Author: admin (Page 28 of 66)

I know it’s been a couple weeks since my last post. It has been a busy time for us and I’ll try to cover what has happened over the last few weeks.

Critter Stories

A few weeks ago Pam and I visited The Lot. Out of that trip come a couple of “critter” stories I have not previously mentioned.

As we approached our turnoff in South Park, I saw something crossing the road ahead of us but couldn’t identify what it was. Getting closer, we saw a mom coyote with six kitts who had just crossed the road.

Now this is rare; coyote kitts are rarely seen in daylight. I don’t know why the mom was moving them, but the kitts were as cute as can be. Little triangle ears poking up from small but well defined heads. Each kitt was a miniature image of the mother. We didn’t stop for a photo, but the image remains clear in our memories. Cute!

One of my chores when we start the season is to get fresh water, something I mentioned in an earlier post. However, while I was on my first water trip, I came around a corner and almost ran into three adult pronghorn bucks. I stopped the truck, but when I started to move to grab my camera, the animals took off.

They looked great. Black ebony horns rose above clearly marked faces. One looked to be molting his winter coat in a small area near his belly, but otherwise they were sleek and healthy.

Again, no photos but the memory remains. Seeing these critters was a highlight of that trip.

The Lot News

I have made a couple more solo trips to The Lot and have been able to get some work started. I haven’t done as much as I’d like, primarily due to the weather.

Two weeks ago I went up on a Saturday – Sunday visit; the weather report called for a low of 34 degrees and a chance of snow. In fact, it did snow on the way home, enough to accumulate on Vail Pass, and there were flakes in the air in many places. The main goal was to take up the chipper, replace the LP lines on the tanks, and do some replenishing of items we had forgotten on the first trip. Good thing my goals were not any higher!

Last weekend I made another overnighter, this time to get some work done. I cut brush, chipped small piles of brush, salvaged a few logs for firewood, consolidated some of my pine wood, and cleaned up some dead wood along the driveway and on Homestead Acre. However, rain moved in and I had to cut my visit a few hours short. I brought home a truck full of ‘burn pit’ wood; this stuff is too rotten to salvage and too big to chip.

Here are a few photos from the most recent trip:

Once the storm rumblings began I closed down my operations, put the ATV in shed storage, and shut down The Box in preparation to head for home.

Around the House

The home place looks a little bare with the utility trailer and the chipper gone from the spots they had occupied over the winter. However, the hollyhocks are blooming profusely and the lawn remains very green due to recent rains.

I picked all the cherries off my cherry tree. There were not as many as last year. Pam froze them pits-in for future distribution to the squirrels and chippies at The Lot this fall and early winter. (Pam was not impressed with the crop of “pie cherries” last year; this year’s crop was meant for a different fate.)

So the summer goes on. I have a motorcycle rally in a couple of weeks, based out of Durango in Colorado’s southwest corner. Looking forward to it.

We hope everyone has a Hppy 4th of July!

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

Pam’s Penny

I’m spending quite a bit of time this season being the door concierge for the dogs and a couple of cats. Out/in, out/in, out/in, repeat, repeat, repeat…

Toward the end of July, I may just assemble materials and start working on the Winter Solstice cards. The number of holiday cards I send is dwindling; this past year saw another handful of folks pass into the ether and off my list. I’m thinking of Solstice cards in sapphire blue, since the sapphire is the precious stone representing 45 years of marriage — a milestone Fields and I will pass at the end of the summer.

Happy Trails.

The weekend forecast was for 48 degrees and raining at The Lot so I decided to stay home this weekend. In addition to the normal chores I decided to do some work on the Ford 8N and Oliver OC-3 tractors.

Now don’t roll your eyes… there will be a few bits from around the house and life in general as well.

Ford 8N

The Ford is getting a bit closer to operating condition. The leveler box I ordered arrived and was installed along with the 3-point hitch adapter and top link. As you might expect, the top link attaches between the top of the hitch adapter and the tractor and keeps the hitch from pitching forward or back.

