March 25, 2012

Dinga in her favorite winter place. 

The pump works!  All the water has been sucked out from under the house and now the mud needs to dry.  Will have the fan going down there every day.  Whew!

OK.  I have decided to combine both my blog ideas.  Instead of creating a whole new blog on gluten-free eating, I am going to incorporate it into this one.  I have already re-named my page "Some of our Favorite Food Recipes" to "Gluten-Free Gastronomy."  And have added two more: "How I Learned to Survive my Husband's Celiac's Disease" and "Our Favorite GF Products & Cookbooks".  Hope this will be helpful to those who need it.

It was 18 and sunny when JB left for Down There about 8:00 am on Friday.  Dinga always whines so pitifully when he leaves, and continues to make her displeasure known for quite a while.  Jesse just sits stoically.  Patiently waiting for the hour to pass until I let them out.  At least he no longer runs way down the road after JB.  By his tracks in the snow, it looks like he only goes down to the hairpin turn below the end of our driveway.

I took the dogs for their morning walk since JB was gone.  There were lots of nuthatches, juncos and woodpeckers out, making their presence known.  I saw a bird of prey soaring above us, large enough for an eagle.  I can tell the difference between a raven and a bird of prey in flight, but JB is able to identify whether it is an eagle, hawk or kite.  Maybe I need new glasses.

When we go for a walk, Dinga always needs a stick to carry and chase.  As we begin, Jesse is thrilled to have one but he needs a cheering section to keep him interested.  Dinga, on the other hand, will nip at our heels if we don't throw her stick for her if she has dropped it.  If we are not outside, she will lay on the porch, as seen in the photo above, for hours at a time whether it is 18 or 38 out there and there is no wind or precipitation.  In warmer weather, she seeks the shade and coolness of the earth.

Well, the words are just pouring out today, so this will be a long discourse to make up for the previous few short ones.

JB discovered a tiny frog on the floor by his chair at the kitchen table yesterday morning.  Am still not sure how they always end up in that part of the house.

Early Spring at Rose Camp means that although the day may start out in the teens, it will probably warm up into the 30's and possibly 40's.  Any snow we get disappears quickly from the bare spots, but the ground is still about 80% covered in snow.  Our road is still mostly snow and the main canyon road is a bit muddy with some snow and a little ice in places.  Below Larry and Elsie's it is all dirt or mud, depending upon the precipitation.  The buds are slowly appearing on the bushes.  And the birds are coming back for more than just a few hours at a time.

I think I neglected to mention a couple great articles in the current issue of "BackHome" magazine.  (They are all great articles, but I particularly liked these two.)  "Ten Unusual Uses for Eggs" lists ingenious ideas from skin and hair care to glue for torn pages in books.  There is also an interesting article on "Making Cheese at Home."  Have read about this before and one of these days I am going to try it.  Sounds easier than it might seem.

And speaking of eating (I did mention food above), I find that I do not "pig out" anymore.  I love food and have always loved to eat, catering more to my taste buds than my hunger or health.  But being Up Here, I find that I no longer need food to make me happy or fill a void (well, except for chocolate).  Whether it is because I am retired and without the day-to-day stress of the job or because we are living away from the constant press of life in the city, I'm not sure.  I just know that now the only void in my life is being so far from our son and grandchildren.  And I have come to know myself and my husband better.  I am learning to listen more to others instead of fighting to be heard.  Life is good, and I am letting it be so.

Thought for the day:  Love is all there is.  The Beatles (and many others - The Beatles just put it to music.)