May 31, 2091 Game Cam Photos

If you don't know what this is
you must be new to my blog
& planet earth.

Cow elk

Some of the visiting cattle.

A bull elk.

Another bull elk.

And a bear.

Thought for the day: Forests, lakes and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate and inanimate existence leaves its impress upon the soul of man. Orison Swett Marden

May 29, 2019 Busy, Busy, Busy

(Too slow of a connection for photos this morning.)



Monday 5/27. I sat on the porch this morning with my coffee, in the sun, and watched the cloud cover break up and drift off to the southwest.  Again, these clouds had come in from the northeast.  The birds were out joyfully celebrating the dry, sunny morning.  A pair of the flycatchers have moved into an old nest under the eaves.

I finally had to force myself to do the quarterly maintenance on the fridge.  It's not that it is hard or time consuming, it's just a matter of getting to it.  Then I did some splitting and weeding.  JB used the weed eater, still working on north of the house.  I am definitely on the lookout for a good, self-propelled lawn mower.

Paint brush is blooming on the south ridge and a couple of places near the house.  The yellow bells and alpine spring beauties are just a memory, having been replaced by the Douglas tritaria and prairie stars.

Huge, fluffy thunder clouds drifted down from the north during the afternoon, staying well to the west.  Our high for the day was 68.

Tuesday 5/28. It is 60 and clear this morning.  JB was on his way Down There by 9:30 am with a trailer-load of empty gas cans to fill.  By then the temperature was already 72.

I had a busy day doing dishes, laundry, vacuuming, weeding and some splitting.  Of course, I always take time to sit on the porch inbetween chores.

Dinga is really shedding, as she always does this time of year, and she is quite adamant about NOT being groomed.  We have to be sneaky about it.  When I vacuum, the canister is full of her hair.

JB was home by 1:00 pm, ate lunch and took a nap.

The thunder clouds were again stacking up, drifting in from the north.  On our afternoon walk I heard distant thunder from the west.  In the evening we began hearing distant booms from the northeast, but we escaped having anything close to us.  Our high for the day was 78, but with a lovely cool breeze.

Wednesday 5/29. It is 56 this morning with clear skies.  Tomorrow we plan to do our Spring garbage run.

Thought for the day: My mantra is "I have to change the way I think in order to change the way I feel."  That gets me motivated.  Robin Roberts

May 27, 2019 "Magic" Pain Relief

The squirrel & chipmunk restaurant
near our north ridge.

Friday 5/24. The rain stopped about 8:30 this morning.  And baking did get done, but it was JB who did it.  He made two small loaves of banana bread.  I did more weeding around the house.

It was another dark and dreary Seattle-like day with a high of 62, some rain beginning about 4:00 pm, and with not much getting done.  We were like real retired folk. . .

The highlight of my week, of my year so far, is finding a “magic” pain reliever!  A good friend had recommended a CBD beverage concentrate for my neuralgia pain and I finally tried it.  I put about six drops under my tongue, and the pain was gone within five – ten minutes!  The Ethos Relief CBD beverage concentrate does have a little THC in it, but I felt no side effects.  Another good friend recommended a CBD lotion, and that works as quickly on my arthritis!  The Liberty Lotion has no THC in it.  The Washington State Legislature finally got something right when it legalized marijuana!

Saturday 5/25. It is 48 and overcast this morning having obviously rained most of the night.  The rain began to fall again just before 11:00 am, and continued on and off for the rest of the day.

A day like this is made for just doing little things around the house.  Puttering.  My one big project was cleaning out my side of our bedroom closet.  I tend to shove things in there when I can’t quickly find any other place for them.  And, of course, it is a good day for reading.

Dinga always knows when the first rain drop falls.  She starts pacing and wants one of us to come outside with her so she can show us.  She is quite sure that we will be hearing thunder at any moment.  We could have thunder just once in 60 days of rain.  Doesn’t matter.  To her, the threat is always there.

When I went to give the girls their afternoon snack, there was a spotted grey squirrel in the hen house, but I could find no obvious place where he got in.  That type of squirrel is from California and is an invasive species that has been working its way north for several years now.  We only just saw it in our canyon last year.  Most people in the area use them for target practice, which is something we may start doing.  Never thought I would say anything like that, but they are as destructive as the pack rat.