The new leveler box is at the right-hand side of the hitch. The top link keeps the hitch vertical as the hitch is raised and lowered. I hope to test this arrangement by pulling the chipper around a bit this week.

OC-3

A few hours were spent working on the Oliver OC-3. One job I knew I had to do was replace the clutch linkage, as when I bought the tractor parts of the link were missing. I had ordered a replacement and now was a good time to begin that work.

The OC-3 has an adapter that goes between the clutch and the drive shaft that had to be removed. Once I had the adapter off I found quite a bit of dirt, old seeds, and even a few small stones that had found their way into the adapter and clutch assembly. What a mess!

After some scraping and several tanks of compressed air to blow out the crud, the assembly looked to be fairly clean. I was getting ready to reinstall everything until I realized the replacement linkage I had ordered (used) was missing a nut and washer, according to the OC-3’s parts manual. These are standard hardware parts but I did not have them on hand, so I came to a stopping point. I’ll get them on my home from work tomorrow.

Here are a few photos of this project so far:

It will be a long time yet before the OC-3 is in running condition but getting one of the many projects that need doing under way is a step in the right direction.

House

Pam has been busy with her Solstice card project plus working on the yard’s aesthetics by adding a few more flowers and greenery.

Pam added several more geraniums to the corner planter; due to cooler early summer temps than last year, flowers are thriving.

Another “Pam Project” has been putting together this year’s Summer Solstice cards. Using cutouts from catalogs and craft store stock, the [few] cards created are unique and bright.

Conclusion

So, even though it was an “at home” weekend instead of an “at The Lot” weekend, we both kept busy and I proceeded to Plan B projects. (There is always a Plan B.)

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

Pam’s Penny

This coming week, I’ll probably start going through more of the boxes we currently have stored above the garage. How did we get so much crap up there anyway?

Happy Trails.

Last weekend (June 8 – 9) we made our first overnight stay of the season at The Lot. The visit consisted mostly of restocking The Box’s dry and canned goods, replenishing the linens that had been removed for winter storage, and getting a supply of fresh water.

Water

Getting fresh water in The Box’s storage tank is always a chore the first time each season. Water has to be hand-pumped from the community well and each round trip takes just over an hour. Two trips are required.

The storage tank hold about 40 gallons of water and the hot water heater holds another 6 gallons. With the water jugs I have, each trip will get me about 23 gallons. I use my home-built water transfer system (a 12 volt pump and two hoses, one for the jug(s) and the other for the water tank) to move the water into the storage tank. This not a fast process but works better than trying to pour the water from the jugs into a funnel to get it into the tank.

Weather

Saturday’s weather was terrific. It was warmer than expected, low 70s, but a breeze was blowing to keep us cool, even when in the sun. The blue sky was populated with white clouds, and recent snows had the mountain tops painted in white which made them really stand out against the sky.

Sunday’s weather was not so good. We awoke to a heavy mist and grey skies. This was OK with us as we had planned to return home fairly early in the day, this not being a “work” trip. Any moisture is always welcome at The Lot.

Aspen

At this elevation spring has just begun and the aspen had that “new spring leaves” look going, which is quite attractive. Young pine already have new growth on the ends of their branches.

A walk around The Lot revealed work to be done to remove some aspen that had not survived the winter. This happens every year as aspen are not long-lived trees; I generally begin the season by doing “clean up” in areas we had previously worked.

Walking through the area we call the aspen grove was an absolute delight. With all the dead wood gone a person can move unhindered through the area, taking in the sunlight filtered through the new leaves. We remarked to each other that young pine, some only a few inches tall, could now get the sunlight they need to thrive.

Plan for 2019

It became pretty clear that 2019 will be a tidy up year for The Lot. In addition to removing the trees that didn’t survive the winter, several smaller jobs need to be done.  These include consolidating the pine firewood I now have scattered in several piles around The Lot, finishing cleanup in one small corner of the aspen grove, hauling logs to a central location for processing this fall, and chipping piles of brush left from clean up efforts in 2017 and 2018.

