May 31, 2017 Back To Work, Work, Work!

Lupine & balsam root on
our south ridge.

Deer brush now in bloom.

Giant paintbrush blooming
on the south ridge.

Tuesday 5/30. Well, the long weekend certainly was relaxing while it lasted, but today it was back to the real world.  Before breakfast JB was out mowing with the tractor while the wash was going, so I could hang the clothes outside without having grass and dirt blown all over them.

After chores and lunch, we headed down in JB's Jeep, pulling the trailer in order to gather downed small trees and large branches along our road.  The dogs rode down and then I walked back up with them, gathering as we went.  When we would come upon a tree, JB got out and cut it, except for the last one which I cut.  The trailer was filled before we even got half way back home.  Having only walked about a mile, both the dogs and I were glad for the ride home.

We noticed a pile of bear scat as we drove down.  Didn't think much about it until we arrived back where it was and the dogs discovered it.  I chased Jesse away, but didn't get to Dinga in time to keep her from rolling in it. . .

Even after that hike, Dinga and I went on our regular afternoon walk.  The deer brush is blooming now and its fragrance is phenomenal!  Unfortunately, it will only last about a week.  I wish I could capture it in a jar to delight in the rest of the year.  The lupine is blooming Up Here now with all the other wild flowers.  Definitely my favorite time of year.

After dinner we cleaned the bear scat off of Dinga with a great hand-made dog soap that I have.

The sky was mostly overcast by noon, and the day was hot and muggy with a high of 78.  The clouds threatened rain and the thunder storm that was in the forecast.  The storm arrived a little before 6:00 pm with some big boomers right over our house.  Torrential rain blew in about 1/2 hour after the light show began.  The whole experience lasted about 1-1/2 hours.  Our highest wind gust was 17 mph, but down in the canyon Larry and Elsie had 31 mph.

Wednesday 5/31. It is 52 this morning with a light overcast.  We are going to make our semi-annual garbage run today.

Thought for the day: "I tried but it didn't work" is a lot better than "I wish I had tried."

May 30, 2017 A Very Relaxing Weekend

In Elsie's garden.

Jesse with a new
friend.

The huge, old lilac bush
down in the canyon.

Wednesday 5/24. We spent most of the day mowing and weed eating, JB on the tractor and me with the weed eater. Then I had to fix the tarp on the hen house which had not been tacked down well enough to survive yesterday's wind.  It's not going anywhere now.  The wind was still blowing today, but only to 12 mph.  Our high for the day was 58.

When I checked for eggs after lunch, there was a humming bird in the hen house.  The only way it could have gotten there was through the little door that the girls use.  I held the people door open and it quickly found its way out.

After dinner we drove down to Larry and Elsie's to visit and go over things for my house sitting.  Sat on their porch chatting until after dark.

Thursday 5/25. It was 44 and partly cloudy this morning.  I spent the day getting ready to leave.  I had a long list of items to do, including making more humming bird syrup and baking cookies.  I was on my way by 4:00 pm.

Friday 5/26 through Monday 5/29. A very relaxing but hot weekend in the high 80's and low 90's.  In the evenings I watched TV, bingeing on The Big Bang Theory and Law & Order: SVU, among other programs.

Saturday and Sunday I drove home for a couple hours each day to see JB's nephew and his 9-year-old son who were visiting.  Other than that, I did my house-sitting chores of watering, feeding the chickens, cats and dog.  Then I just vegged on their porch with one of the cats on my lap.  You cannot make a lap at their house without a cat finding it in a very short time.

I was home by 3:00 pm Monday afternoon.  A great weekend, but good to be back at Rose Camp.

Tuesday 5/30. It is 68 with a few thin clouds about.  Going to be another hot one.

Thought for the day: Churches are good for prayer, but so are garages and cars and mountains and showers and dance floors.  Anne Lamott in her book Plan B

May 24, 2017 Summer Weather

Our "park" on the
south ridge.

