February 27, 2017 A Winter Weekend In Pictures

Jesse, our nest-maker.

Our wood shed that is
almost cleared off.

The Valentine (mason) jar
 I made for Nene & filled
 with dried fruit.

My bench on the north
ridge, looking towards
the Columbia River.

Proof that our creosote
remover is working.

Feb 2/24-2/26. Friday and Saturday were mostly sunny, but cold with morning temps of 19 and highs of 32 and 36.  Sunday morning was 24 and snowing.  Snow fell from before we got up til after we went to bed.  By 3:00 pm, we had 2-1/2".

Randy informed me that it is actually one mile down to his neighbor who loans him her car to go into town, and he has hiked down twice, and back up pulling groceries on a sled.  The road is not plowed for the last half mile.  So glad I do not have to do that!

Thought for the day: The body heals with play; the mind heals with laughter; and the spirit heals with joy.

February 24, 2017 A Long Hike

Ready for my
3-mile hike.

The main canyon
road.

Wednesday 2/22. I was on my way by 8:45 am.  By 9:15 I had taken off my snow shoes, and was seriously questioning my reasons for wanting to go Down There.  I had also taken off my hat,gloves and scarf.  And the effects of my morning shower had completely been negated.  I always forget how much of our road going down has so many uphill stretches.  It took me 1-1/4 hours to get to the main canyon road, about 1-3/4 miles.  However, at that point it is all downhill, and I knew I was actually going to make it.

I arrived at Larry and Elsie's at 11:00 am, and was on my way to a grande vanilla latte.  Elixir of the gods!  Then I went next door for a juicy hamburger and washed down three ibuprofen with it.  So good!

I got all my shopping done at a leisurely pace, then stopped in to see Larry and Elsie at their shop.  They close at 5:30 and it was only 4:00, so I treated myself to dinner at Applebee's.  I love their Oriental Chicken Salad, which I washed down with a beer.  Heaven!  I haven't done that since we lived in Chicago.  However, I was very anxious to get back to Rose Camp, as I really did not enjoy being Down There.  It's not that I'm becoming a hermit.  I really do like people.  They can come up and visit anytime. . .

I was back to Larry and Elsie's place, and had the SnoCat loaded with all my purchases by the time they arrived home.  I was worried that everything would not fit, but it did, including two 40-lb bags of chicken feed (they were having a sale).  All Larry seemed concerned about was having enough room for his beer!  The ride back up was the perfect ending to the day.

Thursday 2/23. It was a chilly 22 degrees this morning with a mostly clear sky.  That few degrees that separate 22 and 26 might as well be 15 degrees as they make all the difference in the world between cool and really cold.  But it was a beautiful sunny day with all the black clouds moving along to the south.  One errant cloud got too close around 2:00 pm and we had a short flurry, but that was it for us while Mission Ridge got dumped on.  Our high for the day was 36. 

Getting out of bed this morning was quite a challenge.  Everything ached.  Bones, muscles, tendons.  And the more I sat still reading our mail, magazines and papers, the more I ached.  So I got out and brought in fire wood.  Took out the recycle and had to chip ice so I could open the recycle/garbage shed door.  That seemed to help, so I went back to reading with JB.

Everything we do this year will be geared towards surviving the winters more effectively, including increasing the quantities on our supply list.

Friday 2/24. It is 19 and mostly clear this morning.  It sounds like we are in for a cold spell.

Thought for the day: After much research and consideration, I have decided that adulthood is not for me.  Thank you for the opportunity.  (Seen on Facebook)

February 22, 2017 Canning Chicken & Plans To Go Down There

Our gigantic ice
cream cone!

Monday 2/20. Today was my friend Hazel's 101st birthday!  It must be so incredible to have seen so many changes that burgeoning technology has had on day to day life.  Unfortunately our card for her will be belated as I will be mailing it on Wednesday.  I plan to snowshoe the three miles down to JB's Jeep that is parked at Larry and Elsie's.  I will send some other belated birthday cards and a package to Nene, then do some grocery shopping.  However, since this will be my first trip Down There since December 23, my first stop will be to get a latte.  I plan to have a big,juicy hamburger for lunch, and then maybe one for dinner, too.  Larry will drive me back home in the SnoCat, but they don't get home from work til around 6:00 pm.

