March 2, 2016 In Like A Lion

Small kitty (bobcat?) tracks on the
south ridge a couple weeks ago.

Monday 2/29. Did laundry today and hung two of JB's shirts outside.  They didn't get completely dry, but they sure did smell good.

I have wanted to use fresh lemon juice in my drinking water for some time now, but buying a few lemons at a time just doesn't cut it Up Here.  I saw a remedy for that on line and tried it today.  I had JB buy a bag of lemons at Costco last Friday.  Today I quartered each one lengthwise and cut out the pulp, using the tip of the knife to get rid of the seeds.  I put the pulp in the blender and pulsed it on liquefy. Then I poured the juice and pulp into ice-cube trays.  Now every morning I can put a lemon ice-cube in my water.  And the juice will not go bad.  It works perfectly!  I saved all the lemon peels to dry and use in recipes.

If the weather goes as predicted, I may be able to go Down There on Thursday.  This trip will a leisurely day of several short errands.  Then I will go down next week for a big grocery shopping.

The sun shone most of the day and our high was 42.  The girls gave us one egg.

We watched Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark this evening, and plan to watch next three Indiana Jones' movies during the next three nights.

Tuesday 3/1. It was 30 and we were fogged in this morning with 2" of new snow on the ground.  By 11:00 am it was snowing again and that lasted for about three hours.  Then the fog rolled back in.  No sun today.  Very dark.  And everything is white again.

JB's wrist is getting much better, but yesterday morning Jesse jumped off the bed and right on to one of JB's toes.  Don't think it's broken, but it is quite bruised.

I sorted photos today and am up to 1993.  Will be so glad when this is done.

The girls gave us one egg today.

The wind picked up late this afternoon and shortly before 5:00 pm it blew in another round of snow, coming in horizontally.  That lasted for about an hour, but the wind stuck around until 9:30, even after it had blown all the clouds away.  Our high for the day was 34.

We watched the second Indiana Jones' movie this evening, Temple of Doom.  I haven't watched that one for years, and now I know why.  Doubt I will ever watch it again.  Our son was in junior high when we first saw it in the theater.  He wasn't feeling too good that day, but we went anyway.  About the time they served the monkey brains, both of us almost lost it and we walked out.

Wednesday 3/2. It is 34 and mostly clear this morning.  The wind picked up again around 2:30 am and Dinga started pacing, so JB spent the rest of the night on the couch.  Looks like we received another inch of snow.

Thought for the day: We don't see things as they are.  We see things as we are.  Anais Nin

February 29, 2016 Eggs & Wind

Ground re-appearing in
the grove.

Saturday 2/27. Today is the first time this winter that it felt like Spring might actually arrive this year.  Our high was 46 and I didn't even need a coat to go outside.  But it wasn't just the warmth, Spring was definitely in the air.

Lots of magazines from the mail and some papers we bought yesterday.  So there was lots to read with breakfast this morning.

I began taking fire wood off the porch today.  We still have a little less than two rows in the wood shed, but I do not want to have to re-stack any of the porch wood in the shed.

The only side effect from this whole colonoscopy situation is that I have become addicted to Ritz crackers.  Will have to stock up on them next time I am Down There, which will hopefully be the end of this week.  All depends on how slushy the road is.

The girls gave us two eggs today!  They may set a record.  They have now given us seven eggs in seven days.

Orion has moved far enough to the west now that we have to look to the south prior to 8:30 pm in order to see it.  Otherwise it is hidden by the trees.  Never noticed the seasonal changes in the heavens until we moved Up Here.

We finished watching the third season of Elementary this evening.  This has to be my favorite series of all of them.

Sunday 2/28. It was 34 and overcast this morning with off and on sprinkles.  Then it was mostly blue sky and sunshine by 11:00 am, until 1:00 pm when the wind picked up and blew in a rain/snow mix.  That kept up for more than an hour with gusts up to 20 mph, until the wind blew those clouds away and the sun shone again.

Today is Jesse's tenth birthday!  He certainly doesn't seem that old.  Hasn't slowed down a bit from when we adopted him in 2009.

