Of course I always notice this after I have put the vacuum away. . .

I plan to go Down There tomorrow to do laundry and get a few groceries.  Will also get fuses for Miss Kitty.

Wednesday 1/28. It is 32 with clear skies this morning.  A good day for a trip Down there.  Tomorrow is Elsie's birthday - Happy Birthday, Elsie!

Thought for the day: It takes courage to grow up and be who we really are. e e cummings

January 26, 2015 Mud & Marbles

Our early evening lights, before we start using
the electricity at about 7:00 pm

Our temporary generator set up

Friday 1/23. We spent a couple hours this morning threading wire through pvc pipes, digging out a place for the generator and then digging a ditch through the snow to the well pump.  JB attached the wires to the inverter (easier said than done) and put a plug on the other end to go into the generator.  And - viola! - it all worked!  Well, of course it did. . .

We put the wooden crate/cover over the generator, and tomorrow we will hook the other wire up to the well pump and hopefully get some fresh, clean water into the cistern.

I baked orange/cranberry quick bread with the new 1-for-1 GF flour and it turned out perfect.  JB used it for the pizza crust, but because that recipe already called for a specific GF flour, it didn't turn out so well.  Didn't stop to think about that.

We watched more Longmire and called it a night.

Our high for the day had been 32, but by 9:30 pm the fog had finally disappeared and outside had warmed up almost to 40.

Saturday 1/24. This morning was 40 and partly cloudy with valley fog.  The snow is definitely melting and our high for the day was 47.  Too warm for January.

We hooked the generator to the well pump and ran it for about an hour.  Didn't get as much water as I thought we should have, but maybe that is because we haven't pumped in a couple months.  We will run it a little every day until the cistern if full again, and hopefully the flow will increase.

Had another great chat with Jane today - so much to catch up on.  Then a little later Randy called.  He is experiencing the same warm, melty weather as we are, while Jane is getting the cold from the southern edge of the storm that is hitting the northeast.

I started another book by Dean Koontz, By The Light of the Moon.  You just can't rush through his books.  Each sentence is an absolute treat.  

Larry and Elsie drove up to play marbles this evening, and she brought us six fresh eggs.  Oh, yum!  When they left their house, the temperature was 32.  It was still 40 Up Here.  Definitely an inversion going on.  We played two games and it was a riot - so much fun!  Guys won the first one by one throw of the dice, and the gals won the second game by a loonngg way!

Sunday 1/25.  It was 45 with a partial light overcast, a light breeze, and valley fog this morning.  Record breaking warm temps are promised for the next day or two.  The sky cleared but the valley fog never did, and our high was 50.  A Spring day in January in which the brown is creeping back and most of it is mud.  Squishy, mucky mud.  But we still need to wear cleats on our boots because of all the ice.

I actually got dressed before 10:00 am today.  Even with the late night, I was up and at'em.

We threaded the wire to the well pump into pvc pipe and attached it to the pump in a more permanent fashion.  Pumped more water into the cistern and it seemed to be a better flow today.

The girls are gradually dragging more and more straw out of their hen house and into the run.  Not really sure why.  This morning when I went to feed them, for the first time I spaced out and did not latch their door shut.  Later, before we went out to work on the generator, I noticed a bird near the coup and realized it was one of the chickens.  Dinga was on the porch at the time and saw her at about the same time I did.  She simply ran down and herded it back into the hen house.  I was close behind and closed and latched the door.

I finished By The Light of the Moon, and all I can say is "WOW!"  Would love to see a sequel to this one.

Monday 1/26. It is 35 with clear skies and valley fog this morning.  JB is going to take the day off and I am going to attack the messy loft.

Thought for the day: "Give me one good reason to act my age."  Words on a T-shirt I helped Santa find for my stocking.

January 23, 2015 Dean Koontz, GF Flour, & Chickens As Pets

Dinga with her stick on the south ridge
during Thursday's afternoon walk.

Wednesday 1/21. A light overcast had formed by noon and by our 3:30 pm walk it had become quite thick, although it was above the mountains.  No precipitation today, and thankfully no wind or breeze either.  Our high was 30.

