January 30, 2019 Bye Bye Warm Weather

Dinga making a snow angel.

Monday 1/28. Half the snow and ice on the garbage/recycle shed roof slipped off in front of its door yesterday.  Wish I had seen it then, because it froze overnight.  Chopping and shoveling it out ain't fun. . .

We burned another box of old records today, some back to 2002!  Where in the world were they all these years?!

It was a cold but sunny day with a high of 36.

Tuesday 1/29. It is 22 with clear sunny skies and absolutely no valley fog.  Looks like everyone in the Wenatchee area will enjoy a sunny day.

I really would like to get Down There before Friday when we are supposed to get some more snow.  After lunch I drove Miss Kitty all around the house and up to the south ridge, then filled her up with gas.  I think I could get down our road, but not sure about getting back up the driveway.  Tomorrow morning I will drive down to the main canyon road and back just to check it out.

Again we burned more paper.  One or two more days ought to do it.  Amazing how much paperwork is involved with living and working Down There.

Another beautiful day with not a cloud in sight and a high of 32.  The forecast calls for very cold temps and snow due in Thursday night or Friday.

Wednesday 1/30. It is 20 and mostly overcast this morning with valley fog.

Thought for the day: It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years that count.  Abraham Lincoln

January 28, 2019 Improvising & Warm Weather

Boxes on dollies in
the pantry.

Dinga lying in the snow
waiting for JB to come
up the drive on Friday.

Our little herd of deer on the
south slope Friday.

Friday 1/25. This morning I revamped the pantry under the stairs.  I have three dollies under there: a long one on which I stack the bags of dog food, and two smaller ones on which I stack #10 cans of freeze-dried food.  The cans keep falling off when I pull the dollies out, so I found two cardboard boxes the right size and nailed them on the dollies.  Works perfectly!  (See photo above.)  I wrote lists of what is in each box & stuck on the boxes where I can easily see them.  Improvising is something we have to do a lot of Up Here.

After lunch we all hiked (slogged) down to the game cam to switch the card out and put an empty one in.  The snow is still way too deep for Miss Kitty to be able to drive in until we get some serious melting.  Just deer and us in the photos.

On our afternoon walk, "our" herd of six deer was just coming up the south slope a bit east of us as we got to the top of the ridge.  The dogs didn't see them and I was able to get a couple good pictures.  Then they crouched down and went under the fence instead of jumping over it.  Interesting.  The wind had pick up and by the time we got to the north ridge and all the valley fog had been blown away.

Our high for this lovely day was 42.

Saturday 1/26. It is 36 and clear with low valley fog this morning.  It almost sounds like Spring with all the birds chirping.  I think our warm winter weather has coaxed them Up Here.

After lunch we burned some more old records and receipts.  I have no idea why I kept them so long.  Much longer than seven years.

During the afternoon the valley fog grew, filling the canyons like an incoming tide by the time of our afternoon walk.  Must have been because it was so warm today.  Our high was 48!

While we were eating dinner, the deer moseyed across the east slope, grazing as they went.  One of them went to get some corn for desert.  That doe is one we often see at the corn and on the game cam.  She has a dark spot on her left thigh which makes her easy to recognize.

We watched Titanic this evening.  It has been at least eleven years since we have seen it.  What a great movie!

Sunday 1/27. It is 44/46 this morning and mostly clear with a light breeze and low valley fog.  Again, the wind blew the fog away, but a bit earlier today.

It was too warm to give the girls oatmeal this morning, so they got salad and banana instead.  Shy Ann looked at me like, "Wait!  Didn't you forget something?!"

The snow is really melting around the trees now.  It is the perfect consistency for snowmen and snowballs, if I were so inclined.

We burned another small box of old records this afternoon.  About half done now.

We had been using an olive-oil lantern on the table when we ate dinner, but that isn't necessary any more with the returning light.  And today, for the first time this year, I had to close the blinds on the loft door at 4:00 pm as the sun has finally come around from the southwest that time of day.  Yes!!

