August 31, 2015 Rain & A Fish Fry

Lovely, lovely clouds

Friday 8/28. It was sprinkling again when I went out to feed the girls.  Rain drops never felt so good!  But on mornings like this it is hard to wake up.  I think that subconsciously my brain has come to the conclusion that I cannot go outside and work, so I might as well go back to bed.

The light rain lasted less than an hour, and the sun was peeking through the clouds now and then by 11:00 am.  I thought if I hung the laundry out, that might lure more rain.  No such luck.  And, looking at the ground, there was no evidence that we had had any rain at all.

Since it was so overcast, I put the rose hips I had picked yesterday in the oven instead of the dehydrator.

After lunch I started to weed one of the raised beds, but the overcast was beginning to break up, and half way through I found myself in the sun.  So I went over to the splitter, which was in the shade, and split and stacked two tractor bucket loads of wood.  Still have 2-1/4 large rounds left.

In anticipation of more rain tomorrow, I swept out both drains before dinner.  Our high for the day was a comfortable 72.  Walking out on the porch after dinner, I startled six grouse in the yard - four on my Jeep, one on the ground and one on the bird bath!

Saturday 8/29. It was 58 and partly cloudy this morning.  I could smell smoke when I let the dogs out at 5:30, but there was no air movement.  When I got up at 8:00 am, there was a breeze blowing in from the southwest and I could no longer smell the smoke, but it was thick to the north.  Very quickly the breeze became a wind and brought in a few drops of rain.  By 9:00 am it was gusting to 30 mph, bringing in more rain and whipping the needles of the trees.  The rain was such a glorious sight that we just stood and watched it for a while.  Except that now my Jeep is almost clean!

I turned on the oven for my morning waffles and forgot to take out the pan of rose hips.  By the time I remembered them, they smelled like raspberries.  Interesting. . .

There are some very good articles in the October issue of Cowboys & Indians.  Which brings me to the question of why do magazines get so far ahead of themselves in their issues?  We receive the October one in August?  Granted, it comes out every other month, but still. . .

By noon it was hard to tell that we had received any rain at all, but the air still smelled of it.  The cloud cover split, as it often does, and the rest of the rain was blown to the north and south of us.  I gathered several armloads of kindling-sized branches that a strong wind always managed to blow off the trees.  And I took several bag loads of fir cones to the swale.  Our high for the day was 70, but the wind was chilly.

That was enough of being out in the wind, so I completely defrosted and scrubbed out the refrigerator and freezer.  A lovely job. . .

Tomorrow Larry and Elsie are having their third annual fish fry and we can't wait!  Always so much fun, good food and laughter.

Sunday 8/30. It was 50 and overcast this morning.  It had rained for while around 5:00 am and smelled so fresh, but still windy.

We just did indoor chores, read books and went on our windy walks.  I baked some brownies to take with us this evening.  (I always bring the chocolate.)

We left in Miss Kitty at 5:00 pm and picked up the mail before going to Larry and Elsie's.  There were eleven of us for dinner, and another neighbor from town stopped by afterwards on his way up to camp for the night with two of his sons.  Again, so much good food and companionship.  Almost everyone there will be at our BBQ next Sunday.  Elsie had said that she didn't know what army she was cooking for, so we all left with bags of fish.

Monday 8/31. It is 50, overcast and blustery again this morning.  Sounds like a lot of the rain has gone north where it is so badly needed on the fires.  Even so, it was announced that they will burn until it snows.

Thought for the day: The secret of contentment. . . lay in ignoring many things completely. Mark Haddon

August 28, 2015 Rose Hips & Possible Rain

New plume of smoke to the northwest
Thursday evening.

Wednesday 8/26. JB left at 9:45 am for his appointment with his cardiologist and met three neighbors on the drive down, which is very unusual.  Had nice chats with all.  Even had time to go to the recycle center with the bags of paper, plastic and aluminum cans he took before he had to be at the doctor's.

He got a clean bill of health from the doctor and will be seeing the pace maker doctor in September.

I love the cover of the 8/31 Time magazine.  A photo of Trump with the caption, "Deal with it!"  Goodbye political correctness.

Late this afternoon the light was very eerie with all the smoke.  If we were in the mid-west, it would be an indication of possible tornadoes.  Our high for the day was 82.  Not a day to be outside.

I am so much more aware of the movement of the moon Up Here.  The nearer it gets to being full, the further east it is in the evening.  And now, with the smoke, it is a bright orange.