JB let the dogs out a little after 6:00 am and Jesse was gone until almost 8:00 am.  So JB had to lay on the couch and wait for him, which meant that I woke up to a very crabby husband.

I dug some plastic pipe out from 18" of snow in which to run the wire through from the generator to the battery room, and also to the well pump.  Also had to chip the ice from in front of the wood shed gate, then hen house door and the door to the garbage/recycle shed.

JB's youngest brother and his wife sent us a 5 lb. bag of Krusteaz's All Purpose GF flour which can be substituted 1-for-1 for wheat flour.  Bob's Red Mill also has developed this, but we hadn't tried it yet.  Am anxious to see the results because even though I use their All Purpose GF flour now 1-to-1, the final result is not always as good as with wheat flour.  I've got to get baking!

No eggs again today, and in answer to the two comments, we do plan to get some pullets this Spring.  But I doubt we will be able to put down these three chickens.  They have become pets, and as pets, they are certainly the cheapest to have around.  We have considered the solar light with a timer, and may look into that.

We can tell there has been a lot of critter traffic on the south ridge by all the deer and cat(s) tracks.  The cat is probably a bobcat as it is light enough to walk on top of the crust on the snow.  The dogs can do that in certain places if they are very careful.  Lots of deer tracks on the north ridge also.

Regarding the hockey game, I should have mentioned that with JB being from Chicago, he has always been a big hockey fan.  He introduced me to the game when we were dating in the late 1960's.  We would go to games in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., and at that time there was glass only at the ends of the rink behind the nets!  In the 1990's we had season's tickets to the Tacoma Rockets and then the Seattle Thunderbirds.  And we were fortunate enough to attend a Chicago Blackhawk's game in 2007 before we left Illinois.

Today I was finally ready to read another Dean Koontz book, so after dinner I started Breathless.  An hour passed before I was aware of the time.  His books just draw me into a different world.  I could read any one of them in just one sitting, ignoring everything I should be doing, but I don't because I can't let them end so quickly!

In talking to Larry on the radio this evening, he was complaining that the large flock of quail they have at their place is running them out of chicken food!  As soon as he gives the girls their corn and then leaves the coup, the quail come running.  The chickens don't care, but then they don't have to pay for the feed.

Thursday 1/22. It was 27 and overcast this morning with snow forecast for later today.  Fog rolled in about noon, but sank down to fill the canyons and valleys.  

The temperature rose above freezing, and because there was just a thin crust on part of the roof, it was simply dripping and slipping off.  Our high for the day was 35.

A peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch, followed by a brownie.  Yum!  Shades of Elvis Presley.

After lunch we shoveled ditches in the snow in which to run the pipes for the electrical cords to the generator, which we will be moving closer to the well pump.  We had planned on doing more, but then it started raining (as opposed to the snow we were supposed to get). By the time for our walk, the sky was mostly blue and the fog was still down below.

Had lots of time to read our books today, and I finished mine.  Just couldn't make it last any longer.  So good!

Friday 1/23. It is 25, we are in the clouds and our world is white with rime.  Another storm is on its way.

Thought for the day: "Never fear the future. Whatever happens, the future is the only way back. . ."
                               "The only way back to what?. . ."
                               "Back to where we belong forever. . . The future is the one path out of time and into eternity."   Dean Koontz, Breathless

January 21, 2015 No Eggs & A Flat Tire

Our girls, looking good.
That's Blondie out in front.

Monday 1/19. The west side of every tree was plastered with snow from the blizzard yesterday, but there wasn't much snow on the branches.  We only received about two inches of snow, and what was melting is now frozen again.

Little white puffs broke off from the cloud bank sitting over the mountains, and floated across the sky all day.  Lots of sunshine and our high for the day was 35.

I cut out some great sounding recipes from the current Taste of Home magazine, including some for tasty treats.  Made a ground beef (I used turkey) stew that included canned tomatoes.  I love fresh, home-grown tomatoes but am not a fan of canned, however the stew turned out pretty good.

The girls were awfully noisy this morning and I thought for sure that we would get at least one egg, but no such luck.  I told them that in return for their food and shelter, they really needed to get busy and lay some more eggs. . .

JB plowed the road after lunch, one time down and back.  No problems getting stuck this time.