Randy has been snowed in for more than two weeks now, so on Saturday he walked the half mile down to a neighbor who loaned him her car to drive in to town for groceries.  Then she loaned him a little sled to pull them back to his house.  Unfortunately, he bought a good 60 lbs worth of food and it took him two hours to get it up his hill!  At least I will have a ride back up

We had received an inch of snow in the past 24 hours, and another 2" by 11:00 am.  The snow stopped by 2:30.  Then we had blue sky and sunshine, along with a strong breeze that was flinging snow bombs.  But we managed to dodge them all on our afternoon walk.

I started taking fire wood off of the porch today, as I usually do this time of February.  We still have almost three rows of stick wood in the shed and are burning that during the day.

A while ago I mentioned what a patient husband I had.  Turns out he's just really good at biting his tongue. . .

Tuesday 2/21. It was 30 and a very fine snow was falling this morning.  JB measured 5-1/2" of snow received in the past 24 hours.  On their morning walk, he and the dogs saw two large coyotes on the west end of the south ridge.  The dogs quickly chased them off, but kept going out and checking for them for the next several hours.

Today I canned meat for the first time ever.  I canned seven pints of chicken for the dogs, since I can't freeze it any more.  I was really nervous about doing it because of the thought of botulism, but I followed the directions exactly and it looks as though all the jars have sealed correctly.  It is quite a time-consuming project that took more than five hours from beginning to get everything ready to taking the jars out of the pressure canner.  I figure if the dogs survive my feeding it to them, I'm good to go.  

The snow stopped falling around 10:00 am, except for a short squall that went through around 3:30 pm.  Our high for the day was 40.

Wednesday 2/22. It is 26 and mostly cloudy this morning.  I hope to be on my way Down There before 9:00 am.

Thought for the day: Life is like a bicycle.  You don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.  Claude Pepper, U.S. Congressman

February 20, 2017 A Typical Winter Weekend

A view of Rose Camp from
the north ridge.

The dogs walking on top
of the snow on top of
the wood berm.

Friday - Sunday 2/17-2/19. It was a typical winter weekend.  Snow, fog, sun.  Shoveling, baking, reading.   Temps from 26 to 40.

The best part of the weekend was that my Aunt Nene is back home!

Monday 2/20. It is 26 and snowing this morning.  If we get much more snow, I am going to hang myself trying to walk under the clotheslines which stretches across the path to the wood shed and all points south.

Thought for the day: Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on far too long. Ogden Nash

February 17, 2017 Rain & Ice

Finally found the
propane tank.

JB working on the
wood shed roof. (He had on
his big coat, but I was just
wearing a hoodie.)

Wednesday 2/15. All that Valentine's Day candy on sale and here I am, stuck up on the mountain!  I'm down to chocolate chips. . . although JB did make some brownies yesterday.

There was no going outside without cleats on our boots.  Not even down the porch steps, as they are solid ice.  Icy paths.  Icy snow.  Ice everywhere!

The rain stopped around 9:00, so I was outside trying to clear off the wood shed roof some more.  Good thing I got out there then, because it started raining again about 10:30 and continued for the rest of the day.  Sometimes just a drizzle; other times pouring.  Our high for the day was 32.

JB is really into baking.  Brownies yesterday; banana bread and pound cake with cranberries today.  I've gained so much weight this winter that a few more pounds won't make much difference.

We watched the last of our Jesse Stone movies.  Very entertaining.

Thursday 2/16. It was 35 and raining this morning, and had been for most of the night.  However it stopped around 9:00 am, and then we had scattered blue sky and sun off and on for the day, with a wonderful high of 44.

I was out at 8:30 trying to clear off the tarp over part of the girls' run.  There were two huge pieces of ice on it that I could not get out, but I did get all the snow.  By 9:30 both JB and I were out working on clearing off the top of the propane tank which had at least two feet of snow and ice sitting on it.  Just didn't think all that weight was a good thing.  After clearing most of that off, we worked a bit on the wood shed roof.