It could have been quite warm today with our high of 46, but we had a very chilly, strong breeze gusting around 10 mph most of the day.

Monday 1/28. It is a chilly 27/24 this morning with mostly clear skies.  Twenty degrees cooler than yesterday morning.

Thought for the day: Literally every person is messed, so pick your favorite train wreck and roll with it.  Hearty Soul (on Facebook)

January 25, 2019 More Winter Days & Calico Princesses

Our side burms continue
to grow.

Wednesday 1/23. The high valley fog kept climbing in and out of Rose Camp early in the day.  But when JB and the dogs went on their morning walk, it had almost completely disappeared from everywhere.  Quite unusual.  The sun was shining in a blue sky and the temperature had risen to its high of 38.

Another winter day on the mountain.

Thursday 1/24. It is 28 this morning with a partly cloudy sky and valley fog, which did not disappear at all today.  However, the clouds moved on and we had blue sky and sunshine until mid afternoon when more clouds formed a heavy overcast by the time of our afternoon walk.  Our high for the day was 40, and am sure that was when the sun was shining.

After lunch, JB and I dug out the fire pit.  I brought out several small boxes of old paperwork to be burned, some dating back to 2006.  Amazing how long it takes to burn in a shallow fire "bowl."  But we did get rid of 1-1/2 boxes and will do more tomorrow if the weather allows.

When I spoke with Elsie this evening, she told me how much she likes their new hens who are Calico Princesses.  They are very sociable with humans and follow her about outside.  They would have followed her right into the house had she let them!  Also, they like to be picked up and held.  Oh, they are definitely the kind I want to get this year.

Friday 1/25. It is 30 and mostly cloudy this morning with a breeze.  If the breeze continues, we won't be using the fire pit today.  No precipitation in the forecast for a while, thank goodness.

Thought for the day: Sometimes the only way to get rid of a temptation is to give in to it.  Oscar Wilde

January 23, 2019 Moonset & More Snow

. . .Monday morning.

Monday 1/21. While I was writing my blog this morning, I had to stop in order to get photos of the moonset that I could see from the loft window.  I pulled on my coat, grabbed my camera and slipped into my boots.  Then dashed outside and took almost thirty pictures.  Got back up to the loft as the moon was actually setting and had to dash out again to take more.  See photos above.

What I put into the girls' morning oatmeal certainly wouldn't seem very appetizing to me, but they love it.  This morning they had bits of zucchini left over from vegetti I made the other night, along with raisins and a little bit of banana.

While bringing in the firewood this morning, I also brought our last bag of needles for fire starter to fill the little garbage can I have on the porch.  We have used much more of them this winter because of the warmer weather.  We don't have the fire constantly going, so we have to use more needles to start it up again.  Fortunately I still have several bags of chips and blows from splitting the wood.  I can light a long, slender piece and put it in to light the others.  Works just fine.

We all went on the morning walk on this magnificent winter day.  The clouds had moved on.  The sun was shining brilliantly in the bluest of blue skies.  And the snow was sparkling.  Wow!

The sun stayed out most of the day and our high was 32.  When talking to Elsie this evening, I asked if she could please pick up our mail and just put it in JB's Jeep that is parked at their place.  She said, "Of course," as she always does in times when we can't get down for weeks at a time.

Tuesday 1/22. It is 28 and overcast this morning.  There were deer on the east slope, but the snow is just too deep for the dogs to chase them.  They belly-pan in most places and in many others have to use their chests to plow.  So Dinga  sits in the drive and barks.  Jesse just watches them.

JB and I were out after lunch to dig out my Jeep so I could move it a bit closer to the tractor in order to hook up the air compressor and fill the tractor's back tires with air.  Those tires will definitely have to be replaced this year, but for now they hold the air in enough for us to use it.  JB wanted to use the bucket to dig out the snow around the Jeep and Miss Kitty, and where the tractor is parked.  We could see the wall of snow coming in from the southwest, and when it arrived at 1:30 pm we stopped our project and covered everything up again.  The forecast calls for snow today and tonight, then high winds tomorrow.  So looking forward to that. . .