We saw some sun and blue sky just before 5:00 pm, but it didn’t last very long.  Our high for the day was 52.

Sunday 5/26. What a nasty night!  The rain poured, the wind blew, and Dinga paced.  Now it is 48 and still pouring, but at least the wind died with the sunrise.

Another indoor day, and I find myself doing little things I rarely find time for.  Like sorting out and re-organizing kitchen drawers, and find myself saying, “Oh, there it is!” more than once.

I also tackled that one rack of shelves in the loft on which I put items for which I have no other place.  Really just needed organizing, although I did find a large box of photo frames, and will get rid of most of them.

JB found a book in one of our catalogs with the title Liberalism Or How To Turn Good Men Into Whiners, Weenies And Wimps, written by Burgess Owens.  I’m almost tempted to buy it!

The rain finally let up about mid-afternoon, but there was no break in the clouds until around 6:00 pm.  Our high for the day was 48.

Monday 5/27. It is 50 and mostly cloudy this Memorial Day morning.  Looking forward to a dry week.

Thought for the day: When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal, I see a living being.  I see a friend.  I feel a soul.  Anthony Douglas Williams

May 24, 2019 Working & Another Trip Down There

Little blue butterflies who
congregate on wet ground.

The tipi surrounded by
blooming arnica.

Wednesday 5/22. JB used the weed eater, starting on the north side of the house.  I split about half of a humongous round.  Wore me out trying to wrestle it into place.

The overcast gradually thickened and it was a dark but dry day with a high of 58.  Dark and dreary, but just before the sun set the sky was suddenly fairly clear and the sun made quite a brilliant splash going down with the clouds that were left on the horizon.

Thursday 5/23. It is 50 and mostly clear this morning.  JB chased the cattle back through the broken fence again first thing by yelling and clapping his hands.

I was on my way Down There at about 8:15 am to run a few errands and buy a few groceries.  The forecast called for 80 in town today and I am quite sure it made it.  Just too hot to dawdle, so I was home by 1:00 pm.  But I did take the time to visit the Goodwill store in East Wenatchee and found several good movie DVDs.

While I was gone, our neighbor who owns the cattle came up and drove the fence line in his 4X4.  JB had a good chat with him and he will be back up tomorrow to fix the fence in a couple places.

While I was putting away the groceries, JB did some more weed eating.  Then I did some raking.

The sun shone all day, but by mid-afternoon lots of dark clouds started moving in.  Our high for the day was 72, but we are supposed get some more rain tomorrow.

Friday 5/24. It is 48 and raining this morning.  Oh, good - because I really do need to do some baking. . .

Thought for the day: You must learn from the mistakes of others.  You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself. Samuel Levenson

May 22, 2019 A Trip Down There & Visiting Cows

The path to the north ridge.

Monday 5/20. The sky remained overcast all day, with a threat of rain that never arrived.  I hung up the laundry inside and did more weeding in the area around the swing.  JB attached the trailer to his Jeep in preparation for his trip Down There tomorrow.  He is meeting Larry at their shop to get some shelving they don’t need.    We also read our books a lot and went on our walks.  Just kind of a lazy day.

The sun peeked through the clouds around 4:00 pm for about an hour.  Our high for the day was 57.

Tuesday 5/21. It is 48 and partly cloudy this morning with clouds drifting over from the northeast.  Something we don’t see very often.  Six of our neighbor’s cows were Up Here visiting, but they soon found their way back home through the gap in the fence.  Something else we don't see very often.

JB left for Down There at 8:00 am.  After enjoying my coffee sitting in the sun on the porch, I clipped the long grass in the small area between the porch and the rock wall.  Weeded the little flower garden by the delphinium, which looks to be even larger than last year.

After our morning walk, I dug the silt out of the drainage ditches and generally spent the whole day working outside pulling weeds and small rose-bush starts that were spreading where they don’t belong.

JB arrived back home around 1:00 pm.  We unloaded the shelving into the shop, then read the mail and papers he brought up.  He took a nap, and I went back outside to work.  Our high for the day was 60.