North Idaho is having quite a problem with carports and shed roofs collapsing.  One of Randy's neighbors' barn collapsed with two of their cars inside.  This is a very hard winter for a lot of people, but I think we are in better shape than most.

Around 2:00 pm I went out to see if I could get the ice off the girls' run roof.  I actually managed to do it, even though the largest piece must have weighed 50 lbs.  Then I went to work some more on the wood shed roof.  Even though I was doing a lot of shoveling, it felt good to be doing physical work.  Didn't really need a jacket as our high for the day was 44.  It hasn't been that warm since November, I don't think.

Friday 2/17. It is 30 with mostly clear skies this morning.  No shoveling today.  I'm too sore. . .

Thought for the day: This, too, shall pass.

February 15, 2017 The Blahs

Dinga, guarding the
homestead.

Monday 2/13. Lots of sun again today.  We tipped the solar panels panels halfway up this morning.  That always feels good because it means the sun is higher in the sky and we are getting longer days. 

I keep mentioning that one or both of the two main passes have been closed.  Those who do not live around here may not understand that this has quite an impact on life in Washington, as trucks carrying goods cannot get across.  Ergo, less perishables in the grocery stores.

I pulled out most of the items sitting on the floor in the pantry (under the stairs) and swept up.  There was a mouse in the trap that had obviously been there for a while.

We have been watching the Jesse Stone movies starring Tom Selleck.  There are six or seven of them and we are missing only one.

Tuesday 2/14. Valentine's Day began with 30 degrees and lightly overcast skies.  I'm afraid that my sinking attitude finally sank today.  I was feeling snotty in more ways than one.  I did absolutely nothing but feed the girls and dogs, bring in firewood, and read another Sue Grafton book.  I had finished W and X, started the series over, and am now on E Is For Evidence.  JB did everything else, including fixing a delicious pot of ham and pea soup.

The first couple years we were Up Here, I didn't go off the mountain during the winter.  I stayed at Rose Camp for about four months and completely enjoyed it.  New place.  New experience.  This year all I can think is: been there, done that.  Plus this has been rather a grey winter, again with so much snow.  And here we are in mid February and there is no end in sight.

Wednesday 2/15. It is 28 and overcast this morning.  Rain fell for a few hours, finally stopping around 6:00 am.  But I had a good night's sleep which seems to have bolstered my attitude.  Yes it's still winter.  Yes it sucks.  But I am alive and in the only place I really want to be, along with a very patient husband.  Life is good.

Thought for the day: Life is good.

February 13, 2017 Sun, Wind & Marbles

Jesse walking up the slope
on top of the snow.

Our propane tank is somewhere
under there. . .

Friday 2/10. We enjoyed a couple hours of bright blue sky and sunshine before the next round of snow blew in on 15 mph gusts as we returned from our morning walk.  We endured a two-hour blizzard that left behind about 2" of snow.  Then the wind took the clouds with it and I got outside to clear off the wood shed roof as much as possible.  I didn't want to stand on the roof, but I was able to clear off about three feet along the low edge.  

The wind stuck around, gusting to 26 mph and our high for the day was 38.

Saturday 2/11. This morning was 24 and clear.  Our snowy landscape was covered with fir cones and needles, small branches and twigs.  But the sun was shining, and continued to do so all day.

I used all that incoming power to vacuum.  Then I went outside and cleared more snow off the wood shed roof.  JB did a little shoveling.  Dinga was barking, as usual, but he noticed a few ravens circling just to the north of the tipi where she was.  She often "talks" to them and they chatter to her, but this time JB saw an eagle rise up out of one of the trees.  That's what all the noise had been about.

I ordered an ice maker on line this afternoon.  I figured we will be needing it as the weather should be warming up soon.  I just hope I didn't jinx us by doing that.

It was a beautiful day.  Our trail sign has reappeared, as have the tops of a few stumps.  There is still a thick crust of ice on the snow.

Larry and Elsie drove up in the SnoCat, bringing groceries and mail this evening.  We played two games of marbles and had a great time.  The games were split with the men winning the first one and the women barely sneaking by to win the second.  Just the evening I needed to shore up my sanity.

