August 15, 2014 Hot, Hot, Hot!

Saturday night's sunset.

Another hint at autumn.

Friday 8/12. I hit the estate sale and picked up a few pillow cases and a glass bowl for the bird bath.  I overheard one of the ladies talking about all the dolls.  There had been 9000 of them, all shapes and sizes!  She also had many doll accessories like high-chairs, cribs, chest-of-drawers, tea sets, etc.  Unbelievable!

And she had lots of furniture.  Among other pieces, there must have been at least ten rocking chairs.  I just wish I had more room, or maybe it's a good thing I don't. . .

It was really getting hot Down There, but I was able to get my grocery shopping done and be home before 1:00 pm.  Our high Up Here was 82, but that was on the porch in the shade.  It had to have been at least five or more degrees hotter in the sun.

Saturday 8/13. It was 68 and mostly clear this morning.  I had been having very unsettling dreams the past few nights and last night I had a full-blown nightmare.  That only happens once or twice a year and I am not sure just what causes it.  

It was just too hot to do anything strenuous outside, so we built some small shelves in the pantry under the stairs.  I had been wanting to do this for a while and finally figured out how.  JB put in two of the shelves and I put in two.  Am very pleased with the results.  I have everything on a list, but now I can see the smaller items more easily.  I also managed to drop a five-pound jar of coconut oil on my big toe.  That's going to smart for a while.

I had gone to the thrift store yesterday to drop some things off, and look for more.  I discovered three books in a series of four by an new author, Jan Karon.  They are called the Mitford series and I started the first one, At Home in Mitford.  Excellent!  Just can't put it down.  "Heartwarming" I guess it could be called.  Much like The Cat Who. . . series by Lillian Jackson Braun.

I picked our first tomatoes today.  There are lots more just waiting to turn red.  Two of the plants are sauce tomatoes.  Never made it from scratch before, but I certainly plan to.

I bought Granny Smith apples yesterday and planned to make apple pie filling today, but forgot to get apple juice.  I'll do that on Tuesday when I go in for my eye appointment, then make and can the pie filling on Wednesday.

Our high for today was 84.  Not at all pleasant.  Friends in Ontario, Canada, sent an email: It's so hot in Ontario that. . .
  . . . the birds have to use potholders to pull the worms out of the ground.
  . . . you learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
  . . . hot water comes from both taps.
  . . . you realize that asphalt has a liquid stage.
  . . . cows are giving evaporated milk.
  . . . farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs!

Sunday 8/14. It was 64 and clear with a breeze this morning.  I thought for sure it would be cooler today, but our high was 89.

I re-arranged the living room rugs, as one of our good ones was getting skewed.  Then I went down to visit my brother at his cabin.  Took him four bags of glass bottles and a jar of blueberry jam.  Had a very nice visit.  Came home and just sat reading my book and trying to keep cool, and enjoying the heavenly scent of two loaves of bread that JB had just baked.

JB is going to rebuild our little trailer, so he pulled it around to the shop this morning.  He did a bit of work on it before it got too hot, and will continue in the cool of the mornings. 

Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit this evening.  The first time since May as they have been so busy picking blueberries!  We sat on the porch enjoying each other's company and the light wind that had sprung up.

Monday 8/15. It is 64 and clear this morning with hot temps in the forecast for most of the week.

Thought for the day: Sometimes you have to gag on fancy before you can appreciate plain. At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon, pg 237

August 12, 2016 Wood, Autumn & Coffee

Fire starter

Kindling

Regular fire wood

Wednesday 8/10. OK, autumn was definitely in the air today.  Which is not to say that the weather will be cool now, but it was that first hint of autumn's arrival.  In fact the temperature is supposed to get back up into the 90's Down There by Friday.  Of course, because I plan to go to town on Friday for grocery shopping and to check out that estate sale again.

On our morning walk the dogs discovered a fresh scent of some critter (bear?) and went tearing off to the east.  I finished the walk by myself and Jesse didn't return for more than 30 minutes.  Then after eating his morning treat, he took off again.  He was barking, so I know there was something nearby.

