October 31, 2016 JB Is Back Home

One of the deer in our yard.

Dinga & Jesse sensing that
JB is coming up the
driveway.

Friday 10/28. Just before the sun actually rises each morning, there are only two colors in our forest.  There is, of course, the evergreen of the trees, but below their branches now everything is gold.  A muted orange that almost glows.  As the light of the sun grows, the color softens and individual shades can be seen.  Awesome.

When the sun did come up this morning, I could see the deep valley fog patted neatly into the canyon.  After feeding the dogs and girls, I looked out our living room window to the north and there were two small deer nibbling at the last of our grass.  I locked eyes with one, who stood stock still.  She stayed that way when I went to get my camera and I was able to get a few good photos of them.  I love those experiences.  Neither dog had any idea that they were out there.

My thrill at seeing the sunshine and being above the fog didn't last very long.  Once again the sun seemed to encourage the fog to grow and we were soon encased in it for the rest of the day.  Our high was just 41.

With JB coming home tomorrow, I did some cleaning and organizing.  Can't believe it's been four weeks. . .

Saturday 10/29. It was 39 and overcast this morning.  It just started to rain - again - as I went out to feed the girls at 8:00 am.  Soon it was pouring, and at 9:30 I noticed that there was a lot of snow mixed in with the rain.  Fortunately that only lasted for about 15 minutes.  Our high for the day was just 40.

JB called at about 11:30 am to say he was leaving, and he was home just before 3:30 pm.  The dogs and I were so excited to see him!  

Sunday 10/30. It was 37 and had just stopped raining when I got up at 7:00 am this morning.  The fog moved in and stayed Up Here all day except when it rained a few times.  JB couldn't believe how dark and dreary the day was.

We just spent the day talking and reading magazines and newspapers.  A lovely day in spite of the weather.  Tomorrow we plan to drive Miss Kitty down to the mail box to mail our ballots and other letters.  We will also stop by Larry and Elsie's to pick up a few items I ordered and had sent to their shop.

Monday - Halloween. It is 40 this morning.  The clouds are pink with the rising sun and I can actually see some blue sky.  I won't get too excited about that as there is rain in the forecast for every day this week.

Thought for the day: Dost thou not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed? Count Axel Oxenstierna in 1648 (and nothing has changed since then)

October 28, 2016 More Wet

AAA sure got it right with
this issue of their magazine!

Wednesday 10/26. Rain fell until about 2:00 pm today and then we were in the clouds.  Even the fire in the wood stove couldn't completely fend off the dampness.  Dampness I thought for sure I had left behind on the other side of the mountains.  Enough already!  Looks like JB is going to have a bit of an adventure getting up our road on Saturday with all this rain.  I am so glad I got the drains cleaned out as much as I did.

Randy is calling every few days to check up on me which is so nice of him.  He is getting ready for winter also, keeping very busy as usual.

Two deer came down close to the house this afternoon.  Because of the wood stacked at the south end of the porch, Dinga smelled them before she saw them and started barking.  As soon as they came in sight, she was off and running after them, as was Jesse when I let him out.  There have been quite a few deer around this week.

Thursday 10/27. The temp was 42 with heavy overcast skies this morning.  It had rained most of the night and now we have received more than 3" this month.  Twice the valley fog tried to overtake our mountain and succeeded in doing so the second try.  It began to clear around 2:00 pm, but that was only because rain began to fall - again.  

I got outside early to get a few little things done, and we were able to go on our morning walk.  Dinga was absolutely wild today, having been couped up all day yesterday.  She was running around all over the place and wanting to play.

I find it unbelievable how many people are going to vote for Hilary based simply upon a physical trait - she is a woman.  That is just as bad as voting for a man because he is black.  It has nothing to do with their character or their ability to lead a nation, as we have obviously seen.  I guess this country will get what it deserves. . .

The rain petered out about 4:00 pm and soon I could see sunshine breaking through the clouds Down There.  But all it did was feed the valley fog in its never-ending battle to take over the county.  However, by sunset, the fog looked as though it had been neatly patted back into the canyon and the sky was clear.  Our high for the day was 45.

