Month: May 2017

This post covers events of May 21, 22,and 23: I pulled the chipper and The Box (two trips) up to The Lot on Sanderling Court. Snow was a factor, as you will see.

The first trip, with the chipper, was a day trip on Sunday, May 21st. Taking the chipper would get it to The Lot, first, so I could get The Box set up OK on the second trip.

I stopped in Frisco with the chipper on the Sunday trip. The town of Frisco has a small rest area which is a frequent stop on the way to The Lot. You can tell by the snow  that winter is not over yet.

Chipper at the Frisco rest area, May 21st

The Lot, however, was clear of snow on Sunday, and in the middle of an early spring that comes this time of year to 9,600 feet elevation.

The Lot’s driveway on May 21st

On Monday I towed The Box up to The Lot and set it up for the summer. When I went to bed it was Spring. Overnight it snowed:

Tuesday morning snow, May 23rd

I was not expecting the white stuff but it did make for some interesting photos.

Flag flying agains the late spring snow

Spring aspen leaves capped with fresh snow

The flag holder is new this year. Also new is a better way to add water to The Box’s water tank. In the past I had to use a funnel and pour water into the tank one gallon at a time. This year I bought a 12-volt RV water pump, made up a long power cord that plugs into the truck’s power socket, and added a couple food-grade hoses. The result was a water transfer system that made it much easier to get water into the tank. When dealing with around 46 gallons, still pumped by hand, anything that makes this chore easier is appreciated!

New water transfer system is an improvement over hand-pouring

It was a long and busy three days getting both chipper and RV to the high country, but worth the effort. The Box is set up and has a full tank of fresh water and the chipper is on The Lot where we can begin using it in the clean up effort. The fresh snow proved to be more of a visual delight than a hinderance (it was mostly gone by lunch on Tuesday) and I had a good time walking around The Lot taking pictures and enjoying the sight of the snow-capped  mountains around South Park.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Our youngest dog, Jo, ended up in the local paper. Our dog grooming place (in Glenwood Springs) was the subject of a write-up for Best Local Groomer, and Jo happened to be on the grooming table when photos were taken for the article. Here is Jo being groomed by Nancy (AKA Aunt Nan):

“Celebrity” Auburn Jo in local paper

Sanderling Season is about to happen.  Bro Craig called – he and his wife Dianne have arrived in Colorado Springs already.  We will rendezvous at Sanderling this Friday. Let the Summer begin!

Happy Trails.

Looking forward on the calendar to next week, I had scheduled a few days off so I could tow The Box (RV trailer) up to our Sanderling lot and get it set up for the season. However, the latest forecast features below-freezing temps and snow for Thursday and Friday, the days I had planned to make the trip.

Next week’s forecast in Como

In light of road conditions, I have to re-think my timing and schedule the drive to the high country the following Monday – Tuesday, if I can get my boss to agree to the switch in vacation days. I wouldn’t mind the colder temperatures – The Box has a furnace for the overnight stay –  but I am reluctant to try to get up the driveway if it’s covered in 3 – 10 inches of new snow. Actually, the ground at elevation is already warm enough so snow wouldn’t accumulate, but slush on the driveway is just as difficult to travel through.

We continue to prepare The Box for summer use. Pam bought a few new rugs to replace the old ones we had been using and, during the last grocery shopping trip, we began buying the consumables needed to restock the pantry. I took the one empty propane tank and had it filled, so now both tanks are full and ready to go. The tanks are 7 gallon (30 pound) tanks; cost to fill one tank (6.8 gallons) came in at $21.53 with tax. Last year we used about 14 gallons – two tanks worth – through the summer. That was a bit less than average as we did not get up to The Lot until June due to using the RV for housing during a visit from the kids.

Technology Update: This may sound a bit odd, but we have never owned a family cell phone. Really. I have carried a cell phone for years, but it’s a company-issued phone. This year, for Mother’s Day, I signed Pam up for a plan that included an iPhone 6s. Now comes the learning curve…

Pam’s new iPhone 6s

Given the time we’ll be on the road this summer, often in different vehicles, a cell phone seems like a good investment. I will have my “official” phone and Pam will carry the family phone. So far Pam has set up a couple contacts, taken a photo and e-mailed it to herself, sent and received text messages (to and from me) as well as changing a few settings (ring tone and background screen) to begin personalizing her account. It will take a bit to get everything set up the way she likes but the process has begun.