Back inside, JB took a nap then baked hamburger buns and foccacia bread, splitting the dough in half.  They turned out great!

I don't think I fully explained why we left MAX where he was when the axle broke.  We can usually limp along with a broken axle enough to get him home, but this time the tire was at an angle and not able to keep the track on.

The temperature was 34 when the snow began falling, so it waffled back and forth from snow to frozen rain.  It didn't stick until about 5:00 pm, when it had cooled off to about 30.  Then it was coming down in big, fluffy flakes.

When we sit down to dinner, JB reads the daily info from the Farmer's Almanac.  Today it said the if the sun shines on January 22, the wind will blow on the 23rd.  It did shine today and we have a forecast for high winds tomorrow. . .

Wednesday 1/23. It is 30 and overcast this morning with high valley fog.  The wind that woke us up at 4:00 am has died down to a light breeze.

Thought for the day: Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.  Thomas Carlyle

January 21, 2018 Deer, Snow & A Total Lunar Eclipse

Spike on his way to the corn.

Friday 1/18. I was back in bed right after feeding the girls.  JB fed the dogs for me.

When I got out of bed again at 10:00 am, the wind had died and the sky had become overcast.  The valley fog didn't climb Up Here until almost sundown.  Our high for the day was 38/40 and it was snowing when we went to bed.

It was a do-nothing day and by evening I was feeling almost human again.

Saturday 1/19. It is 30, partly cloudy and breezy this morning with valley fog and four inches of new snow.  When I got up at about 5:00 am to let the dogs out, the almost-full moon was beginning to set.  There were no clouds blocking it, so our whole landscape was lit up in moonlight.

First thing JB did was to trudge up to the panels to clear them off.  This wet snow really sticks to them.

I am so glad that we are usually above the winter valley fog.  All the sunshine they get Down There the rest of the year tries to make up for the grey winter, but dismal is dismal.  We sure learned that last winter with all the fog we had.

The snow slipping off the roof right after a snowfall has become a common occurrence lately.  With these warmer temperatures, it has no time to freeze and stick.  Probably a good thing as these soft thuds are nothing compared to the roar of a foot of ice racing down the roof.

JB and I got the track back on the snow blower, but this snow is just too wet and heavy for it.  It's really too heavy to shovel also, so we are just tramping down the paths with our boots.  Works just fine.

We took the plow off the tractor so we could use the chain that was holding it on to perhaps attach a pallet to the back of Miss Kitty in order to tamp down the snow in the middle of the road as we drove.  JB will try that tomorrow.

By the time for our afternoon walk, the breeze had worked its way up to a wind gusting to 19 mph.  It was cold, but not really icy, which was surprising.  Our high for the day was 38 again.

Sunday 1/20. It is 28 and overcast this morning with just a smattering of valley fog.  In addition to our regular chores, I baked some peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies which we haven't had in a while.

JB tried to drive Miss Kitty around to the pallets behind the wood shed, but couldn't even get there in the deep snow.  Guess we won't be going Down There for a while.

Our high for the day was 33 and the dark overcast stuck around until just after sundown when the stars came out and the moon began to rise.  So we were able to watch the total lunar eclipse.  Well, we didn't stand outside for three hours and watch, but we did check on it off and on.  When we went outside around 7:00 pm there was an ol' hooty owl to the south of the house making his presence known very loudly.

Monday 1/21. It is 24/20 this morning and mostly cloudy.  The full moon is setting over the Cascade mountains.  Wow!

Thought for the day: I would sooner live in a cottage and wonder at everything than live in a castle and wonder at nothing. Joan Winmill Brown

January 18, 2019 Larry & A Bear, More Snow, & No More Wine

The rising berm just
outside the bathroom
window.

On our Thursday afternoon
walk on the south ridge.

