June 29, 2015 Heat, Fire & Rain

Jesse and his pal, Buster.

My planter of beautiful bloms.

Friday 6/26. I started reading a Pat Conroy book today, South of Broad. I really enjoy his writing, but I have to be in the right mood to start one of his books.  This was the perfect day.  He makes me think about and savor every word and every sentence.  Not a book you can - or would want to - rush through.

Blondie had laid an egg already when I fed them this morning.  Smart Girl.  Get it done before the heat sets in.

I baked cookies this morning.  So, in other words, I heated up the house before the sun could.

In the afternoon I sat on the porch for a long while.  It was hotter out there, but at least there was air movement.  But again the breeze disappeared with the sun and there was no relief from the heat that barely cooled with the descending darkness.  Our high for the day was a 88.

Saturday 6/27. It was 78 and partly cloudy with thunder storms in the forecast.  Got all the outside chores done early, then took a cool shower.

JB plans to leave for home tomorrow by 10:00 am.

According to the porch temperature gauge, our high for the day was 93, but the weather station gauge, which started working again this week, read 104!  Either way it was just plain uncomfortable.  Another perfect day to immerse myself in Pat Conroy's Charleston, SC, in South of Broad.  After I made another gallon of humming bird syrup, of course.

Clouds continued to increase all day and by late afternoon the sky was completely overcast.  But by sunset, much of the blue sky had restored itself.  I could feel and smell the moisture in the air.

Called and had a nice chat with Randy.  He is having and disliking the same heat in Idaho.

Sunday 6/28. It was 78 and partly cloudy at 6:30 am when I got up to get everything done before the real heat set in.  By 8:00 am everything was watered; the girls were fed and fresh diatomacious earth sprinkled in their pen where they tend to take dirt baths; the laundry was done and hung outside; the bed sheets were changed.  Then I was ready to feed the dogs, wash the dishes and take a shower.  And possibly a nap. . .

JB arrived home at 2:00 pm after stopping in town for a few groceries.  It had been a very hot drive and there was no relief from the heat when he got Up Here.  Our high for the day was 97!  We unloaded his car and then did as little as possible.  It is a good thing that each piece of chocolate in the box of See's Candy, that his Mom sent over for me, was in its own paper cup or it would have been just one big piece of mixed chocolate.

My Aunt Nene called around 7:00 pm to ask if the fire was close to us.  What fire?  She said it was all over the news and people were being evacuated from their homes.  Elsie called a little later, confirmed the news and told us where it was.  I took a walk to the north ridge and could even see the flames.  Looked to be about four miles to the northwest as the crow flies. 

JB turned on his radio to listen to the police frequency and heard the fire was spreading rapidly.  By 9:00 pm I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and went to bed.  JB had just got in bed at 10:50 pm when Larry called.  Another unrelated fire had started in the same vicinity and was headed toward some huge propane and ammonia tanks.  Larry and a neighbor were headed out to get a better view.  I couldn't stay in bed with all this news, so we got up and got dressed.  Went out to the north ridge to see what we could see.  It was a scary sight.  We had a good view of both fires, and listened on the radio as more people were being evacuated.

But with the day we both had, we were back in the house by midnight and soon in bed.  There was a wonderful light wind that had started cooling things down.  But we could hear loud booms from Down There as propane tanks and such exploded.  Not a good lullaby.

Monday 6/29. It was a wonderful 66 with light rain when JB got up at 6:30 this morning.  The fires were under control, but the second one was still burning a little. 

I got up at 7:30 am to write my blog and while I was doing so, we had a clap of thunder right over the house.  It brought another short shower.  I can only pray that no one was hurt in the fires.

We are going to cancel our July 4th picnic, as the temperatures are supposed to climb back into the 100's again next weekend.  Looks to be a long, hot summer.

Thought for the day: I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles. Anne Frank

June 26, 2015 Hot & Getting Hotter

Several shades of clover on the south ridge as it
turns from white to pink to almost red.

Part of the main road down in the canyon.

Wednesday 6/24. It was 65 and mostly cloudy this morning.  The clouds continued to drift over all day and our high was 78.  A very pleasant 78.

Sandy called this morning and we had a nice long chat.  It is supposed to be hot in Santa Rosa this weekend also.  Neither one of us is looking forward to the heat.

Spent a couple hours shredding old documents.  Can't believe we have some going back to 2001!  They should have been taken care of years ago.

The 4th of July is suddenly creeping close and I have lots to do in order to be ready for our picnic.  We have at least nine people coming, and possibly more.  So I did little things outside, details to make things look better.

