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