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The tree is down, the ornaments packed and returned to their storage place for another year. This past weekend I took the lights off the end of the garage. Christmas 2012 is over.

Now, back to a regular work schedule. Pam is beginning her busiest time of the year at her job, and my fiscal year began January 1st so I’m getting my 2013 work projects under way. I wish I could report something more exciting in our lives, but there just isn’t anything real interesting going on!

We would like to thank all the people who wrote letters, e-mails, and dropped by the blog this season, and hope you will continue to do more of the same throughout 2013. Pam and I appreciate hearing from all of you.

Taking up a thread from my last post, it is still very cold and additional snow is in the forecast. Sub-zero low temps and high temps below freezing for the last 3 weeks or so have been the norm. Average high for this time of year is 37, low 16, so we have been running 16 – 22 degrees below average. I am not looking forward to our next heating bill!

Judy: Your fudge is great. I ate the whole pan over the last 3 weeks. Thank you! Can you get DTs (withdrawal symptoms)  from lack of chocolate?

Hard to believe next month will mark the start of year 3 of this blog. Sometimes the words come easily, sometimes  with more difficulty. I hope you continue to stop by and leave feedback.

Pam says I can’t have a post without at least 1 picture in it, so here is a fall color shot of a park near work where I walk at lunch from time to time:

Three Rivers Park in fall colors.

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

It’s cold. Below zero cold. Not unheard of here at the eastern edge of a high desert, but cold non-the-less.

On Friday the 28th we took a trip to the lot. We wanted to see how much snow was on the ground and pick up a load of firewood we had staged on our last visit. Temperature topped out at 11 degrees F with a north wind blowing gently but steadily. It was cold! We had the 3 dogs with us. They thought the outing was fun, but did spend some time in the car while we got our work done. Much warmer in the car, after all.

We loaded our wood in the trailer then headed up to Pam’s Pavilion Point to check out the wintery view.

We brought a load of firewood home. It will be cut up and donated to a cat rescue agency.

Winter view of South Park from Pam’s Pavilion Point

We are using the above photo as our current screen saver. Pam says it makes her cold just to look at it. With temps at 11 degrees and a wind blowing, it was on the cool side.

Pam and the dogs near Pam’s Pavilion Point.

Most of the lot faces south, and there was not much snow in most places. Even in more sheltered areas the snow was not much more than 2 – 3 inches deep. We have more snow at home! Note Blondie is in her winter coat. With her short hair she is the least adapted to cold weather, so Pam puts a coat on Blondie before Blondie ventures outdoors for any length of time in temps like these.

Now the work really starts.

Saturday we cut the firewood into lengths and stacked it up along our driveway. Below is the result of our hauling and cutting. We plan on delivering the wood this Sunday.  (After all, if there’s wood in the trailer, how can I load my snowmobile?)

Firewood cut and ready to be loaded and delivered.

Overall this was a successful, if short, trip, We are moving firewood off the lot and developing a sense of where the snow is distributed on the land. One problem on the way home: an accident toppled a power pole over the main road from Fairplay to Breckenridge. Traffic was already backing up so we turned around and took an alternate route home. This detour took us an hour longer, but we drove through some areas we hadn’t visited in several years (like Leadville) so it wasn’t a real big issue. Waiting for hours for the road to clear with three dogs — and no restrooms — was not an option.

We aren’t sure when we will get back to the lot; I may plan a solo trip in January. Little work can be done due to the cold and snow cover, but we can continue to monitor the snow load and perhaps work on clearing the rest of the driveway route. It all depends on how much more snow South Park will see in the coming weeks. (It turns out the proposed driveway route had the most snow of anyplace on the lot. Go figure!)

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

Most people think of Colorado as a “snow state” primarily because of the ski industry. However, at our elevation of 5,028 feet, snow is an occasional visitor. We always get some snow, but it is unusual for us to have more than a few inches at a time on our lawn.

Not this year.