Thursday 8/27. It was 66 with a few clouds but no smoke this morning.  It seems to have once again retreated to the north.

After breakfast I split one huge round, which filled up the tractor bucket.  JB drove the wood to the shed and I stacked it.  Then he cleaned up the splitting area by taking several loads of dirt, rotten wood and wood chips to the small swale.  This created more room to move the last four large rounds up to the splitter, which he did.  We are saving a pile of wood chips for the raised beds and will dump them as soon as I have weeded the beds.

After lunch I picked about 1-1/4 lbs of rose hips.  There are a lot of ripe, little ones on the bushes near the house.  The larger ones down the drive aren't quite ripe yet.  It is a lot harder to find perfect large rose hips, but the little ones are just right for drying for tea.  It took five nights and four days for the first batch to dry in the oven.  Tomorrow I am going to put everything I picked today in the dehydrator.

There was no smoke around today, but on our afternoon walk we saw quite a large plume to the northwest.  After dinner it had grown even larger.  We can only hope that the rain in the forecast for the weekend will be enough to help.  The clouds had begun to move in mid afternoon and our high for the day was again 82, but at least there was a light breeze most of the day.

Last night we watched Harry Potter: Deadly Hallows Part 1, and tonight we watched Part 2.  The last two movies in the series and it's been a while since we have seen them.

Friday 8/29. It is 63 and overcast this morning.  We have already had one tiny sprinkle, so hopefully there is a lot more coming.

Thought for the day: There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want. Bill Watterson

August 26, 2015 Clear Skies & Grouse

A grouse at the bird bath.

Monday 8/24. Right after breakfast, JB was out to start up the tractor and move some of the rounds up to the splitter.  Even though we agreed to take the day off, he just couldn't wait to get back into the swing of things Up Here.  However, we did take it easy the rest of the day, reading books and going on our walks.

Yesterday on our afternoon walk, we heard a rattlesnake in some tall grass next to the drive.  I wasn't going to go traipsing through there to try and find it though.  We know they are around.  We just watch and listen where we're going.

Our high for the day was 78 and by the time of our afternoon walk, the smoke had cleared above us and had begun to recede back to the north with Wenatchee still enshrouded.  By sunset we could see the mountains.

Tuesday 8/25. It was 56 and clear this morning with no smoke.  We were on our way Down There by 8:30 to pick up JB's Jeep and run some errands.  I was home by 11:00 am, and JB arrived a couple hours later.  On my way back up the mountain I noticed that the smoke was creeping down the Columbia River a bit, but it mostly stayed north of town.

The grouse have discovered the birth bath, and Dinga has decided that it is her job to keep them away from it.

After lunch, I split a couple of the rounds that JB had moved, but that was pretty much it for the rest of the day.

JB is still getting used to his pace maker.  He can't really lay comfortably on his left side and he needs to get something to protect it from his seat belt.  He has an appointment with his cardiologist tomorrow.

Our high for the day was a very pleasant 76.  I really need to get out and weed the raised beds we created, and put the fence from the garden around them.  Then we can put chicken manure and compost on them, and not have the dogs getting into it.  Dinga loves chicken poop. . .

After dinner I used the garden wagon to move the wood I had split to the shed and stack it.  Then we watched another Clint Eastwood western - The Outlaw Josie Wales.  Last night we had watched Pale Rider.  Love that guy!

Wednesday 8/26. It is 62 and smokey this morning.  Hard to tell if the sky is clear or cloudy.

Thought for the day: The only reason some people get lost in thought is that it is unfamiliar territory. Paul Fix

August 24, 2015 Rose Hips & Together Again

Smoke blowing back in from the north
Saturday evening.

Friday 8/21. The rounds that are left to be split are too large and too far away for me to move them to the splitter.  I will have to wait until JB is back and can nudge them over with the tractor.

I didn't watch anything last night because I started reading Glamorous Powers by Susan Howatch, and couldn't put it down.  Still had a problem with that today so I didn't get a much else done.

I gathered kindling left in an old pile of branch wood and used my fire-wood bag to take it to the wood shed.  I was able to get three bags full taken and stacked.  Then I lay down for a short nap and woke up an hour later.  How lovely!

I discovered that I had a small jar of the elderberry vodka left from last Fall.  Unfortunately it seem to be a drink that should be enjoyed within a few months of making.  Now it tastes like slightly fermented prune juice.

