September 16, 2016 Time & Seasons Fly By

Cows on the road
Wednesday morning.

Wednesday 9/14. Such an incredible Fall day!  The seasons usually begin before the calendar announces their arrival and this Fall is no exception.  The middle of September already!  At this rate, Christmas will be here in a couple weeks.

I met the cows on the way Down There.  Got all my shopping done and them some.  Just took my time and enjoyed the day.  I went to the dollar store and found six books!  At $1 each, they are even cheaper than the thrift store, and they are brand new.  Also found some napkins with slot machines on them that Nene had been looking for.  Was home around 2:00 pm.  And our high for the day was comfortable 74.

Funny how life changes from day to day, and it usually has to do with our perspective and attitude.  I have learned a lot about perspective living on the mountain.  We have south, west and north facing ridges quite close to our house and they all have completely different views.  You take one step to the left or right and part of the view is hidden behind a tree.  Another step, and there it is.  Just like life.  You have to move, whether physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, in order to change your perspective, and possibly your attitude.  It's all a part of growing and living.  My Aunt Nene is much better at seeing, understanding and accepting other people's perspective than I am.  I just don't have the patience to be around those whose presence I don't enjoy.  Whose perspective is so opposite of mine.

I watched Guardians of the Galaxy this evening for the umpteenth time.  Still love it just as much as the first time.

Thursday 9/15. It was 57 and clear this morning with possible rain in the forecast for next week.  JB will be home on Saturday and he may have a wet ride over the mountains.

Today I just puttered around the house cleaning, sorting and doing laundry.  Started one of my new books.  Took a nap.  It was another wonderful day with a high of 73.

On our afternoon walk, up on the south ridge, I heard a rattle snake but couldn't find it.  Then later, while watering the tomatoes (all that's left in the garden), I saw a good-sized green racer.  They must be out enjoying the last of the warm weather.

I haven't put water in the bird bath for a couple weeks now, as it attracts a lot more yellow jackets than birds.  The wasps usually swarm around mid September and I have been seeing a few more each day.  Lovely.

Friday 9/16. It is 57 with a few thin clouds about.  My project for today will be to clean out the hen house and pen, and lay down new shavings and straw.  A semi-annual event.

Thought for the day: Life is an occasion.  Rise to it.  Author Unknown

September 14, 2016 Eggs, Eggs, & Tomato Sauce

Rain falling to the west
of Rose Camp on Monday.

Monday 9/12. Custard for breakfast!  What could be better?!  JB wasn't here to frown at me, and anyway it's mainly eggs and milk.  I usually have eggs for breakfast, so I just had them in a different form. . .

Drove down to the "tunnel" and cut some more branches.  Didn't have to do as much as I thought I would, and was back home in about an hour and a half.

It was obvious that there had been cows on our road yesterday or early this morning.  Our neighbor to the south and east of us has cows, but I am not quite sure how they would have got Up Here.

Had another nice chat with Randy today.  He is having a real problem with roof rats.  We had a problem with them when we lived in Kirkland, west of the mountains.  The only way you can get rid of them is to seal up every possible crack in your house.

Also had a nice chat with Nene.  She is back from her trip with my cousin and they had a great time.  Actually came back a day later than they had planned.

Since we are not going to have enough plum tomatoes ripe at one time to make and can sauce, I used the one pound we did have.  I have never made tomato sauce before, but I was quite pleased with the way it turned out.  I ended up with about 1-1/2 cups and it should make great sloppy joes.

Our high for the day was 62 with big, dark clouds drifting in during the afternoon.

Elsie told me this evening that people were stealing Trump signs and burning them in the park!  I guess Hillary's supporters think just like she does - they don't have to follow the rules.  JB had told me that driving between Blewett and Snowqualamie passes he saw a LOT of Trump signs.  And not just small ones.

Tuesday 9/13. It was 45 with clear skies this morning, with warmer weather in the forecast.  I sat on the porch with coffee just contemplating the Universe before going into the day.

Instead of rice pudding, I made egg salad.  Not sure why I hadn't made it sooner, as I love it!  And there is no sugar involved.