I just finished clearing last night’s 2 – 3 more inches of snow from our driveway and sidewalks. This is the 3rd time in 4 days we have had snow, and it is piling up a little deeper than normal. It’s still not at Midwest levels, but the thick blanket of the white stuff is a bit out of the ordinary for us. The ski area we can see from our back deck, Powderhorn, has received more than 4 feet of snow in the last 10 days. We have 8 – 10 inches now, and that is the “settled” figure.

My main snow plowing rig is this 1979 Gilson lawn tractor equipped with a snow blade:

Gilson tractor with blade

I have had this rig for many years, going back to our Wisconsin days. The rig was a gift from Mary and Jeff Hayes. It sat unused and sinking in the mud in a corner of a farm shed , and when the farm – owned by Mary’s family – went up for sale I was given the opportunity to haul it away. After some repairs and TLC I was able to get it running and have used it for plowing snow for the last 18(?) years.

On snowy days like these, I have taken to clearing some of our neighbor’s sidewalks in addition to ours.  A few neighbors are ladies “on their own.”  One couple are “snowbirds” — they live in Arizona during the winter months, and another  neighbor is a Vietnam veteran who has some difficulty getting around. Helping clear their sidewalks is a bit of a way for us to give to the community and help our neighbors.

Here is a shot of some cleared sidewalks.

Plowed sidewalks.

No more snow is in the forecast for the next week, so we’ll get a break. Right now we are getting ready to do some post-Christmas errands so will soon be driving to town (Grand Junction, 35 miles each way).

Arrived home and guess what? Right…it’s snowing again! Lightly, though….:)

Tomorrow we are heading for the lot to see how much snow has fallen there and, hopefully, pick up a load of firewood.

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

Welcome to Christmas 2012

For all who are visiting this blog as a result of receiving our Christmas cards, welcome and Merry Christmas! The same for those who have visited in the past. It’s nice to have you stop by. (Click on any photos in this post to bring up larger versions.)

Pam and I had the typical year with both high and low points. I will cover a few of them here, but you might want to go back through previous posts to get more details and view photos of these events. At the top of the page is a link to my photo galleries. The galleries include photos of our land, trips I have taken on my ATV, collections such as my fall colors photos, and other general interest collections. Viewing them is a good way to kill a couple of minutes!

Pam’s father, Myron, passed away in February. This leaves both of us without fathers at Christmas for the first time. Myron was a Navy veteran and was interred in his home town of Merrill, Wisconsin. I must give a public “Thank You” to Pam’s eldest brother, Larry, who had taken it upon himself to take care of Myron’s affairs for the many months Myron was in care facilities. Larry did a geat job.

That was probably “the biggest downer” of the year. However, we also had high points.

For the last couple years we had been looking for a piece of recreational land in the mountains of Colorado, and finally found a 7 acre place that fit our budget and “want-to-have” list. The driveway will be long and expensive, but the lot itself has a good mix of evergreen and aspen, a decent place to build a cabin, and does not look over a next-door neighbor. Did I mention it’s at 9,600 feet in elevation?  We closed on September 14 and have begun the process of putting in that difficult driveway, clearing the lot of some dead wood, and just enjoying being in the high country. You can view more photos of our lot by clicking on this Sanderling link. (The lot address is off  Sanderling Court.)

View of South park from our lot.

I was able to take my ATV, acquired in November of 2011, out on some excellent rides in Colorado and Utah this year. One of the reasons I enjoy Colorado is due to the state’s rich history of mining and railroading, and I greatly enjoy mountain scenery. Getting off-road with the ATV helps me enjoy all these elements. Photos of these trips can be found on the Galleries page in the “ATV and off-road trips” section.

Jerry with “The Griz” ATV in Tomboy Basin

Other activities for 2012 included a motorcycle ride to Ohio where I joined a few dozen club members. We were able to ride in eastern Ohio and western West Virginia and worked in a visit to the American Motorcycle Association’s museum. I enjoyed this trip, which took place a few days before and after Memorial Day.