Friday 10/28. It is 39 and mostly cloudy this morning, at least I think so.  It is another half hour til sunup, so it's hard to tell.  JB will be home late tomorrow afternoon!  He has been gone four weeks now.

Thought for the day: He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas better than any man I ever met. Abraham Lincoln, referring to a lawyer.

October 26, 2016 Politics & A Trip Down There

Our "wood spirit" (see the
face of the French Canadian
mountain man with most of
 his hat missing)

These dried flowers are
great for crafts.

Monday 10/24. That four-mile hike on Saturday really got me back into the spirit of getting out more.  The dogs and I went on a nice, ambling hike down the road to our "wood spirit", which was about a mile round trip.  Of course Up Here half of any hike we go on is up hill.  And, unfortunately, that half is usually the return trip up our steep drive way.  

I had a pretty good political rant all written for today, but I have decided not to publish it.  It included such names as George Soros, our imposter-president; such adjectives as Nazi-loving, ignorant, arrogant; and such verbs and adverbs as run amok.  But it is just not worth the anger involved in typing it into my blog.  This election is such a bad joke, as have been the past eight years.  The only reason I am going to vote for Trump is because I believe he is basically a good person.  In any other election, this would hardly be a valid single qualification for President of the United States, hopefully it would be a given.  However, in this election it is quite valid as she is inherently evil to the core.

Okay, enough of that.  Back to real life.  My projects for today weren't very time or energy consuming.  I needed to start and let the tractor run for a while, and put more pine shavings in the girls' nesting boxes.  These in addition to all my other daily chores which now include bringing fire wood in.

I have started one of my new books, which is actually two books in one, Spy Mom - The Adventures of Sally Sin by Beth McMullen.   Very entertaining.  I can hardly put it down.

Tuesday 10/25. It was 41 and partly cloudy this morning.  And since it was to be the only dry day for a while, I drove Down There.  This was a run for a lot of little things that always seem to fall through the cracks in getting stocked up for winter.  Like toothpaste, that I found myself out of yesterday.  Fortunately, JB uses a different kind, so I borrowed some of his stash.

The sun was shining in town, warm enough to take off my jacket.  I just took my time and enjoyed the outing.  I left the sun behind as I drove back up our canyon, but it managed to find cracks in the clouds later in the afternoon and was a very pleasant day all around.  Our high Up Here was 50.

Jesse is not quite as enthusiastic about our extended walks up to the peak as Dinga and I are.  He will usually go all the way up in the morning, but cannot be coaxed to do so in the afternoon.  Even if we don't have a morning walk, like today.  He just meets up with us again as we come down off the south ridge.

JB's Mother is becoming much weaker now and is concerned that her pacemaker will keep her going when, in fact, she is quite ready to leave.  JB did some calling around and is waiting to hear from her physician.  His brother is learning everything quickly, so JB is going to get the brakes checked out on his Jeep tomorrow.  Still planning on getting back home to Rose Camp on Saturday.

Wednesday 10/26. It is 40 and raining this morning.  So far this month we have received 2.5" of rain.  It is as if the mountains have shrunk and can no longer keep the rain on their west side.

Thought for the day: The central premise of Constitutional governance is that "We the People have the power and the right to alter or abolish the form of government under which we live."  Raymond Ku

October 24, 2016 Miss Kitty Is Back Home!

The drainage ditch I dug at
the hair-pin on Friday.

Sunrise on the mountains as
I left for my Saturday morning hike.

Friday 10/21. After dishes and laundry, I decided not to wait til after lunch to dig out the drainage ditch in the hair-pin turn.  So I grabbed the Macintosh and shovel, and the dogs and I hiked down the drive.  There are two main ruts that act as drainage canals.  I cleaned out all the little dams in them from all the pine needles as we went.  I was able to divert one "canal" off the road about half-way down as it had meandered close to the side.  At the hair-pin, which is about 100 yards from the end of our driveway, I dug out the ditch which was completely filled with silt.  Definitely got my cardio for the day!  And as soon as we got back to the house, I took a shower.