Wednesday 1/16. It is 20 and overcast this morning.  These clouds are supposed to let loose this evening for some wild winter weather.  We ended up having two false starts during the day that barely dropped a trace, even though we could see that it was snowing in every direction around us.  The real snow arrived just after dinner and continued all night.

I think my washing machine had a little stroke.  It works, but I have to monitor it and sometimes change cycles manually.  Not much I can do about it until the road is clear.  I never have liked this top-loading machine, but that is my fault for not doing enough research.  I would like my next one to be front-loading like I had for so many years.

JB drove Miss Kitty down to MAX to start him up and run the engine for a little bit.  While he was waiting, he put oil in Miss Kitty and dug out a place in which to turn her around.

We got quite a story while talking to Larry this evening.  Turns out he went for a long hike today up a small canyon just across from his house.  He and his son had found a hole in one of the slopes last Fall, and he found it again.  He was seeing a lot of large wolf prints around and he heard some noise coming from within the hole.  It is only about two feet wide and he murmured to himself out loud, "Oh, a bear couldn't fit in there."  Sure enough, just as he got his face a couple of feet from the opening, a big, ol' furry face & muzzle appeared.  He didn't wait around to see how big that bear was!  That man has had so many such episodes in his life, I'm surprised he is still around.

Thursday 1/17. It is 27 this morning and still snowing.  Of course it stopped at 8:30 am, just after I got inside from feeding the girls and measuring the snow.  We received 7" overnight.  By 9:00, the temperature had risen to 34 and the snow was sliding off the roof in big clumps and loud thuds, making our house's side-berms grow even higher.

Before breakfast, JB trudged and slogged up to the solar panels to clear them off.  Then he shoveled a path and small area for the dogs to do their business in by the fence so they don't have to squat into the snow.  After lunch he baked some of his delicious banana bread.

By early afternoon the sun was trying to break through the clouds, but of course that only enticed the valley fog to climb higher.  So we were fogged in for the rest of the day, and our high was 34.

I had enjoyed barely a half of a glass of wine with dinner this evening.  At midnight my body woke me up and took two hours to let me know that I was never, under any circumstances, to drink wine again.  Never, ever.  Message taken.  And this with a brother-in-law who owns a winery. . .

Friday 1/18. It is 32, mostly clear and wind gusting to 17 mph this morning.  Am definitely going back to bed after I feed the girls and dogs.

Thought for the day: Usually terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.  Russell Baker

January 16, 2019 2018 In 12 Photos

1-7-18

2-4-18

3-4-18

4-1-18

5-7-18

6-17-18

7-1-18

8-12-18

9-3-18

10-7-18

11-23-18

12-19-18

Wednesday 1/16. Had a good trip Down There on Monday.  Tuesday was another winter day on the mountain.  Very cold.  So here are twelve photos of 2018 throughout the year taken from the north ridge.  Enjoy!

Thought for the day: Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.

January 14, 2019 Fog & Rime, Sun & A Howling Wolf

Heavy rime on long
pine needles.

Friday 1/11. So that's how well a clean wood stove works!  With just a regular fire, we got it so warm inside we almost had to open a window.

Always so many things to do in January and often so many left undone.  Sometimes it makes me feel like the tall, very slender pine tree up on the east slope that I can see from my chair at the table.  There are great clumps of needles at the top that become heavy with rime and cause the top to bend over quite a ways, looking as though it might snap.  But it never does.  And this year it looks like I may just finish the list!

As the day warmed, much of the rime turned to water droplets hanging from bushes and tree branches.  The fog cleared to the north around 2:30 pm to reveal a heavy overcast sky.  The fog also began to clear in the west and south, so the dogs and I went on our afternoon walk.  Our high for the day was just 34, and while walking, I noticed that many of the droplets had frozen again. From rime to water to ice.  The long pine needles tend to hold the rime much better than the short fir needles which hold the snow better.

I worked in the loft, sorting and cleaning.  Packed up a box of DVD's for Randy in Idaho.

