June 29, 2016 Erecting the Tipi & Mowing the Road in The Heat

Getting the lift pole up.

Putting in the lace
pins.

Staking it down.

All done!

Monday 6/27. We had such a fun day with Gridder's boys.  He brought them Up Here at 10:00 am and stayed about an hour to help with the tipi, which was great because we needed his tall arms with the lift pole.  Funny, we used to be able to set it up all by ourselves in no time at all.  In fact, JB used to do it by himself. . .

After Gridder left, we put in the liner and staked it all down.  The boys were such a big help and seemed to enjoy themselves.  We also finally put an owl face (eyes and mouth) on one of the trees across from the house.  

Then it was time for lunch.  I had forgotten how much growing boys eat!  But we had plenty of food, and conversation.  They discovered JB's handheld games, which kept them busy for a while.  At 3:30 pm I drove them back home and picked up the mail.  

Before the boys arrived, JB had mowed on the south ridge and moved the wood I cut yesterday to the wood shed.  I got the laundry done and hung it out.  

After dinner we just sat on the porch and enjoyed the evening, after I had stacked the wood.  We had a high of 82, but there was a light, cool breeze.

Tuesday 6/28. It was 68 and clear this morning.  We were on our way to mow the road at 9:30 am.  Fortunately most of the road is still in the shade at that time.  I walked ahead of the tractor, pointing out embedded rocks that were sticking up, tossing any loose ones, and snipping off any encroaching branches.  There was SO much dust!

I was going to ride all the way back up, but about half way home Jesse was really panting and lagging behind, even with JB driving so slowly.  So I walked the rest of the way with him.  We were only about five minutes behind JB and Dinga when we arrived home at 11:40.  Then it was definitely time for a shower and a nap.

It was hot again today with a high of 84, and is supposed to be hotter tomorrow.  I hope the forecast for cooler temps over the weekend is accurate.

Wednesday 6/29. It is 64 and breezy with clear skies this morning.  JB is on his way down to meet with a guy from one of the propane companies and show him where everyone is who wants it delivered.

Thought for the day: The wonder is that we see these trees and not wonder more.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

June 27, 2016 White Tail vs Mule Deer

The "flying saucer" clouds over
Mission Ridge, which are
often seen by Mt. Ranier.

Asters & yarrow.

Friday 6/24. Sandy called my shortly after JB left for Down There this morning.  She just had to share her elation over the UK voting to opt out of the EU!  But she is not looking forward to the very hot weather that is in the forecast for them.  We'll be getting some too, but not into the 100's.

The wind was gusting to 14 mph, so I decided to stay busy inside.  I made four 1/2-gallon jars of the ingredients for the broccoli-cheddar soup in the Meals in a Jar book.  I also made chicken broth for the dogs.  Then baked my world-famous gluten-free chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies.  That always takes a while as the recipe is for about 10 dozen.  JB arrived home just as the first batch was coming out of the oven. . .

Besides buying the various types of gas, he made stops at businesses that sell propane.  The dealer who has been delivering up our canyon for the past 15 years or so has decided he doesn't want to any longer.  The manager of one of
the places JB visited will be coming Up Here on Wednesday to check out the road.

The wind continued to blow all day and our high was 62.

JB stopped in to see Larry and Elsie while he was in town.  It seems that the deer we had up here on Thursday were in fact immature mule deer.  The giveaway was the black tip on their white tale.  Interesting that, like humans, the teenagers don't look much like the adults they become.

Saturday 6/25. The day began with a temp of 50 and partly cloudy skies. 

JB and I got outside after breakfast to do work with the tractor.  He took several bucket loads of small fir branches and needles, that I loaded into the bucket, from south of the house to the new swale.  Then he took the bushes I had cut out yesterday evening and most of a rotten stump to the swale also.  After that he covered it with several loads of dirt, that I raked level and tamped down.

The wild rose blooms don't seem to have lasted as long this year as they usually do.  There are still a few scattered bushes that are in bloom, but not many.