The weather forecast was for sun today, but as soon as the sun tried to break through the cloud cover, all it succeeded in doing was creating fog.  Lots of fog.  So we really never had sun at all.  Our high for the day was 48.

Saturday 10/22. It was 37 and clear when I got up at 6:15 this morning, which was actually the third time I was up.  Buster came up to visit at 4:00 am!  I just yelled at him to go home and didn't let our dogs out until 5:00.  Didn't get a lot of time to rest up for my four-mile hike today.

I left as planned at 7:30 am.  This clear, crisp morning was perfect for such a hike and the Fall colors were brilliant, but the aspen have lost most of their leaves now.  

I arrived at Gridders right at 9:00 am and he was just warming up his truck.  So it was off to finally pick up Miss Kitty.  I haven't written out a check that large in a long time. . .

When we returned, I had a nice visit with Mrs. Gridder and their boys, then drove Miss Kitty home.  Was so good to have her back!  And the dogs checked her out all over when they saw her.

But no time to rest.  I had to fix a big pot of chili and bake an apple pie coffee cake to take down to my brother's cabin to celebrate his birthday.  I was down there a little after 3:00 pm and stayed for a couple hours.  I took the short-cut down, but drove the long way back.

Needless to say, I was pretty much exhausted by then and was in bed by 8:30 pm, having taken some ibuprofen.  But it was a very good day.

Sunday 10/23.  It was 39 and mostly cloudy this morning.  Another early rising as Jesse wanted out at 3:30 and didn't come back until 4:30.  It was dry outside when he came back, but it had rained when I got up at 7:45.

I had a nice, slow day doing dishes, laundry, reading a book and playing computer games.  Also read the mail, which included our ballot.  Will be so very glad when this election is over.  I already hate our next president.

This is the perfect time of year for JB to be in Seattle as he gets to watch hockey and the Chicago Cubs as they make it to the World Series for the first time since about 1920!  I find it quite interesting that when my Mother was in hospice 21 years ago this month (yes, Medicare actually paid for her to be there back then), she was watching the Seattle Mariners go to the World Series as she was waiting to leave this earthly plain.  And now JB's Mother is watching the Cubs do the same thing, under the same circumstances, and she is thrilled.  Universal timing or synchronicity, whatever you want to call it.

JB's sister-in-law put the Farmer's Insurance ad from TV on Facebook for me, as it is JB's favorite.  The "mer-dogs"!  So very cute!

It was a dreary, cloudy Seattle day with a high of 47.  They really need to keep their weather on their side of the mountains.

Monday 10/24. It is 42 and partly cloudy this morning with more rain in the forecast.  JB starts training his brother today to care for their Mother.

Thought for the day: Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. George Bernard Shaw

October 21, 2016 Evergreen & Gold

Storm clouds moving off to the
southeast Thursday afternoon.

The mountains and valley fog
after Thursday's storm.

Wednesday 10/19. I certainly picked the perfect day to go Down There.  The road was much better than last week (no sliding sideways) and the colors were magnificent!  Gold, red and orange on a backdrop of evergreen.  Even the road was paved with golden leaves in many places.

Got everything mailed.  Got all my shopping done and more.  Between the dollar store and the thrift store I came home with fourteen books! Woo hoo!  And, of course, I rarely go into Costco without coming home with at least one item than wasn't on my list.

The holidays are obviously getting closer than four months away as our mailbox is now full of catalogs every time I check it.  I do enjoy looking through them though.  How do you know what you need - or what you might need to buy for someone else - if you don't look?

The sun was so warm in town that I had to take my coat off and didn't put it back on til I was almost home.  The sky began clouding over and was pretty much overcast by the time I was back at Rose Camp at 1:30 pm.  Our high for the day was 52.

Thursday 10/20.  It was 40 and raining this morning, as it had most of the night, and we were in the clouds.  Rail fell on and off (mostly on) til about 2:30 pm.  The storm moved east so quickly that by the time of our afternoon walk, the sky was almost completely clear.  Our high for the day was 48, and the blue sky was gorgeous!

