March 4, 2015 Sunshine, Walks & Science

Dinga on Monday morning, welcoming
the snow and barking away the critters.

Lots of snow Up Here, but all melted Down There.

Monday 2/2. JB didn't need to leave as early as we usually do as one of his errands was to pick up a package at the UPS station that doesn't open until 3:00 pm.  So he pulled out at 9:45 am after a big breakfast of leftover biscuits and gravy.  The light snow was still gently falling, although it stopped soon after he left.

The dogs and I went on the morning walk, and then I brought in the fire wood.  And, yes, the sled does glide more easily on the snow, but it tends to nip at my heels and try to race me to the porch.

A little before 1:00 pm, the sun peeked through a hole in the cloud cover so I turned on the water and washed my hair.  It was basically a "flush and fill", as we call it.  Turn it on to just fill the water containers, flush the toilet and fill the pipes.

More chinks of blue appeared in the clouds and the day brightened considerably.  So much so that the dogs and I went on a hike.  All traces of the morning snowfall had disappeared in the warmth of the sun, and the pathways were brown again along with some patches of the drive.  We started out going down the driveway, but at the steep part I figured that I really needed cleats on my boots to keep from slipping.  So we turned around and headed all the way up to the peak.  After enjoying the view, we headed down the south ridge to my bench and enjoyed the view from there for a while.  Back home we all took a short nap, then later took our regular afternoon walk.  Our high for the day was 39.

The March issue of National Geographic had an interesting article on "The War on Science", however I disagreed with several points and the general "science is always right" attitude.  So I e-mailed a letter to their editor.  Never done that before to that particular magazine.  The first letter to the editor of a newspaper (or any publication) I ever wrote was when I was in high school.  My Mother was an elementary school teacher and was forever spending her own money (that we could ill afford) on art supplies for posters and such that the school system should have been providing, but had no money for.  So when in an election the school bond did not pass, I wrote (what I thought was) a scathing letter lambasting the voters for dragging the schools through the mud along with the library bond, which also did not pass.  I was such a little mouse at that time, that when some of the high school teachers who new me, saw my name after that letter, they were quite astonished.  All except my English teacher.

The patches of blue sky disappeared and it began to snow again shortly before JB arrived back home, just as it has stopped snowing shortly after he left this morning.  But it didn't last much more than an hour.

He had enjoyed a good day Down There, including a visit to the Assessor's office.  Seems as though they are re-evaluating all the canyon lands, and the flat pieces will probably be going up in value.  That certainly shouldn't affect us, so hopefully ours will be adjusted back down.

The girls have been giving us an egg a day now for about a week.  In the 28 days of February, we received 24 eggs.

Tuesday 3/3. Twenty degrees and clear skies greeted us this morning.  The skies stayed clear all day long, and our high for the day was 35.

After spending yesterday mostly outside, we spent most of today inside reading newspapers and magazines.  Also defrosted the fridge.  Was a nice, lazy day, with a high of 35.

The dentist's office called to say they had a cancellation and would I like to come in this Thursday instead.  Oh yes, I want to get this over with.

I am so enjoying the return of the light.  And now, with cloudless nights, the moon is bright upon the snow.

Some more Downton Abbey to end the day.

Wednesday 3/4. Another cloudless morning and a temp of 25. 

Thought for the day: ". . . love is the essence of heaven.  It is what it is made of.  It is the coin of the realm." Eben Alexander, MD The Map of Heaven

March 2, 2015 Cleaning Up

JB leaving to plow the road on
Friday afternoon.

The south ridge on our Saturday afternoon walk.

Friday 2/27. About 9:30 am, JB slogged through the snow up to the south ridge to clean off the solar panels.  Now that they have been tilted 1/3 up, the snow doesn't slide off so easily.  He also measured and by then we had received 5" of snow.

Then we put the plow back on Miss Kitty.  I got the snow blower out and cleared the parking area and paths.  After lunch JB left to plow the road, which took him about an hour.  Then he worked another half hour clearing the south ridge and the drive around the house.

Snow slipped off the roof all day, landing in dull thuds.  The clouds quit dropping snow on us at about noon, then the fog began moving in, alternating with light snow for most of the afternoon.  Our high for the day was 35 and we received a total of 6".  By 4:00 pm the snow and fog cleared so that we could see Down There.  Looked like it just rained in town and the snow level was about 1800 ft.

