Then: September 2008 Now: June 20 2011

Plumbing the propane

Rose splitting wood

Then: September 2008


We started the month with our new companion, Dinga. The portable pen we had for the greyhounds works perfectly for her. She needs to stay as quiet as possible for about a week so she can recuperate from being spayed. She is just so cute and lovable. It has been years since we had a puppy.

A "Handyman" who was licensed for installing propane pipes and fixtures had been recommended to us and was available, so we hired him for that and installing the air pipe for the bathroom plumbing. As late as it is getting, I doubt we will have inbound water this winter. But we will have outbound, connected to the septic tank. Don't know if we will have the hot water heater connected either. But the septic tank is delivered, filled and connected to the house by the end of the month.

JB and RJ finish framing the inside, all except for the loft which JB and I can do. We had to buy a really long ladder for them to use on the 14 foot walls and 20 ft east end. RJ is starting to work on the outbound water pipes. I certainly wouldn't want to climb into our crawl space and do that!

Sleeping on the air mattress is getting old, so we make a trip to storage for our bed, linens and a few other things. Since we've been married, we have always had a king size bed. When we were in Illinois, we bought a queen size bed to match our other furniture and put it in the guest room. When we sold our house there, we also sold our king size bedroom set - downsizing. I thought the queen size would take some getting used to, but after the air mattress, it was so comfortable that I really didn't care how small it was!

We are living in a construction zone, but I keep telling myself that it will only be for couple months. We brought up our wardrobe boxes from storage and are using them as closets. The nights are getting cold and we are going to have to get that wood stove and hearth up here soon. I called a few local delivery companies and found one that has a small flatbed with a special forklift with which they can do this job. So I meet the driver at our storage unit and watch as he effortlessly lifts it all onto the bed of the truck. Then he asks where we are going with it and I think, "Oh Oh!" The dispatcher probably did not give him the details of this job. I tell him a four mile dirt road and to just follow me. I'll go slow. And slow is what we went. When we finally got up to the house and he got out of the truck, well, lets just say that I wouldn't want to be that dispatcher when the driver gets back to the barn. Then in the face of driving the forklift on the dirt and trying to get the stove and mantle as far on the porch as possible, his composure completely dissolved. I really felt sorry for the poor guy, but I was more concerned about our stove. It is going to take four men and a boy to get the stove and mantle in place. Actually it took JB, RJ and Larry to do it. Very slowly, and with a pry bar.

Then came the refrigerator. I brought that up in the trailer, but it took those three guys to get it in the house and out of the box. The kitchen stove was easy compared to that.

While the men are working on the house, I am splitting wood and stacking it in the grove between trees. Stacking it is a learning experience in itself. Seemed like it would be such an easy thing to do. (See my page "Things I have learned building and living off the grid.")

Now: June 20, 2011

There just isn't much "City" left in this ol' girl after yesterday. It was a beautiful day, but I didn't see much of it as I was in our crawl space (the one I mentioned above, where I did not want to be). It was a lot more muddy down there than I had anticipated. In fact we had standing water on the plastic. There were also two puddles, one shallow one around one of the posts and one quite deep one where the pipe comes in from the cistern. I pulled all the sheeting out in nine pieces; put each piece in a big yard bag as I pulled it to the trap door; and JB threw the bags out the bedroom window. By the time I got all the sheeting out, I was sweating, muddy and cranky. After lunch, I went back down with the small shop vac and made about five crawling trips to get all the water out. The water pipe comes in under the dining area at the front of the house and the trap door is in our bedroom at the back of the house. I checked the water pipes and none of them were leaking, so we figured the worst of it came when we had a 24-hour down pour in mid-May. That French drain is definitely going in this summer.  Where is that dry climate we moved to?!

It is supposed to be nice again today, but I'm not even going to guess what all we will get done. .

Then: The 4th Week of August 2008 Now: June 19, 2011

Starting on our kitchen



JB and MAX

Then: The 4^th Week of August 2008


JB and my brother, RJ, spent most of the week framing the inside of the house. Thank goodness for my little brother. Certainly couldn't be doing this without him! I made two trips to town, the first for insulation. Am watching the sales, and got a trailer load of R-30 for a pretty good price. Comparably speaking. This stuff just is not cheap. My second trip was for kitchen cabinets and a counter. I bought a cabinet for the sink and one of drawers to go next to it. For the opposite side of the kitchen, I bought three cabinets and a pantry. We will not fasten down the sink cabinet & drawers as we have yet to put in the insulation and plumbing.