I completely forgot to note that a couple days ago on our afternoon walk, a bald eagle flew right over us, not 20 feet away!  So awesome that I completely forgot to get out my camera.

Larry told us that the missing showshoer was found Sunday morning a couple canyons to the west of us.  She was suffering from a little hypothermia, but nothing serious.  I think the deputy who was using the GPS device to ping her cell phone must have been holding it backwards and was going east instead of west. . .

We watched The Hurt Locker this evening.  Not quite what I expected, but very good.

Tuesday 1/20. It was 28 this morning with a clear sky.  JB left for Down There at 9:45 am.  A bit of a late start, but he didn't have many time-consuming things to do.  He was mainly going down to get the gas cans filled.  With Miss Kitty and the gas generator, we are using a lot more than usual.  However his plans completely changed with the discovery of a flat tire on his Jeep.  He was going to change it, then come back home and go back down tomorrow but didn't have the adapter to get the spare off.  So he used Larry's air compressor to fill the flat and the drove straight to Les Schwab's.  Turns out there was nothing wrong with the tire.  The seal seems to be compromised.  Not sure how that can be fixed.  Anyway, it was a long day for him and he didn't get home til a little after 4:00 pm.

With all the solar power coming in, I vacuumed and did a lot around the house using that power.  Also took a short nap.  Love my naps!

No egg again from the girls.  Maybe Betty was just practicing last week.

The stars are so bright on these clear winter nights.  So much crisper than in the summer.

We started watching the second season of Longmire this evening.  So good!

Wednesday 1/21. It is 29 with blue mountain skies and valley fog this morning.  Another beautiful day, Up Here at least.

Thought for the day: Worry is like a rocking chair - it keeps you moving but doesn't get you anywhere. Corrie ten Boom

January 19, 2015 Snow, Hockey & A Missing Snowshoer

Perfect 5-point antler shed that Dinga found.

Rabbit tracks near the chicken coup.

Friday 1/16. We had actually received 5"-6" of snow last night.  Hard to tell exactly with the wind sculpting it.  Erasing all our tracks from yesterday for a new beginning.  The wind was gusting to 11 mph most of the day til late afternoon.

Right after breakfast JB got the snow blower out, much to Dinga's delight.  After lunch we cleared the snow off the roof of the girls' house, then JB took Miss Kitty down to plow the road.  Again he had issues where our road meets the mail canyon road and it took him a half an hour of shoveling to get out.  It can be very easy to get pulled into the snow on the side of the road.

The Feb/Mar issue of Cowboys & Indians has the results of their annual photo contest and is phenomenal!  The Spring issue of Capper's Farmer is another good current magazine.

I really was surprised that Elsie had never been to a hockey game.  I somehow assumed that attending at least one hockey game was mandatory if one lived north of the Oregon/California border, in the mid-west or the northeast.  Well, I guess tomorrow night will be her one hockey game. . .

Saturday 1/17.  It was 24 and overcast with some nasty weather in the forecast for later today: snow, sleet, frozen rain, etc.  Should be arriving just about the time we leave for Larry and Elsie's to go to the hockey game.

Snow fell from about 9:30 am til 1:30 pm and then turned to sleet.  We have 38" so far this season, but we really need a couple feet more.

JB plowed the road up and around the south ridge after lunch, then took the plow off Miss Kitty for our drive down this evening.  We had an early dinner, filled the wood stove, and left a little after 5:00 pm.  It was still sleeting and we had quite a time cleaning off the windshield.  Had to stop a couple times for me to clear it off as we drove down since the windshield wiper has stopped working.

The hockey game was a lot of fun, even though the Wenatchee Wild lost in a shoot-out.  I think it was a bit noisy for Larry and Elsie though.  It is good to visit the world in which we used to live, but I wouldn't want to linger there.

The rain falling in town soon turned to sleet as we drove up the paved canyon road and we heard on the radio about a missing snowshoer in the area.  When we arrived at our private road turn-off, there was a police SUV there.  He was waiting for the sheriff as the missing person's phone was pinged right at about where RJ's cabin is!  So we left the gate open and when we got to Larry and Elsie's, Larry took off in their UTV to go up to the cabin the back way.  As we drove home, we looked for tracks but never saw any.  Larry didn't find a sign of anyone on the way to or at the cabin.  After arriving back home and calling us on the radio, he drove back down to the pavement, but the police and sheriff had already left.  By then it was midnight and we all figured they had found her or relocated the search.