Monday 5/22. We spent 3-1/2 hours working on Miss Kitty today.  It took us 2-1/2 hours just to get the front storage box out.  Just how many screws are needed to hold it in?!!  Somewhere some engineer is laughing his ass off. . .

JB spent a while on the phone with a shop in Omak that fixes Arctic Cats, so it sounds like just finding out what is wrong is going to take a lot more time.

It was a beautiful day with a high of 76.

Tuesday 5/23. It was 60 with clear skies this morning.  I left early for Down There and was back by noon in order to beat the predicted high of 90.  JB was doing chores and working on Miss Kitty.

This was definitely our hottest day with a high of 80, but mid afternoon a wind blew in bringing a cold front.  By 9:00 pm it was gusting to 22 mph Up Here and 26 mph at Larry and Elsie's.

I am going to be house sitting for Larry and Elsie this weekend, as I always do on Memorial Day.  Their son gave them a signal booster for Christmas, so if I can get a signal I will post on Friday and Monday as usual.  If I can't, my next posting will be on Tuesday.

Wednesday 5/24.  With the arrival of the cold front, our temperature this morning is 38 but the sky is blue.  Cooler temps will prevail over the weekend.

Thought for the day: Your freedom is the most expensive thing you own, even if you didn't pay for it yourself.  Anonymous

May 22, 2017 Surprise!!

Our porch.

Chicken gifts!

My crown & wand!

Friday 5/19. Rearranged the porch this morning to keep the coolers out of the sun as much as possible.  Then after lunch we cut, moved and stacked "old" wood.

It was a magnificent day!  Perfect for working outside.  Lots of sun and a cool breeze, with a high of 65.

Saturday 5/20. It was 48 this morning and mostly cloudy.  Right after breakfast JB got the tractor going and began moving dirt onto the swale we created last year.  I raked the dirt and stomped it down.

After lunch we put a tarp over the roof of the hen house to keep it cooler in the sun.  Then JB mowed the west end of the south ridge.  It always looks like a park up there when he is done.  I refilled the wood cradle.

A dark cloud drifted over a few minutes after JB was done mowing and dropped its load.  Then the sun came back out and we had a high of 65.

Sunday 5/21.  It was 52 and clear this morning.  Just right for sitting on the porch with my coffee.  We leisurely got ready for the fish fry at Larry and Elsie's and left a little before 1:00 pm.

We arrived to find balloons, a Happy Birthday banner and most of our canyon friends!  WOW!  No one had ever thrown me a surprise party before!  Such a wonderful afternoon it was.  I even got a crown and wand.  Lots of great food, friends and conversation.  And gifts - I was so spoiled!  It was the perfect day for such a party with a cloudless sky and a high of 83 at their place, and 72 at Rose Camp.

Larry and Elsie had told us that Larry's fishing trip was a bust, when in fact he caught quite a lot of fish.  This deception so they could say the fish fry would be just the four of us since there wasn't much fish!  I was still overwhelmed by the time I went to bed. . .

Monday 5/22. It is 58 with a clear sky this morning.  Am still feeling spoiled.

Thought for the day: The best vitamin for making friends: B1.

May 19, 2017 Adjusting To 70

Moving the refrigerator.

Wednesday 5/17. A great day of sunshine, calls, cards and gifts!  Could not have been a nicer day weather wise.  And we actually got some work done.  Took the refrigerator off the porch with the tractor, and placed it by the battery room where we will bury it for use as a small root cellar.  Then JB took three tractor bucket loads of small wood to the wood shed where I stacked it.

JB made German pancakes for dinner, and I pigged out on chips and dip while watching Burn Notice.  Perfect end to a perfect day.

It is interesting that when looking in the mirror yesterday, at age 69, I thought, "You are really looking your age, Girl."  However looking in the mirror this morning at age 70, I was thinking, "Hmmm.  Not too bad for 70."

Thursday 5/18.  It was 40 and partly cloudy this morning.  We had a leisurely breakfast and did the dishes, then left for Down There about 10:30 am.  Ran a couple errands, then ate my birthday lunch at Applebee's.  A little more shopping.  Stopped in to see Larry and Elsie.  Then we were on our way back home, stopping on the way to visit their little dog and let him out.

