June 29, 2015 Heat, Fire & Rain

Jesse and his pal, Buster.

My planter of beautiful bloms.

Friday 6/26. I started reading a Pat Conroy book today, South of Broad. I really enjoy his writing, but I have to be in the right mood to start one of his books.  This was the perfect day.  He makes me think about and savor every word and every sentence.  Not a book you can - or would want to - rush through.

Blondie had laid an egg already when I fed them this morning.  Smart Girl.  Get it done before the heat sets in.

I baked cookies this morning.  So, in other words, I heated up the house before the sun could.

In the afternoon I sat on the porch for a long while.  It was hotter out there, but at least there was air movement.  But again the breeze disappeared with the sun and there was no relief from the heat that barely cooled with the descending darkness.  Our high for the day was a 88.

Saturday 6/27. It was 78 and partly cloudy with thunder storms in the forecast.  Got all the outside chores done early, then took a cool shower.

JB plans to leave for home tomorrow by 10:00 am.

According to the porch temperature gauge, our high for the day was 93, but the weather station gauge, which started working again this week, read 104!  Either way it was just plain uncomfortable.  Another perfect day to immerse myself in Pat Conroy's Charleston, SC, in South of Broad.  After I made another gallon of humming bird syrup, of course.

Clouds continued to increase all day and by late afternoon the sky was completely overcast.  But by sunset, much of the blue sky had restored itself.  I could feel and smell the moisture in the air.

Called and had a nice chat with Randy.  He is having and disliking the same heat in Idaho.

Sunday 6/28. It was 78 and partly cloudy at 6:30 am when I got up to get everything done before the real heat set in.  By 8:00 am everything was watered; the girls were fed and fresh diatomacious earth sprinkled in their pen where they tend to take dirt baths; the laundry was done and hung outside; the bed sheets were changed.  Then I was ready to feed the dogs, wash the dishes and take a shower.  And possibly a nap. . .

JB arrived home at 2:00 pm after stopping in town for a few groceries.  It had been a very hot drive and there was no relief from the heat when he got Up Here.  Our high for the day was 97!  We unloaded his car and then did as little as possible.  It is a good thing that each piece of chocolate in the box of See's Candy, that his Mom sent over for me, was in its own paper cup or it would have been just one big piece of mixed chocolate.

My Aunt Nene called around 7:00 pm to ask if the fire was close to us.  What fire?  She said it was all over the news and people were being evacuated from their homes.  Elsie called a little later, confirmed the news and told us where it was.  I took a walk to the north ridge and could even see the flames.  Looked to be about four miles to the northwest as the crow flies. 

JB turned on his radio to listen to the police frequency and heard the fire was spreading rapidly.  By 9:00 pm I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and went to bed.  JB had just got in bed at 10:50 pm when Larry called.  Another unrelated fire had started in the same vicinity and was headed toward some huge propane and ammonia tanks.  Larry and a neighbor were headed out to get a better view.  I couldn't stay in bed with all this news, so we got up and got dressed.  Went out to the north ridge to see what we could see.  It was a scary sight.  We had a good view of both fires, and listened on the radio as more people were being evacuated.

But with the day we both had, we were back in the house by midnight and soon in bed.  There was a wonderful light wind that had started cooling things down.  But we could hear loud booms from Down There as propane tanks and such exploded.  Not a good lullaby.

Monday 6/29. It was a wonderful 66 with light rain when JB got up at 6:30 this morning.  The fires were under control, but the second one was still burning a little. 

I got up at 7:30 am to write my blog and while I was doing so, we had a clap of thunder right over the house.  It brought another short shower.  I can only pray that no one was hurt in the fires.

We are going to cancel our July 4th picnic, as the temperatures are supposed to climb back into the 100's again next weekend.  Looks to be a long, hot summer.

Thought for the day: I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. Anne Frank

June 26, 2015 Hot & Getting Hotter

Several shades of clover on the south ridge as it
turns from white to pink to almost red.

Part of the main road down in the canyon.

Wednesday 6/24. It was 65 and mostly cloudy this morning.  The clouds continued to drift over all day and our high was 78.  A very pleasant 78.

Sandy called this morning and we had a nice long chat.  It is supposed to be hot in Santa Rosa this weekend also.  Neither one of us is looking forward to the heat.

Spent a couple hours shredding old documents.  Can't believe we have some going back to 2001!  They should have been taken care of years ago.

The 4th of July is suddenly creeping close and I have lots to do in order to be ready for our picnic.  We have at least nine people coming, and possibly more.  So I did little things outside, details to make things look better.

JB's Mom had her outpatient surgery yesterday and all is well.  She is a little sore and groggy, but doing just fine.

Very sad news from Larry and Elsie.  Elsie's favorite hen, Bella, was killed by a stray dog yesterday.  She knew how to get out of the coup and spent most of her days outside in the yard.  She would follow Elsie all around, chatting as they went.  Bella will be missed.

We have been thinking about building a small greenhouse on the deck against the wall of the house.  There is a great plan for one in the latest issue of Backwoods Home.  Won't be doing it this year, but hopefully next year.

I drove down to pick up the mail on Tuesday and had a nice visit with Mrs. Gridder and her boys.  She is a teacher, so they are all off for the summer.  She showed me a picture she took of the boys holding a prairie rattler on a shovel they had found and killed over the weekend.  Their rattle snake had NINE rattles!

