April 13, 2018 Typical April Weather & Our First Tick

Our first Alpine Spring Beauty!

Wednesday 4/11. I hung the laundry outside today for the first time this year!  It was sheets and they smell so good.  Will be so nice when I put them on the bed. . .

The blue sky was overcast by 1:00 pm, but all the dark, heavy clouds went to the north and south of us, as often happens.  A light rain finally arrived around 5:00 pm.

JB baked a pound cake yesterday that is the best I have ever tasted.  The new recipe is on the back of the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Sweet Rice Flour.  Today he pumped some more water out of the cistern, and we got the water filter set up.

The current issue of Capper's Farmer, Spring 2018, is fantastic.  So much great information and recipes.  Won't be filing this one.  It is going to stay in the kitchen.

For a few weeks now I have been hearing the male blue grouse puffing out his mating call.  And yesterday I heard turkeys very close on our east slope.  I was sure I would be able to see them, but they must have been hiding in the bushes.

Found a tick on Dinga today.  The first of the year.  I don't believe we had any last year.

We started re-watching the first season of Fringe last night.  Still enjoy it immensely.

Thursday 4/12. It was 30 and overcast this morning with a light wind.  The ground was white with about 1/4" of snow.  Well after all, it is April in the mountains.  The first year I was Up Here, it snowed on June 9.

The sky was blue by the time we all went on the morning walk, but the icy wind was still blowing, gusting to 14 mph.  On our afternoon walk, I discovered an alpine spring beauty.  By mid-May they will be carpeting the ground almost everywhere.

JB made a big pot of split pea and ham soup, that cooked most of the afternoon.  So good!

The snow was gone before noon, as most April snow is.  The wind dried out the ground, and our high for the day was 46.

Friday 4/13. It is 31 and overcast this morning.  The wind has died and the mountains are hidden by a veil of snow.

Thought for the day: The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves but wiser people are full of doubts.  Bertrand Russell