January 31, 2018 A Birthday, More Wind & A Special Full Moon

Tracks of the often present &
sometimes dangerous
Sno-Bommbe.

Bright moon shining on the snow
with the lights from town
to the right.

The bright, rising moon.

Monday 1/29. I worked on Elsie's birthday present today, as I have been for the past couple weeks.  It's not that difficult, it's just that my hands are not steady enough to do what I wanted.  So I had to undo what looked awful and start over.  Her birthday was today, so obviously the gift will be late.

Valley fog kept trying to move in, but never quite made it.  The sun was able to peek through the clouds mid day for just a few minutes, but other than that it was a very gray, dreary day with a high of 40.  Lots of melting going on.

A light rain was falling when the dogs and I went on our afternoon walk, and increased to a heavier, steady rain later on with occasional downpours.  Typical Seattle day.  The wind arrived in the late afternoon, and was gusting to 19 mph by 9:30 pm.

Tuesday 1/30. It was 28 with blue skies and a wind gusting to 14 mph this morning.  Everything that melted yesterday froze during the night.

We saw the tracks of several deer, large and small, who had walked along the south ridge during the night.  I also saw tracks across the driveway when I walked down to test out a new card in our game cam.  The one our son sent to us was 32gig and our computers could not read it.  So we are using a 4gig that I had for my camera.  It works fine, so we should have some photos soon.

About a month ago we stopped turning the power on unless we are using it.  This will help the batteries to last longer and we do not have to use the generator as much.  We use our computers on their batteries during the day, and they recharge while we have the power on in the evening when watching movies.

We tried putting one of the tracks back on the snow blower, but there is obviously a trick to it that which we have not yet discovered. . .  So we spent some time shoveling the snow off the tarps on top of the chicken run.  Always something to do.

Despite the wind gusting to 18 mph, I took the dogs on an afternoon walk.  Not sure just why. . .  What is it with this wind lately?!

Can't believe it is the end of January already.  Always glad to say goodbye to this month.

As promised tonight's moon was big and VERY bright!  None but the brightest stars could compete with it.  The clouds moved in so we weren't able to see the "blood" part, but the rest was amazing.

Wednesday 1/31. It is 26 and overcast this morning and we still have a wind.

Thought for the day: The very least you can do in your life is t figure out what you hope for.  And the most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.  Barbara Kingsolver

January 29, 2018 Snow & Grooming The Road

Ice & snow slipping off
back of wood shed roof.

MAX & the tree across the road.

On our way back up the road,
 JB:"Gateway to Heaven"

Friday 1/26. That wall of snow never did arrive today, except for a couple hours of very small, intermittent flakes during mid day.  JB drove MAX up and around the south ridge a couple times to make better paths.  I shoveled the path to the generator/battery shed, then cleared off the back of the wood shed roof from the ice so more snow could slide off.

After lunch JB used the tractor to clear in front of the house and by the vehicles.  I drove the snow blower up to the north ridge and back, then groomed the tractor ridges.  I also shoveled off the deck - very easy this winter with our new snow shovel.  We wanted to get this all done before the "big snow event" that is supposed to arrive about 10:00 pm tonight.

We finished season two of The Americans this evening.  Very good!

Saturday 1/27. It was 23 and snowing heavily when I got up at 8:00 am, but the snow quit falling just a few minutes later after leaving another 5-1/2".  It looked more like 7" or 8".

JB backed the snow blower out of the shop and somehow the tracks came off.  Couldn't get them back on, so I brought them inside to warm up and hopefully become more pliable.  Will try again tomorrow.  He used the tractor instead to clear out as much of the new snowfall as possible.  And I did a little shoveling.

Late in the morning the wind popped up as predicted.  It moved in at 23 mph and worked its way up to 38 mph for several hours, causing white-outs with snow off the trees.  Very nasty!  After lunch, JB insisted on driving MAX down to groom the road in the midst of it all.  About a mile down there was a tree across the road that he could not move by himself, so he came back up and baked some banana bread.

The wind continued until around 7:00 pm when it finally calmed.  No snow left on the trees by then.  Our high for the day was 37.  And it was a 3-egg day!