Thank you to the person who posted the comment regarding humming bird feeders and bears.  Yes, bears do like anything sweet.  When I was living Up Here alone in 2008 in the pop-up tent-trailer, I had a bear tear down the yellow-jacket trap that I had hanging from tree about 25 feet from the trailer.  I was able to get some great photos, but it took a lot of yelling and three shots fired into the air before he finally left.  Needless to say, I didn't put up any more traps.  But we have had these humming bird feeders up for about five summers now without any problems.  I would definitely take them down if a bear did discover them.

Sat out on the porch this evening, just enjoying the view and breeze.  It is so nice to look across the driveway to a clearing with no huge eyesore of discarded branches or tall grass/weed compost pile.

Thursday 6/25. It was 68 and clear this morning.  Each day is getting warmer, building up to the weekend.  Our high for today was 83.

I spent most of the day inside, going out only for our morning walk and to do the outside chores.  No eggs from the girls today.  I think they are too busy trying to keep cool.  They have a lot of shade in their new run.

I did more sorting and shredding.  Still a pile to do, but 2/3 of it is done.  Just can't believe I saved all those papers for so long.

We have a very aggressive rufus humming bird who is guarding the feeder on the south side of the porch.  She sits up in the nearby tree and chases away any other bird who tries to get near it.

Am reading a book by a new author for me, Foxcatcher by William H. Hallahan.  One I found at the Salvation Army Thrift store, and one I am sure that JB will enjoy also.

The blooming fire weed is just starting to fade a bit after more than two and a half weeks.  I finally saw a few blooms on our road when I drove down on Tuesday.

Judging by all the activity in the condo bird house, there may be wren hatchlings inside.  The pair that built a nest in the "bear country" bird house disappeared a few weeks ago.

During the couple weeks before and after the summer solstice, it is still light out until a little after 10:00 pm Up Here.  As opposed to the winter solstice when it is completely dark at 5:00 pm.  I much prefer the long light, not the long night.

Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit this evening which was so nice of them.  We sat on the porch and chatted.  The cool breeze disappeared along with the sun and it was a very warm night.

Friday 6/26. It is already 76 this morning with clear skies.  Looks like another mainly indoor day.

Thought for the day: In wildness I sense the miracle of life, and beside it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia. Charles A. Lindbergh

June 24, 2015 Some Photos of Rose Camp

Asters blooming a month early,
like everything else.

Fireweed & the tipi.

If this is an indication of rain, then it is going to
fall somewhere else.

Summer Solstice Sunset

Balsam root re-blooming after having
been mowed last month.

Thought for the day: Instructions for living a life: Pay attention.  Be astonished.  Tell about it. Mary Oliver

June 22, 2015 Laundry & A Bear

Treasures from our Sunday morning walk:
Prairie smoke & a feather

Our Sunday afternoon visitor.

Friday 6/19. If there was a snake under the porch last night, it left during the night.  No sign of one this morning, thank goodness.

JB brought up several tractor-bucket loads of dirt and dumped them behind the rock wall I extended.  I raked and stomped on it.  Looks great!  Then he mowed a bit around the house.  He didn't get the spraying done on the road when I was gone on Wednesday and it was too breezy today, so he will have to do it when he gets back from the other side of the mountains.

I worked on cutting/breaking a wheel barrow load of kindling from the branches I rescued from the ones being used to create the large swale.  Stacked them in the wood shed and almost have the first row finished.

I found a humming bird egg on the ground near the smaller swale.  It must have fallen out of a nest way up in a tall pine tree.  It had a tiny piece broken out and I could see what looked like a yolk inside.  

Our high for the day was 69 with a chilly breeze.  A perfect day for working outside.

Nene said that she thought it was a timber rattler we had Up Here last year.  She could be right.  I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, while she can remember what she had for dinner 50 years ago!

We sat out on the porch after dinner and were amazed at the number of humming birds at the two feeders.  Each feeder has four little "flowers" and there was a bird at every flower with seven or eight more birds in a frenzied holding pattern.  They emptied both feeders and I refused to fill them again until tomorrow morning!

Watched RED2 again this evening.  So entertaining!

Saturday 6/20. It was 48 this morning with some thin clouds.  I filled the humming bird feeders and it looks like I will have to be making more syrup on Monday.  Not too many humming birds today though.  I think the hordes got frustrated and left.

I got busy yesterday and completely forgot to do a load of laundry, so I did one this morning.  The only items I had left to do were dog towels and blankets.  It has been more than six months since I have done it at home, so I have to get back in the habit.  I usually washed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  It felt so good to be hanging the wash outside again.  It was the first time I had a chance to use the clothes-pin apron that Nene gave to me for Christmas and I loved it!

Great Backwoods Home issue, again.  If I could receive only one magazine, it would be this one.

Emergency Essentials has a great sale on their Freeze Dried Exotic Fruits Combo this month - 51% off.  The combo is six #10 cans of fruit which includes limes, blackberries, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate arils.  I use some of their products on almost a daily basis, not just for long-term storage, such as dehydrated onion, green and red peppers, etc.  Much less expensive than buying even the large jars at Costco.  When I open a can, I always vacuum seal the unused portion in large Mason jars. 

Today we both did little chores.  JB vacuumed out his Jeep and attached the trailer, as he is bringing back a small butcher-block table from his brother.  He also checked on the battery connections in the battery shed.  I puttzed around inside and out.  Then we both just sat together on the porch and enjoyed the perfect weather.  Our high for the day was 70.

JB sent out an email to his family inviting them to our annual 4th-of-July picnic for his side of the family.  We planned a menu and will now await the RSVP's.