Wednesday 5/22. It is 47 this morning and mostly overcast.  Our neighbor’s cows are back and brought more friends with them.  Guess we will have to call him so he can fix the fence. . .

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

May 20, 2018 A Birthday, Back to Work, & THE MOVIE!

My chicken purse!

My solar flower light.

Friday 5/17. After feeding the girls and dogs, then fixing my coffee, I opened my birthday cards and presents.  Wow!  Am I spoiled! (But I love presents!)  My cousins gave me a chicken purse (see above) filled with chocolate, plus a coffee gift card!  I got more coffee gift cards, a book-store gift card and a Dollar Store gift card.  Boy, am I going to enjoy using those!  Then I enjoying a relaxing morning and spent time on the phone with birthday calls.  How nice!

The cloud cover began breaking up about 1:00 pm and soon the sun was out.  Lupine is now blooming on the south and north ridges.  The forest floor is a thick, lush green dotted with yellow, purple, white, and blue.  Our high for the day was 58.

I made chicken salad for dinner with a rotisserie chicken I bought at Costco yesterday.  One of my very favorite meals.

Larry and Elsie drove up to visit and bring me a beautiful solar flower light.  What a great ending to my special day.

Saturday 5/18. It is 43 and mostly clear with a light breeze this morning.  After dishes, laundry and vacuuming, I drove Miss Kitty down to visit my brother who is at his cabin again this weekend.  Always a beautiful drive, but absolutely phenomenal in the Spring.

As we approach the south ridge on our daily walks, the air becomes heavy with the scent of blooming wild flowers and deer brush wafting up from the canyon.  Have I mentioned how much I love Spring?  Our high for the day was 61.

We watched Eat, Pray, Love this evening.  Now there's a movie I will be watching again and again.

Sunday 5/19. It is 42 and overcast this morning, and has just stopped raining.  And speaking of rain, it is interesting that when it is pouring, the only birds about are the tiny humming birds.

The overcast broke up a bit and the sun was out by noon.  Our high for the day was 60.

JB drove up to the Gridder's cabin around noon to look at a propane generator they want to sell.  I left a little after 2:00 pm to drive down to meet Mrs. Gridder and the boys for another birthday present - to see Endgame.  Amazing!  A three-hour movie that was so entertaining that it seems no longer than two hours.  Superb writing and acting!  I will have to see it at least ten more times to grasp everything that happens. . .

Monday 5/20. It is 48 and overcast this morning, and is looks as if we had rain for most of the night.

Thought for the day: Every Spring is the only Spring - a perpetual astonishment.  Ellis Peters

May 17, 2019 More Rain & A Trip Down There

Yellow bear grass & blue
Douglas tritaria.

Wednesday 5/15. I crawled back into bed after feeding the girls and dogs.  Took a lovely two-hour nap.  The sky was overcast when I awoke and it looked like we might get more of the predicted rain.

After lunch I split three rounds of wood while JB just about finished his wiring project in the battery room.  He is making a plug so we can just plug in another generator to run the house, instead of having to wire it each time.  Then we moved the split wood in two bucket loads to the wood shed and I stacked it.

A soft rain arrived about 3:00 pm, so I cut our afternoon walk short by not going up to the south ridge.  Within an hour we had a steady rain that was still falling when we went to bed just after 9:00 pm.  Our high for the day was 58, which is just perfect for working outside.  No sweating today.

Thursday 5/16. It is 48 this morning and we are in the clouds.  Looks like it rained most of the night.  JB left for Down There at 7:30 am to get a blood draw for his labs.  I left at 8:30 am and met him for my one-day-early birthday breakfast at Denny’s.  I could get used to this. . .

We got rid of my Jeep-full of stuff at the thrift store, then went our separate ways.  JB to his favorite used-book store, and on to a dentist appointment to have a tooth pulled.  I ran a few errands, bought a few groceries and some scratch for the girls.  I was home by 12:30 pm, and JB arrived back a little after 2:00 pm.

The clouds had lifted by the time I got home, but rain was pouring down by 4:00 pm.  It can get quite loud on our metal roof and Dinga does not like that at all.  She always equates rain to thunder, and we actually have thunder storms in the forecast for tonight.  Our high for the day was 55.