JB's Mom had her outpatient surgery yesterday and all is well.  She is a little sore and groggy, but doing just fine.

Very sad news from Larry and Elsie.  Elsie's favorite hen, Bella, was killed by a stray dog yesterday.  She knew how to get out of the coup and spent most of her days outside in the yard.  She would follow Elsie all around, chatting as they went.  Bella will be missed.

We have been thinking about building a small greenhouse on the deck against the wall of the house.  There is a great plan for one in the latest issue of Backwoods Home.  Won't be doing it this year, but hopefully next year.

I drove down to pick up the mail on Tuesday and had a nice visit with Mrs. Gridder and her boys.  She is a teacher, so they are all off for the summer.  She showed me a picture she took of the boys holding a prairie rattler on a shovel they had found and killed over the weekend.  Their rattle snake had NINE rattles!

Thank you to the person who posted the comment regarding humming bird feeders and bears.  Yes, bears do like anything sweet.  When I was living Up Here alone in 2008 in the pop-up tent-trailer, I had a bear tear down the yellow-jacket trap that I had hanging from tree about 25 feet from the trailer.  I was able to get some great photos, but it took a lot of yelling and three shots fired into the air before he finally left.  Needless to say, I didn't put up any more traps.  But we have had these humming bird feeders up for about five summers now without any problems.  I would definitely take them down if a bear did discover them.

Sat out on the porch this evening, just enjoying the view and breeze.  It is so nice to look across the driveway to a clearing with no huge eyesore of discarded branches or tall grass/weed compost pile.

Thursday 6/25. It was 68 and clear this morning.  Each day is getting warmer, building up to the weekend.  Our high for today was 83.

I spent most of the day inside, going out only for our morning walk and to do the outside chores.  No eggs from the girls today.  I think they are too busy trying to keep cool.  They have a lot of shade in their new run.

I did more sorting and shredding.  Still a pile to do, but 2/3 of it is done.  Just can't believe I saved all those papers for so long.

We have a very aggressive rufus humming bird who is guarding the feeder on the south side of the porch.  She sits up in the nearby tree and chases away any other bird who tries to get near it.

Am reading a book by a new author for me, Foxcatcher by William H. Hallahan.  One I found at the Salvation Army Thrift store, and one I am sure that JB will enjoy also.

The blooming fire weed is just starting to fade a bit after more than two and a half weeks.  I finally saw a few blooms on our road when I drove down on Tuesday.

Judging by all the activity in the condo bird house, there may be wren hatchlings inside.  The pair that built a nest in the "bear country" bird house disappeared a few weeks ago.

During the couple weeks before and after the summer solstice, it is still light out until a little after 10:00 pm Up Here.  As opposed to the winter solstice when it is completely dark at 5:00 pm.  I much prefer the long light, not the long night.

Larry and Elsie drove up for a visit this evening which was so nice of them.  We sat on the porch and chatted.  The cool breeze disappeared along with the sun and it was a very warm night.

Friday 6/26. It is already 76 this morning with clear skies.  Looks like another mainly indoor day.

Thought for the day: In wildness I sense the miracle of life, and beside it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia. Charles A. Lindbergh

June 24, 2015 Some Photos of Rose Camp

Asters blooming a month early,
like everything else.

Fireweed & the tipi.

If this is an indication of rain, then it is going to
fall somewhere else.

Summer Solstice Sunset

Balsam root re-blooming after having
been mowed last month.

Thought for the day: Instructions for living a life: Pay attention.  Be astonished.  Tell about it. Mary Oliver

June 22, 2015 Laundry & A Bear

Treasures from our Sunday morning walk:
Prairie smoke & a feather

Our Sunday afternoon visitor.

Friday 6/19. If there was a snake under the porch last night, it left during the night.  No sign of one this morning, thank goodness.

JB brought up several tractor-bucket loads of dirt and dumped them behind the rock wall I extended.  I raked and stomped on it.  Looks great!  Then he mowed a bit around the house.  He didn't get the spraying done on the road when I was gone on Wednesday and it was too breezy today, so he will have to do it when he gets back from the other side of the mountains.

I worked on cutting/breaking a wheel barrow load of kindling from the branches I rescued from the ones being used to create the large swale.  Stacked them in the wood shed and almost have the first row finished.

I found a humming bird egg on the ground near the smaller swale.  It must have fallen out of a nest way up in a tall pine tree.  It had a tiny piece broken out and I could see what looked like a yolk inside.  

Our high for the day was 69 with a chilly breeze.  A perfect day for working outside.

Nene said that she thought it was a timber rattler we had Up Here last year.  She could be right.  I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, while she can remember what she had for dinner 50 years ago!