Before they arrived, JB heard a large group of coyotes to the north.  Larry said they are running across the top of the snow on the crust.  They also saw signs that the big elk is still in the area.

Sunday 2/12. It was 24 and overcast this morning, but the cloud cover soon thinned and the sun shone through.  By noon the sky was blue and it was another gorgeous day.

Jesse went up to the south ridge this morning and we could hear him barking way down in the canyon.  So I got dressed and went to find him.  He was about half-way down the slope, walking on top of the snow.  I coaxed him back up and he had no problem climbing up, and he weighs about 55 lbs.  That is until he got back on the ridge.  The crust is obviously harder on the slope than the top where he started sinking.  We got back to the house and I brought in the fire wood, finishing the fourth row and starting the fifth.  We went through the fourth row a bit faster, as most of the wood was shorter than normal from the short rounds that were cut from the large trees felled last year.

It was another great, sunny day but I swore I was not going to do any more shoveling.  So I washed the inside of the refrigerator.  Then I packed four coffee cans with snow and ice, and put one in the freezer and three in the fridge.  We'll see how that works out.

We all went on our afternoon walk.  It feels so good to be in the sunshine, regardless of how cold it is outside.  Actually anything in the mid twenties or higher is warm, and our high today was 32.

Monday 2/13. It is 24 with mostly clear skies this morning.  Pretty sure there will be shoveling involved in my day. . .

Thought for the day: Journalism is popular, but it is popular mainly as fiction.  Life is one world, and life seen in the newspapers is another.  Gilbert Keith Chesterton

February 10, 2017 Snow, Rain & Wind!

Shoveling off the battery/
generator shed.

Me after jumping off
the shed roof - almost
up to my arm pits in
the snow!

The beautiful loaf of
onion bread that JB
baked on Wednesday.

Wednesday 2/8. We had 3" of snow by 3:00 pm.  That pretty much says it all for the day. . . 

Thursday 2/9. It was 20 and overcast this morning and we had received a total of 5" of snow.  Both main passes over the mountains are closed because of avalanche danger, and we can hear the canons booming on Mission Ridge.

We had freezing rain some time during the night that formed a crust on the snow.  With more rain in the forecast for today, I got outside at 9:00 am and began clearing off the battery/generator shed roof.  If that one collapses, we are in deep doo-doo.  If the wood shed collapses, we'll just dig out the wood.

It took me about 1-1/2 hours to clear the 3-1/2" feet of snow off the roof.  Then I had to bring in the fire wood and give the girls their morning corn.  I was about to go inside when I realized that if we got more freezing rain, I had better dig out the cistern riser or I would never be able to lift the lid.

When I finally got inside a little after 11:00, I ate breakfast, took some ibuprofen and went back to bed for an hour.  My that felt good!

The sun popped out just as I got inside, then the fog began forming.  But by 1:30 the temperature had jumped up to 38, the wind was gusting to 11 mph and it was pouring with rain.  Everything slid off our house roof, making quite a bit of noise, as a lot of it was ice.  We got a little more than 1/4" of rain before it stopped.  What a mess this is going to be.  I really do need to get out tomorrow and work on clearing off the wood shed roof as much as possible.

By sundown the wind had cleared away the clouds and the almost-full moon rose and ignited the darkness

Friday 2/10. It is 32 this morning and a light snow flurry has just arrived, but the sky is clearing, so it won't last for long.  The SnoCat express is due up tomorrow evening.

Thought for the day: Fear is a liar.  Make a point of calling its bluff.  Guideposts Feb 2017, Taraji P. Henson's Father

February 8, 2017 Shoveling, Shoveling, Shoveling

The view out of
our bathroom window.

The path I dug to
 the shop door.

Our disappearing fence.

Monday 2/6. I wish we had received only five or six inches of snow, but when JB measured, we had actually received 11"!  We are now over 8' and pushing towards last year's 10'.  While listening to the weather report, we heard that I90 over Snoqualamie Pass is closed because of possible avalanches.  The Mission Ridge canon has been blasting for several mornings now.  And snow seems to be falling all over Western Washington also as evidenced by postings of family members on Facebook.

