Month: December 2013

We had a good Christmas. We both received something we really wanted. Pam has stained and oiled her new (antique) drop-leaf table, an acquisition that moves along the “fall upgrade” home project. I installed and used my new ATV grip and throttle warmers.  Pam also bought me a heated seat pad for the Honda and I must say it works quite well. A few smaller gifts for each other rounded out the gift-giving.

Food always plays a part in holidays and this Christmas was no exception. Pam baked another rhubarb custard pie and, as usual, it was delicious. Our main meal was provided by Mary and Jeff Hayes who surprised us with a box of goodies from Omaha Steak Company. Those steaks and stuffed potatoes and chocolate cake sure were good!

We hope everyone had a good holiday and offer our best wishes for the coming new year.

In the garage, I need to work on the Honda’s brakes and will get to that later this weekend. At the computer, I spent a few hours learning how to put captions under photos and links – not as easy as you might suspect – and re-built my Galleries web page. Where there used to be just text links there are now thumbnail photos with captions. Clicking on either the thumbnail or caption will take you to that gallery. Trick was to align the photos and captions to each other and get the spacing set. Pam laughs at me for all the time I spend doing this, but it is a learning process and I am satisfied with the progress I’ve made.

While I was at it I added a new gallery, Alpine Loop, which includes a set of photos from that September ATV trip. This gallery is a combination of photos from Engineer and Cinnamon Passes which comprise the Alpine Loop trail. The last entry is the video  I had previously published in one of my posts but the collection also includes the bull moose photo taken along a side trip up Cuba Gulch.

Weather Update:  We have not had any new snow in the last week or so but did get a dusting on the 24th. Temps remain below average and it looks like it will be a record cold December for the 2nd year in a row. (Last year set a record for the number of days in a row it stayed below freezing.) But at least we have not had the (ice) storms that have created havoc in other parts of the country.  In preparation for the inevitable, I did get my Gilson tractor repaired — installed a new starter and cleaned the carburetor — so it is back in commission (I hope).

In cat news, Ebony’s 4 kittens have had their spay and neuter operations and will soon be surrendered to the shelter and put up for adoption. Ebony will follow after being spayed – she currently appears to be in heat again. While the kittens have developed some endearing personality traits (they love to be petted and purr up a storm) they are still  average black kittens. Hopefully they will appeal to folks looking for kittens this time of year, people who are seeking well-adjusted house cats fond of human interaction.

Next week is New Years, and after that it will get really busy for both of us. Pam has a backlog of transcripts to evaluate [per usual for the start of the Spring Semester at the community college], and my fiscal year begins which means a kick-off to my 2014 project agenda. I have only one major project  planned for this year but, as is the nature of Information Technology, there will be numerous smaller projects to work on.

Pam had asked me if I plan to include any “end of year” musings, but I will save that for my next post.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

So long as Jer continues outside projects and doesn’t stay in the house under foot during the winter break, we will survive another week without a homicide.  Since apparently we are saving our 2013 reflections and 2014 resolutions/dreams for the next post, I have nothing further to add at present.

Happy Trails.

Welcome to our Christmas post. First, I have a favor to ask. Consider it a Christmas Wish. I know many people view this blog, some on a regular basis. For those of you who have never responded to a post, please respond to this one! (Click on the little blue dot at the bottom of the post.) I would like to know who is looking at my web page, galleries, and blog posts. I see the numbers go up every month and would really like to hear from you! Tell me what you like, dislike, and what parts of the AppleAttic site you have visited. Consider your response a gift to me. Thanks!

Rather than offering a  month-by-month litany of 2013 here is a summary by topic beginning with family and ending with a few ATV trips.

Family:

We drove to rendezvous with Felicity when she journeyed to Boise, Idaho to participate in a regional Sweet Adeline competition. (Felicity sings – who knew?)  The Sweet Adeline groups are women-only choruses from various regions in the U.S. – they have international choruses also.  The Sweet Adelines participate in competitions and, in the case of Felicity’s group Northwest Harmony, sing at community and civic events.