Sunday 1/18. The temp was 40, the skies were blue and the wind was gusting to 38 when I got up at 8:00 am.  I fed the girls and the dogs, then was back in bed at 8:40 am for another two hours.  Between the wind, the snow and ice roaring down from the roof, and the fact that we did not get to bed until almost 1:00 am, there was just no way I could stay up.  JB lay down for his two-hour nap at about 11:30 am.

The wind had created a thick, crunchy crust of ice on the snow that was very noisy to walk on, but everything under it was very melty.

In the Jan/Feb issue of Home Power, Kathleen Jarscke-Schultze has a very interesting article on a new version of an older solar oven.  May have to look into that.

The wall of snow that had been hiding the mountains all day finally blew into Rose Camp - horizontally - a little before 3:00 pm.  Just minutes after we came inside from clearing the snow and ice off of the hen house roof, shoveling out the wood shed gate and around the generator.  We got a couple of inches of snow/ice yesterday, and now this storm.  When it began, the temperature was about 35, but that soon fell to freezing and we had quite a blizzard going on for a few hours.  But this is good.  We need the snow.

This evening when we talked to Larry on the radio, he told us he had been up til 4:30 this morning helping to look for the missing girl.  The sheriff and another guy came up on snowmobiles and Larry went out with them.  Either the GPS device they were using was faulty or a deer had swallowed her phone and was wandering the canyon.  Don't know that they ever found her.

Go Seahawks!  They are on their way to a second Superbowl in as many years!

We finished watching season four of Warehouse 13.  It just gets better every year.

Monday 1/19. This morning is 30 with blue sky and a light winds.  JB will probably plow the road today.  I certainly hope we get some good news about the missing girl.

Thought for the day: Snowmen fall from heaven unassembled.

January 16, 2015 More Rime & An Antler Shed

Rime on the lantern. . .

Rime on the chicken wire. . .

Rime on the branches and clothes lines.

Wednesday 1/14. One of the perks about being retired is being able to say: "Oh, look - it's 11:00 am!  I guess I better get dressed!"  The morning after bringing up five newspapers and a stack of magazines is usually the day when I say it.

JB has spent the last couple months reading almost all the books written by Brad Thor.  And I found at least half of them at the Salvation Army thrift store.  Love that place!

By the time I did get dressed, our fog had given way to a high cloud ceiling, although the fog did stay in the valleys for the day.  And the ceiling kept going up and down, as it has been for the past few days.

Our world is completely rimed.  A fragile white that lets more color show through of whatever object it is on than snow does.  A seemingly weightless web of crystal.

It didn't even occur to me this New Year's Day to make any resolutions.  So that was obviously my resolution - not to make any.  Works for me.  I never like to disappoint myself anyway. . .

Betty gave us another egg today.  She kicked most of the straw and shavings out of the nesting boxes, then made three little nests in the straw underneath, and that is where she is laying the eggs.  So today I had to re-line the boxes with straw and shavings, and put a little more straw on their floor.

Our high for the day was 25 and the sun is still hiding.

Thursday 1/15. It was 24 and we were still in the clouds this morning.  The rime continues to grow its crystals, some almost 2" long now.  Everything outside is white.

Dinga found a perfect shed antler and brought it into the yard.  I had to coax her with a treat to get it from her.  Must be fairly new as there are still spots of blood on the end.  Almost looks like an elk antler.  Will show it to Larry and see what he thinks.  It is beautiful!

We put the plow back on Miss Kitty as there is snow in the forecast for tonight.  It began falling fairly heavily just before 3:00 pm for a little more than a half an hour.  From then on it was just in fits and spurts.

Last time he was Down There, JB traded his hockey gift certificate from Larry and Elsie for four tickets to this Saturday's Wenatchee Wild game.  We will drive down to their place and go in their pickup together.  They have never been to a hockey game before!  Looking forward to it.

Friday 1/16. It is 25 and windy with clear skies.  JB is getting dressed to go clear the panels and measure the snowfall.  It looks like we got about 3" over night.  But the sun is back!