Since the guys finished framing in the bathroom, I got to lay the linoleum. All I can say is, thank goodness it was just one big room with nothing to cut around! Even so, I didn't get it exactly straight. Rustic! I laid the kitchen linoleum with a little better result.

It may just be the end of the summer, but it seems like winter is fast approaching, and we will need special transportation. No car is going to make it up and down that road in the snow. We did not want a snowmobile, and had been looking at the six-wheeled ATVs on which tracks can be put, but the new ones are just too expensive. When we mentioned this to Larry, he said he had a small used one sitting at his place that he didn't use since he bought a Snowcat. It is a MAXIV by Recreatives and seemed like just what we were looking for. He let us use it this week to see what we thought, and by Friday we knew this is just what we needed. And, better yet, the price fits right into our budget. All we have to do is buy tracks for it.  I don't believe in coincidence, but I do believe in synchronicity, Universal Timing and angels.

On Saturday we went to the Humane Society again and this time found the perfect little dog - a four-month old Red Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog). I was so surprised at all the purebred dogs I saw there. She has to be spayed before we can have her, so we will pick her up at the vet's on Tuesday. She is so pretty, and the people at the shelter were thrilled that she will have 40 acres on which to live.  This is not a city dog, but she is the perfect dog for our home in the mountains.

Now: June 19, 2011

Yesterday was overcast for most of the day until late afternoon, with some sprinkles in the morning. Could have been a very dreary day if it weren't for all the colorful splotches of the wild flowers. So we worked inside and put up the final piece of wallboard in the bathroom. The one that goes behind the washer and dryer, and needs to be cut for all the pipes and outlets. The one we've put off doing for almost two years. But now it is in, and we have no excuse not to tape, spackle and paint the bathroom (although I'm sure I'll think of something)  .

Funny how when you are warm, dry and well fed, it is so easy to overlook such unfinished projects. Especially one you are no good at, and dislike doing in the first place.

Our little puppy has grown into an energetic, playful and affectionate companion with a mind of her own. We got a book on AuCaDo's and found that they have very special needs during their first year. Being in the shelter, I'm sure she did not get the one-on-one attention she needed as a small puppy, but we have done everything required for her since then.  She is very protective, and is usually right with us whenever we are working outside.  We call her Dinga, and I explained how she got her name when I wrote on June 9.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice again and we hope to get back to work on the deck and get the the tar paper on.

Then: The 3rd Week of August 2008 Now: June 18, 2011

Building Rose Camp, August 2008

Then: The 3^rd Week of August 2008


The crew foreman is sure they can be all done building this week! We have moved in under the loft with a sheet of heavy plastic hung across to keep out the dirt and sawdust as much as possible. The crew is building the porch and finishing the ceiling. As soon as the porch is done, we move our big propane stove onto it and set up our kitchen.

We have decided to purchase our propane tank rather than rent it. That gives us the freedom of shopping around for the least expensive propane, rather than being tied to a contract. I am hoping that once we get the solar panels up next year we will only have to buy propane every two years at the most, and just to top it off.

Late Thursday evening as it was getting dark, JB was sitting out front with a small campfire in our metal container. All of a sudden, he yells, "Rose, get the gun!" Both I and the crew foreman come running with our pistols, and there, not two feet from JB's chair is a big rattle snake coming close for the warmth of the fire. I hand the pistol to JB and he gets his first snake. Of course his is about 3 feet long, where as mine have been a lot smaller. Now every time someone shoots one, I cut off and save the rattles. I'll probably send them to Ann for Christmas!

By Friday the crew is done with their work, and now ours is really starting. Next week JB and RJ will start framing the inside of our house. I have decided to get the kitchen cabinets and counters from Lowe's. They are nice looking and within our budget. We are actually getting most of our building supplies from Lowe's. Their people have been so very helpful and patient with me.

We went to the Humane Society on Saturday with the list of attributes our new pet would need.  We really need to be specific for the dog's sake as living Up Here is so very different from Down There.  It was extremely difficult, but for the first time ever, I left there without a pet.