It was a low energy day, so I just did dishes and laundry, then raked up more grass that JB had cut and spread it on the swale.  JB was back home a little after noon.  We both had a long afternoon nap.

We watched Hellboy last night and Hellboy 2 this evening.  Both very well done and entertaining.

Thursday 8/11. It was 58 and clear this morning.  Blueberries for breakfast.  What could be better?!

Our project for today was to finish cutting up all the large branch wood.  We managed to do that in five cradle loads.  Then JB moved it to the shed with the tractor and I stacked it.  After lunch I split the larger pieces and some of the partial pine rounds that had dried out a bit more.  JB moved those to the shed and I stacked them, getting about 3/4 of the seventh row filled.  I don't plan to do any more splitting until after our Labor Day weekend BBQ, and then we will start stacking wood on the porch.

I divide our wood into three different types: fire starter, kindling and standard fire wood.  This year so far we have three yard bags and two large boxes full of fire starter (in addition to several bags of pine needles), 3-1/4 rows of kindling, and 6-3/4 rows of fire wood.  By the end of October, we should have four rows of standard fire wood on the porch and possibly two rows of kindling.  Last year we had two less bags of fire starter and used it all.  We had 2-1/2 rows of kindling and used it all.  We had six rows of regular fire wood in the shed and used five rows, plus three rows on the porch.

Our high for today was 80, and it certainly felt like it.  Not looking forward to the 90's Down There tomorrow.

For some reason, lately I have been thinking about the effect of coffee on civilization.  No wonder Europe was so screwed up before they brought the coffee bean back from the Americas!  Everyone was in a bad mood, and, as nice as tea is, it just doesn't compare to coffee.  And they didn't even have tea until it was brought back from China.  My time line may not be quite correct, but I am sure the middle ages would not have been so horrific if only they had coffee to drink.  And what about chocolate?!  That had to have a positive effect on people's lives.  I know it does on mine.  I am sure a whole book could be written on the effects of different foods and drinks on the history of man.

In response to the comment about Chicago's seasons being winter and construction, that is so true!  However, if they're lucky, there actually is a spring that lasts about two weeks or so.

Friday 8/12. It is 64 with clear skies this morning.  I didn't set my alarm clock for the meteor shower, but my bladder woke me up at 2:30 am and I saw two shooting stars.  I remember seeing a phenomenal meteor shower when I was in college (1967?) that I don't think could be outdone by any other.

Thought for the day: You know what separates humans from animals?  Coffee!!

August 10, 2016 Rain, Wood & The Seasons

One of our beautiful
sunsets.

Monday 8/8. It has been cold in the mornings lately but I still don't smell autumn in the air.  Clouds quickly moved in today and the sky was overcast by 9:30 am.  It wasn't an ideal day in which to hang out the laundry, but I did it anyway.  I ended up having to take it down and hang it inside when a light rain began to fall around noon.  It became quite heavy and lasted til almost 4:00 pm.

JB weed-wacked north of the house and I split some wood, both of which we finished before the rain started.  Our high was 62, but that soon dropped to 48 with the rain.  I finally put a fire in the wood stove at 3:00 pm to take the chill out.

I finished the book I was reading, Vince Flynn's The Survivor, a Mitch Rapp novel written by Kyle Mills.  JB finished his Tom Clancy novel, Duty and Honor by Tom Blackwood.  I like that when such great authors pass on, someone is found to carry on their popular novels.

I didn't get much exercise today, so after dinner, instead of using the tractor, I carried the wood I had split to the wood shed in ten armloads and stacked it.

We watched Blood Diamond this evening.  An excellent movie but very heavy.  Don't watch it more than once every year or two.

Tuesday 8/9. It was 50 and mostly clear this morning.  Buster came to visit at 1:00 am!  His barking was met with a very indignant, "Buster, go home!"

I vacuumed, split wood and stacked it after JB moved it to the shed.  He also weed-wacked south of the house, and I gathered some of the cut grass and weeds and took them to the swales.

Clouds drifted over on their way east and our high for the day was 69.  Very nice!