We sat out on the porch after dinner and were amazed at the number of humming birds at the two feeders.  Each feeder has four little "flowers" and there was a bird at every flower with seven or eight more birds in a frenzied holding pattern.  They emptied both feeders and I refused to fill them again until tomorrow morning!

Watched RED2 again this evening.  So entertaining!

Saturday 6/20. It was 48 this morning with some thin clouds.  I filled the humming bird feeders and it looks like I will have to be making more syrup on Monday.  Not too many humming birds today though.  I think the hordes got frustrated and left.

I got busy yesterday and completely forgot to do a load of laundry, so I did one this morning.  The only items I had left to do were dog towels and blankets.  It has been more than six months since I have done it at home, so I have to get back in the habit.  I usually washed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  It felt so good to be hanging the wash outside again.  It was the first time I had a chance to use the clothes-pin apron that Nene gave to me for Christmas and I loved it!

Great Backwoods Home issue, again.  If I could receive only one magazine, it would be this one.

Emergency Essentials has a great sale on their Freeze Dried Exotic Fruits Combo this month - 51% off.  The combo is six #10 cans of fruit which includes limes, blackberries, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate arils.  I use some of their products on almost a daily basis, not just for long-term storage, such as dehydrated onion, green and red peppers, etc.  Much less expensive than buying even the large jars at Costco.  When I open a can, I always vacuum seal the unused portion in large Mason jars. 

Today we both did little chores.  JB vacuumed out his Jeep and attached the trailer, as he is bringing back a small butcher-block table from his brother.  He also checked on the battery connections in the battery shed.  I puttzed around inside and out.  Then we both just sat together on the porch and enjoyed the perfect weather.  Our high for the day was 70.

JB sent out an email to his family inviting them to our annual 4th-of-July picnic for his side of the family.  We planned a menu and will now await the RSVP's.

The fire weed blossoms are full of honey bees.  We had a lot of the bees last year for the first time and now again this year.  Larry said that someone down on the paved road near our turn-off is keeping bees, so I assume these must be theirs.

JB packed up for his trip to the other side of the mountains.  He will be gone for a week.

After dinner and chores, we again sat on the porch and enjoyed the perfect evening.  

Sunday 6/21. Summer Solstice.  Our morning was 50 with a light overcast but with the sun peeking through.

Together, JB and I fixed a double batch of German pancakes for breakfast so I can have leftovers for the next couple days.  He left about 10:30 am and I got busy washing dishes and all the morning chores.

Found a couple great treasures on our morning walk: a hawk or owl feather and blooming prairie smoke.  I picked a stalk of three flowers for the house.

Just as I turned on my computer to check and send emails, Dinga started barking like crazy.  I looked out the front door and there was a bear on the east slope.  I grabbed my camera and went outside while making the dogs stay in.  It has been three or four years since we have seen a bear in person Up Here.  I love it!  Didn't let the dogs out for almost an hour, just in case.

Finished another Jeffrey Deaver book, Roadside Crosses.  Excellent, as always.
Then I went out to cut/break another wheel barrow load of kindling and stack it.

Had a nice chat with Randy.  He finally found his camera and promises to take and send some pictures tomorrow.

After a light dinner, I went out and did some work on the small swale and other planned ones in our yard.  Then sat on the porch for a while.  It was such a pleasant evening.  Our high for the day was 72.  The light overcast had cleared up by noon and we just had a few clouds drift over.

Monday 6/22. It is 59 and clear this morning.  Didn't get much sleep last night, which is typical for the first couple nights that JB is gone.

Thought for the day: When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills. Chinese proverb

June 19, 2015 Hungry Humming Birds & A Rock Wall

Dinga & the smaller swale with the larger one
about 50 feet downhill from it.

The extended small rock wall
near the house.

Wednesday 6/17. Took everything that could possibly need washing and ended up with ten loads of laundry!  Didn't get home til after 2:00 pm.  Was ready for a nap after folding everything.  Am going to try a load of wash Up Here on Friday and will start with the dogs' towels and blankets.

Well, the cost of gas certainly is going back up quickly.  Yesterday JB paid $2.87 at Costco and today I paid $2.91.  In Alabama our son is paying only $2.55. . .

Bought a couple zinnias to put in the planter barrel with the petunias.  Now that we have plants and water, all I have to do is remember to water them at least once a day, twice in the case of the tomatoes.

Our high for the day was 78, but it had cooled to 64 by 9:00 pm with a chilly wind.

Thursday 6/18. It was 60 and cloudy this morning.  JB left for Down There at 9:30 for lots of errands and his annual appointment with his cardiologist.