I was going to split two of the smaller rounds that are left, but instead I just puttered around inside and outside.  I gathered a large bag of kindling down the west slope, and dragged up a few large branches that I then cut up and stacked.

After an early dinner of an egg salad sandwich, the dogs and I went for a walk down the road.  I haven't gone for a lot of long walks this year, and I really should.  I think I said that last year, too.  It felt good and was so enjoyable.

Am going Down There tomorrow for grocery shopping and more loading up for the winter.  It is supposed to be in the high 70's in town.  Our high for today was 67, but I thought for sure it had at least reached 70.

I finished watching the first season of Arrow this evening.  Very entertaining.  Looking forward to watching it again with JB.

Wednesday 9/14. It is 55 with blue skies this morning.  I'll be on my way after JB's 9:00 am call.

Thought for the day: Boredom is a self-inflicted wound.  Stuart Woods, Santa Fe Edge

September 12, 2016 Cooking, Canning & Reconnecting

The bull snake

Friday 9/9. I was on my way Down There at 9:30 am, as I absolutely had to get to the post office today.  I ran a couple other errands and was back home again by noon.  Driving through the "tunnel" it seemed as though all the little trees that were behind the ones I had cut yesterday had begun to lean over the road!  I definitely have to cut them back, but not for a day or two.

After lunch I split the junk wood that I had left to dry and one small round, then rearranged the porch so I could stack it on the south end.  Since it would be only one tractor bucket full, I just carried the wood to the porch in several arm loads.  Got it stacked and thought I would just relax for the rest of the day, but then remembered that the wood stove really needed to be cleaned out.  Always such a lovely chore.  Doesn't how much I concentrate on not touching my face, I always end up with black smudges on it. . .

Our high for the day was 69 with a light breeze, and the sky remained clear.

Saturday 9/10. It was 60 and clear this morning, which is really much warmer than it has been.  After JB called at 9:00 am, I called Sandy and we had a nice, long chat.  A perfect morning for sitting on the porch and talking to her.

On our morning walk, the dogs and I discovered a bull snake on the south ridge sunning himself.  He was about two feet long and in no mood to move.  Both dogs sniffed him, realizing that he was not a rattler.

There has been a large flock of grouse in the bushes of the south ridge for the past several days.  Every time we walk up there the dogs flush them out, and quite often right in front of me.

Wanting to give my muscles a rest, I spent most of the afternoon making and canning seven pints of apple pie filling with the apples I picked from Elsie's tree.  They are fairly tart, but the filling turn out quite delicious and will be perfect in JB's Mom's recipe for fruit coffee cake.

The wind swept in this afternoon, gusting to 16 mph and supposedly bringing in a cold front.  But our high for the day was 81 and the wind was quite warm.

Around 4:00 pm my phone rang.  It was a cousin with whom I had lost touch in the past several years!  She had found me on Facebook a couple weeks ago and I had given her my phone number.  We had a wonderful chat, catching up with each other and various family members.  

Sunday 9/11. It was 49 with clear skies and a cool breeze gusting to 12 mph as this sad day of remembrance began.

With three dozen eggs in the refrigerator, and more on the way, I made custard to use up some of them.  It is, after all, my favorite of desserts.  As soon as it came out of the oven, I ate two little dishes of it!  Tomorrow I think I will make some tapioca or rice pudding.

By noon clouds were drifting in from the mountains, and our high for the day was 69.  A very comfortable day that I spent mainly inside.  I got started on Nicholas Sparks' A Walk To Remember and could not put it down.  Halfway through I knew how it was going to end and my tears splashed on the last of the pages.  Phenomenal!

However, I did take time out for a nap.  Oh, how I love my naps!

The flock of grouse were gone today.  Probably got tired of being rousted and moved on.

Monday 9/12. It is 47 and mostly cloudy this morning.  A bit chilly inside too, so I put a fire in the wood stove.

Thought for the day: Stay away from negative people.  They have a problem for every solution.  Author Unknown

September 9, 2016 Family

Some of the autumn colors
along our road.