It was good to be able to visit with Felicity in person (she phones regularly), meet some of her co-singers, listen to her concert, and catch up on family news and events. Here is a photo of Felicity in her Northwest Harmony make-up:

Felicity in makeup sits with Pam.

On to Toby.  Toby has been working in South Bend, Indiana (home of Notre Dame football) for a carpet cleaning service. He recently rented a small house and is happy with his decision to relocate back to the Midwest. In October, Toby arranged to drive to Colorado and take me out to the Air Force vs Notre Dame football game. We had a good time touring the Air Force Academy chapel and visitor’s center, tailgating, and of course the game (which Notre Dame won).  A trip to the Sanderling property was included in the visit so Toby could see, in person, what I write about in my blog posts when I talk about “the lot.”

Toby inside the Air Force chapel

Fostering:

What would a year be without kitten fostering?  Pam fostered two more litters of kittens — fosters #23 and #24. Both were, unfortunately,”dumped” local house cats that wandered up to Pam’s outside feeders. Both mom cats were fairly domesticated and right at home in our house. Batch #24 is still with us as I write this, but they will  be surrendered to the rescue agency that sponsors them by the new year. We hope they are adopted quickly.

Litter #24, Ebony and her kittens

Mountain Property:

As for Pam and myself, the year’s other activities mainly centered around our mountain lot. Purchased in September of 2012, this year saw us putting in a driveway, planting trees, and beginning the job of cleaning up fallen and standing-dead trees. With 7 acres to clean up, this is a job that will take “a few years.” During the wood clearing process, we load our trailer with brush/slash and take it to a local burn pit. The salvageable wood we bring home and cut into firewood, then we donate it to an animal rescue group (fuel for a wood burning stove  to keep the kitties warm during the winter).

As part of our long-term plan to develop the lot, we bought a used RV trailer — and a 2005 Ford F150 to pull it. The F150 is used to haul brush and firewood, as well as providing  transport for my ATV. We now have the option of staying over nights in the RV when we spend  work weekends at Sanderling.

Here are a few photos taken in the high country during the year:

Driveway being built at 179 Sanderling Court

“The Box”  RV arrives at the lot.

Pam cleaning dead wood out of the aspen grove

Our tree-lined driveway in fall colors

ATV Rides:

Although working on the lot consumed many of our weekends, I was able to get out on a few ATV rides. The best of these were the Swan River and associated drainages  near Breckenridge, Colorado, and Engineer and Cinnamon Passes near Ouray, Colorado.  A new telephoto lens for my old Canon 10d camera allowed me to get some good photos of mountain goats and moose, the first time I have been able to do so. Here are some photos from these trips:

Mountain goats near Breckenridge, CO.

Bull Moose along Cuba Gulch

Middle Fork, Swan River near Breckenridge, CO

Visiting children, fostering cats, working on the lot, ATV rides, and  trying to do a weekly blog post (with photos and video clips) kept us busy this year. I enjoyed my annual motorcycle escape, this year  to the California coast, returning to Colorado via Yosemite National Park. (This was before the fires started out there.) I did some work on Dad’s old Ford 8N tractor, much yet to do.  Pam did some painting in the house, bought a few new items, and rearranged furniture to give the house a  more “updated” look.  Looking back on it, it was an active year!

To everyone who visits this blog, may you have a Merry Christmas and a great 2014.  That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Jerry and Pam

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

People:

Jerry traveled to Denver to meet his college friend Jon Bjornson, my childhood friend Mary (we have known each other since kindergarten) surprised me with a birthday visit, the Paroubek clan has two new additions (baby boys Finn and Grady). Long-time friends Tom and Patti Hamilton became our first visitors to “The Lot” over the 4th of July.

Happy Trails.

Last week as I typed my post it was 9 degrees above zero. Today it is 9 degrees above zero. The local weatherman stated it has been the coldest December (to date) on record. Gee. The dogs don’t want to go outside; Pam has to put a coat on both Blondie and Bru — but Jo does not seem to care one way or the other. Our two inside/outside cats, Sunny and Soot, pop out for a few minutes then it is back into the house. The cat box in the garage, seldom used during other seasons, is getting a workout and Pam is changing it twice a day. It is cold!