Certainly looking forward to the fish fry at Larry and Elsie's on Sunday.

Our grandson turns 13 tomorrow, and my nephew graduates from high school in June with a track scholarship to WWU.  Hmmm, maybe I am getting old. . .

Friday 5/19. It is 48 and not a cloud in the sky this morning.  Probably going to work on getting more wood in the shed.

Thought for the day: A woman is like a tea bag - you don't know how strong she is until you put her in hot water.  Eleanor Roosevelt

May 17, 2017 70 Years On Planet Earth!!

Snow on the dwarf
waterleaf blooms.

Monday 5/15. We left for Down There at 7:30 am as planned.  Dropped off JB's Jeep and did some shopping which included the Glaze Bakery.  I had a $10-off coupon that was good if you spent $20 or more.  I did not realize how much pastry one can buy for $20!!  In my excitement to shop there, I locked my keys in the car and we had to call AAA for help.  It only took about 20 minutes or so for the tow truck to arrive.  Just enough time to sample the wares. . .

Then we went to Costco and bought a new "refrigerator".  Actually it is labeled as a 125 quart cooler, but to us it is a refrigerator.  Also bought 40 lbs. of ice for it ($4), and we were on our way back to the canyon.  Clouds had moved in and the sky was overcast by the time we arrived home, having left some goodies in Elsie's fridge and stopped by our other neighbor to drop off doughnuts.  Our high for the day was 52.

At Larry and Elsie's I also said goodbye to Buster, which was so very difficult. . .  When Elsie called on the radio at 9:00 pm, she was crying and Buster had crossed over the rainbow bridge with the help of a very kind vet who came to their home.

Tuesday 5/16. It was 36 and overcast this morning.  Another early start today as we had to pick up JB's Jeep and I had a 10:00 am doctor's appointment for my annual physical.  It was raining when we left home at 8:00 am and we slid a bit sideways down the driveway, but the bill for the repair was actually $100 less than their estimate, which was a nice surprise.  I passed my physical with flying colors, and by the time I was finished, the sun was shining.

JB drove straight home with his Jeep, and I did a little leisurely shopping.  I also stopped in to see Larry and Elsie at their shop, and commiserate.  Then I went to Costco to purchase a smaller cooler for all our drinks - milk, juice, etc.  Everything from the refrigerator actually fits in the large cooler, but I just thought it would be easier with a separate one for drinks.

As I stopped to pick up our mail, hail began slamming down and I drove up the canyon in quite a hailstorm.  I stopped in to see Larry and Elsie's little dog, who was obviously very distressed at the absence of his life-long friend.  His whimpering almost got me crying again.

My Jeep couldn't make it up our driveway, so JB drove down in his to pick up me, the cooler, and groceries.  We had hail and snow all afternoon, with a few loud claps of thunder.  And, once again, the ground was white.  Our high for the day was 46.

Wednesday 5/17. It is 34 with wind gusting to 12 mph and not a cloud in sight on this morning of my 70th birthday!  70 doesn't quite compute, but I am thrilled that I made it this far and living in the only place I want to be.

Thought for the day: Birthdays, better than the alternative. . .

May 15, 2017 Snow & Visits

Saturday morning's snow.

The Anna's hummingbird
I rescued.

A good start on next
winter's wood.

Friday 5/12. Crazy weather today.  Hail, rain/snow mix, and a little sun.  All in all a very gray day with a high of 48, but the sky was clear by 8:00 pm, so at least we got to see the stars.

JB made bread that we used as hot dog buns, so guess what we had for dinner!

Saturday 5/13. It was 36 and overcast this morning.  Snow began falling around 9:00 and we received 1/2" by noon.  It was all gone by late afternoon.

After lunch we drove Miss Kitty to visit Buster's owner and see the house he is building.  Very nice visit, but Miss Kitty overheated again.  It has to be the thermostat, so JB has some research to do.  But this afternoon he baked some cranberry pound cake, which was just fine by me.