Being so very integrated with Nature Up Here, I feel in rhythm with the seasons.  Usually Winter is a time for rest, except for this past one when we got so much exercise.  But then last summer was so hot that it was the season of rest.  Come Spring I am raring to go, with a long list of things to do (some of which never get done).  By the time Summer arrives, I'm still going strong but enjoy sitting on the porch to rest or when it is too warm to work.  Come August, I am definitely slowing down, but the with the majority of the work done.  When Fall arrives, I am more than ready for the cool days and am re-charged by then to finish some of our projects.  

Living Down There, the seasons didn't seem to impact my life as much, other than a change in wardrobe and some outside activities.  I marked the passing of the year more by holidays than seasons.  Of course there are only two seasons west of the Cascades - wet and wetter.  And in California (where we lived for nine years) they are warm and warmer.

But Up Here on the mountain in an area with four definite seasons, there is a rhythm to life.  A joyful rhythm.  One in which I was born and to which I have returned.

Wednesday 8/10. It is 50 this morning with some thin wispy clouds and a breeze.  JB left for Down There at 7:00 for his doctor's appointment to go over his test results.

Thought for the day: Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.  Stanley Horowitz

August 8, 2016 More Wood, Pie Filling & No Politics

Beans I picked last
Thursday.

JB cutting the huge fir
trunk rounds.

Friday 8/5. I went to the estate sale, Hastings and ran errands, but didn't hit the downtown sidewalk sale.  It seems that the house where the estate sale is being held was owned by a woman who was quite the hoarder.  When they first entered her house, each room was stacked to the ceiling with boxes and just a small aisle to walk through.  This was the fourth weekend of the sale and they still have to sort through half the basement and the garage!  Amazing how a person would need all that "stuff" to feel secure.  But Elsie had mentioned that if I did go again, to look for wine glasses as she keeps breaking hers.  I found six very nice ones and took them to her at their shop.  It was perfect timing as today was their wedding anniversary.

Speaking of stuff, I walked up and down every aisle of movies in Hastings and was able to find twelve used movies and the first season of Arrow all at 40% off.

I was home around 1:00 pm and stepped inside the house to the wonderful smell of banana muffins in the oven.  Mmmmm!  I ate lunch and took a nap, falling asleep to that heavenly scent.

Had a nice long talk with Randy.  Even though he has all his wood in, he is always busy with other things to do.  Just the way it is living on a mountain.

Our high for the day was 88, but it sure didn't seem that hot.  Guess I am finally getting used to the heat.

Saturday 8/6. It was 54 and clear this morning.  Right after breakfast we cut the stack of long, split wood from last year with the chop saw.  After lunch I moved it to wood shed in 1-1/2 bucket loads and stacked it.

Then JB cut the huge, long fir trunk piece into four pieces.  That took quite a while as it was almost two feet in diameter.  Tomorrow he plans to cut the other two, but shorter, big pieces in half and move them all to the splitter.

Our high for the day was 79 with a cool breeze.  Very pleasant.  But by 9:00 pm it was quite dark outside.  I could swear it wasn't that dark that early last night.  It just kind of sneaks up on you.

Sunday 8/7. It was 54 and clear again this morning.  Another brown egg was waiting for me as usual when I gave the girls their breakfast.

I got busy early and canned four pints of blueberry pie filling.  It turned out SO good!  While I was doing that, BJ cut the other two huge trunk pieces in half and moved them all to the splitter.

After lunch I split two of the rounds, which was much easier than the pine.  JB moved the wood to the shed and I stacked it, finishing the sixth row.  I thought that is all we would have room for, but I moved a few things around and now have room for a seventh row which I started.  We may not have enough wood to finish that row and also stack wood on the porch, but we will see.  Won't start stacking on the porch until after our Rose Camp BBQ on September 4.

We also tilted the solar panels half-way down.  Tilting them is always a marker of the time of year it is, and I have a hard time believing that it is that late already.

I love the fact that my day can consist of both canning pie filling, and then splitting and stacking wood!  I am so definitely where I belong.  

I would like to write more about our political situation, but I just can't go down that road today.  However I will quote from a posting on Facebook.  The caption on photos of both the presidential candidates: "316 million people and we picked these two?  Way to go America."  Nuff said.

