April 30, 2018 A Garbage Run, Rain & A Woodchuck

The woodchuck's door into
the battery shed. . .

. . . & the front door to
his home.

Looking over a balsam root to
Mission Ridge.

Friday 4/27. We left on our garbage run a little after 9:00 am.  Jesse was nowhere to be found, but we left anyway.  He met us at the hairpin corner, so we just got him into the Jeep and he eagerly came with us.  Possibly his plan from the begining.

It was just down to the dump and back home, picking up the mail on the way.  We saw lupine beginning to bloom way down in the canyon, along with blue bells and dwarf waterleaf.  The hillside to the north of Larry and Elsie is quickly turning yellow with balsam root, and all the deciduous trees are leafing out and blooming.  On our road, there are several large patches of trillium now blooming.  They like a moist, shady area, so I know exactly where to look for them.

We were home before noon, and after lunch worked some more on the porch and picking up branches.

I discovered a woodchuck in the battery shed (yes, I know I said they are officially referred to as "rockchucks" west of the Rockies, but no one has a clue when I use that name).  We had one in there for a week or more a few years ago.  I put a screen across the door, which we leave open on warm days, so the dogs could not get in.  Dinga can smell it and is very interested.

It was another warm, Spring day with a high of 72.  Wow!  But rain is in the forecast, along with cooler temperatures.

Saturday 4/28. It was 41 this morning and overcast.  Rain fell most of the night, giving us 1/4", but it smelled so fresh!  The overcast soon broke up and the sun came out.

My brother was able to make it up to his cabin for a three-day weekend.  He sold his business last year and is working for someone else now, so it is much harder for him to get away.  I drove Miss Kitty down to visit him after lunch.  So good to see him.  On the drive back home, I stopped several times to collect branch wood and filled up the back of Miss Kitty.  

It was a beautiful, but much cooler day with a high of 58.  I took the dogs on their afternoon walk when I returned home, and it began to rain just as we got back to the house.  Rain fell quite hard for about an hour, but that was it.

Sunday 4/29. It was 38 with clear skies this morning.  Clouds moved in by noon and hid the sun for most of the rest of the day.

We put the wash tubs back in the shop.  We had got them out in January when we were having problems with the generator, but never had to use them.  Then I split the rest of the rounds, except for the larger ones that need to have the splitter flipped down.  The clouds dropped a few sprinkles while I was splitting, but not enough to worry about or quit what I was doing.

Today would have been my Mother's 96th birthday and it was Dinga's tenth.  April and May are big birthday months in our family.

Another cool day, with a high of 56.  Back to normal April temps.  By 6:00 pm the sky was completely blue again.

Monday 4/30. It is 36 this morning with overcast skies.  When I got up I watched four deer grazing on the new grass just south of the house.  What a lovely start to the day.

Thought for the day: What a beautiful world it would be if people had hearts like dogs.