Jerry (back right) with club members at AMA Museum.

While not of high interest to many people, I was able to bring my Dad’s old 8N Ford tractor back to Colorado and begin working on it. Many of my blog posts have details of the trials and tribulations these repairs generate. My goal is not to restore the tractor, but to have it in good running condition and use it to pull a trailer around the mountain lot while we get firewood, plant trees, haul landscaping materials, and other light-duty work. The tractor has been in the family for more than 45 years and many family members, including all of Mom’s and Dad’s grandkids, have memories of riding behind “Grandpa’s tractor.”   My brother Jon, Dad and I also used this tractor in the woods during long-ago summers, when we cut and sold pulp to cover college expenses.  I would like to keep it going a few more years.

Bringing the 8N home.

Pam was, as usual, active in fostering kittens for the various rescue agencies in the area. She had a couple batches of kittens to take care of, and kittens are always fun. Pam does an excellent job of raising the kittens  to the point where they can be returned to the shelters ready for adoption. It seems like the ones that come out of our house are adopted very quickly, as the kittens are so well acclimated to house-hold living, dogs, and other cats. The last batches all were adoped within 3 days of  getting back to the shelter. We’re always glad to see them get into good homes — that’s what fostering is all about.

Pam with a batch of foster kittens.

Son Toby moved back to the Midwest (South Bend, Indiana) in October. This move was something he had saved for and planned for some time. Toby said when he had a choice of where to live, a choice he could make for himself, why not live next to Notre Dame University?  We hope it works out OK and that he finds a job.  Daughter Felicity entered Year Two of running her own social media company. Felicity is our “city girl” and enjoys the music and cultural opportunities that a large metro area  (Portland, Oregon) can offer. She recently joined a singing group and has been performing at concerts around the Portland metro area. You can see more about our kids on our Kids page.

Over the months we completed some home improvement projects, such as adding a privacy fence to our back yard and upgrading lighting in the garage. Over-all, though, it was a quiet year compared to some.

We do seem to be busy and life (particularly vacations) seems to pass quickly. Please keep visiting this site; it is the best way to get a peek into what we are doing with our time and energy.

And finally:

The Mayans were wrong. Happy New Year!

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

This week is Thanksgiving week, so Happy Thanksgiving to all.

It has been pretty quiet since my last post. We put 605 miles on the Honda last week, burned 18.6 gallons of gas, about normal for us. I did a Walmart run yesterday; Pam will do grocery shopping today while I do some more work on the tractor. I found another item to repair on the tractor; the exhaust manifold is leaking because of a blown gasket. Not expensive to fix, $12.00 or so for new gaskets and hardware, but it will take a couple hours to do the work. The 64 year old nuts that hold the manifold in place are rusted and corroded; removing them will be a real pain.

My mother is home and doing well. I called her yesterday to see how she is doing, and she says she is feeling better. Her plans are for a Thanksgiving get-together with my siblings and a few family friends, with my mother not doing any of the work. I hope this comes off OK.

Otherwise the week was pretty mundane. We finished the last of the yard work for this fall. All the flower beds have been layered with leaf mulch, hanging baskets have been taken down and emptied, and winter fertilizer applied to the lawn. Space heaters were brought into the house to do some spot warming in the cat room and bathroom. The doors to these are normally closed so they don’t get much circulation from the rest of the house. One more heater is parked near the computer desk. The days Pam works from home  require quite a bit of computer use – she has to search course catalogs from institutions of higher learning – so the computer and the space heater are running several hours each day. The extra warmth feels good. We generally keep the place cool with the thermostat set below 65 degrees.

Life is mostly made up of the regular and mundane. I replaced one of the light fixtures in the garage, went to the opening of a new store in Grand Junction (Tractor Supply Company, or TSC) and learned how to do photo collages in PhotoShop Elements.:

Han and Naja’s wedding photo collage

As with most of my photos, clicking on the photo will open a larger version. In most browsers, clicking on the large photo will zoom in on place where the curser is placed. This can give you some nice close-up views of  photo details.