Thought for the day: Since when do you have to agree with people to defend them from injustice? Lillian Helman

January 14, 2015 Rime & Pogonip & An Egg

(No photo today as my internet connection is too slow.)

Monday 1/12. Valley fog to the south kept trying to sneak into Rose Camp most of the morning, but by mid afternoon it had receded and the skies were blue.  There were rabbit tracks all around the chicken coup this morning when I went out to feed the girls.  Betty gave us our first egg of the New year today!

I emailed Jane, giving her my phone number, and she called!  I was so excited that I just blabbed on and on.  Was so great to talk to her again after 38 years.

Talked to Randy on Sunday.  All the snow that was sitting on their tiered roof came thundering down and took out their satellite dish.  Without the internet he is dead in the water as he uses it a lot more than we do.  So, in true mountain fashion, he got out the duct tape and rope and fixed it!  I really want to see a photo of that.

Tuesday 1/13. It was 27 and we were socked in with pogonip (frozen fog) this morning.  As I was getting ready to leave for Down There, a very fine snow began to fall.  I had to spray a de-icer on the windshield but it didn't do much good.  For the first mile or so I just had a 2"X10" vertical strip through which to see.  The lower I got, the less fog there was.  By the time I reached Larry and Elsie's, my windshield was completely clear.  It was a long day as I left at 9:00 am and was back home at 4:00 pm.

Everything Up Here was so heavily rimed that it looked like snow.

Still watching Warehouse 13 and loving it, although towards the end of the second episode I could hardly keep my eyes open.

Wednesday 1/14. This morning the temp is 20 and again we are fogged in.  About 1/2" of snow fell early this morning and more is forecast for Thursday and the weekend..  I should be able to get some great photos of the heavy rime today.

Thought for the day: Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.  Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill

January 12, 2015 Rime & Fog & MAX

Oooops!!

Rime on the dry grass.

Friday 1/9.  Fog clung to the canyons and valleys all day.  Just another reason why I love being Up Here.

Speaking of being Up Here, the first few years were filled with projects inside and out, new discoveries, and a whole new learning curve.  Now that we are into our seventh year, we have settled into a mountain way of life.  I don't wake up with the same kind of excitement as I did in the beginning, but more of a contentment.  Still have projects.  Still making discoveries.  And it may not be as interesting to read about, even though I still seem to have a lot to write about.

Talked to our son and it seems that our daughter-in-law refuses to cook him squirrel brains from the recipe in the Duck Dynasty Cookbook we gave her for Christmas.  Just don't understand it. . .  He wears his Duck Dynasty boxers.

No sun today except for the few times it was able to peek through the clouds before noon.  Our high for the day was 35.  I defrosted the fridge and freezer this morning.  JB drove MAX down our road in hopes of packing down a couple problem corners.  It didn't work out like he had hoped, as MAX is much lighter than Miss Kitty and its weight is more evenly distributed along the tracks.  Having ridden in Miss Kitty's enclosed cab all winter, he forgot how cold it can be in MAX.  He did dress more warmly, but obviously not enough.  I fixed us some hot chocolate when he returned and he drank it standing by the wood stove.

We finally made pizza for dinner tonight.  I went out to turn on the generator so JB could use the big mixer, then we let it run til after dinner.

Watched The Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again and laughed til our stomachs hurt.  The tour is made of of Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy.

Saturday 1/10. It was 25 and foggy this morning.  A good day for attacking inside projects I've been putting off.  Like filing.  Or, more accurately, organizing all the articles I cut out of magazines and newspapers.  I will have to live to be 100 in order to read all the books about which I have cut out information.  Or use all the products that sound interesting.

As with so many other things, the weather also determines what time of day we wash the dishes.  Normally, when we have clean water and do our laundry at home, we do them while the generator is running for the washing machine.  Now that we are doing the laundry Down There, we wash the dishes in the morning if there is enough solar power, or in the evening when we need the generator to charge the batteries, as we did today.  With one low battery in the bank, the main problem is keeping the charge.  Where as before we could go for a few cloudy days without using the generator, now it needs to be done every cloudy/foggy day.