Forgot to mention that on Thursday I used the last of the wood in the fourth row and started on the fifth of seven.  Still plenty of fire wood left, especially considering what is on the porch.

This evening we started watching season 6 of Game of Thrones.  Love this series!

Sunday 1/28. It was 30 and we were fogged in this morning.  Received another 1/2" of snow overnight.  The Mission Ridge avalanche canon was booming, keeping the dogs inside.

After the morning walk, we drove MAX down the road to groom it and move the tree.  (Did not take the dogs.)  A very enjoyable drive.  Back home, JB drove up and around the south ridge to pack down the new snow.

The sun tried chasing the fog back down into the canyons and finally succeeded around 3:00 pm.  A very nice day with a high of 38.

Monday 1/29. It is a warm 38 this morning with overcast skies and fog lake lapping at the foot of the mountains.

Thought for the day: There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.  Roger Stauback

January 26, 2018 A Long Trip Down There

Sharing the couch.

Wednesday 1/24. JB was on his way Down There in MAX at about 8:45 am.  He gave me a call when he got to Miss Kitty asking "Where's the key?"  Well, it seems that when we took Miss Kitty down to park her at the main canyon road, I put the key in my jacket pocket instead of under the seat.  And there it remained until he called. . .

So he had to drive MAX all the way down to the Jeep.  The problem with that is that the road has been plowed and well traveled.  MAX doesn't do so well on a hard surface with the tracks on.  It was slow going, but he made it in about 1-1/2 hours total.  Then it was on to his doctor's appointment, where he got a clean bill of health.  He just has to go back one more time in three months.

While he was gone, I hung up the laundry; trudged through our morning walk, cleaning off the solar panels along the way; gave the girls their scratch and got one egg; gave the dogs their morning treat; brought in the firewood; and did the dishes.  Also took a short nap and read my book.  And folded the laundry.

I looked out the window around 11:00 am and big flakes were slowly drifting down.  They kept on coming til around 3:00 pm, but we only got about another 1/4".  

JB arrived home about 3:15 pm, very tired but feeling good about what the doctor had to say.

Our high for the day was 33.

Thursday 1/25. It was 23 and partly cloudy this morning.  We enjoyed a relaxing morning reading the papers and magazines that JB brought up yesterday.

The blue sky soon disappeared and a light snow moved in around 11:00 am and kept coming til about 3:00, just like yesterday.  And, once again, we only received about another 1/4".  The dogs and I enjoyed sunshine on our afternoon walk, but around 4:30 a strong wind came threw, chasing any clouds away and blowing snow off the trees.  Our high for the day was 30.

I have really been into cooking lately, and today, just for fun, I tried a sweet-and-sour spam casserole recipe that I found in an old school cookbook from 1970.  It was surprisingly tasty!  When I was growing up, spam was a necessity when going camping.  And my Dad liked it fried for breakfast instead of bacon.

Friday 1/26. The sky is mostly clear this morning except for in the west where there is a big wall of snow moving in.  The temp is 26 with a wind gusting to 17 mph.  

Thought for the day: Yes, I have OCD - I am old, cranky and dangerous.

January 24, 2018 More Snow

Path to the north ridge.

Monday 1/22. We had actually received another 1/2" of snow during the night.  January is such a "down" month.  We usually cannot do much outside except for daily chores and walks.  Today we didn't go on an afternoon walk because the wind was gusting to 17 mph, which gave us a wind chill of 18, instead of the 30 that the temperature gauge showed.  Our high for the day was 33.

Actually, I think I was just lazy today and it felt good.

This evening, on the radio, Larry told us that a cougar had taken down a deer and dragged it across the road just below their house.  A big trail of blood and very large tracks.

We watched Atomic Blonde this evening.  Wow!!  Going to have to watch it several more times just to figure it out.  Lots of twists and turns.  One of the things I like about having a DVD is all the special features.  We watched how they made the very long fight scene which was all one take.  Amazing!

Tuesday 1/23. It was 26 and trying to snow at 8:00 am.  By 8:30 it was really coming down in tiny flakes.  It snowed all day and by 4:00 pm we had 3".  Our high for the day was 28.