Last year we harvested around 4 cords of firewood. This year that number will be more in the 1 to 2 range, just because we are moving higher into The Lot and the dead wood is not as thick on the ground as it was in the aspen grove. That is OK with me; my left arm is improving but still not 100% and I don’t yet know how it will react to very hard labor.

Conclusion

The trip turned out well. The Box is now ready for summer use. A plan of action for the summer has been formulated. Now I just need to get my chipper, trailer,  and other tools to The Lot to begin this summer’s clean up activities.

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

Pam’s Penny

Hard to believe we’re almost at the Summer Solstice already. I sent out a few cards to mark the occasion.

Things are heating up on the retirement house search too, with a potential road trip in the planning stages. Stay tuned.

Happy Trails.

There is no “theme” to this post; it is the time of they year when summer its not quite here (aka working at The Lot) and our time is filled with tasks large and small and just doing “stuff.”

Packing

Last weekend Pam and I removed several boxes of items that had been in storage in the garage attic. Pam has spent several hours going through these boxes, repacking what we would like to keep, and throwing out things we no longer want.

There is quite a bit of “Kid Stuff” in these boxes including Legos, computer games, posters, and books. Some will be sent to the kids, some will go to a local donation charity and some may get sold on eBay. This is all in preparation for an eventual move to a Midwest retirement location.

Lawn

Last year we had our big cottonwood trees trimmed back in an effort to save it from a fungus that attacked that species. The tree is not looking good this year. I had to use my chain saw to remove several dead limbs. We decided any shade was worth keeping so the cottonwood will remain in place for the rest of the summer before we decide to remove or keep it.

To help offset that loss we planted a new tree, a globe willow. There are several of these growing in the neighborhood so I hope this one will take root and grow well.

Flowers

Some of our flowers are going great guns. Blue and yellow iris are in bloom and one of our columbine plants has popped out some red and yellow blossoms.

The yellow columbine, blue iris, yellow iris, and blue flax are adding color to the yard.

Last weekend we stopped at a home improvement store and bought some annuals and mulch. Pam has been busy arranging the flowers in the corner planting box.

Some red geraniums are in the planter and will add a spot of red when they bloom. The greenery in the background is hollyhock plants, budding out now and getting ready to sport a variety of pastels. When they do we will have the nicest corner in town!

Ford 8n tractor

In addition to helping Pam, mowing and weed-wacking the yard, and handing down boxes from the garage attic, I have been doing a bit more work on the Ford 8N tractor. I am hoping to use it at The Lot this year to move the chipper around to places I could not get to using the ATV.

I put in a few minor repairs to the air intake system but the bulk of the effort went into the “load leveler” box, part of the rear hitch.

The load leveler had one major function: plowing. With the tractor’s right wheels in a plow furrow farmers needed to be a way to keep the plow level. The right-hand hitch linkage is adjustable to make this happen. When not plowing, the adjustable link was used to make the drawbar level.

On my 8n the adjustable link was frozen (rusted) in the plowing position. If I am going to use the tractor for towing I needed to have the drawbar level.

After much work, including removing the link from the tractor, I was able to get the link to move only to find it is rusted beyond usefulness. Decades of sitting outside had allowed water to enter the threaded area of the link, damaging the threads beyond use. I now have a new link (around $50.00) on order and hope to get it next week.

The last, and major, project to do is replacing a leaking gasket. This requires removing the PTO shaft and dropping the hydraulic pump out of the tractor. The work is not terribly precise but is very messy and involves moving and lifting quite a bit of weight. It will take several hours to complete as once the pump is removed one must clean everything, and based on my experience so far, cleaning the pump and the cavity it fits in will be no small job. It needs to be done but I am not looking forward to doing it.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

I’ve been watching news reports of the flooding in Iowa, first in Davenport and now in Burlington. The Mississippi River has been predictably high since the snowmelt started. So have other rivers in the state, which we saw first-hand during our visit in April. Something to consider re: the relocation.

It’s already heating up on the high desert. Bummer that. Fields is putting up blocking panels on all our skylights. It’s amazing how much heat comes in from the roof through those skylights. One of our cats, Velvet, will not be happy with this development, as she follows incoming spots of sun around different rooms for her naps.

