December 7, 2015 Sunshine, Lots of Snow & Finding My Book

Dinga digging after critters.

MAX, before we dug him out.

Friday 12/4. I started reading the new Cowboys & Indians magazine this morning and could not put it down.  A large portion of it is dedicated to the new mountain man movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant, which opens Christmas Day.  Definitely going to see that one when it is out on DVD.

So with such a late start, I didn't get much done today other than daily chores.  Worked on finishing Nene's gift.  JB got the snow blower running and cleared a lot of paths.

It was a day of delicious, bright sunshine in a mostly blue sky.  Our high for the day was 40, but it really didn't cause much melting.  There was a crunchy frosting of ice atop the snow when we went for our afternoon walk.  Dinga was in heaven, making snow angels and digging in the snow after little critters.

I actually made a little time to write on my book after dinner and try to organize all my notes.  I am usually writing notes for it during most days (and nights), but haven't done much actual writing.

Saturday 12/5. It was 26 and we were in the clouds this morning.  A very fine snow began to fall around 9:00 am, which soon increased to larger flakes.  It didn't stop snowing until Sunday morning, and by 3:00 pm we had four more inches.  Our high for the day was 28.

I feel like the book I am writing already exists in its entirety.  I just have to gather all the little snippets that fall through the sieve between realities, and make sense of them.  Like putting together a puzzle of ill-defined pieces.  And poor JB has to put up with me turning on my bedside lamp at all hours of the night, or holding up my hand to stop a conversation while I jot down some notes.

I drove our loaner ATV down to pick up the mail, visit the Gridders and pick up another package at Larry and Elsie's that I had had shipped to their shop.  The snow was really coming down and I had to stop every half mile or so to wipe off the windshield, as the vehicle does not have wipers.  Our road was better than I thought it might be, but the main canyon road had a bit of ice under the snow.

When I arrived at Gridder's, their boys were building a very cool snow fort out of a pile of snow that Larry made while plowing out their driveway.  The whole trip took about 2-1/2 hours.  Driving back up the mountain, about a mile from home and after I stopped to wipe the windshield, I noticed a flashing yellow light on the dashboard.  Nothing sounded wrong and all the engine lights were okay, so I drove on home.  

I called Mr. Sixes about the light and he said I must have hit the blinker switch!  His vehicle is licensed to be on public roads, so it has blinkers, a horn, rear-view windows, etc.  Well, that was a big relief!  

The snow was still piling up as the sun set.  Could only guess what we would wake up to in the morning.

Sunday 12/6.  The snow had stopped falling when we got up and it was 32 outside.  But there was A LOT of snow on the ground.  JB got dressed right away and went up to clear off the solar panels and measure the snow.  We had received 11" in the past 24 hours.  He could hear the avalanche cannons booming on Mission Ridge.

Even with a tractor and snow blower, there are times when we just have to shovel the snow, and this morning was one of those times.  JB shoveled the basic walkways to the hen house, shop, battery room and wood shed.  I cleared off the foot of snow on the deck, which always seems so much larger in the winter.  We both got a good cardio workout, and that was before we even started on MAX.

By 10:00 am, the sky was almost clear.  The sun had driven the fog down into the canyons and valleys.  The snow was sliding off of the roof and dropping from the tree branches.  Very soon, it was raining from the trees.

We wanted to put the tracks on MAX today, but first we had to dig him out, which we did after lunch.  Then JB drove him over by his Jeep, and we had to dig out a place to park and work on him.  By the time we were done with all that and bringing in fire wood, it was just to late and we were just too pooped to put on the tracks.  Hopefully we can get that done tomorrow.

Our high for the day was 38, but once again, there didn't seem to be much melting except for off of the trees and roof.  The weather forecast calls for more warmer temps for the next few days and possibly some rain.  Miss Kitty should be fixed by Wednesday or Thursday, and I need to get down and pay for the repairs so Mr Sixes can pick her up.  Also need to get some shopping done and packages mailed.

Monday 12/7. It is 34 and overcast this morning with valley fog.  Not really looking forward to putting on MAX's tracks. . .

Thought for the day: Sometimes the grass will appear greener on the other side because it has been fertilized by bullsh*t.