November 23, 2015 A Tree, A Dance & Thanksgiving Plans

Rabbit tracks next to JB's tracks
across the north ridge.

Rimed grass on the south ridge.

Friday 11/20. Instead of being Up Here just dinking around today, we really should have been been driving down to check our road for any trees blocking it.  Oh, well.  This was brought home when Larry called this evening to tell us about a tree they discovered while out on a drive across our road that would have to be cut.  JB will have his saw with him when he goes Down There tomorrow.  The saw stays in the car now.

Our son also called us this evening to say, "I just drove my son to his first dance!  I feel so old!"  Well, listen Kiddo.  Try having your son call you to say he just drove his son to his first dance, then tell me how old you feel. . .

We watched Space Cowboys this evening between phone calls which is, in our opinion, the best non-sci-fi space movie ever made.  With Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland, how could it not be?

Saturday 11/21. It was 20 and mostly clear this morning.  There is a bridge out on the highway over Stevens Pass, so no traffic can get to the west side that way.  The only other major pass is Snoqualamie which now will certainly be twice as jam-packed over the holiday weekend.  With that bit of news and the weather forecast of another storm and frigid temperatures, we have decided not to go to Seattle for Thanksgiving.  I am so very disappointed, but I guess it serves me right for planning it in the first place.  There is ALWAYS a storm over Thanksgiving weekend.  I remember many a time having to use candles to eat by because the power was out.

JB left for Down There about 9:00 am.  He was able to cut the tree and pull it out of the way with his Jeep.  Fortunately there were no other ones down. 

Fog tried creeping in from the southeast, but the sun soon put an end to that.  For the past week or so, the south ridge seems to be the dividing line for the weather, with snow and fog in the canyons to the south and only a rain in the canyons to the north and in town.

While JB was gone, I defrosted the fridge and worked on Christmas presents.  Brought in the last pieces of fire wood from the first row in the wood shed, and started on the second row.  Also had a nice chat with Nene.  We are both very disappointed that we won't be visiting her on Friday.  And now we will have to mail our presents to each other.

JB arrived back home at about 2:30 pm.  He had seen Gridder on his way back up the canyon who extended an invitation to their Thanksgiving dinner next Saturday.  Mrs. Gridder's folks will be there also and we do so enjoy their company.  So we will be having two special dinners.  We will celebrate the holiday with Larry, Elsie and their daughter's family on Thanksgiving evening, and then again on Saturday with the Gridders.  How nice!

In the mail, we had received several TV series that I had ordered on sale from Hastings, so this evening we finally got to start watching the last season of Burn Notice, just two or three years late.

Sunday 11/22. It was 22 and clear this morning.  We have had the fleece sheets on our bed for a couple weeks and they are proving to be dangerous.  It can be just too hard to crawl out of them on cold mornings, which is every morning now. . .

Sandy called this morning and we had a nice long talk.  It's cold in Santa Rose also now.  Well, cold for them.  Then Randy called.  I talked to him for a few minutes and then handed the phone over to JB so they could discuss solar panels.  He is getting fed up with losing power so often.

Some thin, high clouds moved in from the southwest covering part of the sky, but the sun managed to shine through them.  Our high for the day was 30.

JB baked a banana coffee cake and made German pancakes for dinner.  Since I don't like to eat breakfast until around 11:00 am, we have moved Sunday breakfast to dinner time.

Larry called to see if we wanted to play marbles this evening, so they came up about 6:30 pm.  We got to laughing so hard that by the time they left after the second game, my stomach hurt.  Guys won the first game by a mile.  Gals won the second game by one throw of the die.

Regarding the comment about chickens liking cabbage and kitchen scraps, our girls decided a few weeks ago that they are tired of cabbage and bananas.  So in addition to their oatmeal, I also include some spinach and any other greens I have left over.  I think they are getting spoiled. . .

Monday 11/23. It is 24 with a few little clouds floating by thing morning.  We have a 70% chance of snow this evening.

Thought for the day: The bad news: Time flies.  The good news: You're the pilot.