The fog engulfed us all day today, and our high was 27.  The snow is gone from the trees, and now they are being rimed in white, along with all the bushes and tall grass.  Rime so delicate with its tiny, crystal webs.

Note to self: Next time the pathways melt into slush, shovel them off so they do not turn into skating rinks when it freezes again.

We started watching the third season of Warehouse 13, from the Sci-Fi channel.  One of the DVDs our son gave us for Christmas.  Very entertaining.

Sunday 1/11. It was 29 and overcast this morning.  We received a dusting of snow at about 6:30 am and it looks like more is on the way.  That 29 degrees was actually our high for the day.

I plan to go Down There on Tuesday to do laundry and some grocery shopping.  Now that we have Miss Kitty, I don't feel the need to stay Up Here for four to five months during the winter.  I can drive her down just fine, thank you very much.

Every day after she eats breakfast, Ding goes outside for her morning bark.  We think she is telling all the critters to stay away.  We rarely look to see if there is actually anything out there.  However, should Jesse also bark, we know for sure that there is something close by.  He doesn't bark at deer, he simply chases them off "his" property.  This morning they were both outside and both barking.  Shortly after Jesse started, Dinga wanted in and was acting very nervous about whatever it was.  Coyote? Cat?

There are deer tracks near the tipi and chicken coup.  I can just see them out there at night going, "Neener, neener, neener!" to the dogs. . .

With all the ice on the paths, I let the fire wood sled go on its own about halfway to the house.  Today it followed the path almost all the way to the chicken coup!  (See photo above.)

The girls sure love the thick layer of straw on the floor of their hen house.  It is about 10" deep and they dig around in it, making little nests.  Sometimes when I go inside, there is a wall almost 2' high against the door!

It kept trying to snow til about 1:00 pm, but just couldn't manage more than a few flakes at a time.  We were on the very southeast side of the front and never did receive more than a dusting.  A more serious snow began to fall about 6:00 pm, but we didn't get more than 1/4".

Monday 1/12. It is 25 this morning and a partial overcast has sliced off the mountains at the foothills.

Thought for the day: Forgiveness is not an occasional act.  It is a constant attitude.  Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 9, 2015 Propane Generator & A Dog Bath

"I know you're down there!"

Wednesday 1/7. Seems odd that all the slush is frozen, but the girls' water had no ice at all.  Must be because it is in a bit of a protected area.  Speaking of the girls, they are all looking great.  Especially Blondie - no missing feathers, and she seems to have filled out.  Maybe the other two aren't picking on her any more.

I had JB purchase a new, bag-less vacuum on Monday while I was at the dentist.  There was a Eureka on sale for $50.  The one I have is a $600, Swedish made and about 17 years old.  Over the years the cost for the bags has gone up to over $40 for 10 plus two filters.  Way too much!  I figure I could buy a new Eureka every other year and still save money.  I tried the new one out today and quickly realized how poorly my old one was working.  In no time at all the bag-less container was half full of dirt!  It has so much more suction.  Woo Hoo!!

The clouds cleared and by mid-morning we had blue mountain skies and valley fog.  Our high for the day was 40.

I took the dogs on a hike up to the peak after lunch.  The snow was firm enough for them walk on top of it, barely sinking in.  Me, not so much.  I should have worn my snow shoes.  I got a good work out though, which is good.  I had the last of my eggnog in my coffee New Year's Day.  The rest of it is on my hips, along with the holiday candy and cookies.  Need to go on a lot more hikes.

There are so many ominous predictions for our country for this year.  Nothing I can do about them.  Just take one day at a time.  Be here and be now.  That's all we should ever be doing.

Watched three more episodes of The Blacklist.  Red is my new favorite super hero who doesn't have a super power.  James Spader is phenomenal!

Thursday 1/8. It was 38 with partial overcast and valley fog this morning.  It stayed like that all day and our high was 42, although all the clouds seemed to suddenly disappear just before sunset.  It seems that only the snow that is in the sun is melting, even with these warmer temps.  Still lots of ice.

After lunch we finally took the top off of the propane generator.  Looked at the trouble-shooting directions JB was sent.  Looked at the schematics.  Shut it back up again and decided we really need someone who knows what they are doing.  JB will just ask around at the other RV places to see if we can get someone up here.  Meanwhile we will rely on the gas generator and the sun.