Now: June 18, 2011

We were unable to get our solar panels up until the Summer of 2010, as we were caught in that Wall Street fiasco in the Fall of 2008 and lost more than 60% of our 401K's. It wasn't a fortune, but it was just about all the financial resources we had. We have had to cut back on a lot of our plans, and take time to save up for the ones we can afford. Fortunately we did have some land in another state that we were finally able to sell in January of this year. Without ranting, let me just say one of the main reasons we are up here and trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, is to be independent from our frustratingly inept and corrupt government on all levels. That said, on with the news.

Yesterday there was no wind, so we got the tipi put up. Unfortunately, a mouse had got into it during the winter, but there are only two little holes chewed near the bottom. Other than that and the fact that the poles are not Lodgepole Pine (not completely straight like they should be), it looks good. And it's good to have it up once again. By the time we were done, it was too hot to work on caulking the deck, so that's what we'll do tomorrow and get an early start.

On June 12 I mentioned a wren that had moved into our birdhouse during the Spring of 2008. We also had a pair of wrens last Spring and again this year. I like to think it is the same pair, but who knows? The male moved in about mid-May and began singing what must be his mating melody. He is the smallest but the loudest bird in our woods, second only in volume to the evening grosbeak (who has absolutely no melody that I can discern). The wren's song seems very intricate and is quite lovely. Once he finds a mate, his song seems to shorten a bit, but is still the prettiest around. He has had a mate for several weeks now, and with all the goings on the last two days, their eggs may have hatched. Last year when his mate moved in, watching her had me in hysterics. The first thing she did was throw out just about all the nesting material the male had put in there. I guess getting rid of the guy's things and remodeling the bachelor pad is not species specific!!

Then: The 2nd Week of August 2008 Now: June 17, 2011

Building Rose Camp, August 2008

 Then: The 2^nd Week of August 2008

The crew arrived back up at Rose Camp Monday Morning and will be installing the front door and putting up the metal sides and roof this week. When they are done, we have to fill in dirt all around the house about a foot up. Eventually we want to have the dirt 2 ft up all around, to be even with the floor. It will insulate the crawl space and, hopefully, keep moisture out.

JB purchased a wood splitter, and I love it! This was a job he thought he would have to do, but it's all mine. He can slice and I'll dice. Since we do not have a wood shed yet, we are going to stack the firewood in the grove and on the porch, then cover it with tarps.

I really would like to get a dog or two, but JB is hesitant. We had greyhounds for more than ten years, and I really miss having at least one dog, even with all the bears, deer, squirrels and chipmunks. We made a list of the attributes our new pet would need, and we will check at the Humane Society maybe next week. Problem is, I have never walked into a pet shelter and walked out empty handed.

We are going to move into our house this weekend and set up under the loft. Yes!! It will all be enclosed with the metal walls up. And JB's brother needs his camping trailer back. Perfect timing! We are hoping that the crew will be all done, including the ceiling and porch, within two weeks.

Now: June 17, 2011

We did get the dirt two feet high all the way around the house in 2009, but with all the rain we have had this Spring, it is obvious that we need to install a french drain on the north and south sides. I am hoping we can get that done this summer. But we took yesterday off just to be retired. Today we hope to get the small gaps in the deck filled and the tar paper put on. And maybe even some of the decking.  It looks like another beautiful day and the wind hasn't picked up yet.

As far as the wood splitter goes, I can split wood all day and not get bored or tired.  It is fascinating the way each piece splits on the grain and how much the grain can change within just 16".  I am an artist at heart, and while I am splitting, I usually put a few pieces aside that I am sure can be used to make something with.  Problem is, I have boxes of wood and bark pieces set aside that I have not had time to do address.  One of these days. . .

And speaking of the weather, another thing I love about being way Up Here is that we can see the weather coming and prepare for it, rather than simply react when it arrives.  The clouds will stack up on the mountain peaks and look ominous, but then little pieces, like cotton balls, will break off and go floating gently by.  We just have to be concerned about the big, dark ones that break off, or if the whole mass continues towards us without breaking up at all.  Now we will be able to sit on our new deck watch the weather form.

