June 24, 2019 Windy, Busy & Three Trips Down There

The tipi, & bird bath with
yarrow growing by ti.

A flycatcher with one of their
babies sitting on the wood
shed gate.

Bull elk on our other game cam
in May.

Monday 6/17. We had planned to cut down the two dead trees today, but just could not get the chain saw started.  JB is going to have to check the spark plug, etc.  So I just split some more wood and JB used the weed eater.  I really wanted to buy a gas, self-propelled lawn mower this year, but we just have too many other items that are more important.

I printed the invitations to our family Fourth of July picnic Up Here.  We always look forward to this family celebration, as it is often the only time during the year that we get to see many of them.

There seems to be a bumper crop of chipmunks in the canyon this year.  Lots of them at Rose Camp, and each time we drive down the road we see or have to brake for them.

Tuesday 6/18. I had plans to visit Mrs. Gridder this afternoon, so it was a very busy morning.  Washed the dishes, split some wood and hung out the laundry before I took a shower.  Was on my way in Miss Kitty by 12:15 pm and had a nice long visit with her, hearing all about their trip and seeing all the pictures.  On my way back up the mountain, I stopped by Larry and Elsie’s to meet their new dog.  It is a mix of some sort and looks like a long-haired wiener dog with the face of a meerkat!  Adorable!  They adopted it from a family member who could no longer take care of her. 

Wednesday 6/19. Was on my way Down There this morning bright and early, as I wanted to get the errands run and my grocery shopping done before my 1:00 pm appointment at orthopaedics.  I actually had time to stop by the new Veteran’s Warehouse thrift shop.  They are going to have a grand opening celebration Thursday, Friday & Saturday with half off everything!  Definitely want to go one of those days.

I had a very good experience at orthopaedics.  The x-rays proved the PA’s diagnosis that the ache and tingling I am feeling is not because of anything in my shoulder, but rather arthritis in my neck.  In looking at the x-rays, he was surprised that my symptoms were so mild.  He wants me to go to physical therapy were they will do a little stretching of my neck and can even send an  apparatus home with me so I don’t have to drive to town.  Also, I am going to try using two pillows to see if that makes it easier to get comfortable in bed. 

It was very windy in town, as the weather forecast had predicted, and windy up on the mountain also.

Thursday 6/20.  It was a chilly 38 this morning, on this last day of Spring, and it looks as though summer weather may not arrive again for another week or so.  Very windy again today.

Another day of splitting wood while JB used the weed eater.  Then we both loaded the wood from Tuesday and today into Miss Kitty in three large loads, and drove it over to the wood shed where I stacked it.

We have decided to take a day off tomorrow.  We will drive Down There for breakfast, then go to the thrift store, also Costco for another pillow and the tractor place to seriously check out the snow thrower and possible other options.

Friday 6/21. We tried a new restaurant this morning that is only open for breakfast and lunch – Smitty’s.  Great food and great prices!  This will definitely be our go-to place for breakfast from now on.  And if you get there before 9:00 am, the prices are practically give-away!

The thrift store had opened its basement for the Grand Opening.  Wow!  It is like the best garage sale ever!  We only had about an hour to spend there, but I really want to come back tomorrow.  We came out of there with a box of books and several other items, including a gun rack for $2.50!

We spent almost another hour at the tractor place and decided against the snow thrower, as JB would have to drive backwards for almost four miles.  So the owner is going to make a plow that will attach to the bucket arms.  This will allow JB to get closer to the edge of the road with the plow and much higher up, which will make it much easier to push the snow completely off the road.  It will cost about the same as the snow thrower, but we both feel much better about this option.

Saturday 6/22. After dishes and laundry, I was on my way Down There to go to the thrift store again.  Stopped in to see if Mrs. Gridder wanted to come with me, but she had a wedding to go to.

Just took my time at the thrift store and had a ball!  Found a Black & Decker Automatic Jar Opener that looked as though it had never been out of the box - $3.50.  The basement is full of boxes that have not yet been looked through!  What fun!  I ended up with another box of books, a set of margarita glasses, Christmas mugs, fabric, etc., etc.