This evening before watching The Blacklist, I gave Jesse a sponge bath with some special dog soap made from goat's milk that I bought at the craft fair in October.  Since he is so hard to get into the tub, the man I purchased it from suggested that I just wipe him down with a soapy wash cloth, then wipe the soap off with another wet cloth.  Jesse wasn't real thrilled about it, but it was so much easier than a regular bath and he smells oh, so much better!

Finished watching The Blacklist this evening.  Am sure we will watch it at least twice more before the second year is available.

Friday 1/9. This morning is 29 and overcast, with snow in the forecast for tomorrow.

Thank you to Donnie for your kind words.  We will keep looking for affordable dental insurance.

Thought for the day: When you come to the end of all you have known and must step off into the darkness, one of two things will happen: you will step on to something solid (God will catch you), or you will learn to fly.

January 7, 2014 Slush, Mud & Ice

Our dwindling snow.

Monday 1/5. Didn't get much sleep last night as, in addition to the roaring wind, the snow kept rumbling off the roof and landing with loud thuds.  Dinga kept pacing until JB finally went out to sleep on the couch and then she settled down in her chair

Tried to stay busy all morning and not think about my afternoon appointment.  Took a left-over pain med before hand, and it was all for not anyway.  Turns out that I really shouldn't get this tooth pulled because of the effect on my bite.  The dentist determined that I had a good five months or so before I should get a crown put on it.  Will just have to pull out the ol' Visa card and have it done.  I actually feel good about getting the crown and will just have to accept that we won't get our card paid off for a few years.  Just the way it goes. . .

The chinook must have just raced across the mountain tops as Larry and Elsie didn't have any wind last night.  We didn't have any today, but Mission Ridge was getting a 70 mph blast.

Until that pain pill kicked in I really didn't realize what a funk I had gotten myself into during the holiday season.  Guess I hadn't worked hard enough on my holiday spirit, and was just weighted down with being away from our son and grandchildren; missing those who have passed on; and mourning lost family ties with those still here.  But that is just part of life, and I really should be celebrating the wonderful family ties that still exist and the great friends that we have.  Like my Mom always said, "It'll all work out."  So I'll just put my big-girl panties on and deal with it.  The worst part of it is that I had criticized another family member for being so down.  It's just that she was much more vocal and whiny about it.

Tuesday 1/6. It was 40 this morning and overcast.  We had a more leisurely morning than usual, reading the newspapers and our books.

After lunch we put the plow back on Miss Kitty and JB did a "clean up" plowing once down and back.  I cleaned up most of the small branches littering the grounds from the wind storm.  The grounds that were also covered with slush, mud and ice.

It was overcast all day, although the sun did manage to break through the clouds a couple times mid-afternoon.  Our high for the day was 46.

Having issues with the internet for the past few days.  A slow connection that takes 15 to 20 minutes to upload a photo, and problems saving.

Still watching and loving Blacklist!

Wednesday 1/7. It is 35 and partly cloudy this morning.  Looks like all the slush has turned to ice again.  We are really giving our cleats a workout this winter.  Got an email from Randy saying that they received 2 FEET of snow in the Idaho panhandle!!

Thought for the day: I say if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously reexamine your life. Calvin, of Calvin & Hobbes

January 5, 2015 More Snow & the Dentist

The dogs enjoying their Christmas
presents from Larry & Elsie on Friday.

One of the pillow cases that Nene made for us for
Christmas.  Too beautiful to be hidden in
the bedroom.

Friday 1/2. JB left for Down There in Miss Kitty at 9:00 am.  The first thing I had to do after he left was to finish another book that he gave me for Christmas: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness.  It is the third book in her All Souls Trilogy.  Three of the best books I have ever read!

Then it was time for our morning walk, after which I brought in the fire wood.  Lots of sun power today so I didn't need the generator to wash the dishes.  Also vacuumed sealed some hot dogs and bacon for the freezer.  Took down all the outside Christmas decorations and some of the inside ones.  I don't take them all down at once.  The effect is too startling; too bare.

