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| Smoke blowing back in from the north Saturday evening. |
Friday 8/21. The rounds that are left to be split are too large and too far away for me to move them to the splitter. I will have to wait until JB is back and can nudge them over with the tractor.
I didn't watch anything last night because I started reading Glamorous Powers by Susan Howatch, and couldn't put it down. Still had a problem with that today so I didn't get a much else done.
I gathered kindling left in an old pile of branch wood and used my fire-wood bag to take it to the wood shed. I was able to get three bags full taken and stacked. Then I lay down for a short nap and woke up an hour later. How lovely!
I discovered that I had a small jar of the elderberry vodka left from last Fall. Unfortunately it seem to be a drink that should be enjoyed within a few months of making. Now it tastes like slightly fermented prune juice.
Today I noticed several yellow limbs on one of the small trees in the grove. It definitely has to come down. I have also noticed a few more standing dead on the west slope. They are all fir trees, so it isn't a pine beetle problem. Not sure what it is, but they all need to be cut this Fall.
Our high for today was 77, but the continual wind had a chilly edge to it and was gusting to 12 mph throughout the day, so it never seemed quite that warm. In late afternoon the wind changed direction and by 6:00 pm I noticed the sky darkening. It wasn't clouds but rather smoke being blown back in. As soon as the smoke arrived, the wind began to die down to a complete calm.
I spent the evening reading Glamorous Powers, and, having finally glanced at the back cover, realized that it is the second book in a trilogy!
Saturday 8/22. It was 53 and clear but smokey this morning after a two-day respite of clear skies. Cold air coming down from Canada has created an inversion layer, so the smoke is really thick today. JB said they even have a smokey haze in Seattle now.
I took the last load of split wood to the shed and stacked it. Pretty sure that some of what is left to split will have to be stacked on the porch. The shed is almost full.
I baked a banana-chocolate chip coffee cake this morning in anticipation of JB's return tomorrow. This has been a long two weeks.
The smoke cleared a bit Up Here in the afternoon, but it still looks bad Down There in the valleys and canyons. Our high today was a very comfortable 67. Just wish the air had been fresher so I could have done more outside.
I finally finished reading Glamorous Powers this evening. All I can say is: Phenomenal!! I will definitely read the other two books in the trilogy.
I googled "Making rose hip tea" and found a great site - Recipes From The Wild - with several recipes for tea and other food made with rose hips. So I went out and picked a small bowl full and am drying them in the oven. I may try using the dehydrator too. Like everything else this year, they are ripe now, which is at least five weeks early. After raking out the seeds, I ate one and it was quite sweet. They contain as much as 20 times more vitamin C than oranges and are also an excellent antioxidant.
Seems like every year I forget just how loud the crickets Up Here can get. You actually have to raise your voice to be heard over them! Fortunately they seem to prefer the south side of the house, so I can't hear them from the bedroom.
Sunday 8/23. It was 56 this morning and clear enough for me to see blue skies with a few scattered clouds. The smoke stayed in the canyon until the sun started warming things up, and then it seemed to creep up like the fog does. There is no possibility of rain in the forecast til at least next weekend, but by then who knows?
The dogs woke me up at 5:00 am to go out and stayed out for about a half an hour. I tried, but couldn't get back to sleep, so I was up a 6:15. By 7:30 I had most of the dusting done; had washed the outside of the loft windows; and had successfully completely a few pages of sudoku. I also watched a pair of jays foraging in the yard and listed to a very vocal poorwill.
JB called at 8:45 am to say he was just leaving and would call when he got to town. Unfortunately his Jeep is leaking a little transmission fluid, so we have to get it to the shop tomorrow so they can fix what they obviously didn't when we had it in before JB left.
I sure wish I could see what Jesse has been barking at almost every day. I know he doesn't bark until he actually sees something and he doesn't bark at deer. He just chases them of our property. So it must be a bear. Haven't heard any coyotes this year at all, and cats tend to roam their wide territory, not staying in one place for long.
JB called again about 20 miles out and we decided I would meet him at the shop where we would leave his Jeep to be fixed tomorrow. I left for Down There as quickly as possible. Met him and transferred everything to my Jeep. We were home by 1:00 pm and so glad to be together again!
His Mom had sent lots of goodies and two sacks of books. We unloaded my car and just relaxed.
Monday 8/24. It is 60 and very smokey this morning. It's a day off for both of us. Tomorrow we will drive Down There to pick up his Jeep and run some errands.
Thought for the day: Why are there always too many Democratic Congressmen, too many Republican Congressmen, and never enough U.S. Congressmen? Author Unknown
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