Definitely an indoor day, so I did laundry, dishes and baked Toll House bars for Gridder who will be taking me to pick up Miss Kitty on Saturday.  I am going to walk down to their house so there are no issues with getting my Jeep back home.  It's a little less than four miles but all down hill.

This was not a good day for JB's Mom.  Her blood pressure was way down and he had to call the hospice trauma nurse for advice.  The strain is showing on him. . .  This all thanks to our imposter president and his health-care plan.  

Since it is not supposed to rain during the day tomorrow, I am going to walk down to the hair-pin turn below our driveway and dig out some of the drainage "ditches."

During his evening call, JB said that his youngest brother will be there Monday to take over for him.  JB will teach him what to do and stay so he can teach his sister-in-law who will be there on Fridays.  So it looks like he will coming home on Saturday, 10/29!  

Friday 10/21. It is 39 and over cast this morning.  Lots of work to do.

Thought for the day: Some people try to turn back their odometers.  Not me! I want people to know why I look this way.  I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

October 19, 2016 Three Incredible Sons

Snow on Mission Ridge &
 tamaracks sporting their
Autumn gold.

Valley fog dissipating
Monday morning.

Monday 10/17. The low valley fog began to rise, but dissipated in doing so.  By 10:00 am we had some sunshine!

Today I put the contents of cans of all the long-term storage food that I had opened into 1/2-gallon mason jars and vacuum sealed them.  Something I should have done as soon as I opened them.

Also made some tapioca pudding, adding two eggs as I always do instead of the one called for.  I consider most recipes  just a suggestion; a good starting place.

JB and his two brothers have personally taken over their Mother's care and all that it entails (think about that).  JB takes the day shift, 6:00 am to 3:30 pm then a care-taker comes in until 9:00 pm Monday through Friday.  Then his brother, whose house they are all at, sleeps the night in his Mother's bedroom on an air mattress on the floor.  He gets up at 5:00 am and goes to work Monday through Friday.  JB's sister-in-law dresses their Mother each morning before she goes to work, and the caretaker gets her pajamas on.  Once a week a hospice nurse comes in to bathe her.  JB's youngest brother will be helping also, whether taking over for JB completely or just part time.  If he feels he can take over the day shift Monday through Friday, then JB will come home.

I am just so amazed that these men are caring for her like this.  She wants to stay at home and not go into a facility of any kind, even when Medicare will finally pay for it.  I don't think many men in their generation would go to this extent.  I am so proud of my husband!

Tuesday 10/18. It was 39 and raining this morning.  Fortunately the rain stopped by 9:00 am.  The rest of the day was dry and breezy, and by evening the sky was almost clear.  Our high for the day was 50.

I have increased our daily walks by about 1/3.  Now we also hike up to the peak on the south ridge, which is pretty steep but gives me more exercise.  And I do need more exercise.

Today was my Aunt Nene's 91st birthday!  I gave her a call and she had to put up with me singing "Happy Birthday", but she had already heard several friends and family members sing it to her and I guess my rendition wasn't the worst.  Does not seem like a whole year has passed since we celebrated her 90th. . .

I am going Down there tomorrow.  The road should be a bit better than when I went down last week.  I have to mail Nene's gift (better late than never) and get some meds refilled for JB and sent to him.  Also a little grocery shopping and other errands.

The big news for Up Here is that Miss Kitty is all repaired and ready to be picked up!!  One of our neighbors has a large trailer to do that and we will go on Saturday.  Will be so good to get her back.

I now have six dozen eggs sitting under the bed and am getting more each day.  Most days I either have two eggs for breakfast or lunch, and try to bake things with them (such as the tapioca), but they just keep piling up.  That is good because they will last for several months and we will have them when the girls don't lay much in the winter.

Wednesday 10/19. It is 36 with mostly clear skies this morning and I can finally see the mountains in all their snow-covered glory.  But I overslept and now I really have to hustle.

Thought for the day: If you get dissatisfied and start wishing you were young again, remember 8th grade Algebra class.

October 17, 2016 A Mild Storm & A Skunk

Jesse in his favorite place -
our bed.  If I don't cover him
up on a cold day, he will
make a nest in the pillows
and blankets.