The fire weed blossoms are full of honey bees.  We had a lot of the bees last year for the first time and now again this year.  Larry said that someone down on the paved road near our turn-off is keeping bees, so I assume these must be theirs.

JB packed up for his trip to the other side of the mountains.  He will be gone for a week.

After dinner and chores, we again sat on the porch and enjoyed the perfect evening.  

Sunday 6/21. Summer Solstice.  Our morning was 50 with a light overcast but with the sun peeking through.

Together, JB and I fixed a double batch of German pancakes for breakfast so I can have leftovers for the next couple days.  He left about 10:30 am and I got busy washing dishes and all the morning chores.

Found a couple great treasures on our morning walk: a hawk or owl feather and blooming prairie smoke.  I picked a stalk of three flowers for the house.

Just as I turned on my computer to check and send emails, Dinga started barking like crazy.  I looked out the front door and there was a bear on the east slope.  I grabbed my camera and went outside while making the dogs stay in.  It has been three or four years since we have seen a bear in person Up Here.  I love it!  Didn't let the dogs out for almost an hour, just in case.

Finished another Jeffrey Deaver book, Roadside Crosses.  Excellent, as always.
Then I went out to cut/break another wheel barrow load of kindling and stack it.

Had a nice chat with Randy.  He finally found his camera and promises to take and send some pictures tomorrow.

After a light dinner, I went out and did some work on the small swale and other planned ones in our yard.  Then sat on the porch for a while.  It was such a pleasant evening.  Our high for the day was 72.  The light overcast had cleared up by noon and we just had a few clouds drift over.

Monday 6/22. It is 59 and clear this morning.  Didn't get much sleep last night, which is typical for the first couple nights that JB is gone.

Thought for the day: When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills. Chinese proverb

June 19, 2015 Hungry Humming Birds & A Rock Wall

Dinga & the smaller swale with the larger one
about 50 feet downhill from it.

The extended small rock wall
near the house.

Wednesday 6/17. Took everything that could possibly need washing and ended up with ten loads of laundry!  Didn't get home til after 2:00 pm.  Was ready for a nap after folding everything.  Am going to try a load of wash Up Here on Friday and will start with the dogs' towels and blankets.

Well, the cost of gas certainly is going back up quickly.  Yesterday JB paid $2.87 at Costco and today I paid $2.91.  In Alabama our son is paying only $2.55. . .

Bought a couple zinnias to put in the planter barrel with the petunias.  Now that we have plants and water, all I have to do is remember to water them at least once a day, twice in the case of the tomatoes.

Our high for the day was 78, but it had cooled to 64 by 9:00 pm with a chilly wind.

Thursday 6/18. It was 60 and cloudy this morning.  JB left for Down There at 9:30 for lots of errands and his annual appointment with his cardiologist.

Even before he left I had a gallon of humming bird syrup started.  They have gone through a gallon in four days!  Hungry little buggers.

I spent the day working on extending the rock wall on the south side of the yard.  Doing that is like being given pieces to a puzzle with no picture of what the final product will look like and no promise that you have all the right pieces.  JB can back fill the area with dirt and do a little sculpting with the tractor to get the water flowing where we want it to on this side of the driveway.  I also added some more rocks to a partial wall holding up the small swale across the drive.  Mostly we just used large pieces of rotting or pitch wood.

Talked to our son again today.  He bought a children's program for his kids on programming which teaches them the basics.  Our eleven-year-old grandson is already working on a game, and our eight-year-old granddaughter has created two characters who talk to each other.  How clever is that?!

Since his doctor's appointment wasn't until 4:00 pm, JB wasn't back home until just before 7:00 pm.  Seems he has to go back on his blood-pressure medicine that the doctor had taken him off of a couple years ago.

Our high for the day was 76 and clouds continued to move across the sky.  Patches of blue allowed the sun to peak out now and then.  The breeze grew into a wind that blew noisily all night.

Friday 6/19. It is 54 and mostly clear with clouds on the western horizon.  JB thought he heard a rattle snake under the porch last night as he was bringing in the dogs' beds.  We will have to check that out this morning.  He leaves for the other side of the mountains on Sunday.

Thought for the day: In general, I find that things that have happened to me out of doors have made a deeper impression than things that have happened indoors. Bertrand Russell

June 17, 2015 Our First Rattlesnake of The Year

Our timber rattler.

Monday 6/15. Since we have so many different greens growing here now that the girls like, I am no longer buying cabbage for their breakfast.  The get dandylion greens and others that they like, along with a banana and scratch.

We worked on both swales today, putting dirt on the large one and defining the smaller one.  Then JB started lightly scraping the slope to direct the water (rain and snow-melt) where we want it to go.  Now I think we are done for a while.  JB has to go Down There on Tuesday and Thursday for appointments and errands, and I am going down on Wednesday to do laundry.  On Sunday, JB leaves for the other side of the mountains as his Mother is having her operation on Tuesday, 6/23.  He will be there for the week.

Randy called.  He finally gave in and bought a riding mower, which is going to save him a lot of time and grief.  He is also having all his outside doors re-hung and weather-proofed.  He is still adjusting to mountain life and having so little time to go to town.  It is much harder on him as he is so much more of a people person than I am.

Larry drove up in his 4-wheeler to loan us his sprayer this evening.  He had just finished spraying for knap weed, so JB will spray our road when I am Down There on Wednesday.  Larry stayed for a nice visit before getting on his way.