Happy Trails.

Winter Storm

Winter storms last week remind us that Colorado’s variable weather is a fact of life.

This is what my commute looked like on Tuesday, May 21st:

Jumping ahead in the time line a bit, my Sunday trip to The Lot (to begin opening the RV trailer for the season) had a mix of good and bad weather. On the way home it was raining in Fairplay but snowing in Alma and on Hoosier Pass. I made it home without incident.

The Box

Up in the high country at Sanderling, the RV trailer (The Box) was in pretty good shape. No mice had made their way in over the winter, quite a relief! I reinstalled the batteries and LP tanks, put my chain saw and fuel in the storage shed, dispersed some chipmunk food (odds and ends of bread products we save for this purpose) and walked The Lot to determine this year’s cleaning strategy.

It’s still early spring at The Lot. Aspen are just beginning to show a blush of green. It will be a few weeks yet — late for us — to really get this year’s activities under way. Still, I was glad to be back on the Sanderling property and enjoyed my walk about and time spent there.

Hoosier Pass

I’ve mentioned Hoosier Pass a few times, as we cross it to get from Breckenridge to Fairplay on driving trips to The Lot. Here are a couple photos taken at the top of the pass:

Cats

Pam has been taking cat photos and I thought I would share a few of them here.

Sunny (long hair Marmalade cat) and London (part Siamese) take in some sun on a bright afternoon.

Sunny (background) and Mr. Bibbs (curled up on his towel under the fire pit) enjoy a mild afternoon outside this past week.

ATV Ride

Last week I took a short ride west of De Beque on Wild Horse Mesa. I have ridden this area many times as it is so close to home; I enjoy getting out.

A few wildflowers are starting to bloom, probably due to the wetter-than-average spring we have been having on the high desert. Here’s a flower I had not seen before, white with bottoms of the petals in gold.

A type of paint brush was also blooming in many places:

Since the high country trails are still closed, lower elevation trails (like Wild Hose Mesa) are the only places open to ride at present.

Motorcycle Registration

I had to take a photo of the registration fees the County charges to register my motorcycle. I wonder who is in charge of making up ways to charge more for license plate renewals? 13 separate line entries!

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

Pam’s Penny

Finished the embroidery project. Now starting a few yard cleanups before the temps soar. Still monitoring houses for sale in the Midwest. I think we’ll end up with a “quirky” one; I seem to be attracted to those. Next house hunting trip will likely be later this year, possibly via Amtrak.

Happy Trails.

Yard

Spring is well along now. The lilacs are on their way out and tulips and daffodils are done for the year. On the other hand, iris are starting to bloom and we had a few yellow columbine open this past week. The blue flax is putting on more flowers, making a nice show of blue in the flower bed. The lawn has been mowed a couple times and, due to rain, is looking nice and green. While we had a couple days near 80 degrees, a front has moved in that will give us 60s and 70s for the next week, which is about perfect for us. 

High Country

The one drawback to a wet spring is that it is still snowing in the high country. Normally we “open” The Lot and begin our summer trips to continue the clean up effort about this time. This year it looks like it will be a late start.

I had planned to go up to Sanderling this weekend and set up The Box, which includes reinstalling the batteries, propane tanks, and getting water. (The batteries are in my garage on a maintenance charger and the propane tanks are kept in The Lot’s storage shed over the winter.) A couple nights this upcoming week will hit below freezing temperatures up there, so I decided the “opening day” will not be until Memorial Day weekend. I’ve taken an extra day and a half off over the holiday to get The Box set up for the season. Hope the weather cooperates!

Spring Cleaning

Big Boy Toys

This weekend I did some maintenance on a couple of my “big boy” toys. The chipper received an oil and filter change and the Ford 8n tractor had the air cleaner system rebuilt.

The 8n uses an oil bath air filtration system, quite common on tractors, construction equipment, semi trucks, and older farm equipment. This filtering system is considered to be more efficient than systems using paper filters but requires more service and maintenance.