We made a Hawaiian pizza for dinner.  I haven't mentioned the kinds of pizza we have been making, as they are usually pepperoni or sausage and onion.  The only reason I mention this one is to irritate our family Chicago-pizza connoisseur. . .

Saturday 1/12. It is 30 and overcast this morning with valley fog that seems to be growing rapidly.  And grow it did, arriving at Rose Camp by 9:00 am.  Fortunately it didn't stay long and was already receding as we all went on the morning walk.  It all disappeared except for a little over the rivers.

Both JB and I got a lot done in the loft today, sorting, cleaning and re-arranging.  I may actually have room to do some more craft projects, which is good because I am finally in the crafting mood again after a couple of not-so-crafty years.  And JB's work desk has actually appeared again.

The clouds revealed by the disappearing fog began to disappear themselves until after sunset we had a clear sky and bright, twinkling stars.  Our high for the day was 36.

Just as we were settling into bed for the night around 9:30 or so, we heard howling coming up from down in the canyon.  Not the yipping kind from coyotes, but rather the long howl of a wolf.  We have only heard this once before, in the late 1980's when we were camping on Cooper Lake in the Cascades.  Then the howling lasted quite a while and sounded like it was from one pack to another.  Many voices involved.  Quite amazing and spine tingling.

Sunday 1/13. It is 26 this morning and there isn't a cloud in the sky.  As always, in this cold weather, I give the girls cooked oatmeal for breakfast.  But lately, instead of bananas all the time, I have been adding fresh spinach and raisins.  They love it!

As the sun rose and found the trees covered in rime, small rain showers dotted the forest.  But only on those trees did it melt, so by afternoon there were white and green trees intermixed, and some trees were both colors, green on one side and white on the other.

I drove Miss Kitty all around our drive, around the house and up to the south ridge.  I wanted to be sure that I could make it down and back up the mountain tomorrow when I go Down There.  Should be able to.

I finished another item on my January to-do list today.  I had taken photos of all our family antiques and such; printed them out and numbered them.  Today I used Excel to make a numbered list of each item, giving the history and approximate age.  This is for our son, so he will know the history of everything.  I also prepared my list of things to buy and places to go tomorrow.

The sky remained clear all day long and our high for the day was just 34.  Ice crystals have formed on the snow and put on quite a show sparkling in the sun, but even more spectacular is how they sparkle in the moonlight.  Like a fairyland with its winged residents just out of sight.

Monday 1/14. It is 22/20 this morning and looks to be another cold and cloudless day.  I plan to leave for Down There by 9:00 am.

Thought for the day: Never be a prisoner of your past.  It was just a lesson, not a life sentence.
(I found this on Facebook and it really struck a cord in me!)

January 11, 2019 Snow, Valley Fog & Sharing Deer

Stuffed toys that I am keeping,
including the one at the bottom.

Thursday's valley fog to the NW.

Wednesday 1/9.  By 8:30 am, JB was snoring on the couch and I was back in bed.  When I got up again at 10:30, JB had eaten breakfast and was out the door with the dogs for the morning slog up to the south ridge to clean the solar panels and go for a walk.

The valley fog had rolled in from the canyon, and the snow was sliding noisily off the roof which really surprised me until I checked the temperature on the window gauge and discovered it had already warmed up to 34 out there.

A little after 11:00 am a heavy snow began to fall.  JB and I dashed outside, he to cover the well-pump generator that was pumping water into the cistern and me to bring in wood.  Well, during the winter we don't actually "dash" outside, more like try as quickly as possible to pull on our boots, coats and hats.  All that flurry of movement and the snow only lasted for about 15 minutes.  The real snow began a couple hours later and went on til about 3:30 pm, and then the fog moved back in.

Am well into my long to-do list for January.  While working in the loft, I sorted out my box of stuffed animals.  The photo above is of the ones I am keeping, and, yes, I actually am giving several away.  It is hard to get rid of any of them as each one has a special meaning or memory.

Didn't receive much snow this afternoon (I will measure it in the morning) and our high for the day was 32/34.