This past weekend (Saturday) I took a trip to the lot to check on the RV trailer and pick up some evergreen boughs for Pam. It was warmer at the trailer than at home due to the inversion we are having in the Grand Valley. The trip was uneventful; it was good to be back up there. Temps were in the high 20s with lots of sunlight and a light breeze. There was about as much snow there as at home, it made walking a bit harder but not impossible as I walked from tree to tree to cut the boughs. (Pam wanted a mix of pine, spruce, and fir.)

I had taken the generator and battery charger along to top off the battery charge, and while I was there I climbed onto the RV roof and swept the snow off the solar panels. Next year I will have to devise a means of mounting the panels at an angle which would make them more efficient and avoid snow build-up. Live and learn.

RV at Sanderling, December 14.

I was able to make it up the drive by putting the truck into 4-wheel drive. Inside the trailer it was in the mid-40s and everything looked to be in good shape. I had my lunch, made a cup of tea, and took a break before heading out to collect the evergreen boughs. The trip back was uneventful, even with winter driving conditions.

I want to cover a couple of miscellaneous items here. First, if you have ever owned (or been owned) by a cat you might get a laugh out of this YouTube Video. It is a “Dear Diary” written from a cat’s perspective. Very funny.

Second, here is motorcycle-themed Santa. He was on the cover of a recent Duluth Trading Company catalog and Pam cut him out for me.

Santa on his motorcycle.

With the temps the way they are I’m not riding but there is alway next summer!

Parts have arrived for the Gilson tractor – a new starter – and I will try to get the Gilson fixed and running again. It is also time to decorate the tree. Our daughter Felicity send us a fresh-cut Oregon Noble Fir and it looks great. We have decided to put the tree in the living room with sparse decorations, mainly lights, and see if it can survive the attention the cats and dogs will no doubt give it.

My next post will be the Christmas Post and will recap the highlights of our 2013. Much will involve the work at 179 Sanderling Court but there are visits with Felicity and Toby to recap as well as a few ATV trips and other events. Look for it next week.

That is it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

It is frigidly cold.  I’m not a fan of weather records, high or low.  What about some nice, average weather throughout the year?

I’m finally working on the holiday cards.  Slowly.

Happy trails.

As I write this on Saturday, December 7th (Pearl Harbor Day) it is snowing gently outside and the temperature is a whopping 9 degrees above zero. Like much of the country we have had an interesting weather week, setting several cold-for-the-date records, all well below zero, and snow-for-the-date records with parts of Garfield County receiving upwards of 18 inches of snow. We didn’t get that much, more in the 8 – 10 inch range, but with the wind we had more snow drifts on the decks than we can remember for a single event.

Snow cap above window

The starter on my Gilson tractor died, forcing me to get out the Toro snowblower (which had not been run for several years). After cleaning the carburetor  and some coaxing the blower came to life and I used it to finish clearing the driveway and sidewalks. Since it had been warm when the snow started, a layer of slush had been created on the paved surfaces. This layer gave the blower grief. It took me a while to get everything done and I quickly ordered a new starter in hopes it gets here before the next big storm. The tractor is far more useful and gets the job done quicker than using the blower.

Following the snow it got really cold, record-setting cold. I thought we had left most of this behind when we left Wisconsin. Due to an inversion that is keeping the cold air trapped in valleys, the period of unusual cold is lasting far longer than normal for this time of year. The extended forecast included below-zero temps for several of the next 7 days. While we got to -9 degrees parts of western Colorado dropped into the double-digit below zero range.

One side effect of the snow is the roads are lousy. It took me an extra 40 minutes to get home last night as an accident in West Glenwood Canyon virtually shut down the interstate for a time. There is a lack of alternate routes so not much one can do except keep the heater running and wait. I always keep the gas tank above half-full just for events like this.  (Pam works from home on Fridays so was not in the car.)