Monday 8/8. It is 50 with some high, wispy clouds this morning and 20% chance of rain.

Thought for the day: I already hate our next President.  (Seen on a T-shirt.)

August 5, 2016 Wood, Beans & Politics

(No photo today.  My connection is way too slow.)


Wednesday 8/3. I had a nice, long chat with Sandy this morning during which we bemoaned the political situation and solved the world's problems.  Then after breakfast JB cut five cradles-full of wood, which really whittled down the pile of large branches.

After washing all the sawdust out of my hair and eating lunch, I split the larger pieces that JB had cut.  And there were quite a few.  Then we moved all the cut and split wood to the shed in seven loads.  I stacked it and got a little more than half done on the last row.  That's it for a few days as JB is going Down There tomorrow and I am going on Friday.

Nene called this evening.  She returned from Idaho yesterday and had an absolutely wonderful time.  Not only did they see a moose, but during one of their outings a wild turkey hen ran into their car and took the passenger side mirror off!

Our grove is becoming covered with fir-cone "petals" as the squirrels and chipmunks begin preparing for winter.  I have an inkling that it is going to be another hard one.

I spent time on the computer composing and printing the letter to the other propane users in our canyon informing them of the new supplier.  I also printed up this year's invitation to our almost-annual Rose Camp BBQ that will be on Sunday, September 4.  JB will mail them all tomorrow.

It was a very comfortable day with a high of 75 and a lovely breeze.

Thursday 8/4.  It was 60 and clear this morning with a projected high of 85 in town.  JB left for Down There at about 8:00 am for a blood test, bone density scan and to run some errands.

When I cleaned out the hen house this morning, there were two small eggs under the roosting ladder.  So I am quite sure that all the new girls are now laying.  Every morning for the past week there has been a brown egg in one of the nesting boxes waiting for me in the morning.

I gave my hands and wrists a rest today just doing inside chores and hanging out the laundry.  JB was home by noon and we both mainly stayed inside or sat on the porch.  I absolutely had to finish the book I was reading, Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke.  A very nice day with a high of 78, but no air movement.

When I watered the garden this morning I realized it was definitely time to harvest some of the green beans.  Our very first!

Our son had suggested, since Hastings is no longer selling on-line, that we go on Redbox's site as they often sell used movies.  By signing up with them we got a free rental.  So today JB rented (for free) Criminal and I will return it tomorrow.  It stars Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones, and is excellent.

When Sandy and I were talking yesterday, we agreed that our country's political system has never been without corruption and greed, but it just seems like it is so much more visible these days.  And so very frustrating.  Evil seems to be so much more visible everywhere in the world.  I have never considered myself to be paranoid, but I am very concerned.  Sandy rarely watches or listens to the news like she used to, and I am so glad to be up here on the mountain where the goings-on are not constantly in my face.

Well, enough of that.  Tomorrow I am going Down There mainly to check out an estate sale and the sidewalk sale that is going on in town with my birthday money in hand.  It is supposed to be in the 90's, but I will just duck into the air-conditioned stores.

Friday 8/5. It is 64 and clear this morning.  Going to be a hot one Down There.

Thought for the day: There is a higher court than the court of justice, and that is the court of conscience.  It supercedes all other courts.  Mhatma Gandhi

August 3, 2016 Cooler Temps & GMO's

Our huge dying pine tree.

Monday 8/1. JB moved the wood to the shed that I had split on Saturday and mowed in a few places around the house.  After I hung out the laundry, we moved another pile of large branches to the cradle.  After lunch he cut two cradle-loads of wood and then I split two large rounds.

Today was the first day in a while that I took the dogs on both their morning and afternoon walk.  It was very comfortable with a high of just 76.

After dinner we moved all the wood we had cut and split to the wood shed in five loads.  Then we moved the next to the last pile of large branches to the cradle.  After that I stacked all the wood.  Almost finished with the fifth row.

Just a day or two ago we both noticed that our largest pine tree is dead.  Its needles had turned orange very quickly.  Since the spruce beetle is killing just fir trees, we think this tree died due to the extended drought.  It will be a lot of good fire wood, but I sure hate to see it go.  It is just across the driveway by the splitter, and has to be at least 70 feet tall.