Friday 5/17. This morning of my 72^nd birthday is 45 and overcast with a breeze.  Looking forward to a nice, relaxing day.

Thought for the day: Having a birthday is better than the alternative.

May 15, 2019 Lizards, Rain, & Thwarting The Critter

My Mother's Day basket &
angel's wings.

Arrowleaf arnica blooming
near the house.

Monday 5/13. A light overcast soon formed this morning, and the air became quite muggy.  I have seen several lizards Up Here already, and of course our two “gate keepers” on the rocks by the locked gate.

No rain in the forecast for today, so I hung the wash outside despite the overcast.

While JB was using the weed eater, I split two rounds, one large and one extra large.  Then JB moved them in 1-12 tractor bucket loads to the wood shed and I stacked them.

I collected rocks from our little pile and JB moved them over to the hen house door in the tractor bucket.  He dug down in front of the door and I placed some screen and then the rocks all along in front of it.  Then we covered it all with dirt.  Hopefully that will deter whatever critter is trying to dig in.

It was a sweaty day in the muggy air, and our high was 74.

Tuesday 5/14. It is 57 and overcast this morning.  We felt a few drops of rain around 10:00 am.  The forecast is a 20% chance of rain, but often that means 20 drops, so that may have been it for the day.

When I went to feed the girls their breakfast, it was obvious that the critter had tried to dig into their house again.  However, he ran into the rocks and couldn't make it.  Woo Hoo!

When the wash was ready to be hung up, there was a light sprinkle going on outside, so I hung it up inside for a change.  We enjoyed the very light sprinkle most of the day.  It cleared the air and smelled so good, but did not keep us from going outside.

I worked in the loft for a few hours, sorting and piling up a Jeep-load of stuff to give to the thrift shop.  Can’t believe how much crap I have still been hanging on to.

While relaxing on the porch, I was watching a orange-capped sparrow doing his mating dance when suddenly a fly catcher swooped down and attacked him.  Stunned, the poor sparrow just stood there for a few moments thinking WTF?!  Pretty much what I was thinking, too.

By late afternoon a wind had sprung up and blew the rain away but not the clouds.  Our high for the day was only 57.

Wednesday 5/15. It is a chilly 42 this morning with mostly clear skies.  Perfect for working outside.

Thought for the day: We are a product of the choices we make, not the circumstances we face.  Roger Crawford

May 13, 2019 Garage Saling & A Mother's Day Visit

A good shot of a
prairie star so you can
see how it got its name.

Addition of another rubber
ducky to our dinosaur stump
courtesy of  JB's brother &
sister-in-law.

My view from the porch
on Mother's Day.

Friday 5/10. The swallows are Up Here on their annual, and always unsuccessful, search for a place to nest under the eaves. 

JB continued his 200-hour maintenance on the Jeep and finished up everything but getting the cap to the water separator off.  Larry drove up around noon to help him, and together they got it done.

After hanging up the wash, I vacuumed out my Jeep.  Something I don’t usually do on a yearly basis, but there was straw all over the back seat where I put the bale of straw I brought up last Fall.  I usually put a tarp down, but just didn’t last time.

Late this afternoon, JB planted the Walla Walla onions.  We still have to get some potato starts.

The Douglas tritaria is blooming now on the south ridge, and the lupine buds should pop very soon.

Some little critter has been trying to dig its way into the hen house and finally made it in this afternoon.  We think it is a grey squirrel, but are concerned that it might be a weasel.

Our May weather so far has been 12 – 15 degrees above normal, fortunately we are due for a cool blast early next week.  Our high for today was 74 with no clouds in sight.

Saturday 5/11. It is 58 and clear this morning.  I was up at 6:30 am in order to be ready to leave by 8:00 and be down at Mrs. Gridder’s by 8:30 for our day of garage saling.  Saw some wild turkeys on my drive down in Miss Kitty.  A few of them were in Larry and Elsie’s yard.

We got our latte’s on our way over to East Wenatchee and both found some great buys.  We always have so much fun together.  But the day soon became quite hot and we were on our way back to her house by 12:30 pm.