Looks like just members of the younger generation of JB's family will be Up Here for the weekend of July 4th.  Two nephews are coming, one with his son and girlfriend.  We haven't seen either of them in a while, so we are very pleased they can make it this year.  But now there is so much to do in preparation!

Our high for the day was a very pleasant 66, but it is going to get much warmer.  After dinner I cut out some more bushes on the east slope and broke up another rotten stump.

Sunday 6/26. It was 56 with clear skies this morning.  Wanted to get the outside projects done early before the heat set in.  So after morning chores and laundry, I began clearing bushes away from the swale by the hen house.  Surrounding all these bushes is fantastic mulch made up of dead grass, leaves and needles that I also put on the swales.

I also pulled everything that was growing on the tipi floor.  Gridder will be bringing up his boys tomorrow morning so they can help put it up and see how it is done.

After lunch the splitter was in the shade and there was a nice breeze, so I split some more wood.  Tomorrow morning JB will use the tractor to move the bushes I cut out yesterday evening and the rotten stump to the swale. Then he will move the fire wood to the wood shed.  I will stack it after we put up the tipi and take the boys home.

Our high for the day was 74.  Not too bad, but tomorrow is supposed to be warmer.

Monday 6/27. It is 64 with clear skies this morning.  Going to be a busy week.

Thought for the day: Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.  John Muir

June 24, 2016 Work, Work, Work

The little whitetail buck
Thursday morning.

Wednesday 6/22. Our morning project was to drive down to the pavement with the trailer to pick up a stack of free pallets we had seen.  That, in itself, took a couple hours.  When we got back home, I put in a load of laundry.

After lunch, JB drove back down to get an old refrigerator we had seen that was also free.  He want to use it in the shop to store oil and other flammable liquids, rat poison, etc.

While he was gone I hung out the wash, made MORE humming bird syrup, and spent a little while using the mackintosh to chop out some of the root balls of the bushes we cut on Monday.

We put the refrigerator just inside the shop, clearing out a few things to make room.  It is going to work out just perfectly.

After dinner I cut and stacked the few branches that were left behind the house to the south.  Then I started on the pile to the north, cutting and stacking a few loads.  

Getting rid of all the bushes is going to be quite a chore, but I figured if I cut just one bush each evening, they would soon disappear.  So I started this evening by getting rid of one by the swale directly across from the house.  Then I sat on the porch and listened to the music from the Michael Flately DVD that JB was watching.  But, not being able to sit still very long if I am not tired, I was soon trimming the ninebark and rose bushes by the chicken run.

That heavy rain we received the other day gave us a total of about 70 more gallons of water in two of the water barrels.  So we still haven't had to use water from the cistern to water the garden or any of the flowers.

Thursday 6/23. Dinga's barking woke me up at 6:00 am.  There were two small deer right out in front of the house near the driveway, just munching on bushes.  They weren't mule deer, so they must have been white tail which we rarely see Up Here.  It was a doe and a buck with antlers just barely taller than his ears.  I didn't let the dogs out.  Just watched the deer eat and got a few good photos.  When they finally moved on, I let the dogs go.

Then it was back to bed til 8:00 am, at which time it was 52, breezy and partly cloudy.  Looked like a good day to work outside, so after breakfast and laundry, I split four tractor bucket loads of wood.  JB worked in the shop, filling his "new cupboard" and re-arranging the moved items.

After a late lunch, I stacked the wood that JB had moved over to the wood shed.  Then I split and stacked another four bucket loads.  JB worked in the shop some more and cleaned out his Jeep in preparation for his trip Down There tomorrow to get propane, ethanol-free gas for our small engines, and diesel for the tractor.

While he was cooking dinner, I discovered that it is much easier to remove a root ball with a shovel than a mackintosh.  Still as sweaty, but much easier on the wrists and arms.  After dinner I got rid of another bush and took the root ball out with the shovel.

