August 31, 2016 A Doctor's Visit, House-sitting & Cleaning Up

JB starting to cut the bushes
a few weeks ago.

How it looks today,
more than 1/2 done.

Friday 8/26. After washing the dishes and hanging out the laundry, I took JB Down There to the clinic to have his left swollen and sore elbow looked at.  Seems it is an infection of his bursa sac.  We were soon on our way home with an antibiotic and pain pills in hand.

The meds knocked him for a loop and he slept most of the afternoon.  The trip wore me out and I took a shorter nap.

Our high for the day was 80.

Saturday 8/27. It was 64 and overcast this morning with a strong breeze.  The cloud cover soon began to slowly drift off to the east, with blue sky following from the west.

JB went back to bed after his weekly 8:30 am call from his Mom, and slept til noon.  Then he took another long nap after lunch.  Just perfect for fighting off his infection and resting his elbow.

I cut out more bushes where we had been working, but with the wind gusting to 18, I didn't stay out for long.  It raced through the trees, littering the ground with needles.  Our high for the day was 77.

This certainly is the summer for elder berries and rose hips.  Every elder berry bush has its branches drooping with the weight of the berries, and there are new bushes everywhere.  Not sure if I am going to make time to pick any in September when they will be ripe.

Sunday 8/28. It was 54 and partly cloudy this morning with much less of a breeze.  I left at 12:30 pm to house-sit for Larry and Elsie.  She told me to help myself to the few blueberries on some bushes, so I grazed them for lunch.

I always take a project of some sort with me when I house-sit, and this time it was a stack of older (back to 2010) Entertainment Weekly magazines.  I subscribe in order to keep up with movies and TV series, and have saved most of them for reference.  Well, I just needed to go through them all and write down the movies and series that we would like to get.  So now I have a big stack for recycle.

I also brought the book I had started, What Matters Most by Luanne Rice.  Oh, my!  I have found another favorite author.  Couldn't put it down, and finished it today.  A bit like Jan Karon's books.

A little after 4:00 pm, I glanced up and saw a bear coming down the canyon across the road.  It looked like it was on its way to the ponds but I couldn't get my camera out quickly enough to get a picture.

Of course, I watched TV this evening, and actually stayed up til 11:00 pm.

Monday 8/29. It was a very smokey 64 this morning and partly cloudy.  Elsie had told me to help myself to various fruits and vegetables, so I picked some apples, took a few potatoes they had dug up and picked a little bag of blueberries.

Their dogs had let me sleep all night til 7:30 am, so then I just stayed up.  They slept in the bedroom in their beds on the floor, while the cats took turns sleeping on the bed with me.

I stayed til 3:00 pm, knowing that Larry and Elsie would be home around 5:30.  Then drove down to get the mail; met a neighbor on the way up; and was home a little before 4:00 pm.

The swelling on JB's elbow has gone down considerably and he is feeling much better.

Our high Up Here today was 79.

Tuesday 8/30. It was 60 and mostly overcast this morning.  Still a little hazy, but we couldn't smell any smoke.

We put our plans down on paper for getting ready for the BBQ on Saturday, and started on the list.  JB put up two yellow jacket traps.  I raked the horseshoe pits and did some weeding.  JB is still napping everyday, but feeling so much better and using his arm just a bit.

There was very little air movement today and the air was muggy, but our high was only 77.  It sure felt warmer than that.  The sun managed to peek through the clouds a few times, but the sky stayed overcast all day.  Days like this just seem to sap your energy.

Wednesday 8/31. It is 52 with clear skies this morning.  Rain is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, but sunny weather is promised for the weekend.

Thought for the day: The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs.  James Allen

August 28, 2016 House-sitting

Sunday 8/28. I will be house-sitting for Larry and Elsie today and tomorrow, so my next blog posting will be Wednesday, August 31.

August 26, 2016 Clearing the "Tunnel", A Sick Larry & Snail Mail

A praying mantis who rode in
on a piece of kindling.

