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.