When I came in for dinner I hadn't noticed the black clouds that had quickly moved in.  Rain began to fall so I ran out to close up everything which included putting things back in the shop, covering the tractor and closing JB's Jeep windows.  Five minutes after I was back inside and quite wet, the rain stopped.  But, as it often happens, we were on the south edge of the squall and it rained quite a while in town.

If some of the photos on my blog are blurry when you click on them to make them larger, it is because I usually have my little pocket Canon camera with me and it doesn't zoom in well.  But I often don't want to miss the picture, so I take it anyway.

Friday 6/24. It is 44 and breezy with clear skies, except for the clouds sitting on the mountains.

Thought for the day: Technology can, and will, fail you.  Mother Nature (the laws of nature) never will.

June 22, 2016 Clearing Brush & A Trip Down There

A western tanager at our
bird bath.

Monday 6/20. Most of the clouds moved on by noon and the sun shone most of the day.  A beautiful day for working outside, and we did.  Lots of work clearing brush.  This is something we should have done a few years ago, as there are so many bushes popping up.  We started with a group of six or seven trees on the north side of the south ridge that are surrounded by bushes.  JB put the brush cutter blade on the weed eater which really works great.  He would cut and then I would clear.  As I cleared, I used the cut foliage to create a new swale close by.  This is much more physical work than splitting and stacking firewood!  And it is just the beginning, but we did get quite a lot done.

Our high for this longest day of the year was 70, and tomorrow is supposed to be about the same.  Which is good because I plan to go Down There for a big grocery shopping spree.  Going to be a long day.

We have a pair of western tanagers at Rose Camp now.  They are a stunning yellow bird with black wings and an orange face.  The new pair of wrens has completed their nest in the Bear Country bird house, and may have already laid some eggs.

And, speaking of eggs, Betty and Belinda seem to be leaving the egg laying to Blondie in the past few days.  Hmmmm.

Tuesday 6/21. It was 50 and clear this morning.  I was on my way Down There with my long list by 9:00 am.  It was windy in town, as it often is, but I got everything done and was home at about 2:30 pm.  Must have got up to 80, so it was so nice to be back home where it was just 70 for a high.

After dinner, we sat on the porch and watched the humming bird wars.  So much for the migrating hoards to have moved on!  I am going to have to make more syrup tomorrow morning.  The pair of western tanagers were out and about, and we discovered that their song is much like the robins', who are still Up Here.

Wednesday 6/22. It is 60 this morning - must be summer.  The sky is overcast to the west and clear to the east.  Going to be a warm one.

Thought for the day: You can have anything you want.  You just can't have everything you want.  John-Roger, co-author of You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought.

June 20, 2016 A "Fixed" Tractor & Rain

The rufus humming bird guarding
"her" feeder.

Our "park" to the north
of the house.

Friday 6/17. I split and stacked four more tractor bucket loads of wood today.  Splitting before lunch and stacking after.

JB completely cleaned the tractor.  It seems that is it necessary to clean the radiator fins quite often in order to keep the engine from over heating.  This becomes apparent when one reads the manual. . .

Then he was able to do some mowing and move the wood to the wood shed with no problems.  He mowed north of the hen house with me walking ahead to locate any low stumps or rocks.  Looks like a park now.

Yesterday I had made another gallon of humming bird syrup for the hungry little buggers.  It looks as though the visiting hoards may have continued on their journey north since I had not filled the feeders immediately this morning.  Now it is just the patient residents who are still here.

We had an early supper and then JB went Down There to play Magic cards.  I watched my favorite movie, Guardians of The Galaxy, for the umpteenth time.

Saturday 6/18.  It was 48 and light rain was falling, as it had since the early morning hours, becoming quite heavy by mid-morning.  The wind picked up around noon and then it was just plain nasty outside.  We spent a cozy day inside with a fire going.

JB baked two loaves of bread, while I read through Ask Jackie - Pressure Canning a book from BackWoods Home magazine, to plan for canning that I really want to do this year.  Definitely going to can some meat, soups and dinners.

A rufus humming bird has arrived Up Here in the past few days and is defending the south feeder most afternoons.  She is bright orange, and so pretty.  We also have a couple ruby-throated humming birds, but they are not as aggressive.