In the case of the 8n, it looks like the air cleaner had not been serviced in decades. The cup, located at the bottom of the air cleaner, had almost no oil in it as it had filled with dirt and crud over the years. I had to scape out the junk with a putty knife then clean the cup with solvent.

I had expected the filtering media to be in bad shape, and it was. I had ordered replacement media (which is woven stainless steel) to have on hand before I started this job.

I removed the old filter material, installed the new filter material, and put the unit back on the 8n. I filled the oil cup with oil and put it back on the filter, installed the battery (which had been in the garage on a maintainer) and started the tractor. It seems to run much better now that it can get a good supply of air!

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

Pam’s Penny

Due to the still-winter conditions in the high country, Fields will be opening The Box solo over Memorial Day weekend. After our snowy visit to Rice Lake (WI) in April, the dogs and I are “so over” doggie coats and leashes.

Happy Trails.

Our white lilac has attracted a variety of flying critters to its blossoms. While this is expected, this year the numbers and variety of flying critters is above average.

Increased insect activity may be due to the wetter-than-normal spring we are having — almost 50% more rain than usual for the year so far. Lawns are nice and green and more flowers (including iris, blue flax, and peony) are blooming a bit earlier.

Here are a few photos of some of the critters visiting our lilac:

It’s safe to say that dozens of these critters visited the lilac bushes this spring, far more than I’m used to seeing. One critter that I didn’t get a photo of is a “hummingbird moth” which is smaller than a true hummingbird but is similarly shaped and with similar flight movements.

Pam spent a few hours Saturday weeding flowerbeds while I weed-wacked and mowed our yard and the neighbor’s yard. Pretty typical for a spring weekend. I also began a project to improve our back deck, which is not in the best of shape. I removed some pickets (that Pam never really liked) and rebuilt a weak section. Needs paint and other work yet so this is a work-in-progress. At least a start has been made.

The weather report for The Lot looks promising; for the upcoming week night time temperatures are above freezing. I would like to get up there before Memorial Day weekend if possible and start this year’s clean-up. I have quite a bit of brush to chip from last year, plus a small corner of the aspen grove area still needs attention. It will take a few trips to get everything in place and I’m eager to get started. If my healing elbow will cooperate!

Thats it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

While cleaning closets late last year, I happened upon a box of my old craft projects. One such project I had started 34 years ago — a 12 Days of Christmas embroidery project — and it was about a third completed. I almost threw the whole thing out. But, in homage to my previous self, I decided to complete the embroidery and make the ornaments. I began [again] in March. It’s been awhile since I’ve done this type of handwork, but I kept at it and recently completed all the panels. Now to put them into the ornament format and finish the project.

Happy Trails.

Well. There’s not a lot of “new news” to report on this week so I thought I would mention a few miscellaneous items.

My Commute

This time of year is generally good for commuting. The weather has improved and western Colorado is as green as it ever gets. However, occasional snow flurries remind us that full spring is still a few weeks away.

Here are a couple photos taken this last Friday on my way home from work. Note the bare trees and snow – that white stuff on the peaks – has high country trails still closed.

The later sunsets give rise to “purple mountain” effects on the way home as well.

Lilacs

Closer to home, our white and dark purple lilacs are having a banner year. Most years a spring frost nips the buds but this year we made it through without any freezes. The scent from these on the cool and still evening air is great.

It is also time to start thinking about getting The Lot set up for the year. I try to have everything in place by Memorial Day weekend but late high country snows may delay me this season. (Breckenridge ski area, for example, is staying open through Memorial Day weekend. I drive right through Breckenridge on the way to The Lot.) We’ll have to wait and see what the weather holds in store.

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

Pam’s Penny

Nothing new here. A little yard work, a lotta elder cat care — the usual.

Happy Trails.

A Normal Weekend

This past weekend was the first of the year that was a “normal” at-home spring weekend. Chores included weed-wacking, lawn mowing, flower bed maintenance, and enjoying the blooming flowers. The city turned on our irrigation water and Pam dragged the hose out to water part of the lawn.