Our new water filter is working just fine.  The container is a heavy plastic, which I could taste at first, but now it is just like bottled water.  We are filtering all the water we use now, except for what we wash the dishes in.

We watched the first Fast and Furious movie this evening.  I got it for $2.00 just to see what all the fuss is about.  It was entertaining, but not sure I'll buy any of the others.

Saturday 2/28. A brisk and brilliant morning with a clear sky and temperature of 25.  Rainbows of crystal dust lightly fell from the trees.  As the sun began to warm the snow on the branches, the "dust" turned to snow bombs, which fell most of the day.

Sandy called and we had a nice long chat.  It's been in the 70's this past week in Santa Rosa, but they still haven't had any rain for a while.  She told me that Leonard Nimoy passed away yesterday.  He prospered, but I wish he had lived a bit longer.  What a guy!

I finished reading Dean Koontz's Cold Fire.  Excellent!  One of my favorites of his.  Then I dove right in to his Twilight Eyes.

JB drove MAX down our road to even out some ridges he had created yesterday while plowing.  Like the Energizer bunny, MAX just keeps on going. . .  When he got back home, JB lay down for a long nap to try to ward off the cold he feels coming on.

This evening we started watching season five of Downton Abbey.  This is the same season that is now airing on TV, so we will probably be done watching it before Sandy is.  So nice to be back in 1920's England.

Sunday 3/1. It was 25 with a mostly clear sky this morning, except for a few wispy clouds to the north.  JB has had a taste for biscuits and gravy, so that is what we had for breakfast.  He baked the biscuits and cooked the sausage, while I, being the saucier in the family, made the gravy.  Everything turned out so good!

After breakfast and washing the dishes, JB drove Miss Kitty down our driveway just to the hairpin corner to plow some more.  Two trips, and the dogs gleefully joined him.  I brought in the fire wood, the sled gliding so much more easily again in the snow.

My cousin, Suzann, called to thank me for the shadow box I had made for her birthday which is today.  I used a bird's nest I had found with feathers and dogs' hair woven into it, along with a moss covered branch and some bark.  Am so glad she liked it.  I always like whatever people make for me, but I am never quite sure how my hand-made gifts will be received.

I finally made a banana-chocolate chip coffee cake with some very ripe bananas.  One of our favorite treats.

Unless JB is feeling better, I will be going Down There tomorrow to close out our box at the UPS store and run some errands, including going to the Assessor's office about our property taxes.  JB was going to go down on Saturday, but with the snow, we decided against it.  And since his cold is threatening to settle into his lungs, I will probably be going.  So when JB was done plowing today, he took the plow off Miss Kitty.

By 3:00 pm, the sky was overcast.  Our high for the day was 39 and the snow is definitely beginning to melt.

Monday 3/2. It is 32 and lightly snowing tiny flakes this morning.  JB is feeling fine, so he will be going Down There today.

Thought for the day: If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars make people drive drunk and spoons make people fat. (Seen on a t-shirt)

February 27, 2015 Chicken Water & Cabin Fever & Snow

I'm sure my girls would never lay an egg
again if I did this to them!!
(Thanks for the photo, Liz)

Wednesday 2/25. I managed to gather another full bag of dry pine needles today for fire starter.  Because the weather has been so much warmer than usual this winter, we don't always have a fire going.  Ergo, we need more fire starter as we are starting them more often.  I was down to my last bag of needles, so this dry weather does have a positive side.  Also generally cleaned up around the yard, picking up small twigs to use with the needles.

Even though it was overcast all day, the cover was thin enough for us to draw in a lot of power.  Our high was 42 with very still air.  No breeze at all.

I think this weather is giving me a kind of cabin fever.  We are spending time outside each day, but it feels like we should be able to do a lot more than we are.  There is still a lot of snow mold about, so I don't really want to go tromping through the woods.  And it is not quite warm enough to split the pile of wood we have by the splitter.  Argh!!

The girls gave us two eggs today.  So that is four eggs in three days!

The major frustration for me in caring for the girls is their water.  The large containers, whether inverted or open, seem to grow algae faster than I can clean it out.  Cleaning the inverted one is a real pain and it cannot be used in the winter because it freezes.  So last time I was Down There (by myself), I purchased a stainless steel, tip-proof, dog water dish.  I give them clean water every other day and if it freezes, the ice slides right out.  Perfect!

