February 12, 2018 Guests & Road Issues

Belinda & Blondie enjoying
some winter sun.

Dead tree blown down on
our road.

Rocks on our road, just down
from the tree.

Friday 2/9. The dogs and I walked up to the peak on our morning walk.  Lots of dirt to walk on.  Very few patches of snow on the south slope of the south ridge.  I almost expect to see wild flowers pushing through the ground any day now.

We are back to getting one to two eggs a day.  I think at the beginning of January, the older girls said, "Okay, lets get this over with for the year."  And they did.

Spent some time outside today since there was no wind.  Pulled the last of the ice off the tarp over the girls' run.  Some clouds moved in, but not enough to hide the sun or all the blue sky.  Our high for the day was 38.

Larry and Elsie surprised us with a visit this evening.  We started out talking about the state of the government, but I suggested that we were ruining a perfectly good evening, and that we should play some marbles.  It was probably the longest and closest game we have played, but the ladies prevailed once again.

Snow was falling at 9:00 pm, but it turned out to be just a very light dusting.

Saturday 2/10. This morning was 22 with blue skies, and no wind.  A bit nippy out there, so we tried the well pump again.  JB sat up in the loft by the electrical boxes in case he had to quickly turn it off.  He sat there for 30 minutes and nothing happened except water pumping into the cistern. . .  He will get some advice from Larry and Mr Gridder about this situation.

On our morning walk, it was still very cold in the shade, but the sun was so warm on the south ridge and peak, that I found myself shedding my scarf and gloves, and unzipping my coat a bit.

After lunch, the dogs and I hiked down to the hair-pin to check out the downed tree that Larry and Elsie told us about.  I cleaned up the branches and pulled it to the side of the road.  Then walked down to the two rocks and was able to roll the larger one off to the side, but the other one was frozen into the road.  Will have to wait till it thaws to move that one.

It is interesting how many new words are appearing in our language in the past few decades.  One of my favorites is "snarky."  So much more descriptive than snide remark.

Our high on this beautiful day was, again, 38.

Sunday 2/11. It was 22 and mostly cloudy this morning.  The clouds disappeared by noon and we enjoyed another beautiful but cold day, with a high of 33.

I also enjoyed a nice, long talk with Sandy this morning.  Am quite sure she is one of the last remaining Republicans in California, which is so frustrating for her.

Our electrical issue with the well pump seems to be with the generator not getting enough power to the transformer.  Gridder suggested that JB measure the hertz in the electrical box.  If it is not at 60, JB will have to work on the carburetor in the generator.  It is almost ten years old and I guess they tend to lose a little power after a while.  I know how that goes. . .

I finished The Watchers by Dean Koontz today.  His books are such a roller coaster of emotions that sometimes one cannot put it down, and at other times one must set it aside and take a break from the ride.  This book has to be one of my favorites.

The sun has come far enough north in the past week that I can see the sunset out of the loft windows.  If I want to work on the computer in the late afternoon, I have to draw the blinds on the door window.  Spring is on its way!

Monday 2/12. It is an icy 16 this morning with clear skies.  This cold snap is supposed to last a few more days.

Thought for the day: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.  Aesop