February 6, 2018 Warm Temps, Miss Kitty & A Hike

A jumping deer on the game cam.

Me driving MAX down to Miss Kitty.
JB holding on for dear life.

Looking down the main
canyon road from where
Miss Kitty is parked.

Blood that Jesse & I encountered
on our hike to Miss Kitty
Monday morning.

Friday 2/2. Once again Mother Nature thwarted our plans for the day.  This time with rain and wind.  Pouring rain for about two hours this morning.  By noon, the rain stopped and the wind blew the clouds away, allowing the sun to prevail for the rest of the day.  

Too late to go down to Miss Kitty though, as we were on to different projects.  JB was making two large loaves of pumpkin bread.  The cleaning/sorting bug had bitten me, so I was cleaning and sorting everything in sight.  Meanwhile the wind was roaring and gusting to 24 mph.  It wasn't cold, but rather bordering on warm.  

It almost seemed like an early Spring day, with a high of 44.  Larry and Elsie had a high of 52!

Saturday 2/3. It was 40 and clear with a light breeze this morning.  Small patches of earth are showing around many of the trees now, and there is a very large patch in the grove.  

JB twisted his ankle yesterday, so it was a bit swollen and quite painful.  A bit of a sleepless night for both of us.  Since JB was in bed, I took the dogs on their morning walk.  I was going to hike up to the peak, but would have post-holed all the way since the path had not been trodden for a while.  Saw the tracks of the deer at whom that Dinga was barking at  6:00 A.M.  A month ago it would have been too dark for her to see them.  Nevertheless, I am so thankful for the returning light.

After lunch I drove MAX down to Miss Kitty, with JB riding shotgun and hanging on for dear life.  Actually I did quite well.  Better than I expected.  As we were putting the new battery in, Mr & Mrs Gridder drove up on the way to their cabin for the weekend.  Had a very nice, long visit, as they weren't in a hurry and neither were we.

Got back home just in time to take the dogs on their afternoon walk.  The temperature had to be pushing 60 up on the south ridge in the sun!  Our high for the day at the house was 50.

We watched two of the last three episodes of season seven of Game of Thrones this evening.  This season is really pulling everything together, answering a lot of questions, and throwing in several curve balls.

Sunday 2/4. It was 39 and mostly cloudy this morning, but the sun broke out by 9:00 am.  Even with this warmer weather, the paths and parking area out front are very icy.

We tilted the solar panels halfway up on our morning walk.  This particular movement of the panels is the hardest.  They seem to get heavier each year.

The #*%@# wind moved in around noon and by 1:00 pm was gusting to 26 mph.  This mild winter has been one of fog and wind.  Am so tired of the both of them.  Our high for the day was 48.

In talking with our son today, we finally figured out what was wrong with the 32-gig card.  I guess you are supposed to put the tiny card (which is the actual card) into the large card (which isn't a card at all).  Our son couldn't believe we didn't know this, but then I reminded him that we had to teach him how to eat.  'Nuff said.

He had thoroughly enjoyed Mardi Gras this weekend in Mobile, and today was his 43rd birthday.  He is a member of one of the clubs and rides a float each year, throwing out beads and other little goodies.  He said he felt like he had pitched a 10-inning game.

We finished watching Game of Thrones' season seven this evening.  Am sure I will go through withdrawals now.  We have to wait more than a year for season eight!

Monday 4/5.  It was 37 and overcast this morning.  The wind howled all night, pushing 30 mph, and I thought for sure we would find downed trees when we got up.  I had planned on going Down There today, but did not for several reasons.  JB is still having a hard time getting around on his ankle.  The road from Larry and Elsie's place down to the pavement is still quite icy.  I figured I would have to clear our road of at least one downed tree.

So Jesse and I left for a hike down to Miss Kitty at about 10:30 am.  The sky had cleared and there was only a slight breeze, so it was actually quite a delightful experience.  Took about two hours to go the 3-1/2-mile round trip.  I was surprised, but pleased, that there were no trees across the road.  However, we did discover a large patch of blood on the road more than a mile down.

Back home, I ate lunch and took a hot shower.  My, that felt good.  I really had needed the exercise of the long hike, and Jesse thoroughly enjoyed himself.  He is always up for an adventure.

Tuesday 2/6. It is 34 with clear skies and a light breeze this morning.

Thought for the day: It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error.  It is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.  Justice Robert H. Jackson