Wednesday 8/24. We clipped and cut about 95% of the west side of the "tunnel" before we pooped out this morning.  One of those projects that doesn't take a lot of time, just a lot of energy.  But we accomplished much more than we though we would.  It is obvious that Mr. Sixes has also be working on clearing away the brush by the road in that area.

Got home and washed the big pile of dishes left from all of yesterday's cooking and dining.  My hair had just dried from a late wash when Elsie called to say that Larry was ill, with what might be the flu, and would I be able to come down and help at their shop.  I washed up a bit, curled my hair, put on "town" clothes and was on my way in record time.  Fortunately the speed limit in the paved part of the canyon is 53, so I got there quickly.  Ooops!  Maybe that's 35. . .

JB had dinner ready when I arrived back home at 6:15 pm.  Our high Up Here for the day was a pleasant 78.

Thursday 8/25. It was 62 and mostly clear this morning.  Neither of us had a good night's sleep as Buster came up to visit at 12:30 am!  All he got was another "Buster, go home!"

I was on my way Down There to do our annual laundry at the laundromat of winter coats, drapes that we use for doors to the bathroom, bedroom and linen closet, the shower curtain and bath mat, blankets, etc.  Then I did shopping at Costco and Fred Meyer, my two standard stores.  The heat wasn't too bad in town as their forecast high was in the 80's.

I was home by 2:00 pm and won't have to go back down til next Thursday, when I go to get food for our BBQ on Sunday, Sept. 4.  

In this day and age of electronic mail, it is indeed always nice to be able to send a quick message to someone and know that they will receive it as soon as they check their ipad or computer or whatever, but I still enjoy sending and receiving snail mail.  Personal paper you can hold in your hand and read, and maybe save.  Something special that someone spent some extra time to write and mail.

I remember my maternal grandparents always spending a few hours every day when they stayed us writing letters to friends and family around the world.  I have most of the letters that they wrote to my Mother, and they are absolutely splendid.  Pieces of our history hand written for generations to enjoy that capture the flavor of the time in which they were created.  A slice of life the way it was at the moment it written.  When I read them, I can feel my grandparents who wrote them sitting next to me.  They, once again, come alive for me.

Friday 8/26. It is 64 with mostly clear skies this morning.  Still hazy with smoke to the northwest.  We plan to work on rebuilding the trailer this morning.

Thought for the day: "Ah, but he liked the mail.  Always had.  One never knew what might turn up in the mail.  It was like a lottery in which one could hit the jackpot at any moment."  A Light In The Window by Jan Karon, pg 294

August 24, 2016 Company & Saying Goodbye

(My connection is too slow for a picture this morning.)

Monday 8/22. Definitely a bit chilly this morning with a temp of 48.  I guess we better get used to it. . .

JB left at 9:00 am, and since it was to nice and cool, I worked on clearing up the area where we have been cutting out the brush.  These bushes have to be at least fifty years old.  The stems are so thick that they will make good kindling.  I got quite a pile of them, took it all to the wood shed and stacked it.

I have started a new book, Jeeves in the Morning by P.G. Wodehouse.  I heard about this series several decades ago, but never read any of it.  This is English humor at its best, which is something you either understand or you don't.  You either like it or you don't.  Having grown up in the midst of it, I both understand and enjoy it.

After stopping for a visit with Larry, JB was home around 1:30 pm.  He ate lunch and took a long nap.

Our high for the day was a lovely 73, with a cool breeze blowing most of the day.

Tuesday 8/23. It was 54 and clear this morning.  Still very hazy to the northwest and we could smell smoke from the fire.

We got out early to clear up all the bushes we had cut.  Took them to the swale with the  tractor.  Lots of huge root balls to dig out.  That may not get done this year, but it still looks so much better.

Then we got cleaned up and I baked a banana-chocolate chip coffee cake.  RJ and Mike arrived at 2:00 pm and the guys played two long hands of Magic, while I read my book; took Mike's dog for a walk; and prepared dinner, a pork roast.