The rain stopped falling around 1:30 pm, but the wind kept up.  Our high for this dark and dreary day was 50.

Sunday 6/19. Father's Day began with a temp of 54 and clear skies.  Such a beautiful morning!  We sat on the porch with our coffee and watched all the birds.

After morning chores, vacuuming and lunch, I split four more tractor-bucket loads of wood.  JB drove them to the wood shed and helped me stack them.

Plenty of time for sudoku, crossword puzzles and reading a book, as I try to do most days.

Our high for the day was 62 and very light, high clouds appeared by late afternoon.

Monday 6/20. It is the summer solstice and it is 50 with mostly overcast skies, but the sun has found the only opening through which to shine.  In the past few weeks we have had less than 5-1/2 hours of complete darkness, so now begins the journey back to 14 hours of dark.

Thought for the day: If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.

June 17, 2016 Splitting Again & Rain

The chicken coup door
before. . .

. . . and after.

Pussy foot and asters.

Wednesday 6/15. JB had purchased the hinges and clasps, so he was finally able to build the new door for the chicken run.  We installed it, and it is just perfect.  So much easier to use than chicken wire attached to a pole.  (See photos above.)

Yesterday Larry had rigged up a tool for JB to use to open the oil drain on the engine of the splitter.  It worked perfectly, so JB was able to drain the dirty oil and put in the new.  Tomorrow I want to start splitting again.

Today is the first time that I remember being caught with wash on the line in the rain, and, of course, it was socks and underwear so there were lots of little items to take down instead of a few big ones.  Had to re-hang everything in the house.

I stripped most of the rest of the fir branches on the south side of the house.  Will be so glad to take a break and do some splitting.  I am not good at doing the same thing day after day.

This evening we watched the fourth, and last, Lethal Weapon movie.  They are so entertaining!

Thursday 6/16. It was 44 and partly overcast this morning.  I was able to get out after breakfast and dishes to do some splitting, which felt so good.  Just before noon black clouds had drifted in and there was a clap of thunder to the south.  A perfect time to stop for lunch.  While I was eating we had a downpour with hail, but it only lasted about ten minutes.

After we both ate, I filled the tractor bucket with four loads of wood that JB drove over to the wood shed.  I stacked it all, with JB helping.  That four loads was about 1/8 of a row.

Squalls continued to drift over all afternoon from the west, but we were able to go on our afternoon walk and stay dry.  Before our walk, I gathered three basket loads of fir kindling and stacked them.  Tomorrow we will have to put boards on the ends of each of the last two rows, so I can finish them.

Friday 6/17. It is 46 and partly overcast this morning.  Hopefully I can get some more splitting done before the forecast rain arrives.

Thought for the day: Democracy in itself does not define or guarantee a free society.  History has told many stories of democratic societies that have degenerated into corruption, plunder and tyranny.  Richard M. Ebeling

June 15, 2016 A Racing Bear, Mixed Girls & Cold Weather

The top of the box that I
decorated and gave to Sandy
for her birthday. . .

. . . and the front of the box.

Monday 6/13. I had washed the dishes, done the morning watering outside, gathered and stacked the pine kindling that was in the shade, and reorganized the storage side of the outhouse by the time JB left at 10:45 am for his doctor's appointment and errands.  And I didn't stop then.

There was a nasty odor in the house this morning that we figured was a dead mouse or two, so I pulled all the linens out of the linen closet to get to the door to the space around the tub.  Sure enough, there was a mouse.  I couldn't reach it, so I sprayed a lot of Lysol and deodorizer.  Then loaded the closet back up, and changed the sheets on the bed.

Then I reorganized the pantry to make items more easily accessible, and wondered why I hadn't done that years ago. . .  After that, I had to make another gallon of hummingbird syrup.  The hoards have arrived.

JB was home by 3:30 pm with a clean bill of health, other than his gout.  The wind had picked up during the afternoon and our high for the day was 66.