Today I noticed several yellow limbs on one of the small trees in the grove.  It definitely has to come down.  I have also noticed a few more standing dead on the west slope.  They are all fir trees, so it isn't a pine beetle problem.  Not sure what it is, but they all need to be cut this Fall.

Our high for today was 77, but the continual wind had a chilly edge to it and was gusting to 12 mph throughout the day, so it never seemed quite that warm.  In late afternoon the wind changed direction and by 6:00 pm I noticed the sky darkening.  It wasn't clouds but rather smoke being blown back in.  As soon as the smoke arrived, the wind began to die down to a complete calm.

I spent the evening reading Glamorous Powers, and, having finally glanced at the back cover, realized that it is the second book in a trilogy!

Saturday 8/22. It was 53 and clear but smokey this morning after a two-day respite of clear skies.  Cold air coming down from Canada has created an inversion layer, so the smoke is really thick today.  JB said they even have a smokey haze in Seattle now.

I took the last load of split wood to the shed and stacked it.  Pretty sure that some of what is left to split will have to be stacked on the porch.  The shed is almost full.

I baked a banana-chocolate chip coffee cake this morning in anticipation of JB's return tomorrow.  This has been a long two weeks.

The smoke cleared a bit Up Here in the afternoon, but it still looks bad Down There in the valleys and canyons.  Our high today was a very comfortable 67.  Just wish the air had been fresher so I could have done more outside.

I finally finished reading Glamorous Powers this evening.  All I can say is: Phenomenal!!  I will definitely read the other two books in the trilogy.

I googled "Making rose hip tea" and found a great site - Recipes From The Wild - with several recipes for tea and other food made with rose hips.  So I went out and picked a small bowl full and am drying them in the oven.  I may try using the dehydrator too.  Like everything else this year, they are ripe now, which is at least five weeks early.  After raking out the seeds, I ate one and it was quite sweet.  They contain as much as 20 times more vitamin C than oranges and are also an excellent antioxidant.

Seems like every year I forget just how loud the crickets Up Here can get.  You actually have to raise your voice to be heard over them!  Fortunately they seem to prefer the south side of the house, so I can't hear them from the bedroom.

Sunday 8/23. It was 56 this morning and clear enough for me to see blue skies with a few scattered clouds.  The smoke stayed in the canyon until the sun started warming things up, and then it seemed to creep up like the fog does.  There is no possibility of rain in the forecast til at least next weekend, but by then who knows?

The dogs woke me up at 5:00 am to go out and stayed out for about a half an hour.  I tried, but couldn't get back to sleep, so I was up a 6:15.  By 7:30 I had most of the dusting done; had washed the outside of the loft windows; and had successfully completely a few pages of sudoku.  I also watched a pair of jays foraging in the yard and listed to a very vocal poorwill.

JB called at 8:45 am to say he was just leaving and would call when he got to town.  Unfortunately his Jeep is leaking a little transmission fluid, so we have to get it to the shop tomorrow so they can fix what they obviously didn't when we had it in before JB left.

I sure wish I could see what Jesse has been barking at almost every day.  I know he doesn't bark until he actually sees something and he doesn't bark at deer.  He just chases them of our property.  So it must be a bear.  Haven't heard any coyotes this year at all, and cats tend to roam their wide territory, not staying in one place for long.

JB called again about 20 miles out and we decided I would meet him at the shop where we would leave his Jeep to be fixed tomorrow.  I left for Down There as quickly as possible.  Met him and transferred everything to my Jeep.  We were home by 1:00 pm and so glad to be together again!

His Mom had sent lots of goodies and two sacks of books.  We unloaded my car and just relaxed.

Monday 8/24. It is 60 and very smokey this morning.  It's a day off for both of us.  Tomorrow we will drive Down There to pick up his Jeep and run some errands.

Thought for the day: Why are there always too many Democratic Congressmen, too many Republican Congressmen, and never enough U.S. Congressmen?  Author Unknown

August 21, 2015 Clear Skies & Childhood Fears

A feather?
No, a twig from a fireweed plant that
has gone to seed.

Wednesday 8/19. In looking back on my life through the years of living it, I think that I put all my childhood fears and frustrations into one file marked "The Dentist."  Finally realized it's time to burn that folder.

We now have twenty people confirmed for our Rose Camp BBQ, with the possibility of 30!

