April 16, 2014 More & More Flowers

More balsam root on the south slope.

Monday 4/14. I sat out on the porch with my coffee for quite a while this morning, listening to the cacophony of bird song and just being in the moment.

Did the dishes and laundry.  Hung the laundry outside and took the dogs for their morning walk, but by 11:30 am I knew I could no longer put off working in the loft.  I have to look in every box, try to consolidate and make more room.  I took a break about an hour later and, while on the porch getting some firewood, I heard shouting.  From the west ridge it sounded like it was coming from down near RJ's cabin.  I called Elsie and she said that their dogs were barking up a storm, but she couldn't hear anything other than that.  I put the dogs inside the house; grabbed my backpack, gun and gloves; then drove Miss Kitty down to the top of the steep part of the short cut.  Everything was quiet.  But since I was this far, I decided to brave the rest of the short cut and drive to RJ's.  Larry had driven down it the previous night and moved the tree enough to drive around it, so down I went.  A little slippery in a couple places, but I made it just fine.  Still no sight or sound of anyone, so I had a nice drive home the long way.

A light overcast formed mid-morning and our high was 53, but with the sun unable to break through the clouds, it was a chilly 53.

The neighbor's dog came to visit.  Haven't seen him for almost a year as it has been that long since they have come over from the coast.  Jesse won't let him come near me and doesn't like me to talk to our visitor.  Dinga just sits on the porch and lets the boys do their thing.

In watching Downton Abby, it is interesting how it could also be entitled Pride and Prejudice.  But then so could almost any story involving mankind.  Rather a sorry state of affairs.

And speaking of a sorry state of affairs, I have been thinking about people who have government jobs.  What would I do in their shoes if I knew my department was being used in a flagrantly illicit way for the whims of the current administration?  In our economy it is difficult enough to find a job when laid off, but even more so when you quit and cannot collect unemployment.  Would I quit?  Would I just do a poor job?  Or would I try to under mind their agenda?  It would be an extremely difficult situation to be in.

Larry and a friend stopped by in the early evening on their way back from target practice with his friends who own the property to the south of us.  Then I finished the evening by watching the last of season three of Downton Abby and all the special features which were fascinating.  I found myself getting to bed by almost midnight.  I had planned on setting my alarm to get up for the eclipse but realized I had "been there and done" that several times in my life.  Plus clouds had moved in, so that settled it.

Tuesday 4/15.  It was 35, clear and breezy this morning.  Instead of coffee, I made a cup of tea, bundled up, and took it out on the porch.  I ended up taking a late morning nap because of my late night.  It was just too windy to work outside anyway.  After lunch I forced myself back up into the loft and actually finished the chore.  But with all that dust and sweat, I had to shower before even taking the dogs on their afternoon walk.  I mention that because a daily shower is not one of our activities Up Here.  It just uses too much water and is not really necessary.  We do wash up every night though.

On our afternoon walk I could see that yellow bells and prairie stars are popping up all over now.  And more balsam root is blooming on the south slope each day.

In watching Downton Abby, I am reminded that my Mother's oldest brother abhorred the way the King's English has been so Americanized, slaughtered really.  I do enjoy listening to the characters talk as it is very reminiscent of my maternal grandparents.  My Mother was born in 1923 and her family lived in France and Belgium until she was two years old, when they moved to London.  They visited us every couple of years and I loved listening to them talk.

It may seem odd that I love watching the early twentieth-century English way of life which is so very opposite of ours, but I love them both.  I go to bed enthralled by the castle, clothes and language, but wake up in our little cabin in the woods loving our way of life even more.

Wednesday 4/16. It is 39 and overcast this morning with a slight chance of rain in the forecast.  But the breeze has calmed, so I may get outside to work today.

Thought for the day: I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson

April 14, 2014 Spring, Views and Cougars

RJ's cabin with its sod roof.

My bench on the south ridge.