I baked a cherry coffee cake this afternoon, using the last of the cherry pie filling that I made with the cherries from Elsie's cherry tree.  So good!

The girls have been pulling out the straw from under half of the nesting boxes, and it had filled the whole space under there.  When I gave them their afternoon corn and checked for eggs, I almost missed the two for today as they were in a nest on the floor where all the straw had been.  Two more today!  That is nine eggs in eight days.

Wind gusts increased to 29 mph late this afternoon and blew in a wall of snow at about 5:00 pm.  We were on the southeast edge of the storm, so it only lasted about 20 minutes.  Long enough to turn the deck and some of the bare ground white.

JB made a delicious fritata for dinner out of some of the eggs from the girls.

By the time we went to bed a little after 9:00 pm, the highest gust was 33 mph.  Since Dinga doesn't pace on a windy night if one of us is sleeping on the couch, that's what I did.  

Monday 2/29. It is 30 and partly cloudy this morning.  JB and Dinga slept well last night, but I sure didn't.  Definitely a day for a nap

Thought for the day: We scientists found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested.  Martin Seligman, from Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being.

February 27, 2016 My Colon Gets A Clean Bill of Health

The snow is slowly melting, but we
still have 1 to 2 feet in most areas.

Wednesday 2/24. When I let the dogs out at 4:30 am, Jesse decided to go on an adventure and still wasn't back by 5:30.  JB was very upset with him, so he took his pistol out on the porch and fired off a round.  Within five minutes, Jesse was at the front door.  Rather an expensive way to call him, but it always works.

After feeding the girls and dogs, I went back to bed until 11:00 am.  A good way to pass the time.  Then I spent the rest of the day sorting photos, drinking water and trying not to think of food.  Still subsisting on eggs for breakfast, then Ritz crackers with peanut butter or cheese for the rest of the day.  Having done this before, I know that the less I eat, the easier it will be.

JB worked on organizing his Magic cards and inputting the info into his computer, as he has for the past couple days.

Now that the snow is melting, we can see that the weight of it has broken several railings on the fence.  Will have to replace them, but at least it is good fire wood.

Our high for the day was 38.

Thursday 2/25. It was 30 and clear this morning.  This is my clear liquid day, so before noon we went out to change a fuse in Miss Kitty for the windshield wiper.  I had to do it as JB still cannot use his left hand much (and I won't let him).  The fuse is not easy to reach and I had to lay on my back on Miss Kitty's floor.  I could not figure out how to get both hands up into the small space, and got to laughing so hard I almost wasn't able to do it at all.  I was finally able to do it with one hand, with still no clue how JB gets them both up there.

The birds are coming back with the warming weather.  I heard the song of one that hadn't been here since last fall.  In the almost eight years we have been Up Here, I have not been able to identify the kind of bird it is.

The girls gave us two eggs today!  Two jumbo eggs.  They must be celebrating the longer days and warmer temps.  Our high for today was 40.

At 4:00 pm I had to start drinking the three quarts of special liquid to clean me out.  It might as well have been three gallons.  Not a fun evening.  I put a CD in my portable player, put the earplugs in my ears, and just tried not to think about it.  Then slept on the couch til about 2:00 am.

Friday 2/26. It was 34 and partly cloudy this morning.  I got up at 6:00 am to drink the final four cups of the lovely liquid.  That wasn't bad at all.  I was just so very glad that yesterday was over.

We left for Down There a little after 9:00 am in Miss Kitty and had a very nice ride.  Took us about 40 minutes to get to Larry and Elsie's.  The road is still ice and snow all the way down till just before their place.  

I arrived at the hospital 45 minutes early, but the 10:00 appointment was a no show, so I was able to go right in.  By noon I was all done and JB was there to pick me up.  The doctor gave my colon a clean bill of health, with the comment that the medical community still has no clue as to what causes diverticulitis to act up.  Didn't care at that point.  I was all done.  Woo Hoo!!

JB and I went to a restaurant for lunch to celebrate.  Don't think we have done that for four years or more.  I ordered a chicken, avocado, bacon sandwich.  When I swallowed that first delicious bite, my stomach said, "Ooooh, what was that?  Do it again!"  So I did.