It was another slow, winter day for me.  Am really into cooking lately and made a delicious chicken stew for dinner.  JB baked to loaves of banana bread.

JB drove MAX down to the main canyon road this afternoon to groom the road a bit.  He has to go Down There tomorrow for his last check-up on his back.  Also has to buy gas.  I gathered everything he will need for his trip.

We started the second season of The Americans this evening.  Very good series!

Wednesday 1/24. It is 28 and overcast this morning with high valley fog.  The forecast calls for snow through tomorrow.  Haven't yet measured to see how much we got overnight.

Thought for the day: Never put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket.

January 22, 2018 Snow & Relaxing Winter Days

My custard pie from such an
easy recipe!

Friday 1/19. The snow has frozen again, so the dogs can walk and run over the top of it leaving barely an inch indentation.

Just a nice quiet day on the mountain.

Saturday 1/20. It was 28 and mostly cloudy with a brisk breeze this morning that blew all day.

JB used the tractor to move some snow from where we park MAX and Miss Kitty, and level it off.  I knew I had to get some sorting and throwing done, so I started with one of my desk drawers.  Where in the world did half this crap come from?!

I was looking through one of my cookbooks and found a recipe we like but I haven't made for years.  It takes a while and uses two pots, a frying pan, a large bowl and a casserole dish, but it is worth the effort.

Ominous-looking black clouds were coming in from the southwest late this afternoon.  Our high for the day was 34.

Sunday 1/21. It was 30 this morning and started snowing heavily a little before 7:00 am.  By 11:00 am we had received an inch.  Snow kept falling off and on all day, but we barely got another 1/4".  Then about 4:00 pm, heavy snow moved in again, so we will see what the morning brings.

I found an incredibly easy recipe for custard pie in an old cookbook I had found at the thrift shop.  I love custard!  I could eat it every day and not tire of it.  So I made the pie and it turned out great.  All ingredients are mixed in a blender, which includes Bisquick.  Turns out the Bisquick settles to the bottom and sides, creating a lovely crust.  I'm quite sure I will be making this often.

Another quiet, inside day, with a high of 34.

Monday 1/22. This morning the temperature is 29 with partly cloudy skies and a breeze gusting to 10 mph.  Less than 1/4" of new snow.

Thought for the day: Go forth under the open sky and listen to Nature's teachings. William Cullen Bryant

January 19, 2018 Eggs & More Warm Weather

Dinga making snow angels.

Wednesday 1/17. Yesterday and today the girls gave us four eggs!  The older ones have decided to lay again, too.

After lunch I drove Miss Kitty down to the main canyon road, with JB following in MAX.  I parked her there and we both rode back in MAX, with JB grooming the road as we went.

I received a very interesting article from Sandy regarding the October fires in Santa Rosa and how they made "some local residents question their complicated relationship with possessions."  Both residents who lost everything and those who lost nothing.  More and more people becoming minimalists.  "Love people and use things, because the opposite never works."

We were in the clouds all day and our high was 30.  Still much warmer than normal by five to eight degrees.

Thursday 1/18. It was 32 and breezy this morning.  Snow was falling when JB got up at 6:45 am, but the sky was mostly clear when I got up at 8:00.  Only got a heavy trace, nothing measurable.

JB spent the afternoon baking - banana-chocolate chip muffins and banana bread.  I vacuumed in the morning, wanting to use all the incoming power before the sun disappeared.

The girls gave us three eggs today.  That's eleven eggs in three days!  And in the winter!

Clouds moved in and the sky was overcast by late afternoon.  Our high for the day was 36.

Larry and Elsie drove up to play marbles.  Snow began falling when they arrived at 5:30.  Lots of laughter with the marbles, especially when the ladies win both games. . .

Friday 1/19. It is 28 and mostly cloudy this morning.  Looks like just another heavy dusting of snow overnight.

Thought for the day: Sorrow is how we learn to love.  Your heart isn't breaking, it hurts because it is getting larger.  The larger it gets, the more love it holds.  From Riding Shotgun by Rita Mae Brown

January 17. 2018 Well Pump Seems To Be Working!