On my drive back up the mountain, I stopped in at my brother’s cabin as he is up for the weekend.  Had a nice visit and was back home a little after 2:00 pm.  JB was thrilled with my deal of the day for him – a big, heavy vice.  The deal for the day for me was a heavy duty lounge chair which also folds into a cot - $2!

While I was gone, one of the projects that JB worked on was to dig down in front of the hen house door and put a piece of wood and some screen in order to thwart the critter from digging in again.

Clouds had begun to move in just after noon and our high for the day was 78.

Sunday 5/12. This Mother’s Day began with 58 and mostly clear skies.  It was a nice, relaxing day, and the only work we did was move the wood I had split during the week over to the wood shed in 3-3/4 bucket loads.  I stacked it and we now have about 1-1/2 rows.

Unfortunately, the wood and screen didn’t keep the critter out of the hen house, so tomorrow I will gather some rocks and see of that works.

It was hot again today and our high was 76.  The forecast calls for cooler weather beginning tomorrow, which will be so refreshing.

Larry and Elsie drove up this evening with a beautiful hanging basket Elsie makes for me each year for Mother's Day.  We had a lovely visit that was such a perfect ending for the special day.

Monday 5/13. It is 50 with clear skies this morning.  Looking forward to the cooling trend.

Thought for the day: Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.  Timothy Leary

May 10, 2019 Summer Weather & A Trip Down There

The service berry bush
that is blooming in our yard.

Wednesday 5/8. The service berry bush in our yard bloomed overnight, or perhaps with this morning's rising sun.  So pretty.

I split two very large rounds today and JB continued doing the 200-hour maintenance on the tractor.  Such perfect weather for these projects.

By noon most of the cloud cover had moved on to the east and by 1:00 pm, more clouds had moved in.  And so it went for the rest of the afternoon.  By 5:00 p, the sky was heavily overcast.  Our high for the day was 69.  This is amazing weather for May.

Our friends who own the property just down from us will be coming over for the weekend on the 17th.  They live within walking distance of the University of Washington, and she says they have been seeing bunnies, coyotes and foxes in their neighborhood.  They are seeing more wildlife that we are!

Larry said they had the three bull elk walk right into their yard today!  How cool is that!  Must have been the same ones who were Up Here last week.

Thursday 5/9. It is 48 with clear skies this morning.  Had to get up early in order to get ready to leave for Down There by 8:15.  Had time to buy my latte before my doctor's appointment.

The ENT specialist I saw is amazing.  It took him very little time to diagnose what no one else has been able to for more than 30 years.  Seems I have neuralgia.  The bad news being that there is nothing medically that can be done for it.  But he did give me a prescription to take at night that may help.  He also suggested acupuncture. Just happen to have a niece on the other side of the mountains who can do that. . .  Regardless, it is such a relief just to know the cause of the pain.

The flox is now blooming down in the canyon, and all the dogwood trees are blooming in town.  Have I mentioned how much I love Spring?! 

It was a long, hot day, as I wasn't home until 3:00 pm.  This should be my last trip with a very long list of things to do and places to go.  Now I have a day to recuperate before Mrs. Gridder and I go garage sailing on Saturday.

Our high for the day was 68, but I am sure it hit 80 or more again in town.

Friday 5/10. Looks like another very warm day as it is already 60 this morning and the sky is clear.

Thought for the day: We have enough gun control.  What we need is some idiot control.

May 8, 2019 Splitting Wood & A Trip Down There

The small carpet of
alpine spring beauties
in our yard.

Monday 5/6. I was back to splitting wood today.  I chose two pine and two fir rounds, but was only able to split three of them.  One of the pine rounds was so wet as to be mushy.  The other one was just fine.  While I was splitting, JB was busy with the 200-hour maintenance on the tractor.  Then he hooked the trailer up to the Wrangler and drove it down by the garbage/recycle shed where I loaded up the paper and cardboard recycle to take Down There tomorrow.

On our afternoon walk, I discovered a few sweet peas blooming on the south ridge, along with a lot of bear grass.

Clouds were moving in by 3:00 pm and it was almost overcast by 6:00.  Our high for the day was 68 with a light breeze.  Just perfect!