JB had done some grocery shopping while I was having the procedure, but didn't have time to finish.  So I got a latte (nectar of the gods), then we went to Fred Meyer, the post office, and were on our way home.

The girls gave us another egg today.  Wow, two days in a row.  Our high temp was 37.

Didn't realize how uptight I had become over this whole colonoscopy issue until it was over, but I am done!!  Time to get on with life.

Saturday 2/27. It is 37 and mostly clear this morning.  A wonderful day.

Thought for the day: Change your attitude.  Change your life.

February 24, 2016 Miss Kitty Is Finally Back Home!

JB cutting the tree across
the road.

Dinga digging after a
critter under the snow.

Monday 2/22. We decided to walk down our road to see if we thought it would be solid enough to drive Miss Kitty home.  The four of us left about 1:00 pm and had a nice leisurely hike.  This gave us the opportunity to get a good look at all the branches that were broken off by snow or wind, and the many trees that were either topped or toppled.  We also cut the tree that I had been able to drive MAX under.  Miss Kitty would never have made it, but we decided that the road was definitely good enough to bring her home.  There is a lot of wood that will be available for scavenging in the spring and summer.  

I drove Miss Kitty back home with no issues whatsoever.  And now since she is back, I didn't cancel the appointment for my colonoscopy on Friday.  I can at last get that over with.

The dogs had a great time on our adventure.  Since Jesse's paw has been better, he has disappeared for one or two hours at a time.  Sometimes we will see him come back in the opposite direction from which he left.  Sure would like to know where he is going.

It was another beautiful day and our high was 42.

Tuesday 2/23. It was 26 and mostly clear this morning, with a little breeze.  I am subsisting mainly on eggs, Ritz crackers, peanut butter, Swiss cheese, Elsie's home-made apple jelly, tomato soup, M&M's and water.  Lots of water.  In preparing for these three days of a low-fiber diet, I have discovered that Ritz crackers have zero fiber!  But I usually eat so much fresh fruit, nuts, oatmeal, and other foods full of fiber, that I am really starting to miss them after less than two days.  Just one more day of low fiber and then Thursday will be clear liquids only.  Friday is nothing before my appointment other than drinking the last quart of the lovely mixture of a cleansing powder and Gatorade.  I will be so very glad when this is all over.  I thought I might try to keep busy for the next two days sorting our my big box of recipes.  But am rethinking that. . .  Maybe I'll finish sorting my photos.

I cracked open the little egg that one of the girls gave us on Saturday.  There was no yolk!  However, today they gave us TWO eggs to make up for it.  Since the ground is no longer frozen in their pen, their water is really getting dirty.  As if they are washing their feet in it.

We have been getting a wasp or two in the loft every day for the past couple weeks.  But that is nothing compared to years past.

It was another beautiful, sunny day but with an icy breeze.  Our high was only 36.

Wednesday 2/24. It is 30 and overcast this morning.  I do not plan to post on my blog Friday morning.  I will do it Saturday instead.

Thought for the day: I wish I could tell you that it gets better, but it doesn't get better.  You get better.  Joan Rivers

February 22, 2016 A Cold Weekend

Saturday's egg on the left, next to
Thursday's egg.

Friday 2/19. I found it very interesting that there were no comments on my posting for this morning.  My Aunt, however, did send her response to me via email: "Sit down and have another cup of coffee before you have a stroke! There is nothing you can do about it."  She is probably quite right, but I just couldn't keep quiet about the situation.  I figure if I brought just one person to their senses, or made them think about it a little, then I did some good.  At least Sandy, Larry and Elsie liked it.

It was 30 and snowing this morning.  We ended up getting two more inches and most of the bare ground is white again.  The berm on the south side of the house has finally sunk below the bathroom windowsill.  Our high for the day was 36.  

We watched the movie Frozen last night, and began watching the third season of Elementary this evening.

Saturday 2/20. It was 28 and clear this morning.  After feeding the girls and dogs, I went back to bed to try and get rid of another sinus headache.  This is really getting old. . .