Thursday 1/10. It is 33 this morning with valley fog, and clear, blue sky with some clouds around the edges.  We received 1/2" of new snow which is melting and literally raining off many of the trees, and the avalanche-control canon is booming at Mission Ridge.  

JB was outside at 9:30 am using the snow blower, much to Dinga's delight.  But the snow had already become so heavy, that the machine became bogged down and lost one of its tracks.  I shoveled a path to the battery room, and after lunch we pushed and pulled the snow blower back into the shop.  Will deal with the track tomorrow.

It was warm enough today to let the wood stove cool off so we could give it a thorough cleaning inside and out.  Always a joy to do. . .

So many little things to be done inside now that the holidays are over.  I felt like I was continuously moving all day long.  JB baked some great blueberry muffins and worked on his computer.

The birds were out and about today, chirping and singing as our temperature warmed to a high of 40.  The high valley fog never did intrude on our beautiful day Up Here until after dark had settled in.

I looked out our bedroom window just before dinner and there were two deer eating corn together.  Sharing!  How nice.  Must be sisters or BFF's.

When I talked to Elsie on the radio she was surprised to hear that we had such a beautiful day.  Covered by the valley fog all day, they thought it was low clouds and had a high of only 34.  The bright spot in their day was to discover that one of the new chickens they got last summer laid her first egg.  Of course they are very small at first and it made the egg from their older chicken look like a large duck egg!

Friday 1/11. It is 30 this morning and we are still wrapped in the fog.

Thought for the day: One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence.  Charles Austin Beard

January 9, 2019 Finally Some "Real" Snow!

Tuesday's snow making the south
slope & Dinga white again.

Monday 1/7. I have been taking fire wood from both the December and January rows for the past several weeks since December is mostly pine and January is mostly fir.  That way I can get a good mixture of both.  With what is now left of both of them, I am down to the equal of a full January row.

I made a loaf of zucchini bread yesterday with my favorite recipe that says to wrap the loaf when it is completely cool and do not cut it until the next day.  It is so good and so worth the wait.

JB baked a beautiful loaf of white bread today.  I was busy, busy with laundry, cleaning, etc.  I pooped out by the afternoon walk, so JB took the dogs on both of them.

Our high for this mostly clear day was 30.  No melting today.

Tuesday 1/8. It is 20 this morning and a serious snow began falling at 8:00 am.  By the time we got back from our morning walk at 10:40, we had 1-1/2".  Woo hoo!  It's about time!

JB made pulled pork today, which takes three hours to cook.  I started cleaning and reorganizing my area of the loft.  Wrote a few letters, though I'm not sure when I'll be able to get them in the mail.

The book I am reading, A Bear, A Backpack and Three Cases of Vodka, just keeps getting better and better.  I think it really strikes a cord within me because of my family history.  My maternal grandfather was a Czechoslovakian Jew.  His two sisters and their families were living in Vienna perished in Nazi camps.

By the time the dogs and I went on our afternoon walk, the tracks we made this morning had disappeared under another 2" of snow.  Our high for the day was just 20, which is normal for this time of year.  The snow backed off by dinnertime at 5:00 pm. and it is becoming obvious that we have more light now when we eat dinner.

When my bladder got me up at 12:30 am, the snow had stopped and I could see the lights of town.  After putting in a fire, I went back to bed but couldn't sleep.  So I got up again and finished reading my book.  A phenomenal memoir!

Wednesday 1/9. It is 26 and overcast this morning.  We received another 3" of snow overnight for a total of 6-12", and there is more snow on the way.

Thought for the day: When old dreams die, new ones come to take their place.  God pity a one-dream man.  Robert Goddard, rocket scientist

January 7, 2019 Deer, A Trip Down There & Snow

One of our deer at the corn pan.

Most of the snow is gone from
the south slope.

Our missed Christmas decoration!