Wednesday 9/7. Got some laundry and housework done before meeting my Aunt Nene and my cousin down on the pavement at 1:15 pm.  My cousin parked her car at Larry and Elsie's, then I drove them up to Rose Camp in my Jeep.  Nene gave me a pillow and pillow case with moose, deer and bears on it that she had made!  This since she got to see a moose on her trip to Idaho this year and I haven't see one yet.  I love it!

We had a great visit and lunch, then my cousin and I hiked around Rose Camp while Nene relaxed on the porch.  We left a little early so I could take them down to my brother's place and show it to my cousin.  Got them back to their car at 4:30 as planned.

I was amazed at how much the bushes and trees have begun to show their autumn colors in the canyon just since I was down last Friday.  It was a very pretty drive.

Even though our high for the day was 70, there were a few big clouds and a cool breeze that made us put our jackets on.  But it was a very good day.  

Thursday 9/8. This morning was 48 and clear, with the promise of each day getting a little warmer for a while.  I took it nice and slow after feeding the girls and dogs.  Did another load of wash to try and catch up, then got on the road at noon to clear out the rest of the "tunnel".

I was actually able to do a pretty good job in just 45 minutes.  Driving back up, I cut several areas on our road and was home at 2:00 pm.  It felt so good to get that done, that I just relaxed and started a new book, Blessings by Belva Plain. 

JB's Mom is doing much better, so he may be back home in two weeks instead of three.

After the visit yesterday, I was thinking a lot about family today.  To my Mother, family was all important.  It didn't matter if someone was difficult to get along with, difficult to love, or took you down with them into their bad places.  It didn't matter if they always wanted to be in control; always wanted to be the most important one in the room and sucked the energy right out of you.  Family was family.  That can be a good thing, but it can also be destructive - to the one trying to be loyal.  I have learned that sometimes there comes a point where you have to let go of people for your own good.  Most of my family is great.  I love them and I really enjoy their company, but there are some who must go their own way without me.  And we are both better for it.  But it has taken me many years to get to that point.

Elsie and I were talking about that on the radio this evening.  We both like the adage: Friends are the family you choose.  Then we both called each other "Sis". . .

Friday 9/9. It is 48 and clear again this morning, but the air is still.  I plan to do some splitting today and start stacking the wood on the porch.

Thought for the day: Prayer - the duct tape of life.  Wild Rose

September 7, 2016 Happy 95th Birthday to JB's Mom!

Dads & lads exploring caves
down our south ridge.

Monday 9/5. The weather has been cooler than normal and sometimes wet since last Friday.  It had rained Thursday night and we figured that would help keep the dust down for Sunday's BBQ.  I got all the shopping done on Friday and was home by 1:00 pm.  We spent the rest of the day and Saturday preparing for our guests.

Sunday dawned clear with a temp of 48.  However, by the time our first guest arrived just after 1:00 pm, there were dark clouds hovering nearby and scattered rain drops were falling by 2:00 pm and then hail.  But they didn't last long and no one let them put a damper on the day.  As far as I am concerned, this was the best BBQ yet.  There were 25 of us, including six boys ranging from four to thirteen years old, and I think they explored our entire 40 acres.  Lots of good food, including Elsie's homemade ketchup and garden fresh tomatoes and onions, and some phenomenal desserts.

At one point the dads and lads hiked down the other side of our south ridge to some small caves.  Upon their return, it was obvious that they had had quite the adventure.  No snakes, but lots of bat guano.

During this winter, we realized that we definitely had a Canyon Rescue Squad Up Here and I wanted to do something special to acknowledge them.  So I made special, framed certificates for Larry and Elsie, their son (who has helped rescue us several times in the past eight years), Mr. and Mrs. Gridder, and Mr. and Mrs. Sixes.  I presented them at the BBQ, wishing we could have done more.

Most of our guests stayed til after dark, and the last ones left at 8:30 pm.  Such a great day!