Tuesday 5/7. It is 52 and mostly clear this morning.  The forecast calls for the temperature to be up to 80 Down There.  Not really looking to that part of the trip, but we were on our way before 9:00 am.  However, the wait for the labs was just too long, so JB got his tetanus shot and then we were off to Denny’s for breakfast.  It has been years since we ate in a restaurant, but I had a bogo coupon and this was the perfect day to use it.

Then we dropped off the recycle and went to Costco for our new memory-foam mattress.  Also bought a pack of two memory-foam pillows and a new set of sheets, as the mattress is 14” high and I am not sure all our fitted sheets will have deep enough corners.  It also comes with a 20-year warranty, so I doubt we will ever have to buy another one. . .

Along our road we saw some trillium blooming, and down at Larry and Elsie’s and beyond the lupine was blooming amongst the balsam root.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Am sure it reached 80 in town, but our high for the day Up Here was 70.  There were a few scattered clouds, but the sky remained mostly clear.

Wednesday 5/8. It is 53 this morning with a partial light overcast.  Our new mattress is sooo comfortable, and I am definitely going to buy a few more sets of those sheets!  I plan to do more splitting today, and tomorrow I have to go back Down There for an appointment with the ENT specialist and more grocery shopping.

Thought for the day: Here’s a test to find out if your mission on earth is done:  if your alive, it isn’t.  Richard Bach

May 6, 2019 A Wonderful Weekend

Yellow bells

Dinga just enjoying the
day on the porch.

Friday 5/3. JB drove Miss Kitty up along the south ridge so I could load her up with the branches I cut yesterday.  The trees look much better now.

After lunch JB baked a couple small loaves of banana bread for tomorrow’s guests.  It’s nice to finally have banana bread after winter’s pumpkin bread.  I did dishes, laundry and general clean up inside and out.

It was a beautiful day with a high of 60.

Saturday 5/4. This Star Wars’ day (May the Fourth be with you!) began with 41, a clear sky and no breeze.  I vacuumed and dusted first thing this morning to be sure the house would really be clean.  Even after just one day, there is dust and forest detritus tracked in.

JB’s brother and sister-in-law arrived just before 10:30 am and had a very enjoyable and traffic-free drive over the mountains.  After going on the morning walk, we just sat and talked, staying outside all day except for going in to eat lunch.  They certainly picked a perfect day to visit – sunny with a light breeze and a high of 68.  Our warmest day this year.

We all had such a great time and it was hard to say goodbye.  But I know we will see them on July 4^th and maybe even before.

Sunday 5/5.  This Cinco de Mayo began with 50 and clear skies.  We have at least three fly-catcher type birds Up Here this year and they are doing a great job of eating the flying bugs.  They are constantly swooping down and back up to their perches, and you can hear a little click as their beak snaps on their prey.  There are several wrens around, but none of them have chosen to nest in the bird houses yet.  Their songs are like a free concert. There are also more hummingbirds now.

On our morning walk, we tilted the solar panels all the way up.  Then JB and I put the fence up around half of the garden, and hope to finish tomorrow. Looking good!  I cleaned up tall, dead grass to the south of the house and cut dead branches from bushes.  A lot of them were broken from the heavy snow.

Of course we took time to sit on the porch and enjoy another beautiful day.  Big clouds drifted over, but the sun shone most of the time and our high for the day was 66.

On Tuesday we plan to load the trailer up with recycle and take it Down There.  JB will also stop in to get his labs done and get a tetanus shot.  Then we will go to Costco and buy a mattress they have on sale.  Way overdue for that. . .

Monday 5/6. It is 48 with clear, blue skies this morning and not a bit of air movement.  What a lovely change.

Thought for the day: And remember, the world is possibility if only you will discover it.  Ralph Ellison

May 3, 2019 The Hummingbird Wars Have Begun

A better photo of
shooting stars down
by our house.

Wednesday 5/1. Time to make hummingbird syrup, as I was once again reminded of by the little hummers checking out the sites where the feeders hang.  So I did that, and within ten minutes, they were sucking it down.  And fighting over it!  There are only a few of them here now, but obviously from two different families.

I split another very large round, then we used the tractor bucket to move it all over to the wood shed in three bucket loads, where I stacked it.  The round I split today was pine and very wet.  The other two were fir and quite dry.

