March 2, 2012



Warming up by the stove after
playing out in the snow



Our snow covered yard

Our Wednesday morning blue skies were soon obscurred by clouds and our views hidden by fog.  The sun peeked out in the afternoon, but we didn't see the mountains again until Thursday.  With every little breeze snow blew off the trees, looking like another snow storm.  I shoveled off the deck after dishes and laundry.  Meanwhile JB was unsuccessfully trying to start the snow blower.  Finally he had to shovel the pathways manually.  Fortunately for both of us, the snow was light and fluffy.  As soon as the road is passable by Jeep, JB is going to take that snow blower down the the small engine repair shop and have it thoroughly gone over.  Enough is enough!

After lunch we put the track back on MAX and I think we broke our record for the shortest time ever.  Then JB drove around the south ridge and house several times to pack down the driveway and path.  The dogs stayed with me inside as he drove down our road twice to the main canyon road to groom and pack it down.  Most of it was virgin snow with just a few deer tracks by RJ's cut off.  There was a little drifting, but nothing he had to get out and shovel.  The main canyon road had been plowed and this time our entrance was not blocked.  Thank you!

I'm not setting the alarm to do the stove at night now.  I got up at 1:00 am Thursday morning to visit the bathroom and put in another fire, and the stove was still above temp.  "Temp" being 250 degrees on top, which is 500 inside, the minimum at which the catalytic combuster can re-burn all the smoke and fumes to create more heat and less pollution out the chimney.  There is a lever on the stove which we pull up to force everything through the combuster.  To add wood to the fire, we push the lever down and open the draft.  Put the wood in and close the draft a bit, then wait ten minutes before pushing the lever up again.  We close the draft as much as possible so the fire will burn as slow as possible and not go out.  When JB got up at 7:00 am, it was still above temp.  That's six hours!  A very good fire.

JB left for Down There at 8:00 am Thursday.  Besides getting groceries, mail and gas, he looked at sump pumps.  They just aren't going to be what we need.  He dropped in to see Larry and Elsie, and Larry suggested a bilge pump.  Will check into that on the next trip.  JB went alone this time because he needed to fill up two of our gas cans, and there is not enough room in MAX for me and them.

I started taking firewood off the porch on Thursday.  March 1 and we now have more than eleven hours of sunlight each day.  Yes!  Only three weeks til Spring.  I saw a fat little wren on the porch yesterday.  Guess he can't wait either.  I don't really get tired of the cold and snow, it's the long hours of  darkness I can do without.

Thought for the day:  You are not a human being having a spiritual experience, but rather a spiritual being having a human experience.  Unknown