Laundry on Sunday,
thanks to the skunk!

Friday 10/14. Now has begun the time of bringing in firewood each day.  And of building a fire in the wood stove at least each morning and evening.  And now has ended the time of cold coffee.  The wood stove being our coffee warmer.

The sky became overcast and the rain arrived a little before 9:00 am.  There are two nasty storms in the forecast for today and Saturday with wind and torrential rain.  Sandy called and we had a nice long chat.  She said they just had a light rain.  Not the downpour they were warned of.  At least warmer temps are coming with the storms.

So it was a day for indoor chores, reading books and playing games that my son had put on my computer.  It will be his fault if I get nothing done this winter.  I did get out to take the old tarp off the top of the girls' house, making it quite bright in there.  The tarp was torn and flapping in the breeze.  This will allow any sun we have to warm up their hen house.

Our high for the day was 61 with off and on sprinkles.  Indeed warmer.

Saturday 10/15. It was 44 and overcast this morning.  The rain arrived a bit after 9:00 am and continued most of the day.  By the time for our morning walk, the rain was still rather light, so we went anyway.  Just after we returned from our walk, the rain increased and the clouds dropped, surrounding us in their fog.  And that is the way the rest of the day went.

So, another indoor day of books, computer games and a bit of cleaning.  We didn't get the wind that was forecast, although Elsie said it was quite windy in town.  Our high for the day was only 45.

Sunday 10\16. It was 41 and mostly overcast this morning.  The dogs got me up at 4:30 to go out and I was able to see the full moon begin its downward slide to the mountains.  Beautiful!

At about 8:45 am, I was sitting at the kitchen table, having just let the dogs out after their breakfast, when the nasty odor of skunk wafted in the window!  I ran outside to get the dogs back in, but it was too late for Jessie.  Now this was not a case of slightly skunked nor was he drooling from getting it full on, but he definitely needed a bath.  Wrestling 55 lbs. of dog into the tub who doesn't even want to go into the bathroom, is a job for at least two people.  Using the shower spray attachment to wet and rinse him is a job for at least three.  So both the bathroom and I got a good soaking during the process.  But I did get him clean.  Except for the top of his head, which is still a bit stinky.

Not a great way to start a day, especially since the lovely scent seemed to permeate the house.  I put two strong candles on the wood stove, rather than lighting them.  The main one is a lemon zest kitchen candle from Williams & Sonoma that I have had for years.  It's a bit pricey, but worth every penny.

I opened the windows and put another couple pieces of wood on the fire.  About the time the odor began to clear from the house, the clouds began to clear from the sky.  The patches of blue were such a welcome sight after the past few days.  Seattle days that I have had enough of for one lifetime.

Our morning walk was a bit late and it smelled like the skunk had gone up to the south ridge spraying all the way.  Oh well, at least it wasn't raining today.  But the patches of blue didn't last too long and we were overcast again by early afternoon.  Our high for the day was 47, but a dry 47.  JB said that the storm did not move as far inland as it might have which is why there wasn't any of the high winds and torrential rain.

Monday 10/18. It is 41 and mostly overcast this morning, but with some blue sky to the west.  Lots of new snow on the mountains.

Thought for the day: You fall down.  You get up.  You fall down.  You get up.  You fall down.  You get up.  You fall down.  You get up.  Life.

October 14, 2016 Hospice & A Muddy Ride

My mums (from last year)
that actually bloomed
while I was at Nene's.

Wednesday 10/12. I gave the girls oatmeal for breakfast for the first time this season.  The new girls gave it a "What the heck is that?!" look before trying it and gobbling it up.

For any of you who are reading this and have elderly family or friends, please pay attention!  In the medicare booklet, hospice sounds great.  However, what they don't mention is that the patient's bank account has to be practically empty before they can go into hospice or have home-care paid for. . .  Think about that.  This mainly thanks to our current person in the White House, or, as I refer to him, the imposter.