Randy called this evening.  He is really cold over there in Idaho, and he is getting pretty tired of it.  His southern California blood hasn't thickened up yet.  He thinks I am really spoiling the girls by fixing them hot cereal with bananas on cold mornings, and he is sure that the dogs are getting jealous!

Thursday 2/26. The morning began overcast and 35.  We got none of the forecast precipitation of any kind during the night, and now NOAA has pushed it off until tonight.  They have not been doing very well on the predictions lately.

In another fit of Spring cleaning, I attacked the bathroom this morning.  Lots of shelves and too much "stuff."

In addition to pine needles for fire starting, we also use small sticks of cedar.  Larry and Elsie get a lot of their firewood from the Chelan PUD in the form of old power poles.  The creosote has been taken off, so all they have to do is cut the poles into rounds and take them away.  They give us a couple of rounds that JB cuts into small kindling.  It works great.

After lunch we took a short drive in Miss Kitty to the top of Erno's property, which joins ours to the northeast.  Then we got out and hiked around.  The top is on the north side, so there is still a lot of snow covering the ground.  Dinga was making snow angels and loving it!  The sun had come out and there was a lot of blue sky, although we could see it was raining or snowing to the west and northwest in the mountains and probably Leavenworth.  It never did come our way.  Meanwhile, Jane, in North Carolina, just received 6" of snow last night in addition to the 3" they got last week!

I finally made an appointment with the dentist to get my crown put on.  It's on March 10, or earlier if they have a cancellation.  Just looking forward to getting it done and over with.

JB plans to go Down There on Saturday to pick up the last of our mail at the UPS store and turn in our keys.  He is also going to check out the new Haggens grocery store who bought all the Albertson's.  Haggens originated in Bellingham (my hometown) and was my Mother's favorite.

We watched the last two episodes of Game of Thrones season three this evening.  Having read all the books, I knew how it was going to end, but poor JB didn't. . .

Friday 2/27. We awoke to a white landscape!  It is 30 and still snowing.  Woo hoo!

Thought for the day: Nothing can destroy a government more quickly than its failure to observe its own laws, or worse, its disregard of the charter of its own existence. Justice Tom C. Clark

February 25, 2015 Moving Dirt & A Trip Down There

On a clear day. . .

Monday 2/23. After lunch JB used the tractor to put more dirt and a couple bucket loads of wood-chip mulch from around the splitter into the large raised garden bed.  Even though our high was only 42, the sun was warm to work in.  

I took a nap afterwards, and that was our excitement for the day, except for watching two more episodes of the third season of Game of Thrones.

Tuesday 2/24.  JB and I left for Down There a little before 9:00 am.  With all the cold temps we have been experiencing, the road had once again turned to solid ice, or solid mud in places.  JB dropped me off at the laundromat and drove off to run errands.  I was done before he went to Fred Meyer, so he picked me up and we went together.  We had not been shopping together in a long time, and we both agree that it will be a long time before it happens again. . .

I was amazed at how green the hills had become just since I was down last week.  Elsie said that even some of the orchards are beginning to bud.  That will not bode well, considering that winter is definitely not over.  We have snow in the forecast for the rest of this week, and March is not known for being gentle.

The girls gave us an egg yesterday, and another one today.  It was a beautiful and mostly clear day with a high Up Here of 50.

Wednesday 2/25. It is 35 with a light overcast this morning.  Hopefully the forecast for snow is correct.

Thought for the day: The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. George Washington Burnap (Thank you, Sandy)

February 23, 2015 Firewood & A Cold Front

Dead bush across our road, before. . .

. . . and after.

Friday 2/20. All the girls spent the night on their roosting ladder.  We'll see how the roof on the nesting boxes affects their egg laying.  No eggs today, though.

After lunch we drove Miss Kitty down to where the dead, mountain maple bush fell across our road.  I snipped the smaller branches, while JB sawed the larger ones and some of the smaller trunks.  Later this Spring we will bring the chain saw down and cut up all the trunks.  This is good, hard firewood.  We loaded all the larger pieces into the back of Miss Kitty and brought them home.

The dogs love this kind of outing.  Dinga always stays by us, while Jesse goes out exploring.  He was no where to be seen when we left, but arrived home about 15 minutes after we did.  JB always drives slowly for them.

