November 2, 2015 Birthdays & A Stormy Weekend

(No photos as I am still using JB's computer.)

Friday 10/30. Windy all day with sustained winds in the mid teens and gusts to 30 mph.  Occasionally the wind brought in rain from the west.

I finished saving all the photos and documents off of my computer.  Did laundry, which I hung inside to save it from being blown into the next county.  I actually braved the wind and pick up a couple armloads of kindling that had been blown off the trees.

JB napped while I read the current Smithsonian magazine which features articles on little-known facts about U.S. history, from the slave trade to the C.I.A.  A very good read.

When I attended the craft fair earlier in the month, I treated myself to three metal garden stakes which read: Believe, Giggle, and Dream.  I am amazed at the impact that just seeing those words has on my attitude.  Each time they create a smile on my face and in my mind.

Saturday 10/31. It was 46, windy, and rain was falling this morning, as it had all night.  Poor Dinga does not like the noise of the wind and becomes a velcro dog.  Rain fell continuously all day, sometimes light and sometimes drenching, but the storm blew itself out by about 3:00 pm.  Only a light rain fell off and on after that, but there was only a breezy remnant of the blustery wind.

I spent the afternoon getting ready to visit RJ and Mike at their cabin to celebrate RJ's birthday.  Cooked up a big pot of chili and some cornbread.  JB made giant chocolate muffins.  We left for RJ's at 4:00 pm and it took us 50 minutes to drive the four miles.  We spent about ten of those minutes cleaning up branches from a dead tree that had fallen across our road.  Fortunately it was at such an angle that we could drive under one side of it.

We had a great visit full of lively conversation and good food, and were on our way home after a couple of hours.  The road was actually a lot better than we had anticipated, with just a few slippy, slidey places, but lots of puddles.  When we arrived back at Rose Camp at 7:30 pm, the sky was mostly clear and the wind had picked up again.

We received a little more than an inch of rain and another 50 gallons of water in our barrels.  The west side of the mountain is supposed to receive a record amount of rain this weekend and Mt. Rainier may get up to 12-15 FEET of snow.

Sunday 11/1. It was 37 and windy with a few sprinkles this morning of JB's 73rd birthday.  But the wind soon blew the clouds away, gusting to 30 mph.

We all adjust much better to losing an hour than gaining one, especially the dogs.  This whole "daylight savings time" is such a farce.

The girls only gave us one egg in October.  Not sure what their problem is, but at least we are getting chicken manure.  They have also decided that they do not like cabbage any more, but they do love spinach and still enjoy their bananas.

We get to choose what we want for breakfast and dinner for our birthdays, and JB wanted biscuits and pork-sausage graving for breakfast.  So I made them and it was delicious.  He wanted baked potatoes, fully loaded, for dinner, so it was a very starchy day.

Varied thrushes have been arriving from Alaska lately.  They are about the size of a robin with markings similar to a nuthatch, but with more orange on their feathers.  Very pretty.

On JB's morning walk with the dogs, he could see snow on every elevation about 1000 ft above us, including Mission Ridge.  The mountains were in the clouds all day, so they should be heavily covered by tomorrow.

After lunch we drove down to pick up the mail, visit with the Gridders and cut the fallen tree off the road.  The wind had dried much of the sloppy mud off the road, but there were still plenty of puddles.  The whole outing took almost three hours and was quite enjoyable.

Our high for the day was 48, but that must have been for all of three minutes.  The wind was not sustained today.  It gusted to 30 and then completely died down, only to repeat that cycle all day long.  With that wind chill, it was really cold.

After filling up on our baked potatoes, piled high with onions, tomatoes, bacon and sour cream, we made a loaf of banana bread together.  I don't remember ever having done any baking after drinking a glass of wine, but it did remind me of the shirt I saw which read: I cook with wine, but after four glasses I don't remember why I am in the kitchen.

Monday 11/2. It is 38 and mostly cloudy this morning, but the clouds have lifted from the mountains and we can see they are covered in snow.  What a great sight!

Thought for the day: Life isn't always candy, cowboy boots and horses, but it should be.