Our high for the day was about 25 (18 on the porch).  Interesting how the texture of the snow changed with the warmer temps.  It still made a little noise when walking on it, but it didn't really crunch any more and it definitely didn't squeak.  And the constant chill in the house (regardless of the inside temperature) was gone.

JB had a rough day and didn't make it back home till almost 5:00 pm.  He is not used to all the time it takes to do the laundry.

One of my best Christmas presents this year was getting re-united with friends I hadn't seen since before JB and I were married, and hadn't talked to for about 38 years.  We lost touch somehow and then in December they found me on Facebook!  Last time I talked to Jane our first-borns were less than two years old, and now we are both Grandmothers.

There has been a pileated woodpecker Up Here for the past few days, and every time Dinga sees it down low on a tree, she chases after it.  Both the dogs have been chasing deer off the east ridge on a daily basis.  We also have some deer tracks coming down the road from the south ridge and past the house, most likely made during the night.  Will be glad when JB can get the game cam back up and working again.

Moonlit nights on snowy white,
Nothing quite so dark and light.

Saturday 1/3.  Again our morning temperature was 25 with overcast skies.

After breakfast we put the plow back on Miss Kitty in anticipation of the forecast snow for tomorrow.  Also put new batteries in the weather station, but still have some issues as the outside temperature now reads -40!

Finally remembered that I should clear the snow off the deck.  Got half of it done.

I took down the rest of the Christmas decorations and put them all away.

Still watching Blacklist, and had to watch three episodes this evening!

Sunday 1/4. We awoke again to 25 and an overcast sky.  Forecast is for snow all day today.  A very fine snow began falling around 9:00 am, but it looked like most of it was going to the north of us with the sun trying to break through the clouds to the south.  More serious snow began to fall about 2:00 pm and just kept on coming.  Our high for today was about 30.

Talked to Randy, Nene and Sande today.  Sounds like Randy's weather is about the same as ours, but he may end up with more snow than we do.

JB used the snow blower a little today and found the garden hose with it. . .

So now I'm feeling guilty about paying so much less for gas at the pump.  Can't I just enjoy it for a few minutes?!!

We ended up with 2-1/2" of snow by 7:00 pm.  At least JB will have time to plow if he needs to in the morning as my dentist appointment isn't until 2:00 pm.

Monday 1/5. Our January chinook arrived late last night and gusted to 33 mph until early this morning.  A lot of snow is gone and it looks very slushy out there.  The temp is about 38 with overcast skies.  At least JB won't have to plow.  We plan to leave at about noon, and my stomach is already churning.

In answer to the question, I buy all our DVD's at gohastings.com.  Best prices and great sales.  And I buy the used ones.

Thought for the day: We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.  Plato

January 2, 2015 Welcome, The New Year

Patiently waiting for Spring

Wednesday 12/31. Climbing out of our new fleece sheets is the hardest job of the day. . .

Another frigid day with blue skies and a high of about 12.  Normal chores and just staying warm.

Left for Larry and Elsie's about 6:00 pm for a moonlit ride in a snowy world.  Had a very enjoyable evening with with gridder neighbors and their two sons.  Larry had fireworks for them to shoot off which was a delight, although no one stayed outside very long in the 9 degree temp.

We were home by 10:30 and soon after in bed, but were awakened by more fireworks and possible gunshots at midnight.  Welcome, 2015!

Thursday 1/1.  It was about 10 this morning with blue skies, but more snow is on the way for Sunday.  Needless to say, we slept in (which, for us, is 8:30 am).

After lunch JB drove Miss Kitty down our road to plow a little more thoroughly.  With all the power coming in, I vacuumed and did other chores requiring electricity.

Our high for the day was again about 12.  Hopefully the days will warm up a little as the forecast suggests.  At these low temps, it is amazing what an icy difference the tiniest air movement or breeze makes.

We had finished watching the first season of DaVinci's Demons on Tuesday, and began watching the first season of Blacklist.  Excellent!

Friday 1/2. It is about 10 again this morning (4 on the porch) with partly cloudy skies. JB is going Down There to do laundry, a little grocery shopping and some errands.

Thought for the day: There is a higher court than the court of justice, and that is the court of conscience.  It supercedes all other courts. Mhatma Ghandi