By early afternoon the breeze had cleared out the smoke a bit, and by 5:00 pm the light breeze had increased to a wind gusting to 11 mph that completely got rid of the smoke.  All that was left was a wide swath of brown over the northern horizon.  Our high for the day was 85, but not too uncomfortable because of the breeze/wind.

I watched Guardians of the Galaxy for the fourth or fifth time this evening.  Definitely one of my all-time favorite fantasy movies.  Must be genetic because my 11-year-old Grandson loves it too, and watches it at least once a week.

During our nightly talk on the radio, Elsie told me about the three fire fighters who were killed today.  I vowed that I would much rather be surrounded by smoke than have the strong winds that are causing so much havoc with the fires.  

Thursday 8/20. It was 63 with clear skies this morning and the only smoke I could see was on the horizon to the north.  Unfortunately in Okanogan County, which is where the fire is, there is a wind advisory beginning this evening and all day tomorrow.  Could be gusts up to 50 mph.  All we can do is pray.

Meanwhile at Rose Camp, the girls love to eat bugs.  So I give them the ones that have drowned in the bird bath.  Blondie especially seems to enjoy them and tries to get them all first, as she does the bananas every morning.

Although I am obviously not going to get the bedroom painted, which was on my list of "big" things to do, I did in fact finish my list of little things to do.  This in addition to reading several books.  And today I split more wood.  Some before lunch and some after when the splitter was in the shade.  Then later I used our garden wagon to pull a couple of half-loads over to the wood shed and stack them.  With the lovely, cool breeze, I didn't even break a sweat.  I guess I really have gotten used to the warm weather as the temperature had climbed to our high of 83.

I don't know about other people, but I will be going along with life when something "clicks" and slightly adjusts my perception of things.  This happened to me last week, as it seems to once or twice a year.  I think this may have been why found my "Dentist folder" and "burned" it, then breezed through my dentist appointment so easily.  Succeeding in facing some of my fears and getting rid of them.

I picked two ripe Hillbilly tomatoes, which are heirlooms, and had a most wonderful BLT for dinner.  I am sure that some of the moisture dripping as I ate was not just tomato juice but also drool. . . 

By sunset a line of clouds stretching north and south was marching slowly eastward reflecting the pick rays of the disappearing sun.

 Friday 8/21. This morning is a crisp 53 with clouds along the mountains, but otherwise clear skies.

Thought for the day: It was something every child knew how to do, maintain a direct and full connection with the world.  Somehow you forgot about it as you grew up, and had to learn it again. Jeffrey Eugenides

August 20, 2015 A Special Request For Prayers

Thursday 8/20. This posting is a special request for prayers for my cousin, Heidi.  She is a 27-year-old single mother of two little boys, who had a double mastectomy this Spring.  Recently she was declared cancer free, but now is back in the hospital with a fractured vertebrae in her neck, caused by the resurgence of the cancer.

August 19, 2015 Smoke and The Dentist

Smoke to the west on a typical day lately.

Monday 8/17. I worked on the issue with John Hancock this morning.  Unbelievable that such a company can be so screwed up.  We are beyond frustrated with them.  Talked to the woman at the Washington State Insurance Commission, who is handling our complaint, and she wrote to them again.

We have two little frogs under the house that are croaking a duet.  So funny!

I had made a dentist appointment for early September but they called today with a opening for tomorrow at 3:10 pm.  Completely forgot about the heat when I agreed to it.  Elsie reminded me that it is supposed to be in the 90's, when we talked this evening.

Jesse finally accompanied us on our walk this afternoon.  Maybe he's just getting bored being Up Here with just me. . .

Our high for the day was 77 and still with lots of smoke.  JB says that soldiers from the army base in Tacoma are being sent in to help with the fire.

Tuesday 8/18. It was 65 with clear skies full of smoke this morning.  I just puttered around and read a book til it was time to get ready to leave.  Buster came up for a visit, to Jesse's delight.  I was on my way at 1:30 pm and actually quite calm about going to the dentist.  Got my tooth filled and survived quite nicely.  Am so proud of myself!

Our high for the day was 82 while I am sure it was well into the 90's Down There.

I hit the sack early this evening, but woke up at 11:00 pm to what I thought was the increased smell of smoke.  Checked all around and couldn't see anything.  There was no air movement so I am sure it was just the smoke from the north moving in.

Wednesday 8/19. It is 67 this morning and, once again, our blue skies are full of smoke.

Thought for the day: A yawn is a silent scream for coffee.