Then: The 1st Week of August 2008 Now: June 16, 2011

Then: The 1st Week of August 2008


JB actually made it to Wenatchee Monday evening and I met him there for dinner.  He was thrilled to get up the mountain, and be home for good. And it is wonderful to have him here.

This week the building crew is putting the plywood on the roof and "wrapping" the house. We can actually go in the doorway and walk around inside. Wow!  Our home.

JB brought up his trusty chain saw out of storage and began sawing the huge tree that had fallen on our tipi poles into 16" slices. I had already limbed it. That done, the next thing we need is a wood splitter, which was JB's project. Time is flying by and we have a lot of wood to cut and split before winter sets in.  Not to mention all the work on the house and building a shed for the batteries and generator.

Now: June 16, 2011

Yesterday was another beautiful day, but with a cold wind off the snowy mountain peaks. JB made another "speed" run to town for tar paper and 2X6X12's for the side of the shop onto which we will fasten the sheets of steel. He also bought waterproof sealant for the decking. Upon further investigation, we decided not to seal the plywood, but just cover it with tar paper. $1000 for waterproofing was out of the question.

My cousin, Ann, along with her brother, Jeff, and two of his daughters are coming to visit the weekend of June 25/26, so there is lots to be done. We always look forward to their visits, and this year Jeff's 11 year old daughter will be coming up for the first time. Yesterday I cleaned out the floor of the tipi, and we will get the skin put up in a day or two - when it isn't so windy. I also hung out the wash in the wind which acts just like a dryer, and it was dry in no time.

One of our neighbor's dogs came up to visit today, a big ol' Lab. He comes up once every couple weeks or so and stays about ½ hour. He and our dogs play, running all over, then he leaves but they never try to follow him. 

Two of our favorite magazines were in the mail that JB brought up, Backwoods Home and Countryside.  When they arrive, we always take time out to start reading them.

Then: The 5th Week of July 2008 Now: June 15, 2011



Raising the trusses



Then: The 5^th Week of July

The crew arrived on Monday and began final preparations to raise the trusses. While I was trimming trees, I heard a chipmunk "screaming" and looked up to see a hawk grab it right off a tree. Very dramatic! And not a great way to start the day.

RJ and Mike came up after lunch to watch the crew raise the double truss. Four of them climbed the third and fourth outside poles, one on each pole and each with a pulley attached to one end of the trusses. Working together, they pulled the trusses up the poles into place. Amazing! But with the trusses in place, it was discovered that the loft rafter was 3" too high. Lowering it was their job for Tuesday.
My job on Tuesday was to work on filling the well pipe ditch to the cistern. Mike helped, and RJ finished it. What a job that was!

Friday is JB's last day at work. He is taking his three weeks in time rather than extra pay so he can get out here more quickly. Retirement! I have an idea that it is going to be a big adjustment for him. He's leaving on Saturday and should be here by Wednesday or Thursday.

I asked the crew foreman if he could put in the ceiling for us which would be the insulation and tongue-in-groove pine. I also asked him to build the front porch. He agreed and gave us a very reasonable quote. Thank goodness, because there's no way I could see us finishing that 20 foot ceiling, or building the porch with everything else we had to do.  And regardless of what else we had to do, there was just NO WAY we would even know how to go about doing that ceiling.

JB left Illinois Saturday morning and got to Sioux Falls, SD. It's time for the annual Sturgis motorcycle gathering so he's surrounded by "hogs" on the highway. He got all the way to Billings, MT, on Sunday! He will probably arrive by Tuesday, so I get Down There to do shopping and laundry. That little camping trailer is about to become a lot smaller. Saw a couple wild turkeys on the south ridge just before I left.

Now: June 15, 2011

It is 34 degrees outside this morning, but sunny and clear.  And the ceiling is wonderful.  Even with our pine walls, the ceiling is one of my favorite parts of our home.

Yesterday was another beautiful, but windy day, with no rain. Perfect for working outside. JB finished nailing all the joists into their hangers, then we got all twelve 4X8 ft pieces of plywood put on top and nailed in. Now we can actually walk on our deck! It is very firm and sturdy, but it is a bit rustic. Our next step is to put up the three middle poles, then waterproof the plywood and cover it with tar paper. At that point, we will be ready to put on the decking and the railing. The outside steps up to it will be built after we put up the steel sides.  Looking at what I just wrote, it feels like we'll be lucky to finish by August. . .