Friday 4/11.  Right after breakfast, while the mud on the road was still firm, we drove Miss Kitty down to our turn-off to get my Jeep.  The dogs came with us and had a good run, but on the way back Dinga rode with me in the Jeep and Jesse rode in Miss Kitty with JB.  We picked up the card from the trail cam on the way back up and discovered we had three clips of a rather large cougar at about 3:30 am on April 2.

Still reading the papers and magazine I brought up yesterday.  In Time magazine there is an interesting interview with Barbara Ehrenreich, a professed atheist who has written a book entitled Living With a Wild God.  It is about her "mystical encounters."  Sounds fascinating!

After lunch we took the chains off of Miss Kitty and JB's Jeep.  There will only be mud to be concerned about on the road from now on.  Then JB prepared for his trip tomorrow, loading his Jeep with several of his tools to help with building his brother's wine tasting room.

It was a beautiful day with a few clouds floating over and a high of 56 with a cool breeze.

We finished watching season four of Downton Abby.  So nice to have an ending on a happy note.

Saturday 4/12. It was 37 and clear this morning.  JB was on his way to Seattle a little after 8:00 am, checking his CB and his new radio several times on his way down the mountain.

JB had put one of the benches he built a couple years ago into the back of Miss Kitty for me so I could take it up to the south ridge.  I did that right after breakfast and set it where I could sit and contemplate the Universe or whatever was on my mind or maybe just sit and be.  Then I brought a small load of kindling down with me and stacked it in the shed.

Each and every Spring is such a delight with its green grasses and rainbow of flours.  Just as the first snow of Winter sports a feeling of wonder.  And the raging colors of Autumn gets one's blood flowing.  And the heat of summer puts one in the shade of the porch to just sit and enjoy.  The whole wonder of it all is that these feelings emerge every year with the same fervor, as if it were the first time.

I read an interesting interview with Morgan Freeman (one of my all-time favorite actors) who said that perhaps humans are not the main intelligence in our world, but rather the planet itself.  And if we cause her harm, she will simply get rid of us. . .

After lunch I drove Miss Kitty down the shortcut to RJ's to the first steep incline.  Just not ready to tackle that yet, so I parked her there and walked the rest of the way, about a half mile.  The dogs were thrilled and so was I.  RJ had put in some run-offs that seemed to have done their job perfectly, but could not prevent a large, dead tree from falling across the road.  I cleaned up most of the broken branches, but left the rest to RJ.  His place was even more green than ours.

When we got back home, the dogs with their tongues hanging down, I vacuum sealed and froze the meat I had bought on Thursday.  Read BackWoods Home magazine, which is always a great read.  This issue there is an article on pear trees which covers everything you would need to know, and more.

On our afternoon walk, I discovered some prairie stars.  They are such a pretty and delicate little flower.  Our high for the day was 52, but it felt much warmer when I went out on the deck to sit in the sun for a little while.

I had a nice long chat with Nene, which I always enjoy, and really must do more often.

After dinner I re-watched three episodes of Downton Abbey, then fell into bed feeling very tired in a good way after such an active day.

Sunday 4/13.  I woke up at 4:20 am with my mind churning.  Put in a fire and fixed some cocoa.  Wrote down some thoughts, did some sudoku, and watched the moon set.  Then I went outside on the porch at 5:30 am, wrapped in my dressing gown, a blanket (the temperature was 35) and a hat, to watch the sun come up and listen to the birds awaken.  By 6:00 am I was back inside to warm up and go back to bed for a couple hours.

I was back up at 8:00 am and took my coffee out on the porch.  It looked like it was going to be another beautiful, cloudless day.  These early, dry Spring days are really splendid.  Although a part of me is concerned about the "dry", I am not going to waste time worrying about tomorrow when I have today to enjoy.

It was a great Sunday morning with phone conversations with Sande, JB and Nene again.

When I was at Costco on Thursday, I bought a bag of their salmon and sweet potato dog food.  It has no grains in it.  It is a bit pricier at $34 for 35 lbs, compared to $30 and $34 for 40 lbs, but seems worth the difference.  I will slowly introduce it to the dogs, especially since I have three bags of their other food - 1/4 cup new with 3/4 cup old.

