January 27, 2016 More Shoveling & A Trudging Trek

Our wood shed.

A view from my hike on Tuesday.

Monday 1/25. A busy morning of dishes and laundry, then after lunch I shoveled half of the mountain of snow away from the chicken coup.  JB wanted to bake some pumpkin bread, so he got all the ingredients out and then realized that he really couldn't do it with just one hand.  So I made it.  Two large loaves that turned out wonderfully.

For most of the shoveling, I use a small, light shovel.  I only use the big snow shovel on the paths.  So I am really not lifting any heavy weights, it just seems like it when I am done. . .

Our high for the day was 34, and it was another beautiful day.  Still light out now when we eat dinner at 5:00 pm, and the afternoon sun is coming out from behind the trees to the southwest.  So nice.

Nene called and we had a nice, long chat.  She mentioned that those bear-paw snowshoes were actually my Grandfather's before they were my Dad's, so they are probably at least 100 years old.  He would use them to go hunting every winter on Mica Peak, which is southeast of Spokane.  Nene remembers her Dad letting her use them occasionally, too, so she was delighted to see the photo.

We began watching the second season of Blacklist this evening.  So good!

Tuesday 1/26. It was 26 and mostly cloudy this morning.  It has been a week since Miss Kitty was started, so I let JB talk me in to hiking down and starting her up again.  I left at 9:45 am, after bringing in the fire wood, as I figured I would be way too tired to bring it in when I got back.

With each step I took, my feet sunk in at least to the top of my ankles and often up to mid calf, so it was more of a trudge than a hike.  By the time I reached Miss Kitty, I had no inclination to ever do this again.  Felt like it took me at least two hours to reach her, so it was a very pleasant surprise to discover it had only been 1-1/4 hours.  I rested for about twenty minutes while running her motor, calling JB and eating a big slice of pumpkin bread.  I arrived back home at 12:45 pm, wondering if I would feel masochistic enough to do it again next Tuesday.  Pretty sure I worked off the last of the holiday eggnog during this excursion.  A cup of cocoa, a nap and a hot shower brought me back to life.

Our high for the day was 40, and there was lots of blue sky by sunset.

Wednesday 1/27. It is 28 and overcast this morning.  Gridder plans to be Up Here with our mail, JB's prescription, yogurt and the parts for MAX by about 10:00 am.

Thought for the day: So, if we lie to the government, it's a felony.  But if the government lies to us, it's politics.  Bill Murray