Not twenty minutes after he left, I was ambling around and just as I got across the driveway from the girls' coop I heard a loud noise that I did not instantly recognize.  That is until I saw the rattlesnake.  It was a large timber rattler with a very loud rattle.  I think this is the first one we have seen Up Here as we usually get prairie rattlers which are brown, a little longer, and thinner.  This guy was husky, about two feet long, and wasn't about to run.  He was moving around so much though, it took a couple minutes before I could maneuver my snake stick behind his head.  He finally coiled, trying to hide his head, and I got him.  JB cut off his rattles and head while I held the snake down.  Eight large rattles.  JB said the girls were watching all the action very intently, as if they wanted the carcass tossed their way!  The whole episode really rattled Jesse.

Tuesday 6/16.  JB left for Down There a little after eight, and I got busy inside.  A good day for me to stay in as I was a bit achy from all the physical labor of the past several days.  Did lots of cleaning, a bunch of little things that needed to be done, and baked some banana-chocolate chip coffee cake.  Am glad I did stay in as our high for the day was 80.

Spent some time on the computer, which included filing a complaint against John Hancock with the Washington State Insurance Commissioner.  I certainly hope they can help us.  This whole situation is so frustrating.

JB was back home by 2:00 pm with diesel, chicken feed, the mail and a few other things he needed.  And glad to be Up Here as it was in the 90's Down There.  Supposed to be the same tomorrow, oh goodie. . .

Thin clouds gathered during the day, and by 5:00 pm we had a partial, light overcast.  

Wednesday 6/17. It is 58 and clear this morning.  Am going to get as early a start as I can for Down There and try to be home before the heat of the day.

Thank you, Norma, for the comment regarding yarrow.  I knew it had properties similar to aspirin, but not what you described as a styptic.  I will definitely collect some as we have it everywhere now.

Thought for the day: One of the great dreams of man must be to find some place between the extremes of nature and civilization where it is possible to live without regret. Barry Lope    (Hmmm, I think we have done that.)

June 15, 2015 A Busy Weekend & A Cougar

Yarrow & fire weed near the hen house.

Our swale after three days.  Now we just need to
cover it with dirt.

Friday 6/12. Had a good trip Down There, although I would have much rather been working Up Here.  Our high for the day was just 68 with a cool breeze - and we are enjoying the cool.

When I got back home, I finally transplanted the two tomato plants that Elsie had given us on Sunday.  Can't wait for home-grown tomatoes!

Saturday 6/13. Our temperature was a lovely, cool 50 this morning with clear skies.  I was outside by 8:30 to do the annual cleaning of the hen house and coop.  I had on long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a scarf and a respirator mask over my nose and mouth.  Cleared all the shavings out of their nesting boxes and raked out all the straw.  Then I put in all clean shavings and straw.  When I was done with that, I shooed the girls inside so I could clean their outside coop.  Even when I was done, they did not come back outside for more than five hours!  Too busy checking and their "remodeled" house and re-arranging the straw.

After breakfast JB got on the tractor and we put another layer of branches and two layers of mulch on the swale, using up all the the mulch pile.  Now we just need to top it off with dirt and the chicken poop I just cleaned out of the coop.  At that point we were both badly in need of a shower.

After cleaning up, I headed down to Larry and Elsie's in Miss Kitty to let their dogs out and feed them.  Their youngest grandchild's birthday party is this evening, so they won't be home til after 7:00 pm.  I also picked up our mail.  And on the drive home, I saw a cougar!  It was a young one and ran ahead of me for about 30 feet before disappearing into the foliage.  So exciting!

Clouds had begun to drift over about mid-day and our high for the day was 66.  A very pleasant day, with clear skies again at sunset.

I do owe a debt of thanks to my brother for our new permaculture focus.  He always had big plans for his land and now a good friend of his, who has a degree in agriculture with a leaning to permaculture, is going to help RJ realize his dream in the most natural and efficient way.  And it is rubbing off on us.

Sunday 6/14.  This morning was a bit warmer, 68 and clear with possible rain in the forecast for the end of the week.

Before breakfast, while it was still cool out, I used the wheel barrow to gather the kindling-sized pieces I had thrown out from the branches JB put on the swale.  I took six loads and dumped them outside the wood shed.  Then sorted out the short ones and stacked them in the shed.  It will take some time to cut and break the rest of them to the right size.

It is so nice to be able to look across the driveway from the house and not see a huge, unsightly pile of branches.  It must have been at least 20' X 30' and 4' high.  And the six-year-old compost pile of grasses and weeds is gone too.  That had grown to about five feet tall over the years.  The dirt under each pile looked so fertile that I thought for sure I could have planted a seed in it yesterday and it would have sprouted this morning.  It is going to be perfect for the swale.

Dinga caught a chipmunk on their morning walk.  So glad I wasn't there to see it.

After lunch, JB went down to help Larry pour the concrete floor in his root cellar.  Gridder was also there to help.  Sure looking forward to when we can build one.  While he was gone, I outlined a smaller swale we will build about 100 feet up from the large one.  There is already a small rise there that we can build on, and we still have plenty of pieces of rotting wood for it and a small pile of branches.

I also started a new book I found at the Dollar Store by Carrie Vaughn, entitled After the Golden Age.  I have never read any of hers before, but this one is great.  And the Dollar Store is actually a great place to find good, cheap books.  I have learned to check them out every time I am in there.  It is also the only place that I buy cards now, if I don't make my own.