Even before he left I had a gallon of humming bird syrup started.  They have gone through a gallon in four days!  Hungry little buggers.

I spent the day working on extending the rock wall on the south side of the yard.  Doing that is like being given pieces to a puzzle with no picture of what the final product will look like and no promise that you have all the right pieces.  JB can back fill the area with dirt and do a little sculpting with the tractor to get the water flowing where we want it to on this side of the driveway.  I also added some more rocks to a partial wall holding up the small swale across the drive.  Mostly we just used large pieces of rotting or pitch wood.

Talked to our son again today.  He bought a children's program for his kids on programming which teaches them the basics.  Our eleven-year-old grandson is already working on a game, and our eight-year-old granddaughter has created two characters who talk to each other.  How clever is that?!

Since his doctor's appointment wasn't until 4:00 pm, JB wasn't back home until just before 7:00 pm.  Seems he has to go back on his blood-pressure medicine that the doctor had taken him off of a couple years ago.

Our high for the day was 76 and clouds continued to move across the sky.  Patches of blue allowed the sun to peak out now and then.  The breeze grew into a wind that blew noisily all night.

Friday 6/19. It is 54 and mostly clear with clouds on the western horizon.  JB thought he heard a rattle snake under the porch last night as he was bringing in the dogs' beds.  We will have to check that out this morning.  He leaves for the other side of the mountains on Sunday.

Thought for the day: In general, I find that things that have happened to me out of doors have made a deeper impression than things that have happened indoors. Bertrand Russell

June 17, 2015 Our First Rattlesnake of The Year

Our timber rattler.

Monday 6/15. Since we have so many different greens growing here now that the girls like, I am no longer buying cabbage for their breakfast.  The get dandylion greens and others that they like, along with a banana and scratch.

We worked on both swales today, putting dirt on the large one and defining the smaller one.  Then JB started lightly scraping the slope to direct the water (rain and snow-melt) where we want it to go.  Now I think we are done for a while.  JB has to go Down There on Tuesday and Thursday for appointments and errands, and I am going down on Wednesday to do laundry.  On Sunday, JB leaves for the other side of the mountains as his Mother is having her operation on Tuesday, 6/23.  He will be there for the week.

Randy called.  He finally gave in and bought a riding mower, which is going to save him a lot of time and grief.  He is also having all his outside doors re-hung and weather-proofed.  He is still adjusting to mountain life and having so little time to go to town.  It is much harder on him as he is so much more of a people person than I am.

Larry drove up in his 4-wheeler to loan us his sprayer this evening.  He had just finished spraying for knap weed, so JB will spray our road when I am Down There on Wednesday.  Larry stayed for a nice visit before getting on his way.

Not twenty minutes after he left, I was ambling around and just as I got across the driveway from the girls' coop I heard a loud noise that I did not instantly recognize.  That is until I saw the rattlesnake.  It was a large timber rattler with a very loud rattle.  I think this is the first one we have seen Up Here as we usually get prairie rattlers which are brown, a little longer, and thinner.  This guy was husky, about two feet long, and wasn't about to run.  He was moving around so much though, it took a couple minutes before I could maneuver my snake stick behind his head.  He finally coiled, trying to hide his head, and I got him.  JB cut off his rattles and head while I held the snake down.  Eight large rattles.  JB said the girls were watching all the action very intently, as if they wanted the carcass tossed their way!  The whole episode really rattled Jesse.

Tuesday 6/16.  JB left for Down There a little after eight, and I got busy inside.  A good day for me to stay in as I was a bit achy from all the physical labor of the past several days.  Did lots of cleaning, a bunch of little things that needed to be done, and baked some banana-chocolate chip coffee cake.  Am glad I did stay in as our high for the day was 80.

Spent some time on the computer, which included filing a complaint against John Hancock with the Washington State Insurance Commissioner.  I certainly hope they can help us.  This whole situation is so frustrating.

JB was back home by 2:00 pm with diesel, chicken feed, the mail and a few other things he needed.  And glad to be Up Here as it was in the 90's Down There.  Supposed to be the same tomorrow, oh goodie. . .

Thin clouds gathered during the day, and by 5:00 pm we had a partial, light overcast.  

Wednesday 6/17. It is 58 and clear this morning.  Am going to get as early a start as I can for Down There and try to be home before the heat of the day.

Thank you, Norma, for the comment regarding yarrow.  I knew it had properties similar to aspirin, but not what you described as a styptic.  I will definitely collect some as we have it everywhere now.

Thought for the day: One of the great dreams of man must be to find some place between the extremes of nature and civilization where it is possible to live without regret. Barry Lope    (Hmmm, I think we have done that.)