The blue sky quickly disappeared and snow began to fall until about 10:30 am.  Then we had just enough sun to watch the next wave of snow move in from the west.  It arrived a bit after 1:00 pm, but not before I had cleared a path to the door of the shop; again cleared off 2' along the low end of the wood shed roof; cleared some of the snow off the tarp over the girls' run; and brought in the fire wood.

The second round of snow lasted for a couple hours until the wind whipped up, blew the clouds away, and caused white-outs from snow blowing off the trees.

Our high for the day was 32, and because of that warm temp, snow and ice slid off our roof most of the day, causing Dinga to pant and pace.

Tuesday 2/7. It was a chilly 10 degrees this morning with a light overcast and 1" of new snow.  Yesterday's wind had sculpted our white landscape, especially on top of the south ridge, erasing all evidence that we had ever been up there.  The road that Larry had plowed with the SnoCat was reduced to a slight U-shape.  All rough edges gone.  The fence is almost covered now with mainly just the post tops sticking out.

No more snow is due in until tomorrow, so I shoveled around the girls' run, and dug out the tractor so JB could get it started and run it for a bit.  

Yesterday's high of 32 made today's high of 22 seem very cold.

Wednesday 2/8. It is 11 and snowing this morning.  Lots of snow due in today and tomorrow. . .

Thought for the day: A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box and the cartridge box.  Fredrick Douglas

February 6, 2017 Going To Be A Long Winter

Dinga hiding in her
fort by the chicken
coup.

Our sign, disappearing
just like it did last
winter!.

Friday 2/3. We had received another 3" of snow in the past 24 hours with lots more on the way.  The snow stopped falling around 9:00 am for about an hour, but then started back up and kept on coming for the rest of the day.  We both did some shoveling.

I do believe cabin fever is setting in.  Not quite to the degree of The Shining (which Randy is quite concerned about), but feeling down and a bit pissy.  Of course I'm sure this all has a bit to do with what else has been going on in our lives.

Last winter, all the snow was quite an adventure.  This year it's just getting to be a pain in the patootie.  Our high for the day was 20.

Saturday 2/4. Our son's 42nd birthday began with 16 degrees and a very fine snow.  He is Ohio this weekend, so he is probably experiencing much the same weather, rather than the 60's or 70's in Mobile, AL.  A very fine snow was falling.  One you had to look twice to actually see.  And we could hear the avalanche canon booming on Mission Ridge.  Even so, Jesse plodded up to the panels with JB and Dinga to get them cleaned off.  JB measured another 2" for the past 24 hours.

Patches of blue sky began to appear, but snow fell until the last vestige of clouds finally disappeared around 10:00 am.  It was a beautiful day with a high of 28, until fog sneaked in at about 3:00 pm.  But the dogs and I went on our afternoon hike anyway.

We have had a very active woodpecker Up Here for the past several days.  He is really going to town on the large, dead pine tree across the drive.  

Both JB and I did some shoveling.  He worked on the paths, while I dug out the chicken coup doors and cleared off the tarp that is over part of their run.  We will definitely be replacing that with a wooden roof in the Spring.

I did all my outside work before lunch, so I could bake cookies in the afternoon.  Toll House chocolate chip cookies for which I used coconut oil instead of butter.  They turned out so yummy!  Just what I needed to help stave off the cabin fever.

Larry and Elsie drove the SnoCat up this evening, bringing our mail, JB's meds and some more bananas for the girls.  Another great visit that was so welcome.

Sunday 2/5. The day began with a temp of 26 and more snow began to fall a little after 8:00 am.  We had received another 1-3/4" of snow, and it fell all day again today.  Just did the normal outside chores and JB shoveled the one path to the fence that the dogs use to go do their duty.

We read the mail, magazines and newspapers that Larry and Elsie had brought up.  Other than that, it was just dishes (lots of dishes), laundry and reading our books.

JB wanted to drive MAX down to his Jeep at Larry and Elsie's tomorrow as he needs to fill up the gas cans, but I really have my doubts about him getting down there and back up without the chain coming off.  Fortunately, with all this new snow, he has decided not to go.