This weekend, a second storm is expected to drop from 2 – 5 inches of fresh power snow on us. Bright side is we may climb to near 20 degrees for daytime highs! I’ll be out to do the weekly shopping and get fuel. Pam is packing the last box of Christmas goodies (if it fits, it ships) and hopes to get it mailed today. Then there are the every-day chores to be done, but it’s not a weekend for any major activities. I’ll be out shoveling snow from time to time. ‘Tis the season….

Pam working on the last box to ship

Reminder: You can view our 2013 Christmas card at  Christmas Cottage.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

There seems to be no joy to living in the high desert.  The scenery is sparse, the summers are desiccating, and the winters (lately) are frigid and windy.  One begins to think that, except for the lower oxygen level, life would be more scenic and winters not much worse at 9,000 feet.  One positive – this dumpy town actually looks cleaner under a blanket of snow, although it would take more than snow to actually improve De Beque.

Jer was really steamin’ when the Gilson [snow] tractor broke down.  That poor machine is 1970s vintage, maybe it will soon be time to let it go to wherever machines have their eternal rest.  (The junk yard?)

Happy Trails.

Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season has begun. We had a good Thanksgiving but not a traditional one; no turkey. Instead we had a nice roast cooked in the crock pot, French-cut green beans, potatoes and gravy, jellied cranberry, and pies. All together we had an excellent Thanksgiving Day meal with leftovers for us to enjoy for a few more meals.

Pam makes terrific pies. This time she made a pumpkin and a rhubarb custard pie. Both turned out very well and are almost gone as I type this. Doubt if they will last the rest of today! The rhubarb custard pie is a treat as rhubarb is not very common out here. (It is high desert, after all.) Pam bought some at the grocery store this summer and cadged a bit from a neighbor who tries to grow it. Together there was enough for a good pie. There’s enough rhubarb left for one more pie at Christmas, after that Pam will resort to traditional fillings like pumpkin, apple, and cherry.

We are not much for Black Friday sales but the Honda needed a new set of tires, so, on Friday I went over to Big-O (a tire chain found mostly in the west) and had a new set of tires put on the Honda. Traffic was moderate (I didn’t go to a mall) and I didn’t see much in the way of Black Friday shoppers. At our age I guess there is nothing we want so badly that we’ll camp out, get up at 5:00 AM, or generally participate in Black Friday sales. We were NOT going to shop on Thanksgiving Day.

Today (Saturday) is our annual outdoor Christmas decorating day. With the cats and dogs in the house we don’t put up many inside decorations – the tree generally stays in one of the bathrooms where we can shut the door on the animals – so we put up some outside stuff instead. What we have is bits and pieces from previous residences; we’ll never win a decoration contest, but we still enjoy coming home to the outdoor holiday lights.

Pam decorating outdoor tree

In addition to the outdoor tree we put up a garland, rope lights, other outdoor lights, and ribbons and bows. I will be making a trip to Sanderling (to check on the RV) in a week or two, at which time I’ll  bring back some fresh evergreen boughs for wreaths and for  fragrance. Add a few “chochkies” inside the house and our  decorating will be complete.

By the way, the chairs in the photo are sitting around the fire pit. I kept a fire going and played Christmas music in the garage while putting up the decorations. Even though the day was grey and on the cool side a comfy fire helped move the job along.

Wow, we’ve already received one Christmas card. Our cards will be more like “Happy New Year” cards this year. Pam has the week of Christmas off – CMC closes – and I will take some time off as well. We will probably finish our cards during that break. So…if you don’t get a card from us before Christmas, don’t get your knickers in a twist — your card will probably arrive around New Year’s. Our electronic card is done and posted; you can view it by clicking on Christmas Cottage. The card is interactive so take a look and follow the instructions. Another link to the card is posted on our home page, http://www.appleattic.net, both as a tab at the top-right corner of the page or as a link in the middle of the page.

Time to stop talking-nothing more to say!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Am I wearing  a snowsuit in the picture? No, just three layers for warmth. Putting up outside decor in temps hovering at freezing is not a necessary part of the holiday spirit for me.  Next weekend is predicted to be even colder  – in the teens – at least it isn’t snowing [yet].

Happy Trails.