September 4, 2015 Rose Hip Marmalade & A Dead Battery

Rose bushes in their Fall finery.

Wednesday 9/2. Well, I put "skunk" in my title this morning and then didn't write about it!  I am going to be even more ditzy than usual until our BBQ is over, which more than a little scary.  Back to the skunk - just as JB let the dogs out Tuesday night, I smelled a skunk through the kitchen window.  I yelled, but it was too late.  Jesse came running back a few minutes later, drooling from the spray.  It is nearly impossible to get him into the bathtub, and absolutely impossible when he has been skunk-sprayed and you don't want to get any of it on you.  So I grabbed the special dog soap, some washcloths and jug of water, and we washed him out on the porch.  It wasn't as bad as I first thought, just his face and front.  I smelled a bit on Dinga too, but she rolled in the dirt and grass while we were washing Jesse, and came up odor free.

I bought this dog soap at the annual Fall craft fair last year and it is amazing.  Made with a base of coconut oil and with goat's milk and hemp, it takes the skunk smell right out.  It can be found at petgifts@gmail.com.

This morning I woke up feeling irritable.  I knew I could change that very quickly with an attitude adjustment, but sometimes I just want to wallow in my ire for a while.  And so I did.  Kind of stupid, but I did.

We did laundry and dishes.  I hung some of the bigger pieces of laundry outside, but the wind was just too brutal to stay out very long, so I hung the rest inside.  First time we have had laundry hanging inside since before Christmas.

I still got the occasional whiff of skunk in the house, but that is something that just takes a while to dissipate, no matter what you do.

I made the rose hip marmalade this morning which came out to two 1/2-pint jars and one 1/2-cup jar, with a little left over.  It tasted really good and has only two ingredients: rose hips and brown sugar.  The recipe called for an equal amount of both, but I may put in a little less sugar next time.  And hopefully next time will be next week.

JB has been busy in the shop for the past week or so.  There is much more room now and most of his tools are hung up and organized.

I was going to bake cookies today, but didn't have enough eggs, so I will do that on Saturday.  Instead, I collected a bag of kindling, and two bags of pine needles.  Did some work in the house and finished my book, Fire Trap by Earl Emerson, who is from the Pacific Northwest and writes mysteries set in Seattle.

Thursday 9/3. It was a cold 40 with clear skies this morning and just a light breeze.  I didn't have to leave until 12:30 pm, so we did dishes and more laundry, as I won't be here tomorrow.  Or at least I didn't think I would be.  Jesse and I went to leave and my battery was dead!  So I took JB's Jeep, much to Jesse's delight, as he gets to sit in the front seat.

I did a few short errands as the day was cool enough to leave him in the car.  Picked up a few things for Sunday's BBQ, and the vet was our last stop.  So Jesse finally got his rattlesnake booster.  There were big, dark clouds overhead by the time we were on our way back to Rose Camp.  We were home by 3:00 pm and we actually got a little sprinkle of rain.

Tried to jump my Jeep's battery with JB's Jeep, but to no avail.  I just bought it last summer, so JB is going to take it with him tomorrow when he goes Down There for his appointment at the pace maker clinic.  I hope it is still under warranty, the car battery, that is.

I will take JB's Jeep Down There on Saturday to do all the shopping, and will bake cookies tomorrow.  The girls have been giving us one egg a day, so I now have enough for the recipe.  Not looking forward to going to town on Saturday of a holiday weekend, but that's just the way it is.

We can actually see a little snow on the mountains, but there is none on Mission Ridge yet.  I really wanted to put a fire in the wood stove, but I just put on another shirt instead.

Friday 9/4. It is 42 and mostly cloudy this morning.  JB just left for Down There and I am still waking up.

Thought for the day: The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.