With the two nasty storms moving in, I figured that today may be the last nice and dry day for a while, so I got busy.  Took my Jeep down to where our son had cut the tree by the road.  Loaded the four four-foot trunk pieces into the back, along with some larger branches, and brought it all up to the wood cradle.  Broke and stacked the rest of the branches I had brought up from the tree he cut on the slope behind the house and stacked the pieces in the appropriate places.  Re-installed the slats in the front of the generator shed to protect it from the winter weather.  Pulled up all the tomato and other plants in the garden.  Tore them up and put them in the compost pile.  Whew!

Our high for the day was 47 and the sun shone in a clear sky.  Now Rose Camp is ready for winter, but I certainly am not. . .

This evening I finished another book, A Sudden Light by Garth Stein.  So intriguing that I just couldn't put it down.  It takes place in the Seattle area, which made it even better.

Thursday 10/13. It was 35 this morning with a light rain.  Rain fell most of the night and we were in the clouds.  I thought I would go Down There tomorrow, but after talking with JB at 9:00 am and then listening to the weather report, I decided I better go today.  So I threw on my clothes and a hat, and was on my way a little before 10:00 am, sliding sideways down the driveway.  But that is a given whenever it is this wet.  I was mainly concerned about getting the large bags of dog food and chicken feed.  Bought all that and more as I zipped down the aisles of Costco, Coastal and Fred Meyer.

Driving back up our road wasn't too bad, until I got to the beginning of our driveway, which is the steepest part.  I had my Jeep in four-low and hit the gas.  With the rear end weaving back and forth, I made up the the house even a bit easier than I thought it might be.  

Carrying everything in and putting it all away without JB's help takes a bit longer, but I finally got it done.  Am so glad I went down today, as with all the rain, and the wind due in tomorrow, I wasn't sure how the road might be.

JB, his brother and sister-in-law have worked out a schedule where they only have to have one care-taker in, instead of three.  JB watches his Mom during the day; a care-taker comes in for the evening; and his brother sleeps in the room with her at night.  His sister-in-law gets her dressed in the morning, and the care-taker puts on her pajamas in the evening.  This cuts the cost down from $750 per day to $250.

I sure miss my son.  He has such an incredible sense of humor that he keeps me in stitches.

Friday 10/14. It is 40 this morning with partly cloudy skies.  Rain continued to fall until around midnight.  The wind began to gust around 4:00 am, but now it is all very still.  I can see more snow on the mountains, but it is mainly along the top.

Thought for the day: Perhaps that is what life is about - the search for such a connection.  The search for magic.  The search for the inexplicable.  Not in order to explain it, or contain it.  Simply in order to feel it.  Because in that recognition of the sublime, we see for a moment the entire universe in the palm of our hand.  And in that moment, we touch the face of God.  Garth Stein, A Sudden Light

October 12, 2016 Time Well Spent

Yellow jacket nest dug up
by a critter (bear?).

Cutting down the leaning
tree by our road.

Friday a.m. snow on the mtns.  Was
twice as much & twice as low on
Monday morning.

Friday - Monday 10/7-10/10: I spent the weekend preparing for my son's arrival, gathering wood & cleaning house.  Each day was cooler than the last, and Sunday night we received 1/2" of rain.  Monday morning the mountains were blanketed with snow, including Mission Ridge.

Saturday morning on our walk, the dogs and I discovered that the yellow jacket nest had been dug up by a critter, probably a bear.  It had been quite a large nest that went deep into the ground.  

Late Saturday afternoon, Larry and Gridder drove up to work on MAX.  Looks like they got him all fixed.  We'll just have to jump the battery or buy a new one.

My son arrived just before noon on Sunday, having stopped to pick up lunch for us at Taco Time.  It is one of his favorite eateries and there aren't any in Alabama.  It was so incredibly great to see him and we just couldn't stop talking (even though I talk to him at least twice a week, it just isn't the same as in person).

Drove him down the short cut to see my brother and his cabin.  Then it was back to Rose Camp and a short hike.  He brought the Star Wars movie, "The Force Awakens", which I finally got to see!

He always wants to do something to help us when he visits, so Monday we spent cutting down trees.  He cut one down on our road that was leaning over, and two little standing-dead ones nearby.  Then he cut the dead one on the west slope behind our house.  Hurray!!  We had such a great time working together, but his arms were like jello by the time we were done.