After lunch I drove Miss Kitty down our road about 1/2 mile to thin out the trees growing along the road, as I do every year.  New little seedlings are always springing up and threatening to crowd the larger trees.  I also gathered dry wood and succeeded in filling Miss Kitty's load area.  When back home, I put several large pieces of wood in the cradle for cutting.  The smaller ones I broke or cut, then stacked in the wood shed.

Our high for the day was 52, but a very warm 52.

I closed the day by re-watching four episodes of season three of Downton Abbey, and then, literally, fell into bed and asleep.

Monday 4/14.  It is 37 and clear this morning, with nothing different in the forecast until tomorrow or Wednesday.  Hopefully going to be another busy, productive day.

Thought for the day:  Frequently people think compassion and love are merely sentimental.  No!  They are very demanding.  If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu

April 11, 2014 Nothing Sacred

A yellow bell I found on our
Thursday afternoon walk!

Balsam root starting to bloom on
the south slope.

Wednesday 4/9. JB is still working with his new radio, programming in the channels he wants to listen to from the 128 that are available from our location.  Right now he is getting the local and state police, state forest fire information, weather, etc.

Hung the wash outside again.  Very cool, but sunny with a light breeze.

Another day that began with sudoku brain failure.  Very frustrating and very curious.  I kept at it off and on during the day and it finally started coming together.

JB has his radio, and now I need an inside project.  There are lots of outside ones, when Mother Nature allows, which she did today.  I trimmed and cut up several large branches that JB had cut down in January.  We cleared some bushes off the south ridge.  The dogs really get to digging after the moles and such - one of these days they are going to strike gold!

Our son has been helping JB in his search for a new lap top computer to buy since both of ours run on XP.  The support for that ended yesterday.  At least we can get one for under $300 now that everyone wants the tablets instead.

Our high for the day was 51, but with an icy breeze.  Far different from the past few days.  Typical Spring.

The dogs and I went for another after-dinner walk, a little longer one this time.  I discovered some balsam root beginning to bloom on the south slope!

We watched two more episodes of Downton Abby this evening.  We have decided to finish season four before JB leaves, then I can re-watch seasons three and four while he is gone.

Thursday 4/10.  The day began with a partial light overcast and 34 degrees.  I was able to get on the road a little before 9:00 am and it was a delightful ride down the canyon.  Last Thursday when I went Down There only the daffodils and forsythia were blooming in town.  This Thursday EVERYTHING was in bloom - bushes, trees, more flowers!  With our warm temperatures, every plant had sprung back to life.  By the time I was done with my twelve stops, the day had warmed into the high sixties.

I arrived back home around 2:00 pm with lots of groceries to put away.  Our high for the day Up Here was a very warm 55 with no wind chill. 

I have been trying to determine I am so fascinated with Downton Abby and other movies and series of that place and time, and in doing so, I feel a rant coming on.  I realized that in our American culture of today nothing is sacred and nothing is taboo.  So I enjoy going back to a where and when there were rules, and lines that were simply not crossed in public without great consequence.  Many ideals were sacred and many more were taboo.  The lines may not have been fair or kind, but they were something one could rely on.  People took pride in their work and generally worked hard.  Maybe I am beginning to sound like "Granny", but I really am ashamed of how many Americans take so little care of how they look or act in public.  And when did Americans become so thin-skinned?  I am quite sure it all began with the concept of "politically correct" which is the complete opposite of freedom of speech.

I realize that all I can do about this is to watch these shows that I enjoy so much, and try to be the kind of person I admire.  And, of course, continue to exercise my freedom of speech.  

Friday 4/11.  It is again 34 outside this morning, but the sky is clear and a warm day is promised.  We plan to bring my Jeep up to Rose Camp and get JB ready to leave for the week tomorrow.

Thought for the day: A man becomes the song he sings. Pat O'Brien

April 9, 2014 Nice & Warm

Looking southeast from the top of the peak
on Monday - no snow.