We put the final touches on our porch, and now it is completely ready to enjoy until the next snow season.  

Such a glorious day!  Our high was 60.

Thursday 5/2. It is 37 and overcast this morning.  JB was up earlier than usual to get ready to go Down There for his annual physical and to get his pacemaker checked.  He left about 8:15 for his first trip Down There since December 21.  Of course he had a list of errands to run also.

It seems a bit odd being Up Here by myself since he hadn't be gone for so long.  But I got busy and spent most of the day outside, and what a gorgeous day it was, even with the breeze.  The overcast soon broke up and the sky was completely blue before 11:00 am.  I gathered another bag of pine needles by clearing off the path to the north ridge.  I also gathered a large bag of small sticks for kindling.  Then I trimmed all the small trees on the south ridge by snipping off their lower branches.  And, of course, in between each project, I sat on the porch or my swing just enjoying this amazing day and being Up Here.  We again had a high of 60.

The alpine spring beauties are covering the ground like a lawn, and the shooting stars have spread to many other places, even by our house.  The dwarf waterleaf has also spread.  I used to see it just near the house, but now it is up on the south ridge and many places in between.

JB arrived back home at 4:00 pm, tired but having had a good day.  He passed his physical with flying colors even though he has lost a little weight.  

Tomorrow we will get ready for his brother's and sister-in-law's visit which we are very much looking forward to.

Friday 5/3. It is 41 this morning with clear, blue skies and a light breeze.

Thought for the day: It was something every child knew how to do, maintain a direct and full connection with the world.  Somehow you forgot about it as you grew up and had to learn it again.  Jeffery Eugenides

May 1, 2019 A Trip Down There & Splitting Wood

Balsam root on our south
ridge & on the slope in
the background.

A pile of leftover winter critter meals
of fir cones that we found under the
branches we moved.

Monday 4/29. I was on my way Down There by 8:45 am and had a very good doctor’s appointment.  Saw the flock of turkeys in Larry and Elsie’s yard on my way down.  Balsam root is blooming now almost all the way up to where our road turns off from the main canyon road.  And way down by the Gridders’ house, I saw some lupine blooming along the road.  This time of the year, every time I drive Down There, something else is blooming.

Ran my errands after visiting the doctor, then stopped in at the new thrift store.  Their clothes are selling for give-away prices!  Bought three shirts for $6.  Also stopped in at Stan’s to look for a pair of western work boots (or as we used to call them – cowboy boots).  Found a pair of Double H’s for a price I could actually afford and spent all my birthday and Mother's Day money from my son.  Got out of town just in time to miss the rain.  I was home a little after 2:00 pm, and all we had Up Here was blue sky and a few clouds.  Our high for the day was 50.

Tuesday 4/30. It is 37 and clear this morning.  I sat out on the porch with my coffee just enjoying the warm sun and the bird songs.

After hanging the wash outside and eating lunch, I decided it was time to start splitting the fifty rounds that are left from last year.  There are a few medium sized ones, a few humongous ones, and the rest are very large.  Split two of the large ones, and that was it for the day.  

JB worked on our Jeeps, getting mine loaded with the boxes and coolers for groceries, and his set up the way he likes it.  He also pumped water into the cistern, which is the first time in a few weeks we have had to do that.

We have been seeing our deer every day or so, just grazing as they meander from east to west, or visa versa.

I made an appointment with an ENT specialist for next Thursday.

Huge clouds floated over during the day and the icy breeze picked up.  Our high for the day was 56.

JB’s brother and sister-in-law want to come visit this weekend.  This will be the first time they have come up in the Spring.  So glad they will be able to see and photograph the wild flowers.

Wednesday 5/1. It is 40 this May Day morning and mostly cloudy with a light wind.  May Day always brings back good memories of making paper baskets the night before with my Mother when I was in grade school.  Then early in the morning we would fill them with flowers from our yard and I would race across to the neighbors' porches and place one by each front door.    

JB saw three bull elk on the south ridge this morning and a few deer.  Maybe the same ones that were on our game cam last year.

Thought for the day: The secret of contentment. . . lay in ignoring many things completely.  Mark Haddon