The sun working hard
to burn off the fog.

Snow slipping off the roof
of the wood shed.

Monday 1/15. I was on my way Down There in Miss Kitty a little before 9:00 am.  First stop, the laundromat, which usually takes 1-1/2 hours depending upon how many items I have to fold.  Then on to Costco and Fred Meyer, buying water and a few other items, since I was down there.

Back at Larry and Elsie's, had a nice chat with Elsie and was home just before 3:00 pm.  In order to get up our driveway, I had to shovel about 50' in the middle of the tracks to keep Miss Kitty from belly panning.  This will certainly be the last trip UP our road for Miss Kitty until the thaw.  In the next day or two we will drive her down to the main road and park her there, using MAX to go back and forth.  We did that a few years ago and it worked out very well.

Tuesday 1/16. It was 31 and overcast with 1" of new snow this morning.  The cloud cover soon disappeared and the fight began between the sun and the fog.  Today the sun won out!  The fog remained in the canyons and valleys, but we had a nice sunny day with a high of 37.  

We spent a leisurely morning reading newspapers and magazines, then took the dogs for the morning walk.  The past several days we have seen a lot of new deer tracks, as we did today.

JB got the card out of the game cam yesterday, but we need their specific software in order to download the pictures.  He will take care of that tomorrow.

In Sunday's paper I discovered an article "In Memory of Sue Grafton"!!  I had no idea that she had passed away in December.  She wrote the Kinsey Milhone alphabet mysteries that I love so much.  Last year she released Y is for Yesterday, which I have not yet read.  Her family says that as far as they are concerned, the alphabet ends in Y.

We each took a short shower today, as JB is fairly certain that he had resolved the issue with the well pump.  He ran the pump and, sure enough, water was coming in!  

Since we will be driving Miss Kitty down to park at the main canyon road tomorrow, today I put a new fuse in for the windshield wiper.  We really need a new wiper also, but at least it works now.  Also gassed up both MAX and Miss Kitty.  I have driven Miss Kitty so much that we are running low on gas.  Will have to buy some more next trip Down There.

While we were getting an inch of snow last night, Larry and Elsie were getting pouring rain.  Pouring so hard it actually woke them up.  They are about 2000' below us and a little to the west.  I doubt I will ever figure out our mountain weather.

Wednesday 1/17. It is 26 and lightly snowing this morning.  Must have just started, as there is very little white on the porch stairs.

Thought for the day: Books turn muggles into wizards.

January 15, 2018 Melting Snow, Fixing MAX & Washing Clothes

Melting snow on the grill
in my canning pots.

JB on his way down to groom
the road on MAX.

My hand-turned
clothes washer.

Friday 1/12. We actually had 1/2" of new snow this morning.  The avalanche canon at Mission Ridge was really booming, and making the dogs nervous.

After lunch, JB used the tractor to clear in front of the house, by the vehicles, and the path to the west ridge.  The powder snow that fell yesterday had turned wet and heavy as the temperature warmed today.  Too heavy for the snow blower.  It was a beautiful day with a high of 38.  The snow on the trees melted and rained down.

I spent the afternoon melting snow in my canning pots out on the grill on the porch.  I ended up with about 12 gallons, and will keep it up every day in the big pot on the wood stove inside.  Just wanted to get a jump on the water that we will use for washing dishes and clothes, drinking water for the dogs and girls, flushing the toilet.  We will use the water in the cistern for cooking, coffee, and washing ourselves.  I have two flats of water for drinking.

I love that the days are getting longer.  It is actually still light out when we eat dinner at 5:00 pm, although that doesn't last long.

Saturday 1/13. It was 34 and mostly overcast this morning with valley fog.  We got started early today.  Lots to do.  

I shoveled off the deck, again.  But it didn't take nearly as long this time.  Also brought in the fire wood and shoveled off as much snow as I could from the tarp over the girls' run.  JB worked in the shop to pound rivets out of broken cleats for MAX's tracks.

Then we all went on the morning walk, a little late.  Back in the house, we ate lunch and rested a bit.  