Just as I was going to feed the dogs, I found stunned hummingbird lying in front of the door.  I picked him up and held him for a while to keep him warm, then got a little box and a towel to put him in.  I set the box on top of the fridge and a little while later he was gone.

We had several claps of thunder in the late afternoon, but fortunately not right overhead.  

Around 8:00 pm, Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit and brought a hanging basket of plants that she makes for me every Mother's Day.  It was a good visit but with some sad news.  They are going to have to put their dog, Buster, down on Monday.  He is 17 years old with very bad hip problems and a tumor on his chest.

Sunday 5/14. It was 40 and mostly clear this Mother's Day morning, but clouds soon moved in and we had sun and rain showers on and off all day with a high of 52.

I had pound cake for breakfast while JB washed the dishes.  We all went on the morning walk, but most of the day was spent inside.  The dogs and I went on an afternoon walk in a light rain shower.  It was a nice, relaxing Mother's Day.

An unexpected thunder storm moved through in the late afternoon bringing 1/4" hail.  Not very big, but very noisy on our metal roof.  And it left the ground almost as white as yesterday's snow.

Early tomorrow morning we have to take JB's Jeep in to be fixed, so I plan on stopping in to say goodbye to Buster on our way back. . .

Monday 5/15. It is 34 with clear blue sky this morning.  We plan to be on our way Down There by 7:30.

Thought for the day: If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.  Cicero, Roman philosopher

May 12, 2017 Waxing Poetic & Splitting Wood

My Wednesday morning
project.

Prairie stars that
are EVERYWHERE!

Lupine among the balsam root
along the road by Larry & Elsie's.

Wednesday 5/10. Spring green in all its brilliance is at once calming and energizing.  Sitting on the porch this morning, I was just soaking it up.  This Spring, the myriad of lush greens seem to be affecting me even more than the many colorful wild flowers.  So much of everything in this season of rebirth, both flora and fauna.

Although we come at it from different directions, it seems that most of us who gather in the forest to live, come for the same reasons.  To find peace in nature, away from the madness of civilization.  Away from the noise and mindless chatter.  Humans tend to be so constantly predictable in their greed and susceptibility to the influence of evil.  It often seems to overwhelm all their goodness.

Mother Nature is a constant which one can rely on.  Both calm and stormy, but bringing out the best in a person.  Challenging them to be their best.  To let go and become "one with the Universe", so to speak, without sounding too sappy.  I often cannot find the right words to express what it is like.  Words can be so feeble, and this is something that must be experienced, be given into.

Maybe it is that at our age, we are ripe to realize it.  Having spent more than 60 years in the hustle and bustle, in the constant competing of Down There, it is time to be Up Here.  Time to BE.  Perhaps as I sit here enfolded by Mother Nature, watching and listening to the birds welcome the new day, I am subconsciously interpreting their songs.

So much for waxing poetic.  I got off the porch and split the rest of the wood from last year.  From the tree that our son cut down in October.  JB took it to the wood shed in three tractor-bucket loads, where I stacked it.  Then after lunch I drove Miss Kitty down to get the mail.

It was a beautiful day and our warmest yet with a high of 67.  We are so ready for it!

Thursday 5/11. It was 50 and raining this morning.  The forecast thunder storm bypassed us, although at 5:00 am we could hear distant thunder and the rain moved in.  Rain fell off and on all morning, with fog moving up in-between showers.  Both rain and fog disappeared for the afternoon, but the sun was unable to break through the thick cloud cover.  Our high for the day was 54.

We both did chores inside, although JB checked out Miss Kitty, as she overheated a bit yesterday.  He filled the small radiator and we will watch for leaks.  I got out my summer clothes, and put away the winter ones.

We are considering getting a very large cooler to replace the refrigerator outside, then possible burying the refrigerator and using it as a small root cellar.

On our afternoon walk, I discovered that bear grass had bloomed overnight in the midst of all the balsam root on the south ridge.