The door handle on our front door needed to be replaced as it has become loose.  In fact, the pressure from the wind last Sunday actually blew it open and I had to keep it closed with a bungie cord.  Then about 3:00 this morning, Dinga started going balistic and we discovered that the door had blown open (no bungie cord being used.)  On Monday I had purchased a new handle and we installed it today.  Not an easy job as one of the screws on the old one was stripped, so JB had to use his drill to get the head of it off.  But before he could do that, we had to charge the battery to his drill.  Because of the inverter that we have for the house, we cannot charge any kind of battery off the house electricity, so we had to start up the shop generator to do that.  Finally got the job done, so I think we are good.

With these cold nights, the snow has frozen so that we and the dogs can walk on top of most of it.  The dogs are delighted, as this allows them to go almost anywhere.  In many places the paths are higher than the snow next to them.

The girls gave us a very tiny egg today (see photo above).  Not sure who did that or why.  Our nephew's comment upon seeing the photo was: Just proof that no one works hard on the weekend!

I finished another book today, Twelfth Card by Jeffery Deaver.  Excellent!

Sunday 2/21. It was 23 and overcast this morning, but it cleared up a bit mid afternoon and we had some sunshine.

Went to start MAX and discovered some more issues, so I am going to once again cancel my appointment on 2/26 for a colonoscopy.  It's not that we can't get Down There.  It's that we may not be able to on a specific day.  This time I am going to make the appointment for the end of April.

It really was a beautiful day, with a high of 38.  But these last few days, I am pretty sure that the high for the day has only been for a few minutes or so.  And because we have light so much longer now, we have more power, even if it is cloudy.

Monday 2/22. It is 28 with mostly clear skies this morning, with forecast for a fairly nice week.

Thought for the day: I just can't do adult today.

February 19, 2016 Anger & A Real Fear for Our Country

Wednesday 2/17. When the impostor announced that he would not be attending the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Scalia, I became so furious that I knew I could no longer hold back in my blog.  That act itself is just a reflection of his disdain for America.  The man has no sense of the honor and duty that come with the office of President.  He has defiled that office with his arrogance and set an example that that will have dire consequences for decades to come.  There are duties required of the person sitting at the desk of the oval office that have nothing to do with personal feelings.  Attending the funeral of a Supreme Court Justice is one of them.  It is honoring the office, not specifically the person who filled it.  It is honoring an important part of America.  But the man in the White House simply has neither a concept of honor nor real belief in America and the concepts upon which it was built.

His eight years in office have become, and will be remembered as, the beginning of the end of this incredible free country, and our weak, self-absorbed, greed-ridden Congress has done nothing to stop him.  I am so angry that Americans have become so complacent as to let this happen.  And now many of them are seriously backing a socialist candidate for President.  Do they know nothing about history?!  Tyranny/monarchy and various forms of democracy are the only successful forms of government.  While tyranny can last for centuries, the average life span for a democracy is usually about 250 years.  It lasts until elected officials realize that they can enact laws that will give them anything they want, and in doing so, destroy the very form of government that gave them that freedom.  The following quotes say it much better than I can:

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

That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.  Aldous Huxley

Democracy in itself does not define or guarantee a free society.  History has told many stories of democratic societies that have degenerated into corruption, plunder and tyranny.  Richard M. Ebeling

I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited.  There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as the law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts.  Ronald Reagan

The true patriot scrutinizes the actions of his own government with unceasing vigilance.  And when his government violates the morality and rightness associated with principles of individual freedom and private property, he immediately rises in opposition to his government.  Jacob G. Hornberger

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 Tim C. Clark

The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt.  People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance.  Cicero, 55 BC - So evidently we have learned nothing in the past 2071 years.

Thought for the day: Elected officials and diapers need to be changed often, and for the same reason.

February 17, 2016 A Heartwarming Adventure

Saturday before the wind. . .

. . .Monday after the wind.

The slide after the bushes
were winched out.

MAX & the tree across
the road.