Outside again, we wired the broken cleats onto the one track that had lost them.  Then jacked MAX up and put the track back on, first having to take out the middle tire and suck the air out of the two end ones.  This was probably the fastest we ever got the track on!  Much easier to work when the temperature is 42, than when it is 20.  The clouds disappeared to the south during the afternoon, and by sunset the sky was clear.

While we were busy with everything else, I was melting more snow.  Got about another three gallons.

Sunday 1/14. It was 30 this morning and we were fogbound.  We had left MAX up on blocks overnight in order to wire two cleats on the other track today.  They weren't broken, but the rivets had come out of one end on each of them.  With that done, we lowered MAX back onto the ground and JB drove him up and around the south ridge to see if all our jerry-rigging would hold up.

All looked well, so after lunch JB drove MAX down our road to the main canyon road and back to groom it, which took him about an hour.  One of our neighbors had plowed the main road almost down to the dirt!

While he was gone, I washed a week's worth of my underwear and socks in our small "barrel' washer.  Very easy to use, but I can't wring as much water out of the clothes as the spin cycle on the washer can.  It will just take them a bit longer to dry.

Again today, melted more snow on the wood stove.  This will be a daily chore from now on.

Tomorrow I plan to go Down There to do wash some large items at the laundromat, and pick up a few items at the store, including more bottled water.

Pretty sure we were in the clouds today.  It was very wet and there was no air movement, no moving in and out as the fog does.  Our high for the day was 36.

Monday 1/15. It is 34 with a light drizzle this morning.  I plan to be on my way Down There by 9:30 am.

Thought for the day: If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.

January 12, 2018 Eggs, Snow & No Well Pump

JB's Irish soda bread!

Melting snow & warming
coffee.

Wednesday 1/10.  Had a nice long chat with Randy this morning.  He is getting waayyyy more snow than we are this winter.  At least so far. . .

Tried to pump water into the cistern after we did laundry, but the well pump is definitely not working.  At least we have all this snow to melt, and there is still about 500-600 gallons in the cistern.

After lunch I shoveled off the deck.  Really let it go too long as there was a very thick, heavy crust of ice on the foot of snow.  Certainly got my cardio workout for the day.

While I was doing that, JB got MAX going and drove it up and around the south ridge a couple times.

We finished watching the fourth season of Game of Thrones this evening.  We are usually done watching two episodes about 8:30 pm and then JB checks the weather and temperature.  It was snowing and our high for the day was 34.

Thursday 1/11. It was 24 and snowing at 8:00 am this morning and we had received 1" of snow overnight.  By 9:30 we had another 1-3/4".

JB slogged up to clean off the solar panels on the morning walk, while I opened the shop and moved things around in order to get the wash tubs out.  Looks like I will be doing the wash by hand with melted snow until I can get down to the laundromat.

I started the snowblower for JB and then collected snow in our largest camping pot.  Ten inches of snow equals one inch of water, so I have a LOT of snow to melt.  I put the pot on the wood stove and kept adding small buckets of snow for most of the day as it melted.  JB cleared snow for about an hour, but by 12:30 pm we had another 3"!  It was coming down at 1" per hour.

In addition to all the snow, it was a 3-egg day!  We have only been getting one or two since way before Thanksgiving.

After lunch and a rest, JB baked a beautiful loaf of Irish soda bread.  So good!

Early in the afternoon, the snow began to let up a bit.  By 3:40 pm, when the dogs and I came back from our afternoon walk, we had received another 1-1/2".  Our high for the day was 28.  In talking with Elsie this evening, we learned that they received at least an inch more than we did.

Friday 1/12. It is 28 this morning with overcast skies and high valley fog.  Looks like we may have another inch of new snow.

Thought for the day: You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.  C.S. Lewis

January 10, 2018 More Warm Weather & A Game Cam

Deer tracks going off the
path to the bitter brush.

Wispy valley fog over the rivers
Tuesday morning.

Monday 1/8. We all went on the morning walk, and hiked all the way up to the peak.  Lots of deer tracks there, where they stepped off the path and to the bitter brush to eat.

The snow is still very crunchy.  This is definitely the winter of fog and ice, during which we are watching the series of fire and ice.  I'll take the fog over the dragons, thank you very much.