The wind blew in more rain just before dinner, but by bedtime we could see patches of blue sky.

Friday 5/12. It is 36 with clear skies this morning.  I hope to work outside again today.

Thought for the day: Pray is a four-letter word you can use anywhere.

May 10, 2017 A Rockchuck, Cutting Wood & Another Trip Down There

Trillium that I picked
along our road.

The kindling mess I had
to re-stack.  Before. . .

. . . and after.

Monday 5/8. Shortly after getting up, feeding the dogs and chickens, and while still in my pajamas and bathrobe, I noticed that Dinga and Jesse had caught a fairly large animal.  I went racing outside, yelling at them and discovered it was a rockchuck (what a woodchuck is called west of the Rockies).  The poor animal was in shock, but I didn't see any blood, so I thought it might recover.  I got the dogs inside and threw on my clothes.  Back outside I saw that it was dragging itself by its front feet.  Its back was broken.  So I had to get the gun and shoot it.  Not a good start to any day.

Finally got a cup of coffee, although I was quite wide awake by then.  Washed the dishes, put the laundry in, then went back out and collected a couple bags of needles.  When the laundry was done I hung it outside.

After lunch, JB cut two cradle loads of wood and moved it all to the wood shed with the tractor.  I stacked it, and then worked on re-stacking the pile of kindling after having sorted out the larger pieces.

Just after dinner, the owner of the big black lab, Buster, who would come up to visit Jesse, drove up.  He had never been to our place before and wanted to see where his dog came to visit.  Turns out he had to have Buster put down today due to cancer.  He was pretty upset and, not wanting to be alone at such a time, stayed about three hours.

Other than the beginning and part of the ending, it was a pretty good day with a high of 59.

Tuesday 5/9. It was a warm 49 with clear skies this morning.  We were out bright and early to load up the trailer with all our recycle and take it Down There.  After driving down and unloading it all, we ran some errands and, since we had the trailer, bought some supplies for the girls: straw, shavings, scratch.  We also bought a couple bags of dog food.

The hills are almost solid gold with balsam root and now in many places there is the purple and pink of lupine and sweet peas.  There is nothing better than Spring in the mountains.  Mother Nature's garden is fabulous!  Trillium is blooming along our road, and I stopped to pick some for pressing.

It was very warm in town.  A great Spring day.  We were home by 1:00 pm and the dogs were thrilled to see us and get outside in the beautiful weather.  Our high for the day was 62.

After dinner I collected some more of the perfect, large pine cones that the trees are dropping.  Then I gathered two more bags of pine needles.  The huge dead tree is dropping its needles in clumps which makes it so much easier, and faster to gather them.

Wednesday 5/10. It is 47 with blue sky this morning, but rain is supposedly on its way for tonight and tomorrow.  Hope to get more splitting done today.

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

May 8, 2017 Hummingbirds, Flowers & Sunshine

Prairie stars

Some of the flowers I
picked to press.

Friday 5/5. I think everything green has sprung up another 6"-8" overnight with all the rain from the storm.  The birds are celebrating the fact that it is over with their melodious songs.

"Our" four deer sauntered across the east slope this morning.  This time Dinga saw them and started barking, but she didn't run after them.

We had our windows open yesterday, letting in all the fresh Spring air.  I LOVE this time of year!  I hung the wash outside in the sun and light wind.  The wind acts like a dryer and takes most of the wrinkles out.

I sorted the piles of junk wood, breaking what I could into kindling and stacking the rest to be cut in the wood cradle

I plan to go Down There tomorrow since I didn't make it today, even though it is time for the big Apple Blossom parade.

Saturday 5/6. It was 34, windy and partly cloudy this morning, but the clouds soon disappeared and we had a bright sunny day with a high of 63.

I left for Down There at about 9:30 am and had a nice leisurely day.  I drove the long way across the river to Costco, as it was impossible to get through down town Wenatchee with the parade going on.  Was home by 2:30 pm with all the errands run and a few more groceries.