I was home by 3:30 pm, and after dinner I planted the four plants I had purchased on Wednesday.  A few more and my yard will be done.

Sunday 6/23. Another windy day, as it has been since Wednesday.  We are supposed to have a cool, wet week. 

It was another day of splitting wood, weed eating, moving and stacking wood.  That is pretty much our song when there is no snow on the ground.

We tried the Automatic Jar Opener today.  It is electric, but only takes about five seconds to do the job.  Amazing!

Our son is going to visit for a week this summer.  He will fly into Wenatchee the evening of July 14 and I will drive him back to SeaTac on Saturday, July 20.  Just like last year, when I drop him off at the airport, I will continue on to my Aunt Nene’s for a visit.  I plan to be home on Tuesday, 7/23.

Our son always wants to do projects for us, so we are going to have him cut all the stumps that are left from taking down trees.  Most of them are 2-12 to 3 feet high.  That will give us a lot more wood.  Will probably also have him use the wood cradle to cut all the branches we have left from last year.  Would love to get the west wall of the loft finished, but not sure we will have time for that.

Thought for the week: And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.  (Seen on a sweatshirt)

June 17, 2019 I Am Back Home & So Is MAX

One of the Gridder's dogs,
a yellow Lab.

Miss Quackerie

Some of my blooming
irises (they are purple,
not blue).

Monday 6/17. What a busy and interesting ten days it has been since I last posted on 6/7!  I actually house/animal sat for five days, Friday 6/7 through Tuesday 6/11.  Quite a menagerie the Gridders have: two goats, one duck, about a dozen chickens (including two roosters), two cats and three dogs.  I loved it!  I think my dream job would be at an animal rescue farm.  Getting the goats to go inside their enclosed “bedroom” was a bit of a rodeo the first night, but quite easy the rest of the nights.  I became fast friends with Miss Quackerie, as I refer to their duck.  She is quite friendly and loves her showers.  And, of course, I LOVE their dogs.

They have streaming Netflix, which, of course, I binged on. . .  Watched at least seven movies (including Han, that was very disappointing) and a few episodes of several TV series. 

The whole experience was like a mini vacation. 

I drove back up the mountain at about 8:30 pm Tuesday, stopping by Larry and Elsie’s to pick up three tomato plants she had for me.  Back to much cooler temperatures.  Always good to be home again.  JB had done a lot of weed eating while I was gone, so Rose Camp looked almost domesticated.  Plus the fact that my iris are blooming.  Usually one or two of them bloom, but this year I have eleven stalks, each with three to five buds on them!  They are purple bearded iris.  So beautiful!

Wednesday I had to drive back Down There for doctor’s appointment, and some errands and grocery shopping.  I have something going on with my right shoulder and my doctor referred me to orthopedics.  Got an appointment there on Wednesday, 6/19.

So Thursday was actually my first day back home, but JB had to go Down There to pick up a couple of parts for the tractor.  He had a bit of a situation while mowing on 6/5.  The engine cover was not secured, so it flipped up and got broken by the bucket arms.

The fledgling fly catchers are out of the nest, but the parents are still here, so the babies must be in the trees.  Thank goodness the family didn’t leave like the wrens and robins do.  It is amazing how few flies and yellow jackets we have this year!

This was our hottest day yet, with a high of 86.  Thankfully we had a nice breeze all day.  By evening it had grown a bit windy.  But it was cooler so I planted the three tomato plants.  JB’s onions are really popping up.

Friday was our designated day to work on the tractor.  The cover had really been bent up, so it was a challenge to get it off.  When we finally did, we discovered that we needed two more new parts for two that had also been bent.  So JB ordered those, which will probably take a week to arrive.

When JB fed the girls their scratch on the way back from the morning walk, he discovered that Betty had died.  She is one of our oldest girls and had not been doing well for a couple weeks.  So now we are down to three hens.  We do plan to get four more this summer.