The guests won both card games and we enjoyed good conversation during dinner.  But then they had to leave.  It is always so very hard to say goodbye to Mike.  We only see him once or twice during the year and he has grown into such a great young man.  Having watched him from a newborn, it pulls at the heartstrings to know he will soon be out on his own, perhaps far away, making a life for himself.

After they left we watched Silver Linings Playbook. . .

Wednesday 8/24.  It is 58 with clear skies this morning and a smokey smell.  We are going to start cutting back the small trees that line part of the road down the canyon.  This is a requirement by the new propane company as the trees (small aspens) are too low for the stacks on the propane truck.  It will take a few days to do, but we have til mid-September.

Thought for the day: The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.  Mitch Albom

August 22, 2016 Taking Out Bushes & A Nephew's Visit

The little deer on the road.

Part of RJ's yard by
his cabin.

Friday 8/19. This morning's coolness felt so very good!  I know the girls do not like the heat any better than we do, but we are getting three brown eggs almost every day now, with an occasional white one.  And a double yolk in a brown egg about once a week.

Since it was so much cooler this morning, we got out after breakfast and began cutting more bushes.  JB used the bush cutter on the weed eater to cut and I cleared them out.  We are working on the one large area by the Y in the drive going up to the south ridge.  There is at least one more area by some trees that we want to clear out this year.

JB drove down to pick up Mike and go Down There to play Magic cards this evening, but the store was closed!  The owner had forgotten to change his web site.  They ate dinner and were home by 7:30 pm.  We talked most of the evening, then Mike slept on the couch.  He has gone to the Junior Olympics in track for four years now, and is receiving interest letters from some colleges.  He even got one from Harvard!

Saturday 8/20. It was 66 this morning.  There were no clouds, but the sky was hazy from a fire far to the northwest.

Mike and I looked through albums of old family photos, then after lunch we drove Down There to go to Hastings.  They have lowered their prices and I bought 13 more movies, along with part of Mike's birthday present of Magic cards.  Then it was back up the mountain to take him back to the cabin.  He and RJ will come to dinner on Tuesday, and get here early so the three of them can finally play Magic.

On our way down, Mike and I saw two deer just down from the end of our driveway, but they were gone before we could get any pictures.  Then as I was driving home from the cabin, I saw two more.  One little one was in the road chewing on a bush, and just stood and stared at me.  I got a good picture of him, and them one of his mom.

A couple months ago, JB planted two sweet potatoes just to see if they would grow.  One popped up a few weeks ago and continues to leaf out.  Another one just popped up a few days ago.  It would be great if we actually got some potatoes on them!

Our high for the day was 85, and it sure felt like it.

Sunday 8/21. It was 65 and clear this morning with a light wind that stayed Up Here all day, increasing to gusts of 14 mph in the afternoon.  So our high of 87 was not at all uncomfortable.

After lunch we cut some more bushes, getting almost half of the area done.  It is looking really good.

I finished the third book in the Mitford series by Jan Karon.  So enjoyable!  Will have to find the fourth one as soon as possible.

JB is going Down There tomorrow to buy supplies to finish re-doing the trailer and do some other errands.  Hopefully it will be cooler for him.

The sky was almost overcast by 4:00 pm and  the wind was gusting to 22 mph.  One such gust whipped around the porch, blowing off some chairs and the dog beds.  By 8:30 pm most of the cloud cover had moved off to the east.  We had blue sky again, the temp was down to 60.  By 9:30 the wind had completely died down.

Monday 8/22. It is a cool 46 this morning with partly cloudy skies and a breeze.  I can see new snow on the highest peaks of the mountains!

Thought for the day: We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.  C.S. Lewis

August 19, 2016 Apple Pie Filling & A Very Good Visit

Eggs that JB used for our
sausage & cheese breakfast
fritata.

The little shelves we
built in our pantry
under the stairs.

Wednesday 8/17. As soon as that morning breeze dies down, the temperature rises up.  It was another hot day with very little air movement and a high of 87.