The balsam root is blooming in places where it often doesn't in the canyon, and the purple lupien is now in bloom in the last mile along the road, intermingling with the yellow balsam root.  Absolutely stunning!

Sunday 5/7. It was 36 and clear this morning.  It is that time of the year with cold nights and warm days.  Perfect days in which to work outside.  After breakfast, dishes and laundry, I harvested some wild flowers to press.  There are so many more yellow bells and alpine shooting stars this year than usual.  They are everywhere!  As are the dwarf waterleaf, but they do not press well.  The prairie stars have suddenly taken over and, in many places, it is impossible to walk without stepping on them.

Even with all the many birds about, it is so nice to have the hummingbirds back.

After lunch I started the splitter for the first time this year and split the wood that the Coasties has given me last week.  JB took it in two tractor bucket loads to the wood shed and I stacked it.  Then I worked on re-stacking the kindling.

The girls gave us five eggs again today, so now I have eleven dozen eggs under the bed.  I have to find someone to give a couple dozen to!

Such a beautiful day!  Our high was only 56, but it sure seemed warmer in this sun.  No wind today, just a light breeze.

Monday 5/8. It is 40 this morning with a few clouds.  Hopefully I can get the rest of the wood split today.

Thought for the day: To be humble is not to make comparisons.  Secure in its reality, the self is neither better or worse, bigger nor smaller, than anything else in the universe.  From Markings by Dag Hammarskjold

May 5, 2017 Down There Again & A Thunder Storm

Our piles of "junk" wood
with more to get.

Wednesday 5/3. We left for Down There at 8:30 in my Jeep.  Then at the main canyon road, JB got his Jeep and drove it to the repair shop.  We did some grocery shopping and JB was going to drop me off at Elsie's shop, but we had to go get his Jeep because it is not only the transmission leaking, the transfer case also needs work and they don't have time to do it today.  We will bring it back on the 15th.  So I took his Jeep to work and he drove back home in my Jeep.

Elsie and I had a good, busy day.  Plenty of time to talk, but also lots of customers.  When I checked the mail on my way home, the birthday/Mother's Day present I bought with the money from my son was there.  It is an espresso machine that works on a gas or wood stove!  

The day was beautiful but humid.  By far the warmest day so far this year, in the 70's in town and 65 at Rose Camp.  This was the first night that we did not need to put a fire in the wood stove.

Thursday 5/4. It was 42 and mostly clear this morning.  I had put in a fire when I got up with the dogs at 5:00 am, but we didn't need another one.

Lots of work to do in the house, including putting away the groceries and an order from Emergency Essentials that we had received.  I also had to make syrup for the very demanding hummingbirds and get the feeders hung out.

We tilted the solar panels all the way up and saw our first snake today.  Not a rattler, but a green racer.

For the first time ever, we had big bumble bees in the house.  They must have nested somewhere in the wall last Fall.  Wherever it was, it was spitting them out about five to ten minutes apart until we had almost twenty of them.  Fortunately we were able to trap them in the bug vacuum tube we have and release them outside, one by one with never more than one in the house at a time.

The forecast thunder clouds gathered during the day and it was quite humid again with a high of 68.  Even warmer than yesterday.  With one little bang of thunder, the pouring rain arrived just before 9:00 pm.

Since my other blog is taking up so much of my time, I have decided to post it just once a week, on Mondays.

Friday 5/5. The thunder storm arrived a little after 1:30 am in a very LOUD light show and more rain.  Between the light, the noise, and panting, pacing dogs, we were all up for a while.  JB stayed on the couch and then did the perimeter hike when the sun came up.  No signs of smoke.  

It is 52 and over cast at 7:30 am.  JB just went back to bed and I will definitely be taking a nap today.  I had planned to go Down There to hit some sales, but that won't be happening.

Thought for the day: God never slams a door in your face without opening a box of Girl Scout cookies.  Elizabeth Gilbert

May 3, 2017 A Trip Down There!

No photos this morning.  Google is not cooperating.