Friday 1/4. Our highlight of the day was watching 10-12 deer wander up the west slope and snack on the corn at dusk.  A few of them would eat some corn then move on, until a little buck with two small spikes started eating and chased everyone else away.  He even stood on his hind feet and pawed at one of them.  The picture above is the best one I was able to get.

We let Dinga out when they were all gone and she flushed a small four-legged critter out from behind the wood shed.  It was almost dark by then, but JB said it looked like maybe a bobcat.  It took off like a flash up the east slope.

We finally discovered the missed Christmas decoration this evening.  Good Lord, how obvious can you get?!

Our high for the day was 44.  Melt, freeze; melt freeze.

Saturday 1/5. It is 30 and overcast this morning.  I wanted to at least drive down to pick up the mail and send some today.  Decided since I was going down, I might as well go into town, buy some papers and pick up a package at the UPS store.  Really don't need any groceries.  Definitely the least I have done on any trip Down There.  I stopped in for a quick visit with Mrs. Gridder on my way back up.

It was quite an easy trip down and back.  Larry and Elsie and the Gridders had thrown dirt on the road, so getting the Jeep down was a no-brainer.  I left about 9:30 am and was back by noon.

Snow finally began falling around 6:00 pm, but didn't last very long and only dropped about 1/4".  Got all excited about nothing. . .

Our high for the day was 34 and there was a low, heavy overcast all day long.

Sunday 1/6. A strong wind sprang up around 4:30 am this morning, with gusts to 18 mph.  When we got up at 8:00 am, it was 30 and gusting to 22 mph.  We definitely got a little more snow during the night, but with the wind, it is hard to tell just how much.  I am giving it 1/2".

I went back to bed at 8:30 am, and when I got up at 10:00, the wind had pretty much died down.

I started a book that I had found at the Dollar Store, A Backpack, A Bear and Eight Crates of Vodka by Liv Golinkin.  It is the true story of his escape from the Soviet Ukraine with his Jewish family when he was nine years old in late 1989.  So well written!  Should be on every high school's reading list.

A very bright but cloudy day, with a high of 34.

Larry and Elsie drove up to visit and play marbles this evening.  We split two games, but the guys were really on a roll.  It was snowing when they left a little after 9:00 pm, but I didn't get too excited.  And rightly so.  It stopped just after they pulled out of the driveway and we barely got a dusting.

Monday 1/7. It is 26 with partly cloudy skies and a wind gusting to 18 mph.

Thought for the day: No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.  Christopher Morley

January 4, 2019 Fog & Another Warm Day

MAX's broken axle.

Jesse on the love seat.
(Note the pillow top left.)

Wednesday 1/2. As the sun rises, it often urges the valley fog to do the same.  And today was no exception.

After I fed the girls and dogs, JB announced that he was going to take a power nap on the couch.  He was soon snoring.  After a couple of failed efforts at sudoku, I went back to bed for an hour and a half.  JB has been getting up between 1:00-2:00 am to put in a fire and I have been getting up between 4:00-5:00 am to do the same. . .  Ergo, more naps.

We had finished the strawberries, so I opened a #10 can of freeze-dried diced apples for our hot cereal.  Yum!

I took down and stowed away the rest of the Christmas decorations today.  JB is working on his database of Magic cards, all 7500 of them.  Our grandson has developed an interest in Magic through a friend at his high school.  Between our son and JB, they probably have close to 15,000 cards.  Our son began collecting them when he was in high school and they first came out.  Unfortunately, when he was in college, he sold the one that is now worth $14,000!

Both walks were frigid today, especially the morning one in the pogonip (frozen fog).  We watched its ebb and flow all day until our afternoon walk when I thought for sure we were finally rid of it.  Some trees are white with rime, while ones right next to them are not.  Go figure.  Just as we returned to the house, fog began racing back in from the west slope.  When you are in the fog, the slightest air movement drops the already frigid air temperature another ten degrees at least.

We thought our high for the day was 26, but when JB checked the temperature around 9:30 pm, as he always does, it had risen to 34.