Monday 4/7.  I don't remember April being this warm.  Will have to check our records 'cause it seems more like May or June.

I hung the laundry outside again - sheets this time.  It is going to smell so nice when I put them on the bed.  Defrosted the fridge.  Cleaned out the wood stove (long overdue).  Such a warm day that I opened a few windows and the side door.  Our high for the day was 59.

I am going Down There on Thursday to do my after-winter restock.  I will probably always have a little more on hand now with the way things are going.  Especially dog food.  I often let that get down to one 40# bag.  Won't do that any more.

JB had somehow twisted his knee, so he spent most of the day getting to know all about the hand-held HAM radio his nephew had given him (FM instead of AM like our short-wave).  Funny how that knee was acting up today.

After dinner the dogs and I went on a walk.  Jesse was just so excited when he realized what we were doing.  An after-dinner walk - Woo Hoo!!  Just as were were coming back down the south ridge, Larry and Elsie were driving up to the house.  As soon as they got out, Larry took the chains off the tires as he didn't think he would need them any more on our road.  It was kind of odd to see them in the light of day, as all winter it is dark when they come up to visit.

Tuesday 4/8.  It was 47 and mostly clear with a light wind this morning.  The first morning we did not need to put in a fire.

I could not sleep last night, even though I was really tired.  It's been quite a while since that has happened.  When I got up at 8:30 am, and took my coffee out on the porch as it was another magnificent day.  But I was still so sleepy that by 9:30 am, I was back in bed.  Got up again at 11:00 am much more refreshed.  I love being retired. . .

As I suspected, NOAA said that temperatures for the past few days have been 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal.  Our high for today was 63, which is our highest yet this year.  It's a good thing that JB's nephew was here over the weekend, because most of the snow and mud are gone now.  But the sky became overcast by 4:30 pm and at 5:00 pm we had a short rain shower.  

After lunch we drove Miss Kitty down to my Jeep and I brought it up to where our road turns off the main canyon road.  We should be able to bring it all the way home in a week or so.  It was a beautiful day for a ride.

JB is going to Seattle on Saturday for the week to help his brother build a new tasting room for his winery.  He will be back the day before Easter.

Am seeing lots of different kinds of birds about.  Saw our first grosbeaks today.  And I saw a bird that looked like a dull green parakeet.  Don't think we have any wild parakeets around here, although there are plenty in Chicago.

JB baked a cranberry (craisin) pound cake this afternoon and it turned out perfect.  Yum!

Downton Abbey night!  If we didn't schedule it for a specific night, I am sure I would have just watched it all by now.  But I really do want to try to make it last.

Didn't put in a fire this evening as it is still 71 degrees in the house.

Wednesday 4/9.  A very cool temperature of 34 greeted us this morning with mostly overcast skies.  I put in a fire at 5:00 am when the dogs got me up.  At that time the house had cooled down to 64.  Not bad at all.

Thought for the day: Everything you want is on the other side of fear.  Jack Canfield

April 7, 2014 Making Memories

MUD!!

"This is the best day ever!"

Friday 4/4. I hung the laundry outside for the first time this year.  Oh, I love that smell!

We finished taking down the last bit of fence on the west of the south ridge.  There are four strands of barbed wire, so that is quite a bit to wind up as we take it down.  Then we used Miss Kitty to pull out some scrub brush.  What a work horse she is!

The rest of the day I used to clean house.  I thought I was going to have to use my gun instead of the dust cloth on some of the dust bunnies I found while dusting. . .

The clouds floating over us became larger as the day wore on, but the sun managed to shine most of the time.  Our high for the day was 48, with a cool breeze.

Larry and Elsie saw their first bear for the season a few days ago, a little blonde yearling.  And, of course, lots of wild turkeys.

We watched Crazy Heart this evening.  Great movie.  Great music.

Saturday 4/5.  It was 35 with a few clouds this morning.  I finished cleaning house.  Even after having dusted yesterday, it looks like I haven't done it in a week.  I left the vacuuming for this morning.