My friend, Pat, who was also one of my Mom's two best friends, called this afternoon.  She turned 90 last year and my Mom's other best friend just turned 99 in February.  They both have such a great sense of humor.  Pat was talking about how she just can't get around like she used to and commented, "So much for the Golden Age.  It's more like the Rusting Age!"

The color for Rose Camp and the rest of the mountain now is green.  Most of the wild flowers have gone to seed except for a scattering of paint brush, yarrow and a purple stalk flower that is a little like lupine.  Well, and of course, my fire weed that seems to be blooming only at Rose Camp right now.  The only disappointing thing about the wild roses is that, depending upon the individual bush, each bloom only lasts a couple of days or so.  We still have quite a few lining our driveway, but the bushes along the road have very few blossoms left.

Our high for the day was 70, which was just perfect.

Monday 6/15. It is 58 and mostly clear this morning with a few light clouds on the horizons.  We plan to work on the swale again today, scraping and molding the ground to gently persuade water to flow where we want it to go, and dumping the dirt on the swale.

Thought for the day: In wilderness is the preservation of the world. Henry David Thoreau

June 12, 2015 A Subtle Change to Rose Camp

Day one of creating our large swale.

Our new garden spot behind the extended wall.

Wednesday 6/10. By 9:30 am we had the huge swale on the other side of the driveway from the house outlined with the rotting logs and smaller pieces of wood that JB had moved down yesterday and five more loads today.  Then it was time for a break and breakfast.  Well, my breakfast.  JB eats much earlier than I do.  I usually have brunch, so this was actually early for me, but I had worked up an appetite.

Then JB started moving our huge pile of small branches that had been accumulating for about six years, over to build up the swale.  After lunch he moved half of the large pile of branches we still had in the grove that had not been chipped.  By then it was too hot and we were too tired to do any more.  Our high for the day was 83 and quite pleasant.

This is great!  The last couple years I have been saying to the Universe, "Okay, we're here.  Now what?"  This experiment is obviously the what, and the sense of purpose is amazing.  I had been reading about such projects for several years in all of our off-the-grid and homesteading magazines, but really never thought we could undertake such an enterprise.  Seems like we can indeed.

Two of my irises are in full bloom, and it looks like they may be the only ones to manage that.

Thursday 6/11. It was 63 with a few thin clouds to the north at 7:00 am this morning, but an hour later the temp had already risen to 70 with a nice breeze.  A good day to be outside.

We were out again early and cleared the two remaining piles of branches from the grove, laying them on top of the swale.  JB also brought several more loads from the large pile of branches that has diminished by 2/3 already.  By then it was all in the sun.  So after my brunch and JB's lunch, he began filling the tractor's bucket with dirt from the pile created two years ago when we had the drainage around the house redone.  It is great topsoil and he put several loads behind the wall I had built up.  We put a layer of mulch in between the dirt and then JB brought over two loads of small wood chippings from near the splitter.  In just two days we have created a quite a subtle change in Rose Camp, and a big change in our focus.

I am going Down There tomorrow for some grocery shopping and to mail our son's Father's Day gift.  The forecast is for "only" 82, as opposed to 102.  Today's high Up Here was 80.  Every day is getting a little bit cooler.

Friday 6/12. It is 52, clear and breezy this morning, but warming up quickly.  Possible thunder storms in the forecast for the weekend.

Thought for the day: That my complicated life could be made so simple was astounding. Cheryl Strayed

June 10, 2015 Permaculture Project

A close-up of the fire weed that burst
into bloom Up Here Sunday morning.

Monday 6/8. JB left for Down There at 8:00 am.  I clipped foliage away from the path to the north ridge before lunch while it was still in the shade.  The breeze died down and it was HOT.  Our high for the day was 88.

JB was back home by 1:00 pm and so happy to be Up Here.  The high for the day Down There turned out to be 102!

The fire weed that I had let grow in the rocks is now as tall as I am, and Sunday morning it burst into bloom.  Am sure that is about four to six weeks earlier than usual.  It is so pretty.

In the current Time Magazine, their 10-question interview is with Barbara Bush as she is turning 90.  I have often disagreed with the lady, but this interview is a hoot!

Our breeze returned around 5:00 pm and helped cool off the evening nicely.

Tuesday 6/9. It was 70 this morning with clear skies and a forecast of cooler weather for the rest of the week.  Even though our high for the day was 86, there was a nice breeze all day so it didn't seem that hot.

RJ came up this morning to get water and return a tent stove he had borrowed.  Then we talked specifics on how we can get a permaculture project going Up Here.  Am very anxious to start, and did just that shortly after he left.  I started by building up the rock wall just outside the house by the clothes line.  That can create a small swale against which we will put cut grasses and mulch, and then dirt on top of that.  We will put a couple more small swales on the west side of the east fence.  Then we will build a larger swale next to the fence to the north.  We will put a huge swale directly across the driveway from the house which will may be a perfect place for a small seasonal pond.  Lots of things to keep us busy.

While I was working on the rock wall, JB used the tractor to move a lot of rotting logs down to where we will create the large swale.  We will also use the big pile of small branches we have to build it up, along with my compost pile of grasses and such that I started six years ago.

Basically, permaculture is using the land as nature intended it to be used and has been practiced in most parts of the world right up until the industrial revolution.  Of course this is an extremely simplified description of a new name for an old idea.  Since we are on a mountain, we look for the way the water is naturally going downhill and build swales (not terraces) to catch the moisture and keep it in certain places where we want to grow crops.  The small ones should be ready for use next year, and the larger ones in about three years.  After that there is very little effort needed to keep the crops going.  I am making a list of plants we want to grow, which includes potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, squash, kale and herbs.