Yesterday I had a nice long talk with Randy.  My Aunt Nene, her son and daughter-in-law arrived in Bonner's Ferry on Saturday, and after an eight-hour drive, came to visit him.  Nene was just as perky as ever and they had a very nice time.  And no wonder - they saw a moose along the highway a little before getting into town!  I certainly hope they got a picture of it.  I am so envious. . .

This evening I finished reading a book by one of my favorite authors, The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly.  A Lincoln Lawyer book and excellent, as usual.

Tuesday 8/3. It was 58 and clear this morning, with a breeze that gradually increased in strength all day until it was gusting to 19 mph by the time we went for our afternoon walk.

I split wood before and after lunch.  I felt like I spent most of my time just wrestling the rounds as they were from the part of the pine tree with very large branches.  That makes them very difficult to split, so there is a pile of knots that I still have to deal with.

JB moved a pile of wood to the shop from last year that is too long for the wood stove.  We are going to cut it with the chop saw.  Then he moved the wood I had split to the shed and I stacked it.  I have a good start on the sixth and last row.

Last Friday I mentioned to Mrs. Gridder that I would be looking for a push mower at the garage sales.  She said that they had one that they don't use any  more and would be glad to loan it to us on a permanent basis.  I used it today and it works fine.  Just takes a little more effort, but no fuel other than my muscles.

There is an excellent article in the Sept/Oct issue of Countryside magazine about GMO's.  I think they are very brave to print it, as so many homesteaders seem to be against GMO's.  The article has obviously been well researched,  backs everything up with facts, and basically supports the concept, while admitting that everyone has to make up their own mind about it.  

I had been on the slightly negative side, but never did much research into it.  Now I think I am a bit more open to the concept and what is trying to be done, although I can certainly understand the misgivings that many people have.  It seems to be kind of a time-will-tell situation.  But it is amazing how many crops have already been saved through bio-engineering, which is not quite the same thing as genetically modified.  This is an article that really needs to be read by anyone who has any doubts or concerns about the issue.

Wednesday 8/3. It is 50 and clear this morning with no breeze.  A good day to work outside.

Thought for the day: Men will get no more out of life than they put into it.  Rev. William J. Boetcker

August 1, 2016 Garage Sale-ing, Blueberry Jam & A Seafood Dump

Our Sunday evening Cajun
seafood "dump".

Friday 7/29. Somehow I was able to get on my way at 7:00 am for Mrs. Gridder's to go garage sale-ing.  The temperature was quite pleasant until about 10:00 am, but her car's air conditioning saved the day.  We found lots of great buys and treasures, including a small Chinese rug I bought for $2.

I was home by 11:30, just in time for lunch and a nap.  We hit 90 today, so didn't do much else other than read.

Saturday 7/30. It was 64 and clear this morning.  Another lazy, inside day.

By the looks of the brown eggs, all three of our new girls are laying now.  The brown eggs from the first one to lay are now larger than Blondie's white eggs.  Then we also have tiny ones and medium ones, usually one brown one per day.

Our high for today was 87, which really didn't feel much cooler than yesterday's 90, but by dinner time there was a cool breeze and the temperature had dropped significantly.  A portend of things to com.

Sunday 7/31. It was a lovely 58 this morning.  A perfect day for making blueberry jam.  So I cooked and canned nine pint jars.  It turned out so very delicious.

We left for dinner at the Sixes' cabin at 5:30 pm.  We took a couple bottles of wine and a jar of jam for our hostess.  Turns out that Elsie was also canning blueberry jam today and also brought a jar for Mrs. Sixes!

They cooked up a huge "dump" of crab legs, shrimp, oysters, sausage, corn and potatoes with a cajun seasoning.  It was dumped on a table covered with paper and everyone just took what they wanted.  It was so good and so much fun.  We didn't get home til after 10:00 pm.

Monday 8/1. It is 60 and clear this morning, and we both slept in.  Going to have to get busy again today.

Thought for the day: Old age has it pleasures, which, though different, are not less than the pleasures of youth. W. Somerset Maugham