JB's nephew and his son arrived at Rose Camp at 1:00 pm.  JB met them at the gate and his nephew was able to drive his Jeep up to the turn-off to our road, then JB drove them up in Miss Kitty.  Being a typical six-year-old, our grandnephew grabbed his dump truck and headed for the mud puddles as soon as he jumped out of Miss Kitty.  After lunch, we hiked up and all around the south ridge.  I went inside at 4:00 pm to feed the dogs, but the nephews stayed outside until 5:30 pm when dinner was ready - hot dogs on the grill by JB.

We had a great evening and when our nephew went to put his son to bed, reading books, he fell asleep too.  It was a very good day.

Sunday 4/5.  We all slept in til 8:30 am.  The temperature was 35 with a clear sky.  After a big breakfast, our g-nephew went on the morning walk with JB and the dogs, throwing sticks for Dinga most of the way.  Then it was time to get the tractor out and go for a ride.  As we got up to the south ridge, our g-nephew said, "This is the best day ever!"  I love being an aunt and helping to make memories for the younger generation of our family.

Our g-nephew has a fascination with pine cones, so after lunch his Dad and I went hiking all over the east slope to look for them, and then down around the house.  He ended up taking a large garbage bag full of them when they left at about 2:30 pm.  It was a beautiful, sunny day with a high of 53.  So glad there was still a little snow left for him to play in, along with the mud.

What a great visit!  I really had forgotten about the energy level of six-year-olds, and this particular one seems to have an abundance of it.  It was very quiet Up Here after they left.

JB grilled a couple chicken breasts for dinner and we relaxed with some episodes of Duck Dynasty.

Monday 4/6.  It is 41 and mostly clear this morning, and the birds are welcoming the day with their songs.  We will probably work on taking down more of the fence today. 

Thought for the day: For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 second of potential happiness.  Guideposts reader, Edna Trammell

April 4, 2014 Ticks and Down There

The view from my chair on the porch on Tuesday,
looking at the east slope.

Wednesday 4/2. Because the temperature has climbed to 50, the ice in the yard has visibly getting smaller each day.  Should be gone soon, but then it will probably be mud.  As it is, the dogs need their paws wiped every time they come in.  Typical April.

Sandy called this morning, finally able to talk without coughing.  So we had a lovely chat.  Such a great way to start the day.

With Spring comes bugs.  Lots of stink bugs.  I always knock each piece of wood I bring in to get any of them off that might be clinging, but some always manage to get in anyway.  At least I don't have to bring in as much wood, as now we usually do not need a fire after the first one in the morning.

Right after lunch we hiked up to the south ridge to take down some more of the fence.  We had asked our neighbors to move it off our property the first few years we were Up Here, and when they hadn't, two years ago we told them we would take it down.  We made a few gaps in it last year, and now this year we hope to get it all down.  They don't run much cattle any more, and the south ridge is too steep for them anyway.

It just feels so good to get outside and really work again without being so bundled up that just moving gets one out of breath.  The sun was so warm up on the ridge that we took off our jackets.  And the breeze coming up from the canyon was actually warm.  The dogs had great fun up there with us and the way they were diving into the bushes after suspected critters, I thought for sure we would find ticks on them.  But when I checked them over this evening, there were none.

The brown areas are quickly greening up.  The ridge and the canyon already have a green hue to them.

I got all the mail ready to take tomorrow.  Checked my lists to be sure I had remembered everything.  And figured out my route.  I am actually excited about going Down There. . .

We watched the movie In Time with Justin Timberlake.  The premise for the movie was very good but I just don't think he carried off being the main character.  It needed someone like a 28-year-old Clive Owen.

Thursday 4/3. It was 33 with a light overcast.  I don't like taking a shower in the morning as the bathroom is always so cold, and it certainly was this morning.  But I bit the bullet and charged in, and was able to get on my way by 9:00 am.  There are bare spots on the road but also still a lot of ice.  It was such a nice drive down in Miss Kitty.