Past time to take down the Christmas decorations, which I did today.  Growing up, we would take them down on 12th Night, January 6.  Now I just do it when it feels right.

Our generator started sputtering and backfiring while we were filling the cistern this morning.  Not a good thing, as the pump needs to be turned off before the generator goes off or the pump can "blow."  This happened a couple years ago when the generator quit while the pump was on.  We had to get the generator fixed and a new pump installed.  Don't know if the pump is broken or not, but JB checked out a few things and got the generator going again.  Will find out about the pump when we go to top off the cistern again on Wednesday.

Snow began falling today around 4:00 pm, as it did yesterday.  This time it was still snowing when we went to bed.  Our high for the day was 33.

Tuesday 1/9. It was 30 and mostly overcast this morning with quite a breeze and 1/2" new snow.  Went back to bed after feeding the animals, and when I got up the second time, a little after 10:00, the wind had blown most of the clouds off to the east.  I'd never make it as a spy.  One night of sleep deprivation and I'd spill the beans.

We all went on the morning walk again.  A beautiful walk in sparkling snow, but a chilling breeze.  Off the north ridge we could see some wispy valley fog over the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers.

After lunch we finally put the game cam up outside.  We decided on a tree about half way up the drive, on the west side pointing east.  There is a well-used trail there that the deer use to go up and around Rose Camp.  Hopefully we will get some good shots of other four-footed creatures also.

Our high today was 38, which should have been a very comfortable day, but the strong breeze (8 mph) made it feel much colder.  Snow and ice slid off the roof all day, upsetting Dinga, who spent a lot of her time pacing.

Wednesday 1/10. It is 26 with mostly clear skies and wind this morning.  Snow and stronger winds are due in over the next few days.

Thought for the day: Age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying you.

January 8, 2018 Warmer Weather & Another Trip Down There

JB moving snow with the tractor
on Saturday.

Friday 1/5. By noon, valley fog had quickly formed and climbed up to Rose Camp.  It rolled in and out for the next several hours, like waves on the shore.

I spent part of the day finally doing two years' worth of filing, which is an indication of how much our necessary paperwork has shrunk since 2008.  And thank goodness!

Several times and in various places over the past few years, I have read that honey and cinnamon are very good for reducing the aches and pains of arthritis.  I finally decided to try it for myself.  For the past week I have been drinking green tea with two tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon,  and I do believe it is working.  The constant ache is gone, so now I am going to halve the dose of glucosamine I have been taking for joint pain.  We'll see how that works.

In talking to Larry this evening, we learned that sleet and frozen rain had been falling at their house most of the day.  Interesting.  I doubt we will ever figure out how the weather works in the canyon.  Our high for the day was 30.

We finished watching the third season of Game of Thrones and will start the fourth tomorrow.

Saturday 1/6. It was 30 and mostly clear with a light breeze this morning and low valley fog.  Some critter was Up Here around 4:00 am and driving the dogs nuts.  JB let them out and in and out and in and out. . . and ended staying up til I got out of bed at 7:30.  Needless to say, as soon as I was up, he went back to bed for a couple hours.

I noticed a cut under Dinga's left eye.  Not too bad, but I cleaned it up.  When we all went on the morning walk, we discovered two patches of blood on the south ridge.  Looks as though she gave better than she got.  Jesse was unscathed.

With the snow that is on the ground, it is difficult to identify tracks.  There is quite a crust on top with powder beneath.  We can only think that the critter was a small cat of some kind.

After lunch we pumped up the one back tire on the tractor that had gone flat again.  Then JB cleaned up some of the snow out front, pushing it across the driveway.  He was quite disappointed that he couldn't find anything else to use it for. . .

It was a warm day with a few thin clouds and a high of 36.

Sunday 1/7. It was 30 and overcast this morning.  Because we still haven't received any more snow, I wanted to go Down There today, but wasn't sure about the last mile of road.  I got all ready to go, then called Larry at 9:30 am to see how it was when they went to work.  Not nearly as slick as it was yesterday, so I was on my way in Miss Kitty a little after 10:00.  