This evening it was pepperoni pizza and watching the special features for season six of Castle.  One of the things I really enjoy about getting the DVD's.  So many great interviews and insight, especially on The Walking Dead, even though they don't have "Bloopers" like everyone else.

Saturday 2/21. It was 32 and mostly clear, with a breeze this morning.  But by 11:00 am we were covered with clouds that moved in from the southwest, while the sun was shining to the north.

Received our property tax bill this week.  So amazing how it goes up one year and down the next.  It went up this year and we are definitely going to go talk to the Assessor's Office about it.

The cloud cover moved on east and we had sun again, but more clouds drifted over and our high for the day was 38.  Of course, that's not counting the wind-chill factor from the very brisk and continuous breeze.

Basically this was just a very leisurely day.  Read our books.  Spent time on the computer.  Did our daily chores.  And I started making my cousin's birthday present.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute - her birthday is March 1!

Sunday 2/22. It was a chilly 25 this morning with a light overcast drifting in from the northeast, which is quite unusual.  Most of the clouds has disappeared to the south by noon, but our temperature was still below freezing.

One of the girls, probably Blondie, slept on the perch in front of the nesting boxes last night.  That's a good sign, but still no eggs today.

We plan to both go Down There on Tuesday.  I will do the several bags of laundry, while JB runs errands.

Another leisurely day.  JB made pulled pork for dinner, which has to cook for several hours, and is so worth the effort.  And after filling our tummies, we began watching the third season of Game of Thrones.

Monday 2/23. It is a cold 19 with clear skies.  Not even any clouds over the mountains.

So glad I could offer a venue for Anonymous to vent about privacy, or the lack thereof!  Glad to hear from others who have the same frustrating problem.

Thought for the day: "I am the child of earth and starry heaven, but my real race is of heaven." Fragment from an ancient Greek text giving instructions for the newly dead soul on how to navigate the afterlife. Quoted in The Map of Heaven by Eben Alexander, M.D.

February 20, 2015 An Earthquake & An Editorial on Privacy

The roof we put over the nesting boxes.

Wednesday 2/18. A perfect day to go Down There.  The sun was shining and I took no laundry to do.  After getting a few groceries, I stopped by Larry and Elsie's shop to visit.  They asked if we had felt the earthquake last night, and then I knew that I hadn't been dreaming!  Having lived in the San Francisco Bay area for several years, I usually know an earthquake when I feel one.  We had indeed been woken up by a slight jolt.  It seems there had been a 4.5 earthquake due south of us about 80 miles.  Larry and Elsie, down in the canyon, felt it a lot more than we did Up Here on the top of solid rock.  It shook them a bit and caused their radio antenna on their house to whip back and forth as if in a big gust of wind.

After visiting them, it was on to the Wenatchee World to see about getting a letter to the editor published anonymously, regarding trespassers on private property.  I was told that if I gave them my name and phone number so they could verify it was me who wrote it, that they would publish it and withhold my name.  Great!

Then it was on to the local organization that is creating hiking/biking trails on public land in several areas around Wenatchee.  I had a very good talk with the person in charge (that began as a rant on my part) about trespassers who start out on their trails.  The group is planning to putting up a kiosk that firmly advises against straying onto private property.  I told him he should also put up "No Trespassing" signs along fences abutting their trails, and he seemed very receptive.  Again, great!

However, when I arrived home there was a message on my phone from the newspaper advising that they would not publish my letter without my name.  In this day and age, when we have all lost 98% of our privacy due to the internet, with just my name and very little effort, anyone could find out exactly where I live and even see a photo of it on Google.  At that point it occurred to me that what I should have done is give them my phone number and an assumed name.  Too late.

But, all in all, it was a very good and a very stimulating day.

Thursday 2/19.  It was 38 and overcast this morning with rain/snow in the forecast.

I was still pumped about my experience yesterday, and returned the call from the paper.  We had seen letters to the editor with (I thought) just e-mail addresses, so it seemed that would be a solution.  In talking to the woman at the paper, it seems they still need to publish a name.  I told her that my privacy is more important than having the letter published.  So I am publishing it here instead:

To all of you mountain bikers and hikers:

There are plenty of public trails and parks for you to enjoy.  Stay in them.  Many of the public Land Trust trails abut private land, so if you encounter a fence with a gate, this is not a welcome sign.  It indicates private property, so please respect that and stay out. 

