July 8, 2019 Signing Off

One of our little critters.

Another wild rose at Rose Camp.

Monday 7/8. Last week was hectic and hilarious.  Getting together with JB's family is always so much fun.  One never knows just what will happen when the brothers get together.  As with July 4th, when it was all over our sides ached from all the laughing.  We are very fortunate to have such a great family.

We are also very fortunate to have such great friends in the canyon.  Yesterday we took down the large, standing-dead tree up on the east slope, or at least tried to.  JB got it almost cut through but it leaned in the wrong direction and trapped the chain saw.  He called Larry for help.  Both Larry and Elsie drove up and with a few carefully placed taps on the wedges, the saw was out and the tree was down in the direction we wanted it to go.

I am signing out for good now.  My blog really has run its course and I feel like I can no longer do it justice.

Life Up Here is amazing.  There is no other place either of us want to be.  

Thought for the week: And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.

July 1, 2019 Stormy & Busy, Busy!

Thursday's hail.

Gave up my ride home
to Jesse.

Part of our yard.

Monday 6/24. I was splitting wood this morning when JB got the chain saw running, so we took it over to the dead tree on the north ridge and JB felled it.  He trimmed the larger branches with the chain saw, while I used the clippers on the smaller ones.  Then he cut the trunk into rounds.

The wild rose bushes near the house are blooming now.  I think each bloom only lasts for about week or less, but all the bushes don’t bloom at once, so there are blooms about for several weeks.  So wonderful to walk out the front door and into their scent.

Tuesday 6/25. I hung the laundry outside this morning even though there were dark clouds about.  We heard thunder almost overhead and to the south at noon.

This morning we used Miss Kitty to move the rounds that JB cut yesterday from the north ridge to the splitter.  I worked on cutting most of the branches into kindling.  Rain began falling by 1:00 pm and I had to bring the laundry inside and hang it up.

I washed most of the windows inside and the outside of the ones facing the porch.  My, what a difference!

Wednesday 6/26. Again we had clear skies first thing in the morning, but it was all clouded over by noon.

We used JB’s Wrangler to pull a dead, fallen tree up the north ridge.  It was long but skinny and JB cut it into rounds, only two of which needed to be split.  I finished cutting all the branches into kindling and we moved it all to the wood shed in Miss Kitty.  We also moved the wood I had split on Monday and yesterday.  I stacked it all and we have almost three rows done.

The first rain and thunder arrived just before 2:00 pm.  There were sprinkles off and on til evening and by 9:00 pm we had received ¼”.

Put a fire in the wood stove this evening and enjoyed a cup of cocoa while watching the flames.

Just finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and loved it!

June always seems to be ant season in our kitchen, but now, as the month is winding down, the ants are less and less.  Just have to be sure that there is NO sugar spilled. . .

Thursday 6/27. There was some valley fog this morning, something we haven’t seen for a while.  Then low clouds moved in and we had some sprinkles.

I split most of the dead tree that JB had felled.  JB moved it to the shed while I finished up splitting, then moved the last of it and put it all under the roof so it wouldn’t get wet.  Then I stacked it all.

By 10:30 the sprinkles had turned to a steady rain and the day was very dark.  I put a fire in the wood stove.  We ended up with 3-1/2 hours of thunder, lightening, and pouring rain, plus about an hour of hail.  It was all so loud on our metal roof that when it stopped, the quiet was also loud. . .

The hail shredded the blooms on my plants and the leaves on the tomato plants.  And all through this storm the dogs were panting and pacing.  We received a total of 1” of rain and about ½” of hail, which made it look like we had snow on the ground.  All that rain washed a lot of dirt into our leaking cistern and the water was almost black.

I plan to go Down There tomorrow for groceries except what we need for the 4^th, so I called Mrs. Gridder and asked if I could take a shower at her place on the way down. . .

Friday 6/28. I left early this morning, as I wasn’t sure how our road had faired during the storm, but the only change was that the ruts were a little deeper and there were a lot of puddles.  Showered at the Gridder’s at 9:00 am, then went to town to run errands and buy groceries and other supplies.  On my way back up, I stopped in to visit Mrs. Gridder a bit more.  Also stopped in at Larry and Elsie’s to visit and see their cute little dog.

Saturday 6/29. The dogs wanted out at 4:30 am, as usual, but it was such a glorious morning that I stood on the porch for a while just listening to the forest awakening.  Have I mentioned how much I love our home?

Basically it was another day of splitting, stacking and mowing.  We pumped most of the water out of the cistern, down over the west ridge.  Then I put a cup of bleach in and we began pumping clean water back into it.

Suddenly we have another hoard of humming birds buzzing around the feeders like a swarm of bees.  Not sure if the babies have grown up or more have arrived.  Probably a bit of both.  Whatever the case, now I have to fill the feeders almost every day.

It has been a cool week, with high temperatures in the 60’s, but next week is supposed to get back to normal, with temperatures Up Here into the 70’s.  And, hopefully, it will be dry for the 4^th.

Sunday 6/30. Wow!  The last day of June!  Well, this month certainly slipped by quickly.  Now each day will be focused on getting ready for our family picnic on July 4^th.  Our first guests will be arriving on Wednesday, 7/3.

Today our main project is to mow the grass growing in the middle of our road, and trim back any branches encroaching on it.  I washed dishes this morning, now that we have clean water again.  We left after lunch with JB driving the tractor and the dogs and I walking in front.  I trimmed as necessary and knocked loose rocks off the road.  We didn’t need to go all the way to the main road, "just" the first 1-1/2 miles.

I usually ride in the rear bucket on the way back, but after a while I gave up my ride to Jesse, as he was really dragging.  (See photo above.)  I think this will be that last year they come with us.  Three miles is a long hike for them.

We were back home in less than two hours, with thunder and dark clouds following close behind.  Fortunately the rain did not arrive til an hour later, and it was just a few sprinkles.  By 4:30 pm the sun was back out.

Tomorrow I plan to work inside the house cleaning and baking, while JB mows down the short-cut aways for our neighbors who plan to come up for the 4^th.  We have invited them to our picnic also.

Thought for the day: This is my advice to you.  Love like a dog.  Oliver Tremble