I do need to mention our wild flowers. They are everywhere. It's just like living in the middle of a 40 acre garden right now. I have been carrying around my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wild Flowers with we for the last two years trying to identify them all. So far I have found the names of 35 of them, but there are still a few that I can't find. Named or not, they are all beautiful.  Yellow is the predominant color with Arrowleaf Balsam Root vividly covering all the hill and mountain sides.  We also have the yellow Arrowleaf Arnica.  There are a variety of purple flowers, the most numerous of which are Lupine and Wild Sweet Pea.  There is also a myriad of small to tiny white, blue, and pink flowers.  The white Flox is just blooming and is stunning with its tiny orange center.  I enjoy all the seasons Up Here, but I think Spring is my favorite, watching the solid white turn into a rainbow of color.











Then: The 4th Week of July 2008 Now: June 14, 2011



Our visitor June 13, 2011





Building Rose Camp July 2008

Then: The Fourth Week of July 2008


The crew arrived Monday morning and started framing the floor, which they completely finished on Tuesday and started on the loft. It was so very cool to actually be able to walk on the floor of our house. This is really happening!

When I wasn't watching them, I was back to trimming trees, as usual. And going to town. I had to go three times this week for laundry, supplies, etc. If the crew needs anything, I go down to get it so the work doesn't slow down. They said the whole project should take about four weeks.

On Wednesday they framed in the windows, finished the loft and started building the trusses. It certainly will be interesting to see how they get those in place! On Thursday they put up the loft rafter, and the header against the west end of the house which we will use to attach the deck, whenever that gets built. They left late Thursday for Spokane as one of them had to be back for Friday.

One of the guys on the crew is a real city boy. I think this is his first time ever camping. I had warned them all of the wild life Up Here, especially the rattle snakes, as I've shot a couple more of them since my cousin's visit. Well, this crew member was being SUCH a city boy, that he was getting razzed by all of us. At one point I went for a walk up on the South ridge and shot off a round. When I got back to camp, he asked if I had shot another snake. "No," I replied. "That damn cougar is just getting too nosy, so I had to scare him back into the woods." I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn so white, so fast. I let him shake for several minutes before I said, "Gotcha!"

As I was getting into bed Thursday night, I heard a noise on the other side of the trailer where I keep all my clothes. I turned on the light, poked around and discovered a nest with 6 little baby mice! Mama was running around, very anxious about her brood. I got an empty plastic container and put the nest in it, stood very still, and soon Mama was in with her babies. I put a piece of screen over the top, and we all settled in for the night. I missed not having a pet - now I had seven of them!

Saturday I found that a chipmunk had moved into the empty birdhouse. I put peanuts and raisins in there for him and he would sit just inside the hole so I could watch him eating them. Almost like another pet.

Now: June 14, 2011

I should never have "adopted" the mouse family as they are so cute. I had a hard time in the winter setting traps for them in the house. At first I made JB set and empty the traps, but as the months wore on, I disposed of the dead mice down the outhouse hole. I couldn't just toss them out in the woods as Dinga would find them. I have also had to get used to her catching chipmunks. The first few times she did, I almost cried. In the past year, the chipmunks seem to have moved away from the area around the house and we hardly see them any more. The squirrels, however, are another story. They drive the dogs wild and so far have never been caught. I am very sure that they purposely tease the dogs, coming just far enough down the trees so the dogs can't reach them.

JB finished mowing yesterday morning and I continued weeding, which is a never-ending job. I am finding a lot more of the Devil's thorn than last year. It is a really nasty, miniature relative of the Devil's Club. It is a creeper and Elsie told me that the thorns can get hard enough to puncture a bike tire.  I can only imagine what they could do to a bare foot!

After lunch, JB started nailing each joist into its hanger. Hopefully he can finish that today.

And speaking of my city mind - yes I was, it's right there in the title of my blog. I cannot stand to see pine cones on the ground that the squirrels have eaten to the core. They look like someone ate a small corn-on-the-cob and just tossed it away. Litter. They are offensive to my visual sensibilities, which surprises even me! Obviously one of my very few city mind sets that remain.