Monday 2/15. Neither of us got much sleep til after 4:30 am with all the wind and a pacing Dinga, so we overslept.  I didn't get on my way Down There til about 9:30 am.  There were lot of small branches scattered along the road, but just one tree down.  It was angled such that I was able to break off the branches and drive under it with no problem.  All was going well til I was almost in sight of Larry and Elsie's and the right track came off.  I managed to get it on to the seat next to me, but around the next corner I came upon three small slides that I could drive around, and two huge ones that completely covered the road in three to four feet of mud and bushes for about 30 feet.  Lovely.

I got out of MAX and walked down to Larry and Elsie's, catching them just as they were leaving for an appointment and shopping.  They had to go, but agreed to call JB when they had cell service and let him know I would be calling when I got to town a bit later than expected.  They also called Mr. Sixes who had spent the night with all his family at their cabin to let him know the situation.

I walked back up to move MAX out of the way (although no one was going to get up or down until some of that mud was cleared out).  I turned him around and was going back up when the chain came loose or off!  At that point I just took the cooler and box for groceries and the empty gas can down to my Jeep and drove into town.  I could only buy what would fit into the two containers, so I had to be choosy.  I also wanted to get my shopping done as quickly as possible so I could get back up, check out MAX's chain and start shoveling on the small slides.

Gridder was home when I drove back up.  Larry had told him about the slide, so Gridder was going to drive up with his family to check it out and see what he could do.  

When I got back up to MAX, I discovered that the chain had come off, so there was really nothing I could do but start shoveling.  Gridder and his family soon arrived, and he started winching the big bushes out of the slide.  When they were gone, he thought he might be able to just plow his way through with his Jeep.  About that time the Sixes family arrived, coming down from their cabin.  Gridder drove Mrs. Sixes and their children back down to Gridder's where their other car was parked, then came back up.  Meanwhile, Mrs. Gridder, Mr. Sixes and I were shoveling.  

Gridder did manage to plow through the mud and snow, very slowly.  Back and forth, back and forth.  We were trying to figure out how to get MAX's chain and track back on when Larry and Elsie arrived home.  To make this story as short as possible, the three guys managed to get MAX's chain on by winching MAX to turn the wheels.  Then they moved MAX in such a way so as to get two jacks under him.  With two of them holding MAX, and Larry and I working on the track, we actually got it back on without having to take the air out of the tires.  MAX doesn't seem so formidable in the face of three big, strong men. . .  It's amazing what you can get done with a lot of muscle and some beer.

Larry brought up my boxes of groceries in his 4X4.  Put them in Gridder's Jeep.  Then both Gridder in his Jeep and Mr. Sixes in his Jeep, with Larry and Gridder's family riding along, followed me up to my turn-off.  We loaded up MAX and I was off, and home by 4:30 with no other problems.  The rest of them drove up to the Sixes' cabin which is less than 1/4 mile up from our turn-off.  

Good neighbors, who have become such good friends, made for a great time.  I loved it, but I am really getting tired of having to ask for help so often this winter.  I swore I wasn't going back down til April or May, but I will house-sit overnight for Larry and Elsie the first weekend in March.  By then I should be able to drive Miss Kitty down the main road.

The sky remained mostly overcast for the day, with a few sun breaks.  Our high was 43, so it really wasn't too cold for all the goings on.  Needless to say, I slept soundly.

Tuesday 2/16. It was 39 with a light partial overcast this morning.  We read mail and magazines, and did not do much more than dishes, laundry and daily chores.  I had to wash my jacket and pants from yesterday as they were pretty muddy.  It seemed as though every bone and muscle in my body was aching today, so I just needed to rest and recuperate.

The sun managed to shine through the overcast most of the day, and our high was 48.  After all that wind Sunday night, the ground is showing under most of the trees.  It is bare in the grove.  Most of the bushes, stumps, rocks and logs have re-appeared, along with the bird bath.

Wednesday 2/17. It is 36 with a heavy overcast this morning.  Going to have to check out the refrigerator today, as it seems to be working too hard.

Thought for the day: Blood makes you relatives.  Loyalty makes you family.