I bought the book Meals In A Jar several months ago and have been looking through it lately and planning what I want to try.  Before preparing a lot of one recipe for storage, I wanted to try it out.  So I made her Broccoli-Cheese Soup for dinner tonight.  It was with a bit of trepidation that I did this, as she uses a lot of freeze-dried foods and I really didn't want to waste any.  But it turned out quite delicious!  Next I plan to try her macaroni and cheese dish.

This has got me going on canning things like cheese and butter, as they are ingredients for many of her recipes.  So I will be looking for good buys on those and other items.

I was on a roll today.  So much so that I rolled into bed at 7:30 pm.  Just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

Tuesday 6/14. I went to bed so early last night that I got up at 5:30 am this morning.  Had to put a fire in as it was 37, cloudy and breezy.  Brrrrr!  By the time JB got up at 7:30 am, it had warmed up to 40.

I had a nice, long talk with Sandy, who usually gets up around 5:00 am.  She is looking forward to the rain they are supposed to get on Thursday, but seeing is believing.  While we were talking, I was watching nine hummingbirds at one of our feeders.  Nine!  They must have all been part of the same family because none of them were getting chased away.

JB went Down There again today as he forgot two important items yesterday.  One was actually on his list and he had forgotten to put the other one on.  I figured that since he was going down, he could also pick up some groceries.

After he left a little after 10:00 am, I took the dogs on their morning walk.  It was a very chilly venture.  Then I gathered and stacked the rest of the pine kindling, but the wind was just too icy to stay outside any longer.

I did a few things around the house, but pretty much made up for yesterday by taking it easy.

JB was home around 1:30 pm with news from Elsie that we needed to cover the tomato plants tonight as there is snow in the forecast!  On his drive home, way down in the canyon even before Larry and Elsie's house, a cinnamon-colored bear came racing down the steep slope on his left, across the road and down into the canyon!  It was probably a two-year old, but he figured that if the bear had hit the car, it would have taken them all over the side.  

Our high for the day was just 58 with the wind gusting to 13 mph.  We did get out and cover the plants after dinner, all bundled up like it was February.

Since I went to bed before the girls last night, I had to put the little ones in with the big ones tonight.  This afternoon I moved the large, hanging feeder out of the hen house and hung it in their outside covered area so the little ones could get to it more easily.  At 8:00 pm the big girls were already inside roosting, so I shooed all three little ones inside and blocked the door with the dog house.  Hopefully they will all survive the night being together.

Wednesday 6/15. It is 36 and clear this morning.  There is snow on the passes, but it didn't get this far east.

I got up at 6:45 am to let the girls out and the little ones had already wiggled their way out of the small opening.  I just hope they spent the night inside.  I will take the dog house out of the pen today.

Thought for the day: For who can endure a doctrine which would allow only dentists to say whether our teeth ache, only cobblers to say whether our shoes hurt us, and only government to tell us whether we are being well-governed?  C.S. Lewis

June 13, 2016 Two More Trips Down There & A Great Weekend

Dinga's nest in the bushes
while we were using the
tractor.

Friday 6/10. We were on our way to JB's 8:20 am doctor's appointment at 7:20.  I was driving, but not even sure I was really awake.  The doctor drained his elbow; couldn't make up his mind if it was pseudo-gout or some other infection; called in a different prescription.  JB was feeling well enough that I was able to get all my grocery shopping done, too.  We were home a little after noon.

Another call from the doctor at 4:00 pm that it was indeed really gout and I needed to go pick up a new prescription!  As Larry would say, this guy is really just practicing medicine.  Maybe one day he'll get it right.

On this trip Down There (this made four trips in two days), I treated myself to a big, juicy hamburger.  Probably my favorite red meat dish, and I only have it about three times a year.

It's been a long two days, but at least JB's problem is only gout and not any of the other life-threatening possibilities that the doctor mentioned. . .

Saturday 6/11. My brother came up for breakfast and we had a really nice visit.
After he left, I finished clipping ALL the pine clusters off the branches, and began cutting the small branches into kindling and stacking them in the wood shed.