I got caught up in reading papers and magazines that I had brought home yesterday, so I didn't get started on making and canning the apple pie filling as early as I had planned.  But I did get 6-1/2 pints canned, and it tasted so very good.

My nephew, Mike, called this afternoon to say that he and RJ were on their way up to the cabin.  They will be up for breakfast tomorrow morning, so I used one of the cans of pie filling to bake JB's Mom's famous fruit coffee cake.  You can use any kind of pie filling, and it always turns out so delicious.

Afterwards, I used the water in the canner to water the garden this evening.

Thursday 8/18.  It was 66 with clear skies and a cool breeze this morning.  We were up at 7:00 am to get ready for our guests.  That breeze felt so good!

JB asked Mike if he wanted to go play Magic cards tomorrow evening, and, yes, he did.  So RJ left him with us for the day so Mike could put together a pack of cards from JB's collection.  I took him back to their cabin at about 3:00 pm, and JB will pick him up tomorrow at 5:00 pm.  He will spend the night with us and probably most of Saturday.

It was so very good to see Mike.  He will be 18 years old next month.  Eighteen going on thirty.  I remember holding him when he was just one day old, and now he is deciding which universities to apply to. . .

He is going to be taking a civics class this year, which will be very interesting considering the upcoming election and the state of our politics.  He is pretty much a conservative, like his folks, thank goodness.  This will also be his first time to vote, unfortunately.  With Trump stumbling and bumbling like he is now, how can any one justify voting for him?  But then, how can anyone justify not voting for him?!  It will be an interesting civics class, to say the least.  I just hope the teacher will show how good our political system can be, and not just what it has become.

The breeze remained Up Here most of the day, and our high was 84.  Much more comfortable than yesterday.

Friday 8/19. It is 60 with clear skies and a light breeze this morning.  Looks to be a very good weekend.

Thought for the day: A mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original shape.  Oliver Wendell Holmes

August 17, 2016 More Heat & No Cataract Surgery

More of Saturday's
sunset.

Monday 8/15. Another inside day just trying to stay cool.  Finished the first Mitford book and started the second.  

Had a nice long chat with Randy.  Am going to send him all the DVD's I was going to trade in at Hastings, as he hasn't seen any of them.  Will send the first box tomorrow when I go Down There.

Last night Larry told us that when he was mowing their lawn yesterday, he saw a big ol' rattlesnake.  He took after it on his riding lawn mower and it disappeared into a haze of red.  He had just put a new mulcher on the mower, so the pieces were so tiny that the yellow jackets could barely find them.

The crickets have begun their evening songs in the past week or two, and the grasshoppers seem to be more lively every day.  But the song birds have all but disappeared.  We have a couple of blue jays Up Here off and on, but their squawking hardly qualifies as a song.

So far we have 18 people coming to our Labor Day weekend BBQ, with the possibility of more than 30.  Probably won't know for sure until they all start arriving.  I do hope the weather will cool off by then.  Today's high was a very uncomfortable 86.

Tuesday 8/16. It was 64 and clear again this morning.  I didn't have to leave until 11:00 am, which gave me time to do a couple errands before my 1:00 pm eye appointment.  I mailed Randy's first package, and dropped off several sacks at the thrift store, then went in to look for more books.  I found another one by Jan Karon, and bought four more by other authors. Their prices have gone by by $.50, but still such a good deal.

The temp Down There had to be well into the 90's and I was right in the middle of it.  Didn't get home til a little before 3:00 pm, and our high Up Here was 88.  I think I am about to melt.  But I do not need cataract surgery, despite the blurry vision in my right eye.  It may be another year, or two or three.

I remembered the apple juice this trip, so I plan to can apple pie filling tomorrow.  In the morning.  Before the heat really hits.  It is supposed to be hot through the weekend.

Wednesday 8/17. It is 64 and clear with a breeze this morning.  Am going to get the apple pie filling done first thing.

Thought for the day: I like a bit of a mongrel myself, whether man or beast.  They're the best for every day.  George Bernard Shaw