Lots more talking and looking at photos Monday evening.  He worked on my computer each day (making it run so much better!), and downloaded all the pictures from his phone.  Then we watched Red 2 (that he hadn't seen yet) and and Age of Ultron on his computer (that I hadn't seen). 

Tuesday 10/11. It was 33 this morning with clear skies.  Our coldest morning yet this season.  I cooked a big breakfast for my son, and he was on his way by 9:00 am.  It was extremely difficult to say goodbye, and after he left, the whole situation hit me like a ton of bricks - his leaving, JB's being gone, JB's Mom being so ill.  After a good cry, I put on my big-girl panties and got on with it.  Did laundry and dishes.  Sawed off some of the larger branches on the downed tree behind our house and took them up to the cradle.  Took the dogs for a long walk.  Took a long nap.  Life is good.

Wednesday 10/12. It is 31 this morning and the sky is clear.  Will be able to see my son's plane flying over. . .

Thought for the day: Coffee: a warm, delicious alternative to hating everybody every morning forever.

October 10, 2016 Time With My Son

Monday 10/10. Lots of snow on the mountains this morning, possibly down to 5000 ft.  Enjoying time with my son, so I will post more on Wednesday, 10/12.

Thought for the day: Of all the seasons, Autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him. Hal Borland

October 7, 2016 Keeping Busy

Fall colors in the canyon
to the south. . .

, , , and Up Here.

Wednesday 10/5. Spent much of the day gathering large kindling from the west slope and the south slope to stack on the porch.  Also to use so I don't have to dig into the wood shed.

One of the reasons I drove Down There on Tuesday was to get new tarps.  Coastal had their annual half-price sale on them this week.  I think we only had one good tarp left, so now we are flush.  We use them to cover the wood on the porch, to cover MAX and the tractor, and anything else that need protection against the elements but won't fit in the shop.

The sky remained overcast all day and our high was only 52.

Still reading in the evening.  Haven't watched any movies since JB left.

Thursday 10/6. It was 41 and clear this morning.  Fortunately I used most of the electricity I needed before the sky became overcast again around noon.

Still gathering kindling from the south and west slopes, but now I am also taking from the large pile along the drive to the south ridge.  That pile is from the summer of 2008, where I stacked all the branches from the trees I was trimming.  Lots of good wood in there.

I finished another book, Traps by Mackenzie Bezos.  Very good, but if you're going to read it, grab a kleenex (for "good" tears).

Took a nice long nap and started another book.

Our son arrived in Seattle at 9:00 pm this evening.  JB's son and granddaughter arrived at 11:00 pm.  Wish I was there to see everyone.  Our son will be driving over to see me Sunday morning and stay til Tuesday morning.  JB's Mom remains in good spirits, but is very weak.

Friday 10/7. It is 45 and overcast with valley fog encroaching on Rose Camp this morning.  We had quite a downpour during the night, but the weekend is supposed to be dry and clear.

Thought for the day: She was unstoppable.  Not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on despite them

October 5, 2016 Family is Gathering

The aspen along the main
canyon road, as seen from
Rose Camp.

My pet crocodile.

Monday 10/3. The clouds soon disappeared, so with all that power coming in it was time to vacuum.  I finished just as more clouds began to hide the sun again.  Since it is supposed to rain tomorrow, I gathered up another bag of pine needles.  I have been putting in a fire each morning and evening.

At least two of the girls are sleeping in the cozy nesting boxes.  Am sure they have discovered that it is much warmer in there than on the roosting ladder now that the nights are getting colder.  They gave us 98 eggs in September!  

When I was with Nene I mentioned that I was looking for a good hand egg beater - so she gave me hers!  It is a very sturdy older model and she said she hasn't used it in years.  I had been unable to find a good one, as the new ones are very flimsy, so I was thrilled.

I finished my book, Red Queen by Christopher Pike.  Excellent!

Our high for the day was 58.