It was a great day, simply because I did NOT have to drive anywhere.  JB took the day off to rest his arm.

It was breezy and clear all day with a high of 64.

We relaxed in the evening, watching the first Lethal Weapon movie.  Will probably watch the other three soon.

Sunday 6/12.  Today began with a temp of 47 and partly cloudy skies.  A very pleasant day with a high of 67.

Right after breakfast we got to work outside.  JB used the tractor to move all the pine needle clusters to the fourth swale we are creating.  Then he was able to cover about 1/3 of it with dirt before lunch.  I raked each bucket load and tromped it down while he got the next load.

After lunch we were able to cover about 1/2 the swale in dirt.  Then I FINISHED trimming the pine branches.  Hurray!!  Now I just have to stack all the kindling I made in the wood shed, and eventually cut the large branches in the cradle.  A good day's work.  

I opened up the little door between the little girls and the big girls this afternoon, then sat and watched them for a while.  No problems, so I left it like that.  I was going to leave the door open and then tomorrow night put the little ones in with the big ones to roost, but the little ones had a hard time finding the door(!!), so I just took the whole fence down.  

Tomorrow I will work on the fir branches, but it is supposed to be a wet week, so we'll see just how much I get done.  JB has a follow-up doctor's appointment tomorrow, but he is feeling well enough to go down by himself.  Thank goodness!

I am so saddened and distressed by the shooting in Orlando for which ISIS has claimed responsibility.  So much obvious evil in the world today..

Monday 6/13. It is 50 and partly cloudy this morning.  Looks to be a good day for working outside.

Thought for the day: He who plants thorns must never expect to gather roses.  Arabian proverb

June 10, 2016 Again With The Branches & Trips Down There

Tuesday night's sunset.

The socks Sandy gave
to me for my
birthday!

Wednesday 6/8. Because the heat had dried out the huge pile of fir branches on the north side of the house, turning the needles orange and creating bonfire fodder, I got out there before breakfast and moved them all to the west ridge.  Now they are about 30 feet further away from the house and I feel much better.

JB took the dogs on their morning walk for the first time since the heat arrived.  After hanging up the laundry, I went to work breaking small branches off the large fir branches that I had moved earlier.  JB mowed a bit on the south ridge.  Then we both sat on the porch and watched the wren building its nest in the bird house.

The wind blew all day, increasing in speed as the day wore on.  Our high was 80, but it sure didn't feel like it, or maybe we are just getting used to the heat.  By 5:00 pm the wind was gusting to 16 mph, and by 9:00 pm the temp had dropped to 54.  

I just have to post a photo of the socks that Sandy gave me for my birthday.  She is just never going to let me forget my story about my boob falling out of my tank top. . .

Thursday 6/9.  It was 45 with clear skies this morning.  Just lovely!  We got going early, as JB had a doctor's appointment at 11:00 am and we had several errands to run.  Since Memorial Day he has been having a problem with his right elbow.  We thought the bursa sack had burst, as it had many years ago.

After waiting an hour to get into see the doctor, we then had to get him over to the lab for blood work and an x-ray.  It wasn't the bursa sack after all and there were many other possibilities.  He has another appointment tomorrow morning at 8:20 am.  We picked up a prescription and were home a little after 2:00 pm.

At 5:30 pm, the doctor called to say JB's blood work was back and he had very elevated levels of uric acid.  His gout is back.  Not only that, but the doctor had another prescription he wanted JB to take today.  So back Down There I went to get to the pharmacy before it closed at 7:00 pm.  With all this going on, I also picked up a couple tubs of ice cream.  It is going to be a very early morning tomorrow.

Clouds moved in during the day and a light rain began to fall just as I left for Down There the second time.  Our high for the day was just 64, but it was at least 75 in town.

Friday 6/10. It is 46 and partly cloudy this morning.  Looks to be another long day.

Thought for the day: Sometimes you're the windshield.  Sometimes you're the bug.

June 8, 2016 Names for Our New Girls & More Hot

Where a wren is building
her nest.