It was a bit cooler today with a high of 76.

Saturday morning was a cool 52 with a clear sky.  The hoard of humming birds seems to have moved on and we only have a few left.  Very early and kind of disappointing, but it sure cuts down on the sugar use.

After morning chores and lunch, we drove my Jeep down to get MAX.  I thought we would have to tow him up, but JB was actually able to drive him all the way home.  There’s a big project we can cross off our list.

As much snow as we received in February, it was all fluff and didn’t have much water content.  So the water table is a bit low this year.

It was another warm day of 80, as it had been for a few of the days that I was gone.  Seems rather warm for June.

Sunday we planned to visit our new neighbors who are building Up Here.  Before we left after lunch, JB baked a mocha bundt cake.  So good! 

Their place is on top of the western side of the canyon, while we are on top of the eastern side. Their elevation is about 140’ higher than ours (4020’) and from their house they will have about a 200 degree view of the mountains to the west and south.  Had a nice visit with them and look forward to watching their place grow.

Thunder clouds moved overhead this afternoon on their way north to the Okanogan.

Monday morning and it is cool and clear again, but I am sure it will warm up to at least the high 70's.  I am driving down to Mrs. Gridder's tomorrow afternoon to visit and hear all about their trip to Alaska.

Thought for the day: You need to let little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.  Andy Warhol

June 7, 2019 On We Go

Little yellow bouquets like this all
over the south ridge.

A field of sunflowers way down the
canyon near the Gridder's.

Wednesday 6/5. I was quite astonished by the reaction to my decision to end my blog!  Pleasantly surprised, actually.  So I will post once a week on Mondays and see how that works out.  But, since I will be house sitting this Sunday through Tuesday, my first Monday blog will be on 6/17.

I spent most of today Down There doing laundry (winter jackets, dogs towels and blankets, our comforter, etc.), running errands and getting a few groceries.  Took my tablet with me and downloaded several Netflix TV Midsomer Murders and a couple new series.

Each year there seems to be more lupine Up Here and along our road.  So today's drive was through beautiful purple, yellow and white scenery against a backdrop of green.  There are many more wild roses in bloom now, also.  Most of them are light pink, but they range from dark pink to almost white.  The bush outside our bathroom window has very dark blooms.  Whatever the shade, they are amazing.  

When we first moved Up Here eleven years ago, there were small patches of wild flowers along the road.  We have watched them spread each year until one tiny patch is now many.  Even at Rose Camp this is happening.  There are two different yellow, daisy-like flowers that were just on the south ridge in a few patches, and now they have spread up to the point and north down to our house.

Discovered three fledgling fly catchers in their nest under the eaves on the south side of the house today.  They are quite loud and very demanding!

Thursday 6/6. It is 42 and overcast this morning.  I put a fire in the wood stove to get the chill out.

It was another day of me splitting wood and JB weed eating.  I used Miss Kitty to move the wood to the shed in three loads and stacked it.  I am very disappointed in the pine as it is still quite wet.

Our high for the day was just 58 with a strong, cold breeze.  The clouds did move on and we had blue sky by early afternoon.

There is quite a movement here in eastern Washington to split the state in two, the new one being named Liberty.  Larry and Elsie have been to a few of the meetings, and this evening JB went with them.  He didn't get home til 10:00 pm.

Friday 6/7. It is a chilly 38 this morning with blue skies, except for clouds on the western horizon.  Definitely had to have a fire in the wood stove this morning!

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

June 5, 2019 Two Bears & Planning To House Sit

Blooming prairie smoke -
so aptly named!

Monday 6/3. On our last trip to the recycle place, we discovered that now they only take paper and cardboard.  JB did find a place that takes all metals, so this morning he loaded his Jeep with all our cans and took them down.  Also ran a few errands, of course.  Now we just need to find somewhere that will take our plastic and glass.

After he returned home and ate lunch, we went out to do more splitting and mowing.