Monday 2/6: It is 24 with mostly clear skies this morning and a light wind creating lots of snow bombs.  It looks like we have another 5"-6" of snow.  JB is shoveling out the path and doors to the girls.

Thought for the day:

February 3, 2017 Brrrrr!

Rime on the hook for the
hummingbird feeder
last week.

Wednesday 2/1. In January we received 45.5" of snow which brought our total for the season to 82" (6.8 feet).  With all the snow in the forecast for the next several days, we may get close to last year's record of 10 ft.  Oh, goodie. . .

And, in January, the girls gave us 49 eggs.  Wow!  That's great for winter!

It was another clear, sunny day so I put all of today's incoming power to a more practical use and vacuumed.  That after dishes and laundry.

The sun didn't stick around much past noon, but it popped back out as the sky cleared again around 3:00 pm.

I finally found the movie, Tremors, at a reasonable price and it arrived in the mail that Larry and Elsie brought up last Saturday.  We watched it last night.  So entertaining!  And everyone looks so young.  It was made in 1989!

Am still reading Larry McMurtre's book, but I also started Sue Grafton's book, W Is For Wasted, that also arrived in the mail.  JB couldn't find it for me for Christmas, but he did get her book X.  I love her novels and may just have to start from A Is For Alibi when I am done with these two.

We are in the midst of another cold snap and our high for the day was only 21.

Thursday 2/2. It was a very cold 9 degrees this morning with clear sky and a bit of a breeze.  Brrrr!

Nothing much exciting today.  Went on our walks.  I did more shoveling off the deck after JB got on a ladder on the deck and knocked off most of the block of snow between the bathroom air pipe and the peak of the roof.

The sun was shining all day, but our high was only 14.

Friday 2/3: It is 10 and snowing this morning.  I may just hibernate for the weekend. . .

Thought for the day: It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important.  You have to do the right thing.  It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit.  But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing.  You may never know what results come from your action.  But if you do nothing, there will be no result.  Ghandi

February 1, 2017 More Snow & More Cold

The road up and around the south
ridge now that Larry has driven
the SnoCat there.

The chicken coup & garbage/recycle
shed disappearing under the snow.

Monday 1/30. This morning and for the past two days there have been fresh rabbit tracks around the wood and battery sheds.  Looks to be a pretty good sized one, too.  Sure wish I could catch sight of it.  There are smaller tracks on the north ridge.  I love that about the snow.  We can see the tracks of all the critters that have been around.

The blue sky and sun soon disappeared behind a cloud cover, and our high for the day was 34.  But at least there was no fog.

It is so easy to hike up and around the south ridge now that Larry has tromped the snow down with his SnoCat.  And, now since there is no freezing fog, we can actually get out for our daily walks.

I had a nice chat with Nene this morning.  It was so good to hear her voice, especially since it was full of positive attitude.  And not-going-to-take-any-shit attitude!

JB saw what he thought was a golden eagle today near the garden.  He said it looked to have about a 3' wing span.

The sun is once again shining in the loft window in the late afternoon from the southwest (when it isn't hiding behind the clouds or fog), and it is much higher in the sky when we go for our afternoon walk.  It is also still light out when we eat dinner at 5:00 pm.  I love it!  Back to the light!

No precipitation today, but when JB checked the temp and weather before we went to bed at 9:30 pm, it was snowing and had been for an hour or so.

Tuesday 1/31. It was 20 and still snowing this morning, but the snow stopped just after 8:00.  When JB went up to clean off the solar panels, he measured 5-1/2" of new snow on this last day of January.  And I am so glad to see this month end. . .

We both did some shoveling today as the pathways needed clearing, but the new snow was very light and fluffy.  I also shoveled off about half of the deck.

After it stopped snowing, the clouds began to break up and soon we had blue sky and sunshine.  With all that power coming in, I grabbed my glue gun and got started on Valentine crafts.  But even with the sun, our high for the day was only 29.

Wednesday 2/1. It is 14 with clear skies on this first day of February, and looks to be cold again for a while.

Thought for the day: You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face. . . You must do the thing you cannot do.  Eleanor Roosevelt