An excellent book on permaculture is Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale Integrative Farming and Gardening.  He lives in Austria at the 5000 ft level and has created quite a large farm based on this idea.  But he is just one of many people around the globe who are getting "back to basics", so to speak.

JB grilled pork chops for dinner along with a large apple wrapped in foil with cinnamon, sugar and butter.  Mmmmmm. . .

After eating I drove Miss Kitty down to see RJ again and take him the coffee cans I forgot to give him when he was here.  He is going back to the other side of the mountains tomorrow morning.

Wednesday 6/10. It is 68 and clear this morning with a nice breeze.  We should be able to get a lot done outside today.

Thought for the day: Nothing that is can pause or stay; the moon will wax and the moon will wane.  The mist and cloud will turn to rain, the rain to mist and cloud again.  Tomorrow will today.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

June 8, 2015 A Hot, Hot Weekend & A Triple Crown Winner!

The very upset bull snake I carried
out of the battery shed.

Friday 6/5. While washing my hands in the bathroom, I can look out our large window above the sink and watch the wrens catching bugs in the grass and see the bees gathering pollen in the roses.  So much better than looking at an old lady in a mirror.

Lots of newspapers and magazines to read with breakfast.  A huge article in the Wenatchee paper about releasing Cinder, the bear injured in last year's fire, back into the wilderness northwest of here.  Also, a good article in the Seattle Sunday Times about a local company, Tethers Unltd., that, among other things, has invented a "space-propulsion engine that uses water as fuel."  Obviously the gas companies do not feel threatened, or they would have killed it like they did the car engine that runs on water.

There was an excellent tribute to Anne Meara, who recently passed away, in Time magazine.  She was a consummate professional, warm and caring.  I especially liked the comment: "She was a broad when broads were broads."

Many different butterflies flittering about now.  We have tiny neon blue ones, yellow ones with white outlined wings, white ones with orange outlines, orange ones with white outlines, chocolate brown ones with yellow outlines, and the largest, the swallowtail.  I am pretty sure I saw a monarch down in the canyon last week.  We had a lot of them pass through on their migration the first few years we were Up Here, but haven't seen any for a while now.

Randy gave me a quick call from Sandpoint, ID.  He finished splitting his wood yesterday and he is off the mountain for the first time in weeks.  He was actually giddy with excitement!  He also sent me an email in which he referred to their home as Casa de Chaos!  He definitely needs to make a sign.

When the splitter was finally in the shade, I cut and stacked two wheel barrow loads of wood.  Then it was just too hot to do any more.  Our high for the day was 77.

After dinner we drove Miss Kitty down so JB could help Larry install his new radio antenna for the house.  Since Elsie wasn't home from shopping, I drove down to pick up and mail and visit the Gridders.  Then back up to Elsie's when she returned.  By then the guys had just finished getting the antenna up.  Had a nice visit and were home by 8:00 pm.  Just sat on the porch and enjoyed the evening.  Our dogs were fascinated by the smells on my jeans: five dogs, two goats and a cat.

Saturday 6/6. It was 60 at 6:00 am, and by 8:30 it was into the 70's.  A high of 100 is forecast for Down There tomorrow.  We sat on the porch with our coffee and enjoyed the breeze.

There is a good article in the current Countryside magazine about foraging and living off the land.  Well, as I have said before, I can be quite self-sufficient as long as I can shop at Costco. . .  There is also an excellent article about grounding, getting in touch with Mother Earth's electrical field.

I vacuumed and did my semi-annual complete dusting.  By the time I was done, it was way too hot to work outside.  Our high for the day was 82, and I am worthless in any temperature over 75 Up Here.

I cannot believe it has be 37 years since the last Triple Crown Winner!  Our son was only three years old then.  Watching these three horse races is one of the things I do miss about having no TV, along with the Oscars.  And of course, JB misses watching hockey.  But we did watch the race on the computer, after the fact.  Didn't even look like American Pharaoh was exerting himself.  Always nice to have such a celebrity.

RJ called to let us know he is up at his cabin.  He will come up for breakfast tomorrow.

We watched the end of season one of Tyrant.  Very well done, and we will definitely be getting the next season when it is available.

Sunday 6/7.  It was already 70 when JB got up at 7:00 am this morning.  We did have a nice breakfast visit with RJ.  JB made German pancakes.

The grass that I just mowed last Tuesday is already higher than it was before I mowed it.  We really do need to get another mower.

I drove Miss Kitty down to visit RJ and check out the beginning of his permaculture project.  He is creating swales on the mountainside on which to grow crops.  They are small areas that use the natural flow of water and all naturally available components.  Am pretty sure we will be trying the same concept.

JB discovered a fairly large bull snake sitting on a lower junction box in the battery room.  He was not at all happy with me when I carried him (the snake) out on a stick.

Our high for today was 86!  I remember when we had such a week last summer and all I could do was just try to stay still and not sweat.

Now that most of the balsam root is going to seed, small sunflowers are beginning to bloom.  And the paint brush is popping up everywhere in large patches.

JB has to go Down There tomorrow to run various errands.  So glad it is him and not me.

After dinner we drove Miss Kitty down to Larry and Elsie's to visit and play marbles.  A nice breeze had sprung up helping to cool the evening.  The girls won, but it was Elsie's doing.  She was as hot as a firecracker!  On our drive back up the mountain we saw five poorwills as they like to lay on the road at night.  It has been about five years since we had seen any.