The account was set up through Verizon as they offer a government employee discount. This makes Verizon competitive with T-Mobile, Sprint, Consumer Cellular, and other carriers. The 400 minutes (plus a suite of other services) came in at about $48.00 per month with no charge for the phone. Contract is month-to-month, which has both some pros and cons; Pam will see how this plan works out for her. The main thing is having a phone. The other services will get occasional use but I doubt if she will use it to view movies, stream data, or do video chatting to any great degree.

Locally here in town, the free dumpster has arrived.  Woo-hoo! The arrival of the roll-off dumpster is an annual event that is supposed to encourage home and lot clean-up. This generally helps; the dumpster, a large commercial-size unit, always gets filled to capacity. Each year we find a few things to dispose of. This year it was an old office chair [that we replaced a couple months ago] – we purchased the original office chair in Hillsboro, OR (1986?) at a sidewalk sale for $5, think we got our use out of it.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I’ve resisted the expense/hassle of a cell phone for years.  I don’t find their operation particularly intuitive.  However, I also don’t fancy myself stuck on the side of a mountain road with three dogs and no way to contact assistance. Guess I’m losing the sense of adventure as I age.

It’s Mother’s Day.  Did your children remember?  Likely not.  Another one of those manufactured Hallmark holidays.

Crazy Cat Lady Update: I did manage to capture the petite black cat [I think is pregnant] from the back deck feeding station.  Led me a merry chase, that one.  Now to see if the animal actually is pregnant, or even is female.  I follow my instincts and observations (rapid weight gain, interaction with male toms), but I’ve been known to be inaccurate in identifying gender for feral cats.

Happy Trails.

Weather in this part of the country can be uncertain. Not long ago we had snow; last night into this morning we had a good soaking rain. A check of the Como weather (nearest town to The Lot) shows night-time temps in the high country to be above freezing on a consistent basis. This means it is time to prepare The Box (our RV trailer) for summer use.

While there are few repairs that need to be done, unlike last year when several maintenance items were needed, preparing The Box still takes some work. Bedding and clothing needs to be put in place, cleaning after the winter, including washing all surfaces, and checking all lights and mechanical systems. Each little bit takes time. I have one propane cylinder to get filled and have yet to flush the RV antifreeze out of the water lines; the preparations will continue for a while yet.

Still it is progress to see the bed made and clothing in the closets, as anticipation builds to get the summer season underway. Pam has a list of groceries to restock what food items we need; over the years we have cut back on the quantity of food stored, instead we bring more with us on weekend visits.

More flowers are beginning to bloom; we have peony, flax, and iris right now but the lilacs are not doing much. I think this may be due to a late freeze. There are some buds on the white lilac so we will have to see if we get some flowers or not.

Tree peony has more blossoms than usual

Honey Locus tree (center) greening out for 2017

I worked on another annual spring project, getting the evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) ready for the season. A new water valve had to be purchases and installed; the old valve would no longer shut off completely and was leaking around the valve stem. Water to the house was shut off during this repair but not for more than about 10 minutes. We have already had a few mid-80 degree days, well above average for this time of year, so it was time to get ready for more hot days.

It’s spring at the feral cat feeder, too. Pam is trying to trap a cat that may be preggers; while not eager to take on another feral mom cat and litter, it’s hard not to take some action to try to save newborn kittens in this neighborhood. However, this particular petite black cat –whom Pam has named Rambler — seems to be very aware of the attempts to trap her and so far has not been caught. The game goes on.

Sometimes small events just happen. The city has re-opened a dump site for organic materials, such as cut grass and tree limbs, so I no longer have to make trips to an old gravel pit to get rid of the grass clippings. Our old screen door (I had replaced it with a new one a couple weeks ago) is gone. Placed on our corner with a “Free” sign on it, a neighbor picked it up a few hours later. Saves me the cost of a trip to the dump and maybe the door will see some additional use. Or maybe it will show up in a yard sale; who knows?

I put a link to our 2017 Easter card on my E-cards page. The card is just a reminder that the “treasure at the end of the rainbow” is most often our friends. We hope everyone had a good Easter celebration.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Spring explodes around here, and with it comes yard work and cleaning projects. And kittens, yes, always kittens.

Happy Trails.