We slept in Monday morning and took a nap after washing the dishes and hanging out the laundry.  Then JB had to get organized for his trip to the other side of the mountains.  His brother will be gone for three weeks on a business trip; his sister-in-law goes back to working at the school; and his nephew returns to school.  His Mom is having some issues, so he decided to go help.

Today's high was 66 and mostly cloudy with a few rain drops.  NOAA promises that the end of September will be warm and dry.  We'll see. . .

Tuesday 9/6. It was 44 and overcast this morning, but the clouds soon disappeared after dropping their load overnight.  JB left a little after 9:00 am and had a slower-than-usual trip what with traffic and construction.  But he arrived safe and sound at 1:30 pm.  And now he will be with his Mom for her 95th birthday tomorrow.

My cousin and my Aunt Nene will be here tomorrow for a visit.  My cousin is driving up to Brewster to see her sister for a few days and asked Nene to come along.  They will be Up Here for just a few hours, but it will be so good to see them.  It will be my cousin's first visit to Rose Camp.  I had to vacuum out my car as Nene doesn't want my cousin to drive our road in her car, so they will park at the bottom, and I will drive them up.  Fortunately I had done some serious house cleaning before the BBQ.

Clouds moved back over us by late afternoon.  We had a few light sprinkles and then a short cloud burst in the late afternoon.  Our high for the day was 67.  I hope it is nice and dry for Nene's and Polly's visit tomorrow.

Wednesday 9/7. It is 48 and clear this morning.  Looks to be a perfect day to visit Rose Camp.

Thought for the day: Life is short, break the rules.  Forgive quickly, kiss slowly.  Love truly.  Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.  Angels magazine, Jan/Feb 2016, pg 14

September 5, 2016 And a Good Time Was Had By All

Monday 9/5. We had the best Rose Camp BBQ ever!  And a good time was had by all.  More details on Wednesday. . .

Thought for the day: There are two good things in life - freedom of thought and freedom of action.  W. Somerset Maugham

September 2, 2016 Frogs, Double Yolks & Snow On the Mountains

Odd cloud formation off
the south ridge this week.

Elsie's pretty
Black-eyed Susans.

Wednesday 8/31. A busy inside day.  Had to get mail ready for two very important birthdays next week.  Bob's Mother turns 95 and Mike turns 18.  It is times like this that make me wish we lived a little closer to Seattle.

After lunch I baked cookies for Sunday.  My World Famous Rose Camp Gluten-free Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip cookies.  The recipe makes ten dozen, so this project always keeps me busy for a while.  It calls for four eggs and I used three brown and one white.  All three brown eggs had double yolks!  Going to be a lot of protein in those cookies. . .

We have at least two very vocal frogs under our house right now.  They often serenade us, and usually in a duet.

Men from the new propane store were up today to do a leak check on our tank, which is required by their insurance before they can deliver to us.  The delivery should be mid-September.

Wow!  The end of August already, and our high for the day was 76.  By the looks of things, it's pretty much the end of our summer weather.  When summer is over, I always wonder where it went.  Whereas winter's end comes as no surprise.  I always know exactly where it went, and am usually waving goodbye.  Not that I dislike winter, but it often lasts from late October to early April, and enough is enough.

The girls gave us 70 eggs in August!  We usually have at least two dozen eggs in the refrigerator at any given time.

Thursday 9/1. It was 50 and partly cloudy with a breeze this first day of September.  JB was on his way Down There before 8:00 am for a follow-up appointment with his doctor about his elbow, and of course to run some errands.

By 9:30, when I hung the laundry out, the sky was overcast and it was still fairly chilly.  Our high for the day was just 66, and I think that was when the sun peeked through the clouds once.  JB was home around noon, and by our 3:30 walk we could see snow laying a blanket of white on the mountains.  NOAH is calling for rain this weekend, but even if it is dry, it is going to be cool.

We have had a lot of deer around in the past week or so.  And possible a bear, they way the dogs have been acting.

Friday 9/2. It is 46 with mostly clear skies this morning.  I will be on my way Down There this morning to do shopping for the BBQ.

Thought for the day: I can't believe how old people my age are!  (See on Facebook)