I see and hear the wrens on a daily basis, but don't know where they are nesting.  They usually live in one of the bird houses, but not this year.  With all the birds we have, it sounds like we live in the middle of a bird sanctuary.  I am certainly not complaining, but sometimes it can get pretty noisy Up Here.

The forecast was finally correct and we are getting cooler weather.  Our high for the day was 74 along with a strong, cool breeze.

Tuesday 6/4. It is 52 this morning with a clear sky.  Again, it was a day of splitting, moving and stacking wood.  And JB did some more mowing.

I drove Miss Kitty down to the Gridder's this evening to learn everything I need to know in order to house sit for them and care for their goats, dogs and cats.  And how to work their TV so I can watch Netflix, streaming instead of having to download.  They are ON the grid (hence their nickname).  I will be going down Sunday afternoon and stay until Tuesday evening.

On the drive down I saw two bears on the road and they ran in front of me for about 100 feet before going down the mountainside.  They were light brown and probably about three years old.  Always an exciting experience!

Our high for the day was a very pleasant 70 with a cool breeze.

Wednesday 6/5. It is 50 and mostly cloudy this morning.  I will be on my way down to the laundromat by 9:00 am to wash our winter jackets, comforter, etc.

For a while now I have been feeling as though my blog has run its course.  So Friday will be my last posting. . .

Thought for the day: Boiling makes an egg hard and a potato soft.  The result depends on what material they are made of.  Anonymous

June 3, 2019 Three Elk, A Bear & A Fish Fry

Our Saturday morning visitors.

My blooming lilac bush.

Wednesday 5/29 - Friday 5/31. More splitting wood, moving it, and stacking it.  We did our Spring garbage run Thursday morning.  Friday we cleaned and greased the tractor mower, getting it prepped for putting it on the tractor Saturday.

Friday afternoon JB saw a bear going west along the south ridge, but it was gone before I could get to the window.  He said it looks like the one we caught on the game cam.

The weather was hot with highs in the high 70's and lots of thunder clouds drifting over.

Saturday 6/1. Dinga became quite agitated this morning around 7:00 am.  JB got out of bed and looked out the window to find the three bull elk in our yard!  They were just grazing, not in a hurry to leave.  One of them made it over to the Pacific nine-bark bush and began chewing on it.  This is very close to my irises that are about to bloom, so I went out on the porch to take more photos and be sure he didn't start munching on them.  In a low voice, I told him to take it easy on the nine-bark.  He looked at me, then kept on eating.  He was getting awfully close to my irises, so I told him to be sure and leave them alone.  He looked at me as if to say, "Well, fine!  I'll just leave then."  And off he went.

We got the mower on the tractor, which is a very short sentence describing a very frustrating project, and JB drove it around to be sure it was all working okay.  Then I baked peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies for tomorrow's fish fry at Larry and Elsie's.

Our temperature reached 80 today, but we did have a cool breeze.

Sunday 6/2. It is 64 and clear this morning.  When JB woke me up at 8:00 am, he had already been out mowing and finished the top of the south ridge.

According to JB's figures, the girls gave us 33 eggs in May, and the temperatures had been well above normal.  The forecast is for cooler weather this week.

We were off to Larry and Elsie's just before 2:00 pm and the drive down was so beautiful.  Lots more lupine and sweet peas this year.  On Thursday when we drove down on our garbage run, the wild roses were blooming as far up as Larry and Elsie's, but today there were a few blooms scattered along our road.

There were 14 of us at the fish fry, six of whom were boys ranging from six years old to fourteen.  What a great time we had!  Elsie put out quite a spread and we all stuffed ourselves.  Good food.  Good company.  It just doesn't get any better than that.

We got home about 8:00 pm and our high for the day Up Here had been 80 again.  It was probably five or more degrees hotter down the canyon, but there had always been a nice cool breeze.

Monday 6/3. It is 52 and mostly cloudy this morning, so maybe it will be cooler this week.

Thought for the day: At the end of your time here, the world will either be more or less kind, compassionate, generous, funny, creative, and loving because of your presence in it - and you alone get to choose.  John Pavlovitz