Monday 5/1. We were on our way by 8:30 am with JB following me in Miss Kitty.  We parked her where our road meets the main canyon road just in case we couldn't get my Jeep all the way back home.  We made it Down There with no problems, but rain began to fall by noon.  Got all our errands and shopping done, and were on our way home about 2:00 pm.  However, with all the rain, we could not get my Jeep up the driveway.  So we made two trips with Miss Kitty to get all the groceries to the house.  So good to be home!

I did not sleep well last night and with the trip Down There I was in bed by 8:30!  

Tuesday 5/2. It was 37 with clear skies this morning, although some clouds moved in by mid morning.  But it was a nice day with a high of 56.

I always look forward to picking up the mail, but today I received a jury summons.  That in itself is not a problem, but in the almost nine years we have lived here, this is the third one I have received.  JB received his fourth one over the winter and obviously could not get Down There.  Next time I go to town I plan to go talk to someone about this.

Tomorrow I am going to help Elsie in her shop as Larry is leaving for his annual fishing trip on the coast with friends.  JB and I will leave about 8:30 am to drop off his Jeep to be fixed, then he can take me to work.  He drove Miss Kitty down to his Jeep today to put more transmission fluid in it for tomorrow's trip.  I kept busy with wash and other things since I won't be home tomorrow.

It was a nice day with a high of 56.

Wednesday 5/3. It is 46 and overcast this morning.  We plan to be on our way by 8:30.

Thought for the day: If everything happens according to plan, it's a business plan, not an adventure.  Bertrand Piccard

May 1, 2017 A Busy Weekend

JB's Saturday morning baking
(minus 2 scones we had for
breakfast)

Friday 4/28. After putting in a load of wash, I drove Miss Kitty down to check the road and collect the mail.  By the time I got back home, JB had hung the wash out on the clothesline.  I am pretty sure I can get my Jeep out now, so we plan to go Down There on Monday.  I get to go shopping!  

Our high for the day was 58, but it sure didn't seem that warm.

Saturday 4/29. It was 32 with a mostly clear sky this morning, but a light overcast had formed before noon.  When I got up at 8:45, JB was already mixing up some more scones.  They were soon in the oven, and then he started on a chocolate bundt cake.  Said he wanted to get them done and out of the way!  I am so glad he likes to cook.

There is a woodpecker Up Here that is fixated on our outhouse.  In just a day or two, he has already pecked the paint off a couple places.  I chased him off this morning and hung some strips of cloth that I hope will keep him away.  Randy has been having a problem with an aggressive woodpecker, too, only on his house.  Hmmm. . .

I brought down three big loads of "junk" wood from the south ridge in Miss Kitty.  There is a lot more up there, too.  When we had our trees thinned about 25 years ago, the man we dealt with said he would leave us as much good tree limb wood as he could, and burn the junk.  The grasses had grown over much of the pile and we didn't realize how much there was.

Our high for the day was 50, but we didn't have much sun.

Sunday 4/30. This morning was 39 with a mostly clear sky.  Since it was so warm, I gave the girls cabbage with their bananas instead of oatmeal.  Pretty sure they prefer oatmeal.

Had a nice long chat with Sandy this morning.  The wild flowers in California are incredible with all the rain they have had.  The colorful fields are so plentiful and brilliant that they can be seen from space!

JB and I both worked on bringing down more junk wood to the wood cradle area.  Using Miss Kitty and the tractor, we both brought down four big loads.  Then after lunch, I drove Miss Kitty down to see the Gridders.  Also got to meet a family who just purchased a home just across the paved road.  The Westies were up so I got to visit with them, too.  They were cutting some huge branches off one of their pine trees and gave them to me for fire wood.  It was a very good ride.

It was breezy this morning, but very windy by the time I got home around 3:00 pm.  Not too bad down in the canyon, but very icy at Rose Camp.  Our high for the day was 52.

Monday 5/1.  This first day of May began overcast with a temperature of 37 and a breeze.  So looking forward to going shopping!

Thought for the day: Success comes in cans.  Failure comes in can'ts.