Monday 6/6. Again, dealing with the laundry was the most energy I spent today, hanging up, taking down & folding.  Our high for the day hit 90!

There is a wren building a nest in our "Bear Country" bird house.  So glad it is finally being used.

I have finally decided on names for our new little girls - Blackie and The Twins.  I know that sounds like a '60's rock band, but it fits.  They will come over to the fence and take greens out of my hand now, although one of the twins seems more interested in my finger than what I am feeding them.

Tuesday 6/7. It was 70 and clear this morning with that nice little breeze.  Still an inside day.  My house is going to be so clean and organized by the time this heat wave ends. . .

Had to make another gallon of hummingbird syrup today.  After dinner I actually was able to take some of the kindling I cut before it got so hot to the wood shed and stack it. 

Our high for the day was 86.  Wow! Four degrees cooler than yesterday.  By 9:00 pm there were black clouds on their way in from the southwest and a brilliant sunset.  Sure hope we get some rain tomorrow.  At least it is supposed to be much cooler.

Wednesday 6/8. It is 64 and overcast this morning.  Woo Hoo!

Thought for the day: Depresso: That feeling you get when you run out of coffee.

June 6, 2016 Hot & Hotter

Fiery red paint brush
on our west slope.

Friday 6/3. This morning JB began mowing to the north of the outhouse, but he has been having problems with the tractor over-heating, which it did again today, so he had to stop.  After it cooled down he got the book out and did a thorough check.  May have been low transmission fluid, which he took care of.

Larry and Elsie put their little hens in with the older ones yesterday evening.  When they were all roosting, Larry carried the little ones into the large coup and put them on the roost.  One of them got so excited that it pooped on him!  Hopefully they will get themselves up there tomorrow night.

When we take down a tree, we cut it into 16" rounds for our stove.  When the tree removal guys cut down our three trees, they really didn't have time to measure each cut, so we will have varied lengths, many of the rounds being shorter than 16".

Our high for the day was 74 with a breeze.  I waited until after dinner, when the day had cooled a bit, to start clipping branches, but just about then the breeze disappeared, so I didn't get much done.

While sitting on the porch, we watched a bird collect dog hair for its nest, one hair at a time.  She ended up with a huge handlebar mustache!

Saturday 6/4. It was already 70 with a light overcast when I finally got up at 8:00 am, so I knew it was going to be another hot one.  Definitely an inside or sitting-on-the-porch day.  Our high was 80!  Way too hot for expending any energy outside.

I had a nice long chat with Sandy, during which JB left to go with Gridder who was going to take Miss Kitty in to the repair shop.  After that, he ran a few errands.

Neither my lilac bush nor any of my irises are blooming this year.  Maybe I need to give them some special fertilizer or something.

In the past twenty years or so of presidential elections, I felt I had to vote for the lesser of two evils.  Well, this year is certainly going to take the cake!  Never in a million years did I ever think I would vote for Donald Trump for President, but it looks like I am going to have to.  Sandy and I always said that we would vote for the devil himself before we would vote for the current President (I refuse to say or write his name), but last election we thought, "Oh, wait!  We won't have to vote for the devil because he is already in office!"  One can only hope and pray that the she-devil doesn't make it in this year.

I puttered around inside all day making chicken soup out of two carcasses from chickens I had baked earlier this week.  Also worked on Sandy's birthday present that is going to be late again this year. . .  I did laundry, and hanging it outside was the most energy I spent today.

Sunday 6/5. It was 78 and clear this morning, with 100+ temps in the forecast for today and tomorrow.  Not looking forward to it.

So, again, it was a mostly inside day with outside chores getting done early.  I finally finished Sandy's present, read magazines and papers that JB brought up yesterday, and installed our new printer.  Anything that didn't require much energy expenditure.

Our high for the day was 86!  That says it all.

A note about the photo of what I referred to as "clover" on my May 25th posting.  That is not clover, it is actually a creeper called pussy foot.  I have corrected the photo caption.