I bought the few items on my list, stopped in to chat with Larry and Elsie, and was back home a little before 3:00 pm.  By 4:00 snow was falling.  Talk about perfect timing!

I made my New Year's resolution to take a photo every Sunday from the north ridge, as I never go to town on Sundays.  So, of course, the first Sunday in January I go Down There. . .  I did remember to take a photo when I got home, though.

Our high for the day was 33, which had dropped to 30 when the snow began.  But all is well and we are set for another couple months at least.  Plenty of time to binge on Game of Thrones.

Monday 1/8. It is 26 and overcast with very low clouds this morning.  Looks as though we didn't get more than 1/4" of new snow, if that.

Thought for the day: Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.

January 5, 2018 A Trip Down There

Weighted down by
the ice.

Looking north to the Columbia
River on Thursday.

Wednesday 1/3. I was on my way down to Elsie's by 9:30 am.  We had a great time together and got everything we needed at all the same places.  Well, I didn't need to go to the Dollar Tree, but Elsie did.  So, obviously, I had to pick up a few books and a couple other items.  We were back to her house by 2:00 pm and I was home by 3:00 pm.  She is so tickled to be almost retired and I am tickled that we can go to town together in the middle of the week!

It was a beautiful and clear but cold day, with a high Up Here of 26.

Thursday 1/4. It was 24 and mostly overcast this morning, but the few small patches of blue sky soon disappeared.  I got up at 7:30 am; fed the animals; went back to bed at 8:00 for another hour of sleep.  My, that was nice. . .

Not really sure where the rest of the day went.  I finished my Dean Koontz book and did chores.  JB made a large pot of pulled pork from thick chops I bought at Costco yesterday.  It has to cook for three hours, and is so very delicious.

There were new deer tracks this morning coming up from the road to the north ridge, up our path to the driveway, and along both roads to the south ridge.  They seem to appreciate our snow-blowing.

Light sleet fell on and off during the afternoon.  The day ended as it had begun, mostly overcast with a few blue patches.  Our high for the day was 28.

Friday 1/5. It is 26 with a thick overcast this morning.  Perhaps we will finally receive the forecast snow today.

Thought for the day: Live your life and forget your age.

January 3, 2018 Visitors & In The Clouds

Ten more rounds of
fire wood.

Monday 1/1. So far this winter we have received only 30" of snow, which is 6" behind this time last winter.  I had forgotten that we got most of our 11' in January and February!

The girls are doing great, even with all the frigid weather.  They gave us 46 eggs in December.

The Gridders arrived a little later than planned as they had to cut a tree that had fallen across the road.  Thank goodness I suggested to them that they bring a saw just in case of such a situation.  They threw the pieces in their vehicle and brought them up to us.  Ten more rounds of fire wood!  We had a great visit before they had to leave in order to get home before dark.

I really love it when we have visitors.  As many times as I have thought about it, I just could NOT become a hermit.  I have become too social in the past couple years.

We started re-watching season three of Game of Thrones since it has been so long since we have seen it.  Then we will go on to seasons four, five and six that I managed to buy on black Friday for $10 each.  We also started season one of The Americans, but decided to finish Game of Thrones season three first.

Tuesday 1/2. It was 14 this morning and we were fog bound.  Actually, according to NOAA, we were in low clouds.  Either way it all looks and feels the same.  When I wake up and see fog outside, all I want to do is turn over and go back to sleep.

After lunch we went out to scrape the ice off Miss Kitty's windshield and get her ready for my trip Down There tomorrow.  Today is Larry and Elsie's first day of semi retirement, as they will be just working weekends for the next six months, then close their shop all together.  When I told Elsie I was going to town, she wanted to come, too!  So I will drive Miss Kitty down to their place, as usual, then we will take her car.  I want to do this before the snow that is due in on Thursday and for a few days after.

The sun almost managed to break through the clouds while we were outside, but then the clouds moved in even thicker.  Meanwhile, it was sunny and 44 on Mission Ridge, while our high for the day was 20.

Wednesday 1/3. It is 19 this morning and the sky looks to be mostly clear.  I plan to be on my way by 9:30.