We live on a private road on which we and our neighbors spend our own money and sweat to maintain without any public funds.  We build and maintain our own fences.  We get very few county or state perks where we live.  We are off the grid, maintain our own utilities, and are responsible for our own safety.  This is our land for which we paid our hard-earned money and on which we pay taxes.  Would you want uninvited strangers traipsing across your yard?  Jumping over your fence?  Entering your gate uninvited?  Just because our “yard” is larger, does not mean that it is any less private.  We certainly respect and would not invade your property.  Do the same for us.  We worked hard to be where we are.  We love our homes, our privacy and our rights, and we will protect them as most citizens would.

Before venturing out, you should know that in the Wenatchee area, you could be less than a mile from town and encounter a cougar, coyote, bear, or even a wolf, not to mention rattle snakes.  Better be prepared and know how to act.  Don’t blame anyone but yourself if you are attacked.   This is their land also.

A note specifically to the two “joggers” who entered our property Sunday morning, 2/15:  We are surrounded by thousands of acres of private land, as in NOT public.  To get to our place you would have had to go over/through several fences and gates.  What were you thinking?!

After lunch, we put the roof on the girls' nesting boxes.  They had already given us one egg for the day, so I figured it was safe.  When I feed them tomorrow morning, I will be able to tell where Blondie and Betty spent the night.  They can easily perch on the rail in front of the boxes.

I purchased some metal "Private Property and "Posted. Private Property. Hunting, fishing, trapping or trespassing for any purpose is strictly forbidden. Violators will be prosecuted" signs yesterday, so this afternoon I hiked up to the peak and put a "Posted" one on the tree by the gate to replace the plastic one that had broken in two.  This is where the "joggers" had entered.

The sky remained overcast all day until late afternoon when the sun peeked through and we had glimpses of blue sky.  Our high for the day was 40, and the ground was very soggy, muddy, mucky.  Have to wipe the doggies' paws every time they come back inside.  And, for the first time in several days, we had to use the generator and washed the dishes after dinner.

We watched the last three episodes of Castle, season six.  What kind of an ending was that?!  Shades of Downton Abbey!  Now I have to find a good deal on season seven as soon as possible.

Friday 2/20. This morning is 35 and with blue skies, except for over the mountains.  Today we are going to drive Miss Kitty down our road about two miles where a very large, dead mountain maple bush fell across our road.  When I went to town, I was able to clear just enough to drive around it, but we need a saw and two people to finish the job.  Going to be good fire wood though.

Thought for the day: I don't know how my story will end, but nowhere in my text will it read, "I gave up."  From Positive Outlooks Blog

February 18, 2015 More Sun & A T-Shirt

The girls with all the straw they have pulled
out into their run.

Monday 2/16. Another cool but gorgeous day.  I vacuumed before lunch in order to give the batteries a chance to recharge.

 JB used the tractor bucket to partially fill the empty raised garden bed, first with some straw and then dirt.  I used a rake to level it out.  Then we took the chains off Miss Kitty's front wheels.  Didn't think it would be too good for her to have those on with all the mud.  According to the weather forecast, we will probably have to put them back on in a couple weeks as we are supposed to get snow at the end of the month.  

I also picked up small branches that had been broken by the wind around the house.  Swept off the porch.

Clouds drifted in from the north, but blew on past.  Our high for the day was 38.

Tuesday 2/17.  The day began with 30 degrees and clear skies.  I am so enjoying all this sunshine!

We are getting a few wasps in the loft almost every day now, but not nearly as many as we have had in past years.

On cold days, when the sun finally hits the metal outside of the house, it expands with groans and clicks.  Sounds that take some getting used to, but after almost seven years, have become just a part of the background.

Not quite sure where today went.  We both puttered around inside and out.  JB still working with his new computer, and today he baked some lemon-poppy seed bread.  Our high for the day was 40, but it sure didn't feel that warm.

The girls gave us one egg yesterday but none today.  They continue to pull straw out of their house and into the run.  Whatever keeps them happy. . .

I am going Down There tomorrow for a "quick" run to pick up the water filter, do some errands, and get a few groceries - especially bananas for the girls.

Wednesday 2/18. It is 32 and clear this morning, with a warm 51 forecast for Down There today.

Thought for the day: The dentist says I need a crown.  Finally someone agrees with me! (On a t-shirt that my Aunt Nene wanted to get for me.)