The purple lilacs bloomed; you can smell their fragrance on the air. The cherry tree blossoms are almost done, but the white lilac is just beginning to flower. Late tulips are blooming but the early variety, which we enjoyed upon our return from the Midwest, are done for the year in the Mary Lynn Garden.

All pretty routine — so nice to be outdoors without a jacket and enjoy the 70 degree weather and partly sunny skies. Just to note, though, that areas higher and to the east of us, including Aspen and Denver, are going to get snow early this week. Winter still rules the high country.

Repairs

In my last post I noted the John Deere lawn tractor had died. I ordered repair parts which fixed the problem; the LX176 is now functioning. However, truth-in-advertising appears to have taken a shot as the part I ordered was not a direct replacement for the part that failed, a component of the electronic ignition system.

The original unit, left, has a wider terminal on it than the replacement, right. I had to build an adapter wire to go between the replacement unit and the tractor’s wiring harness. This worked and the tractor is running. I sent the vendor a note about this modification but suspect I won’t hear back from them or if I do it will be something like “Well, it is a universal fit and some modifications are to be expected.”

I can’t complain much; the replacement was about $19.00 with shipping where the John Deere part is around $70.00. At least the tractor is running again!

Medical update

My left arm is improving after the fall in Georgia – around 80 percent good. Still can’t pick up a tea mug with my left hand and lift it to my mouth to drink, but am getting back a bit more range of motion each day.

Pam continues to have problems with her right wrist and arm after a fall a few months back. Both of us are occasionally frustrated by not being able to do simple things that we should be quite capable of doing, such as unscrewing a bottle cap with our affected arm. Things are improving, though a bit slower than we would like.

Conclusion

It was my first week back at work after a three-week vacation; I had a lot of work to catch up on. I was looking forward to the weekend and was pleased when the John Deere came back to life. The yard looks good and I’m enjoying the lilac blossoms and decent weather. The animals also enjoy the outdoor time. A good weekend!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

It’s great to let the dogs outside without any concern about the temperature (not to mention no winter doggie coats to put on and take off). The indoor/outdoor cats are enjoying better temps too, while strictly indoor cats are finding pools of sunlight for their ever-lengthening naps.

My cat population is now into the “double digit ages” and at times I feel I’m running the Aging Cats Rest Home. A vet visit this past week involved two of my elder cats, one on maintenance for gingivitis plus a swelling sweat gland that needs to be lanced frequently, the other just diagnosed with diabetes and cataracts. A third cat (not visiting the vet this week) was diagnosed in December with a heart condition.

While at the vet I was delighted to cross paths with another vet patron who was bringing in purebred coal black Lab puppies for their first shots. Eight pups, six weeks of age, and my request to hold one was granted. Enjoyed the puppy smell and looking into those bright Lab eyes. An excellent antidote to aging cats.

Happy Trails.

Spring Sitings

It is full spring here in western Colorado. Grass has been cut, tulips are blooming, the cherry tree is in blossom, and trees are budding plus turning green.

In the last post Pam mentioned the Mary Lynn’s Memorial Garden was looking good. Here are a couple photos of it:

Pam counted over 80 open blossoms with another 40 or so still to bloom. The original planting was 100 bulbs so in one year the flowers are multiplying well.

Money laundering

During our recent trip Pam and Becky celebrated Becky’s birthday. Pam had wanted to give Becky a $1.00 bill for every birthday year (60!) but we could not find crisp, new $1.00 bills to use. Instead, Pam took the money, washed each bill, then ironed each individually. A clear case of money laundering!

Cherry tree blooming

Our cherry tree is just about fully bloomed out. Last year was the first time there was any real crop of cherries; perhaps this year will give a similar yield.

Murphy’s Law

The potential retirement house we looked at last week in New Albin, Iowa already has a pending offer. The kitchen sink drain developed a leak, and my John Deere riding lawnmower (which I had just converted back to summer use) died and will not start. This was my “vacation week” at home. Life goes on…

Pam’s Penny

There was a vintage home listed in Davenport, Iowa recently that intrigued me. I was almost tempted to make an offer on it, sight unseen. Time for me to slowly back away from the retirement house hunt and take a breather.

Happy Trails.