Thought for the day: ". . .but Jane knew that, instead, life had too much meaning to process, that every minute of life was rich with meaning, crammed full to the top with meaning.  Some of its meaning was as clear and poignant as a needle in the neck, some of such a joyful nature that your buoyant heart seemed capable of lifting you high among the birds, although much of life's most profound meaning lay beyond her understanding, latent and mysterious."  Dean Koontz, The Whispering Room

January 1, 2018 Mini Ice Storm & Happy New Year!

Wild rose bush coated in ice.

Iced fir tree branch.

More than 1/4" solid ice on the solar
panels on Friday.

Friday 12/29. Sleet had been falling most of the night and still was this morning.  Not really "normal" sleet, but more like tiny ice balls.  Everything is covered in ice outside, as if we had a mini ice storm.  Looks quite thick on the trees and bushes, but on the ground I easily break through its crust while walking, as do the dogs.  I had to pound on the iced clasps to the door of the girls' pen in order to open it, and also the latch on the hen house door.  Pretty sure the weight of all that ice is going to break branches and small, leaning trees.

The sleet began turning to snow after 11:00 am, thank goodness.  It fell in a constant cycle of heavy and light, big flakes, little flakes, tiny flakes.  Each time I looked out the window, I saw something different.  It stopped completely a little after 2:00 pm, so JB and the dogs trudged up to the panels to clean them off.  Unfortunately they were covered in more than 1/4" of solid ice that just wasn't going to be scraped off.

I went out in a futile effort to scrape the ice off of Miss Kitty's windshield.  Even with a de-icer, it would not come off.

More snow began to fall around 3:30 pm and we ended up with an inch of snow on top of 1/4"-1/2" of ice.  Our high for the day was 24.

Saturday 12/30. The forecast high-pressure system began moving in around midnight on a noisy wind gusting to 20 mph.  At 7:00 am it was gusting to 21 and the temperature was 30.  One of the tarps covering the wood on the porch was pulled halfway off.  The snow on the ground was sculpted and littered with small branches and fir needles, and most of our pathways had disappeared.  But the sky was clear and we were finally pulling in some power.  By noon the wind had calmed to barely a breeze.

I finished the third row of wood in the wood shed today, two days early, and started on the fourth of seven rows.  We average about one row per month, especially when it is as cold as it has been.

I always like to have our home as clean as possible for the beginning of the New Year, so today I did a thorough vacuuming.  Also, because it was so warm (a high of 36), we didn't need the wood stove going all the time, so I let it cool down and we cleaned it inside and out.

I love when the moon's phase brings it back to us at night.  Moving towards a full moon, it is rising in the east and shining through the trees as we eat dinner.  Living Down There, I really never noticed the moon much unless it was full, but Up Here it is so very obvious, it is hard to miss.  No other night lights other than the stars.

Sunday 12/31.  It was 20 and overcast this morning.  After feeding the dogs and girls, I went back to bed til a little after 10:00 am.  I love my naps, and the freedom to take them just about whenever I want.

We all went on the morning walk.  The dogs and I trudged - and I do mean trudged - up to the peak through more than a foot of snow that the wind had formed on the path.  Still a light crust of ice on it, with powdered snow beneath.

It was overcast all day, and mid afternoon a wall of snow began moving in from the west.  It came right up to the west walls of the canyon, but never arrived at Rose Camp.  The forecast was for cold, dry days til Thursday night.

JB got the snowblower out in order to re-clear our paths, and spent about an hour at it this afternoon.

At 4:00 pm, I watched a live broadcast on BBC Facebook of the New Year's Eve fireworks over London.  It is my very favorite city, and it is where my Mother grew up.

The Gridders are going to try to make it up for a visit tomorrow.  We haven't been on our road since that wind storm, so I hope there are no trees down on it.

I do have a New Year's resolution for a change, something I have wanted to do ever since we moved Up Here.  I want to take a picture from the same place on the south and north ridges each Sunday for the year.  Since January 1 is a Monday, I started today.

Monday 1/1. It is 18 this New Year's morning and we are fogbound in a rimed landscape.  

Thought for the day: From Rose Camp to all the world - we wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year!