JB's Mom was brought home today in a cabulance.  They have arranged round-the-clock care for her.  She is very weak but in good spirits.  I am so very glad that JB spent more time with her this summer and was able to be there for her 95th birthday.  And am so grateful that I had a nice visit with her last week.

Tuesday 10/4. It was 44 and overcast this morning, but the clouds again cleared early and the sun shone for my trip Down There.  There are so many grouse Up Here this year that I practically run over them driving down our road.

Got all my errands run and shopping done, and was home a little after 1:00 pm.  Unloading the Jeep and getting everything put away without JB's help isn't much fun, but I did get to read all the papers right away.  He always reads them first because I cut them up to send items to Sandy.

Our son called to say that he will be flying out on Thursday and will be able to stay until next Wednesday.  He will spend Friday with his Grandmother and then use JB's Jeep to drive to Wenatchee on Saturday and spend a couple days with me.  JB's other son may be flying in also.  This all is so very hard.  Even though you realize what is going on, you can never be prepared for a loved one leaving.

Wedesday 10/5. It is 40 and we are sitting in the fog this morning, physically and mentally. . .

Thought for the day: If you have lived well your smile lines are in the right place. Jennifer Garner

October 3, 2016 Great Fun With Nene!

Some of the aspen on our
main canyon road.

Tuesday - Friday, 9/27-9/30. I brought our warm, dry Wenatchee weather with me to Seattle, but left enough behind for JB.  Nene and I thoroughly enjoyed the indian summer and I even got out to rake leaves from her garden.  Of course, she paid me what she would have had to pay her lawn care people.  There's no arguing with her when it comes to money.  

She completely spoiled me with food and snacks, as usual.  We only ate two meals at her house.  We played skipbo when we were at home and I was going strong the first two days.  However, on Thursday Nene ramped up her game and ended the week two games ahead.

When I told her a couple weeks ago that I had made custard, Nene said how much she loved it when Grandma would make it for them when she was growing up.  So I took some eggs over with me and made custard on Wednesday.  We had some while it was still warm.  Yum!  Then we had custard and coffee for breakfast Thursday morning.

The drive over and back across the passes was beautiful, but the Fall colors were still rather muted.  I stopped to see JB's Mom on my way over and we had a nice visit.

I arrived home around 3:00 pm on Friday.  Whenever I return to Wenatchee and our mountain, it always seems like I am coming home to where I have always belonged.  Much more so than any other place I have ever lived.

Saturday 10/1. It was 42 and clear this morning.  Unfortunately, on Thursday JB's Mom became quite ill and was taken to the hospital.  The prognosis is not good.  So we made our Fall garbage run right after breakfast, and JB left for the west side around 2:00 pm.  At least I got to see him for a day. . .

After he left I got my winter clothes out and put my summer ones away.  Nene's best friend (and guardian angel) was cleaning out her closets and gave a large sack of sweaters and blouses to me.  She buys very nice clothes and we have much the same tastes, so I feel like I have a completely new wardrobe!

I must have brought our Wenatchee weather back with me as JB had a rainy drive, even before he hit the mountains.  He had to unload his car at his brother's between downpours.

Our high for the day was 57 and I enjoyed a toasty fire all evening.  No movie tonight.  I started a new book.

Sunday 10/2. This morning began with a temp of 39 and overcast skies.  I put a fire in at 4:00 am when the dogs went out.  Couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up at 5:30.  Wow, October!  How did that happen?

JB spent most of the day at the hospital with his Mom.  She will probably go home tomorrow, but the outlook is not good.  They will probably have round-the-clock nurses come in, or she may go to hospice. 

I got out and split the small pile of pieces of wood that were two or three times larger than they should be, but were too wet three weeks ago to split accurately.  Now they were nice and dry, so I got them all done and stacked on the porch.  By 2:00 pm, it was time for a nap.

It was another very cool day with a high of 56.  The sky had cleared by noon, but clouds began to re-appear by late afternoon.

Monday 10/3. It is 44 and mostly cloudy this morning.  I will probably go Down There for some more stocking-up-for-winter grocery shopping tomorrow.

Thought for the day: I don't just believe in miracles, I rely on them.