Monday 6/8. It is 70 again this morning, so it's going to be another scorcher.  When I let the dogs out at 5:00 am, they encountered a skunk.  Dinga brought the lovely scent back inside with here.  I don't think she got sprayed, but she may have run through some grass that had been.  I had to wash off her head but the scent still lingered. . .

Thought for the day: I picture each day as if it were a happy dog looking at me.  I may not be in the mood, but the dog always wants to play.  Trust the dog.  John Patrick Shanley

June 5, 2015 Software & Down There

One of our larger mushrooms.

JB mowing our road on Tuesday along a row of
wild rose bushes.

Wednesday 6/3. Turned out to be an inside day with lots to do.  JB spent more than four hours on line and on the phone trying to get the HP software downloaded for my Windows 8.1 computer.  I can print with no problems, but I couldn't scan anything into my computer.  Their tech person had him make a lot of adjustments, but we were never able to complete the download.  However, after all that, he tried using the windows scanner program, which had never worked before, and got it working.  So now I am good to go.

I did a lot of little things around the house and got everything ready for my trip Down There tomorrow, but none of our outside projects got done.  Just the way it goes sometimes.

I have been having a horrible time with JB's life insurance policy through John Hancock for the past month.  They screwed up on other policies we had and I gotten rid of all of them except his.  Oh well, the Universe seems to be working it all out for the best.  A solution better than I ever would have thought of and at just the right time.  It never ceases to amaze me!  And I never seem to learn that often what seems like an awful problem may be just the beginning of another blessing.

There was an egg already laid again this morning when I fed the girls, however it was still soft.  It never did harden up, so I tossed it.  I am pretty sure it was Blondie's.  I just hope she is okay.

I think it was mostly cloudy today, but by sundown the sky was clear.  Our high for the day was 62.

Thursday 6/4. Was supposed to be in the 80's Down There today so I got an early start and was on my way at 7:50 am.  Returned Larry and Elsie's lawn mower, went to the post office, got my latte, and was right on time for my 9:00 am appointment with our State Farm agent.  Then it was on to the laundromat and grocery shopping, and I was home a little after 1:00 pm.  Actually made it home before I melted.  Our high for the day Up Here was a very pleasant 68 with a nice breeze, but I am sure that they reached the high forecast in town.

JB spent his day outside, like he wanted to do yesterday.  He got MAX going and went for a short drive.  He found what went wrong with the splitter when I tried to use it on Tuesday after we got back from mowing the road.  Seems it just needed to be tightened up.  On their morning walk, Dinga caught a rabbit.  Am so glad I wasn't there to witness that.  He also completely vacuumed out the tractor of all the dust from mowing.  Then after I arrived home, he baked some banana-chocolate chip muffins.

Since we have water now, I bought a couple of petunia plants and put them in the planter by the "new" bird house.  I will use the other two planters for the tomato plants Elsie is going to give me.  Seeing as how she ended up with all 54 of the ones she planted as seeds doing so well, she is giving away many of them.  Oh, goodie!!

Mushrooms are pushing up through the soil in many places now.  Just wish I could find some morels.

Friday 6/5. It is 60 with a clear sky this morning, with a forecast for a very hot weekend.

Thought for the day: In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.  From The Art of Stillness by Pico Iver

June 3, 2015 Birdhouse & Wild Flowers

The "new" bird house.

Some of the lupine along our road.

Monday 6/1. NOAA's forecast for today predicted rain from noon to 5:00 am tomorrow, and up to 1" of rain per hour in thunder storms.  So we tried to get all our outside work done this morning.  I was out right after breakfast and finished all the mowing.  Ran out of gas just as I was taking the last swipe.  Then we finally put up a bird house that I had purchased in Chicago eight years ago.  I still have to find a place for the one that JB's Brother and Sister-in-law brought back from Montana for us last year.

After lunch I did some more very successful searching for devil's thorn.  Am working on my second bag now.

Clouds were dark and foreboding when we started, but there was a lot of blue sky by the time we stopped for lunch.  We had three five-minute showers during the day, but it wasn't until 4:30 pm when the first clap of thunder rolled down the canyon to the south of us.  The rain arrived ten minutes later, but only lasted for a half an hour or so.  I'm sure it was pouring somewhere in eastern Washington, just not here.  Our high for the day was 72.

We have some really fat robins Up Here now.  Didn't see any for the longest time, and now they are everywhere.

We started watching season one of Tyrant this evening, a DVD that Sandy sent to me for my birthday.  Takes place in the middle east and is quite well done.

Tuesday 6/2. It was 50 this morning with a 13 mph, chilly wind and partly cloudy skies.  Nice to have a cool interlude.

Our project for today was to mow our road down to the main canyon road, which is about 1-3/4 miles one way.  We left a little after 10:00 am, with the dogs and I walking in front of the tractor in order to point out any hidden rocks to JB.  I also walked most of the way back up, taking photos all the way (85 total).  With all the scents and sights, I am at a complete loss of words with which to describe our experience.  No Texas plain nor Colorado mountain meadow was ever so vibrant with wild flowers!  

We need an American Monet Up Here to capture these flowers on canvas.  Hmmm. . .maybe my friend, Jane, should come out from North Carolina.  She's a very talented artist.