Thursday 1/3. Well, great!  Here we go again.  It is 37 with a light rain and valley fog this morning, and a winter storm warning for tomorrow.  Melt, freeze; melt, freeze.

The rain had mostly let up when we all went on the morning walk.  The paths and drive are getting soft again, just in time to freeze into ice again tomorrow.  But as they soften, the tracks spread out, so now instead of dogs, deer and humans, it looks as if we have had wolves, elk, and Big Foot Up Here.

This might be the very first year that I have not forgotten to put away one Christmas decoration!  Either that or we just haven't found it yet.

On our afternoon walk, there were ominous dark clouds in the west, but they seem to be going north instead of our way.  No, No!  We want more snow!

Our high for the day was 44.  Hardly needed a coat to go outside.  When I spoke with Elsie on the radio, she said their high was barely 32 and they had frozen rain.  I will never understand the weather in the mountains.

Friday 1/4. It is 34 with mostly cloudy skies this morning and no snow.  Looks like the storm dropped its load on the mountains.

Thought for the day: The only thing keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself about why you can't have it.  Tony Robbins

January 2, 2019 Music & MAX

Dinga & JB at the north
ridge on our morning walk.

Monday 12/31. Snow began to fall last night around 6:30 pm and when we talked to Larry on the radio at 7:00, they already had an inch.  Our total for the evening was just 1/2".

The deer's corn was gone this morning, so I put some more out.  Will have to get another bag next time we go Down There, and maybe some alfalfa, too.

Am really enjoying my radio/cd-player.  I can have music whenever I want it.  For ten years I have enjoyed the quiet of the mountain, but now I am ready for music.  My Mother always loved the European classics that she grew up with, such as The Blue Danube.  I don't think we had a record player until the late 1950's, so then her music was laced with my rock and roll.  I am enjoying her favorites via Andre Rieu, and, once again, they are mixed with rock and roll.  I find it amazing how many of the words both JB and I remember of the oldies.

We are hearing that the road all the way down to the pavement is quite icy now, thanks to that one-day Chinook we had.  Larry and Elsie did a 360 on their way down which included sliding backwards for a ways.  The Gridders slid down backwards with chains on just above Larry and Elsie's house, but finally did make it all the way up to their cabin.  I think we will be staying Up Here until we get some more snow, which is due in on Wednesday.

With the sun and wind, we are back to vividly green trees with sparkling white ground, though much of it is sprinkled with needles and small branches.

Larry agrees that the picture on our game cam is a wolf.  And not the same wolf that Gridder's got on their game cam. . .

Santa brought us a Vegetti maker for Christmas with which to make veggie spaghetti.  So this evening I used carrots and zucchini for the spaghetti, then sauteed them in olive oil with fresh baby spinach and a little garlic and onion.  Delicious!

The temperature barely made it to 30 today.  A beautiful day.

New Year's Eve, and we were in bed before 10:00 pm. . .

Tuesday 1/1. This first day of the new year is beginning with a temp of 24 and mostly cloudy skies.  A patch of blue began spreading in from the west, and before noon we had sunshine and clear skies.

The deer's corn was gone again this morning.  Hmmm, it usually lasts longer that just one day.

I remember sometime in the 1980's I figured out how old I would be at the turn of the century (53), and just could not fathom being that old.  Now, here it is 2019, when I will be turning 72 this year.  Wow!

There are rabbit tracks everywhere in the snow, including in the wood shed pen.  I sure wish I could see one actually making the tracks.

After lunch we drove Miss Kitty down to MAX.  We took the wheel off the broken axle and the track off that side.  JB thinks he can drive it back up to Rose Camp like that, but we are going to have to wait until a lot of the snow is gone.  Or maybe we will have to wait until we can fix it where it is.

Our high for the day was 31.  A beautiful day for the first of a new year.

Wednesday 1/2. This early morning is 20/18 and mostly cloudy with high valley fog.  Snow is in the forecast for the next day or two.

Thought for the day: FEAR - Face Everything And Recover.  Nancy Sullivan, Guideposts Jan 2019