June 15, 2015 A Busy Weekend & A Cougar

Yarrow & fire weed near the hen house.

Our swale after three days.  Now we just need to
cover it with dirt.

Friday 6/12. Had a good trip Down There, although I would have much rather been working Up Here.  Our high for the day was just 68 with a cool breeze - and we are enjoying the cool.

When I got back home, I finally transplanted the two tomato plants that Elsie had given us on Sunday.  Can't wait for home-grown tomatoes!

Saturday 6/13. Our temperature was a lovely, cool 50 this morning with clear skies.  I was outside by 8:30 to do the annual cleaning of the hen house and coop.  I had on long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a scarf and a respirator mask over my nose and mouth.  Cleared all the shavings out of their nesting boxes and raked out all the straw.  Then I put in all clean shavings and straw.  When I was done with that, I shooed the girls inside so I could clean their outside coop.  Even when I was done, they did not come back outside for more than five hours!  Too busy checking and their "remodeled" house and re-arranging the straw.

After breakfast JB got on the tractor and we put another layer of branches and two layers of mulch on the swale, using up all the the mulch pile.  Now we just need to top it off with dirt and the chicken poop I just cleaned out of the coop.  At that point we were both badly in need of a shower.

After cleaning up, I headed down to Larry and Elsie's in Miss Kitty to let their dogs out and feed them.  Their youngest grandchild's birthday party is this evening, so they won't be home til after 7:00 pm.  I also picked up our mail.  And on the drive home, I saw a cougar!  It was a young one and ran ahead of me for about 30 feet before disappearing into the foliage.  So exciting!

Clouds had begun to drift over about mid-day and our high for the day was 66.  A very pleasant day, with clear skies again at sunset.

I do owe a debt of thanks to my brother for our new permaculture focus.  He always had big plans for his land and now a good friend of his, who has a degree in agriculture with a leaning to permaculture, is going to help RJ realize his dream in the most natural and efficient way.  And it is rubbing off on us.

Sunday 6/14.  This morning was a bit warmer, 68 and clear with possible rain in the forecast for the end of the week.

Before breakfast, while it was still cool out, I used the wheel barrow to gather the kindling-sized pieces I had thrown out from the branches JB put on the swale.  I took six loads and dumped them outside the wood shed.  Then sorted out the short ones and stacked them in the shed.  It will take some time to cut and break the rest of them to the right size.

It is so nice to be able to look across the driveway from the house and not see a huge, unsightly pile of branches.  It must have been at least 20' X 30' and 4' high.  And the six-year-old compost pile of grasses and weeds is gone too.  That had grown to about five feet tall over the years.  The dirt under each pile looked so fertile that I thought for sure I could have planted a seed in it yesterday and it would have sprouted this morning.  It is going to be perfect for the swale.

Dinga caught a chipmunk on their morning walk.  So glad I wasn't there to see it.

After lunch, JB went down to help Larry pour the concrete floor in his root cellar.  Gridder was also there to help.  Sure looking forward to when we can build one.  While he was gone, I outlined a smaller swale we will build about 100 feet up from the large one.  There is already a small rise there that we can build on, and we still have plenty of pieces of rotting wood for it and a small pile of branches.

I also started a new book I found at the Dollar Store by Carrie Vaughn, entitled After the Golden Age.  I have never read any of hers before, but this one is great.  And the Dollar Store is actually a great place to find good, cheap books.  I have learned to check them out every time I am in there.  It is also the only place that I buy cards now, if I don't make my own.

My friend, Pat, who was also one of my Mom's two best friends, called this afternoon.  She turned 90 last year and my Mom's other best friend just turned 99 in February.  They both have such a great sense of humor.  Pat was talking about how she just can't get around like she used to and commented, "So much for the Golden Age.  It's more like the Rusting Age!"

The color for Rose Camp and the rest of the mountain now is green.  Most of the wild flowers have gone to seed except for a scattering of paint brush, yarrow and a purple stalk flower that is a little like lupine.  Well, and of course, my fire weed that seems to be blooming only at Rose Camp right now.  The only disappointing thing about the wild roses is that, depending upon the individual bush, each bloom only lasts a couple of days or so.  We still have quite a few lining our driveway, but the bushes along the road have very few blossoms left.

Our high for the day was 70, which was just perfect.

Monday 6/15. It is 58 and mostly clear this morning with a few light clouds on the horizons.  We plan to work on the swale again today, scraping and molding the ground to gently persuade water to flow where we want it to go, and dumping the dirt on the swale.

Thought for the day: In wilderness is the preservation of the world. Henry David Thoreau