It was much warmer Down There than Up Here.  I had a good trip and a nice visit with my cousin.  Of course my first stop was for a vanilla latte.  Ah, nectar of the gods.  Also stopped in to see Larry and Elsie.  She wants to go more gluten free, so I took her one of our cookbooks and JB had copied off some recipes for here.  I also loaned her the current issue of Mary Jane's Farm magazine as there is a huge article in it about being gluten free with lots of recipes.

After this trip down, I have definitely decided to keep my hair short as it passed the Fred Meyer ladies'-room-mirror test.  That mirror has a horrible cast to it and I always look like an old hag.  But today I actually looked human!  Had to have been the short hair.

I arrived back home at about 2:00 pm.  I had run a lot of errands but not really bought a lot of bulky items except a bag of dog food.  Not a big grocery run.  But after unloading, we were able to sit and enjoy the magazines and newspapers, which is always a treat.

We watched the first two episodes of Downton Abbey season four.  Don't know if I have noted how much I love that show. . .

Friday 4/4.  It is 35 and mostly clear, with a few clouds around the horizon.  There is a light breeze and more of the ice in the yard is gone.  We plan to take down some more fence today, and I have to get cleaning the house as JB's nephew and his six-year-old son are coming to visit tomorrow for one or two nights.

In answer to a reader from Kentucky, yes we do have ticks up here but they aren't really tiny.  Just "normal" tick size.  Sounds like we don't have nearly as many as you do, thank goodness, although a couple years ago the dogs came in one day with more than ten on each of them.  I have only had one on me, but I got it before it latched on, and I don't think JB has had any.

Thought for the day: The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants. Albert Camus 

April 2, 2014 Scents & Songs

Tray from trunk used as display shelf.

Monday 3/31.  I had taken some "oldies" cd's to Larry and Elsie's last night to listen to while we played marbles.  Unfortunately two of them were The Righteous Brothers, whom I enjoy even more than The Beatles.  Scents and songs tend to take you back to times and places, and I got quite melancholy as their songs took me back.  Not the best mood to be in while playing a competitive dice game.

We need to work on thinning the trees on our property this year, and will start on the north ridge where there are a lot of little ones crowding the larger ones.  That will probably be the easiest place to start and then go on to the east slop where we need to take down several large trees.  The west slope is the worst, as it is quite crowded and very steep, and although the trees are tall, they are small in diameter.

While working in the loft, I had put blankets in my Dad's Marine Corps trunk and there was no room for the tray.  So I took it out and am using it as a display shelf on the edge of the loft.  (See photo above.)  Am very pleased with how it turned out.  The black and white picture at the bottom left of the photo is a pen and ink and water color done by JB's Mom.

It was another partly cloudy day with a high of 46.  A good day to work outside, so we did.  I trimmed a couple of trees and we put the other string of solar lights on the fence.

Tuesday 4/1.  It was 35 and mostly clear this morning.  Clouds floated over during the day and we had a light, cool breeze.  Our high was 50.  The warmest day this year.

I have been getting too lazy - too sedentary - this winter.  I need to get moving more and this is the season to do it.  So today I went on the morning walk with JB and the dogs.  After lunch I drove Miss Kitty up the east slope to a pile of branch wood.  In two trips I was able to move it all down to the wood shed where I broke it into smaller lengths and stacked it.  Then I took the dogs for their afternoon walk while JB baked french bread and started dinner.  He tried a recipe for scalloped potatoes, making it with the dried potato slices, and it turned out delicious.

I will be going Down There on Thursday.  I had planned to go today but my cousin will be in town, so I am going to meet her.

We finished watching season three of Downton Abbey this evening and thank goodness I already knew the tragic ending, otherwise I would have been devastated.  It was sad enough as it was.  It is interesting that no other program affects me as much as this one. 

Wednesday 4/2. We have a light overcast this morning with a temperature of 35.  Looks as though it will be a good day to work outside.

Thought for the day: In the woods we return to reason and faith.  Ralph Waldo Emerson.