On our way back up we cut a ways down on the short cut to RJ's place.  Found some fairly fresh bear scat on the road.  While we were out and about, Jesse rolled in something, and I think that was it.  I guess he wanted to smell like a bear so he could sneak up on one.

We were gone about three hours and we all enjoyed the outing.  Well, except for all the dust that the tractor threw up.  We had a quiet afternoon.  The dogs slept.  JB and I read out books.  Then I finished Sandy's birthday present which I will mail on Thursday.  Her birthday (the BIG 70) is on Sunday.

We have a new bird Up Here that I have never heard before.  Haven't been able to see it yet, but it has a very distinctive and pleasant song.

The girls gave us 55 eggs in May.  More and more each month.

Still lots of clouds by late afternoon and our high for the day was 64.  Perfect weather for working outside.

On these long Spring and Summer evenings, I often enjoy strolling around Rose Camp after dinner and just being.

Wednesday 6/3. It is 48 and overcast this morning with warmer weather promised for tomorrow.

Thought for the day: The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. Emily Dickinson

June 1, 2015 We Have Water!

Our warm-weather porch.

Working on the well.

Sign at the start of our trail to the
north ridge.

Friday 5/29. The well company men arrived just before 10:00 am and were here until about 3:30 pm.  Unfortunately, the fix was the most expensive, not the least expensive.  The motor, which is separate from the pump, had blown so they had to pull up 600 feet of pipe which is in 20' lengths.  Those guys have this all down to a science though and can unscrew the pipe and pull more up with the winch truck very quickly.  Took them 1-1/2 hours to pull it up, but the brand new motor was bad.  So JB drove down to their business to get another one, which took two hours.  Obviously we won't be charged for the time they didn't work and will get some sort of a discount for his making the trip.

When they unhooked the pipe to start pulling it up, it was filled with water right to the top.  A very good sign.  They saved all that water for us in one of our 50 gallon drums.

Since they had to pull everything up anyway, I had them install new wire which is much better than the wire they used seven years ago.  Total cost for everything will be about $3000.  Thank goodness for Visa!!

While they were doing all this, I did more weeding.  Then I moved the last row of fire wood off the porch and into the wood shed, using the wheel barrow.  So now we have our warm-weather porch back.

After they left, we had loud thunder and about an hour of rain.  We have had rain so often that the ground doesn't get a chance to dry out.  Which brings up something else that I forget about Spring in the Winter - bugs.  With all this sunshine and moisture we have a lot of bugs.  Flying, crawling, buzzing.  Not my favorite situation.

It was a very relaxing evening knowing that everything was back to normal.  Water.  A generator that we don't have to go outside to turn on and off.  I feel absolutely spoiled!

Saturday 5/30. It was 60 and mostly clear this morning with temps in the high 80's forecast for Down There.

We are still going to use the dish rinse-water and the rain-barrel water to flush the toilet.  But we get to shower more often (we wash by hand every night).  And I get to wash my hair every day now, instead of every other day.  And we will be using less paper plates.  Best of all, we don't have to bring water up every week or so from Larry and Elsie's.  Don't know how we would have got through all this without them.  Life is good.

JB thoroughly vacuumed out all the air intake areas on the tractor.  He always cleans the screen off as he is mowing so it doesn't get clogged, but I guess there was enough inside to cause a problem.  Seems to be working okay now.

I found a post and we got the sign up by our trail to the north ridge, that I had wanted to for a while now.  With my Dad having worked for the Forest Service for so many years, he had some outdated souvenirs.

I split and stacked three wheel barrow loads of wood, while JB was working on the tractor.  He also finished mowing the middle of the south slope.  I am pretty sure that the rest of the wood that is ready to split will fill the wood shed.

Our high for the day was 75, but we had a lovely, cool breeze most of the day.

We have three pairs of nesting wrens Up Here this year.  One pair in each bird house and one under the eaves just above the bathroom window.  So we have a symphony of bird song all day long.  Just wonderful!

We are running the well pump for about a half an hour each day until the cistern fills.  That should be done on Monday or Tuesday.  Then we will just fill as needed.

I changed from flannel to regular sheets today, which I am sure is the earliest I have ever done that.  We had one year when I never did stop using flannel sheets because we had such a cool summer.

We watched the last episode of season six of Burn Notice this evening.  Now I just have to find a good deal on season seven.

Sunday 5/31. It was 60 with a light overcast that thickened into clouds, and the air became very muggy.  But the clouds began to break up a bit early in the afternoon and it was a hot 76.

JB drove down to Larry and Elsie's after breakfast to borrow their lawn mower.  Ours died last year at age 30, and we don't have a replacement yet.  

While he was gone, I worked on my long list of little things that need doing inside the house.  Then after lunch I mowed ALL around the house.  JB did some mowing when I got too warm.  I will finish up tomorrow.

I had a nice chat with Nene today.  JB said there are only 104 days until we leave for our trip to Idaho and wanted to know if she had started packing!  I think he is just counting down the days until he has some alone time. . .

The wild roses are blooming Up Here now and I can smell their incredible scent everywhere I go.

I plan on going Down There on Thursday mainly to do laundry.  Hopefully one of my last such trips.  With all this new, fresh water, the dirt should be disappearing quickly.

We watched Guardians of the Galaxy this evening, me for the third time and JB for the first.  What a great movie!

Monday 6/1. It is 64 this morning and clouded over with just a few tiny patches of blue sky.  Looks like we may get some more rain.

Thought for the day (which I wish I had had for Memorial Day): Our flag does not fly because the wind blows it.  It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.