Monday 6/6. It is 76 and clear with a breeze this morning.  Looks like another mostly indoor day.

In response to the "anonymous" comment - yes, it is a very fine birdhouse.  It has been sitting on the porch for two years just waiting for a perfect, permanent home.  Again, a big "Thanks" to JB's brother and sister-in-law for bringing it back from Montana for us a couple years ago.  The roof is actually a Montana license plate.

Thought for the day: There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.  Robert Heinlein  (Think the Affordable Health Plan)

June 3, 2016 A Bird House, Baby Birds & Roses

A Robin at the bird bath.

Wild Roses along our road.

The birdhouse.

Wednesday 6/1. With a garden and potted flowers, our new morning chore is watering everything.  We are still using water from the 200 gallons we had in the barrels.

When I was gone over the weekend, JB was able to watch the baby wrens learning to fly.  Since their nest is under the eaves near the deck, it seems they were using the deck as their runway.  Haven't seen any pregnant hummingbirds lately, so they have all laid their eggs.  Don't know how long it takes for them to hatch.

This morning while it was still cool, I put a bird house on top of the cut tree by the porch.  The one from which the clothes line hangs.  Looks pretty good.

Then I continued clipping the pine and fir branches, after which I gave JB a much needed hair cut.  He felt so good that he baked a pound cake that turned out stupendous!

Our high for the day was 74, but we had a nice breeze that kept the day from getting uncomfortable.

Thursday 6/2. It was 54 and overcast this morning.  I left for Down There at about 8:45 am to pick up a few items I wasn't able to get on Sunday.  Didn't have a lot to do, so I was home before noon.  By then the clouds were opening to the blue sky and the sun was shining through.  The air is heavy with the scent of wild roses along our road.  I couldn't help but stop and take pictures, even though with this being my ninth spring Up Here, I must have more than 1,000 photos of roses by now.

After lunch it was back to clipping more branches, while JB worked on setting up his flag pole in the stump.  After dinner I clipped more bunches of needles off another pile of pine branches.

A cool wind blew all day, gusting to 18, and our high temp was 66.

Friday 6/3. This morning is 50 with clear skies and temps into the 90's forecast for the weekend.

Thought for the day: What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.  Guideposts June 2016

June 1, 2016 A Gift From A Cat & Wildflowers

Our first prairie smoke blooms.

Tuesday 5/31. This morning was 54 and clear with a light breeze that made our high for the day of 70 very pleasant.

After morning chores, I planted the two tomato plants that Elsie sent home with me.  I put one in the barrel planter and one in the raised bed.  Then I started clipping branches, starting with the pine that was in the shade.  Stacking the small pine branches is a real pain in the patootie, as none of them are straight.  As the sun moved, so did I, to the fir branches.  While I was doing all this, JB was finishing up with the mowing.

After lunch I drove down to see my Brother at his cabin and took the winter collection of glass bottles for him.  He plans to be Up Here a lot this year, which will be nice.

Last Friday JB cut five more fir rounds.  They were so large that he had to make nine trips with the tractor to move ten pieces to the splitter.

On Saturday, while I was house-sitting, Larry and Elsie's little cat brought me a present first thing in the morning - a dead chipmunk.  I would have preferred a mouse, but a gift is a gift, and he dropped it right at my feet.

Most of the rose bushes along our road popped into bloom over the weekend, and there are blossoms on several of the bushes Up Here.  The balsam root has gone to seed, but there are still a lot of arnica flowers all around.  The alpine spring beauties are gone, but there are a few prairie stars left and many Douglas tritaria.  The paint brush began appearing a couple weeks ago and now I see their orange tops dotting the forest and along the road.  Lupine is still painting the ground in lavender, and yesterday I saw our first prairie smoke blooms.

We are not watching movies in the evenings very often now, but rather puttering around outside and then sitting on the porch.

Wednesday 6/1.  Wow!  June already.  The first day of the month is going to be a hot one as it is already 64 and partly cloudy.

Thought for the day: A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.  Roma Downey