TSC turns out to have a pretty good pet supply area with much lower prices on one of the dry dog foods Pam buys, Blue Buffalo. Price at TSC is about $7.00 per bag less than at the pet store. I suspect we will be dropping by TSC from time to time.

Pam has started to work on our Christmas card list and getting cards and materials together. Seems the card list gets a little shorter each year as some of the older generation passes on. It’s always a bittersweet task to update the list. Still, we look forward to Christmas communications each year. Most likely we will get our outside decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Although not extensive, we do drape lights on the garage, fence, and front windows. This year we plan to top a tree from the lot and put it up, fully lit, on the deck. Should be fun! If you missed it last year – I didn’t post it until very late – we did have an electronic greeting card, animated and with music, at http://www.appleattic.net/christmas.html that you may enjoy as we begin the 2012 holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Life has been both ordinary and hectic since my last post. Several events have occurred, some of them not so nice.

My mother, who will turn 83 next month, recently spent several days in the hospital. Her heart is not what it used to be, pumping less blood per cycle than normal, and she had developed liquid around the heart. Fortunately the condition can be treated to a large degree with drugs. She is home now and my brother Jon and sister Sienna are watching her for the next couple days. We hope the drugs do their job!

I missed a couple days of work with stomach flu. Seems I am more susceptible to this in recent years. Pam had me go to the doctor to see if I had an ulcer or other contributing condition, but the doc didn’t find anything. I’m feeling better as I write this, but have not eaten a lot for the last 4 days. Maybe today I’ll manage 3 meals.

Pam observed a birthday. (I am not at liberty to disclose which one it was.) We had planned to take the day off and go over to the lot, but the weather stopped us. Forecast is for 1 – 2 feet of snow above 8,000 foot elevation, and we expect to see some snow  (up to 1/2 inch) accumulate on grassy areas at our place. We decided to stay home instead.

Fall clean-up continued last weekend when I decided to carry out my promise to our snow-bird neighbors, Jim and Jolene, to clean their yard of leaves at least once in the fall. J & J left for their winter home in Arizona a month ago. Here are a couple photos Pam took of me using my lawn-vac to clean up their yard:

Jerry with his lawn-vac at work

Removing leaves from Jim and Jolene’s yard

I line the back of my old Scout with a large sheet of plastic, dump the shredded leaves on the plastic, and drive  to a disposal site near town. I pull the sheet of plastic out to dump the load. Not as convenient as having as a truck, but the [enclosed] Scout keeps the leaves from blowing around as I transport them. It works OK.

The majority of work is done, but there will be some more raking and hauling to be done for both yards before the snow really sets in for the winter.

The other afternoon our oldest cat, Mira, was lounging in the sun and I captured this shot of her:

Oldest cat Mira capturing a few rays

Nothing like a cat sleeping in a sunny spot.

Speaking of cats, we were pleased to learn that Pam’s last foster kittens have all been adopted. Quinn, Quentin, and Quirky had gone through their spay or neuter operations and were adopted within 3 days. We do not know if they went as singles or a combination, but it is nice to know they are out of the shelter and into good homes. That result is what makes fostering worth-while.

We are glad the election is over and even happier the robo calls have stopped. Several people have commented on Colorado’s passage of a recreational marijuana bill. (Dude – we are too freakin’ old to be stoners.  Bummer.)  This poses several problems for the state, one of which is the law does not go into effect until 2014. The bill gives the state 1 year to put in place a regulatory and tax structure, and the tax part has to be voted on again before the bill becomes law. 15 percent is the proposed sales tax. There is a part of the bill that promotes the use of other  hemp-bases products, such as rope. Trivia question: Did you know that early American money was printed on hemp-based paper?

That’s what’s been going on in our part of the world since my last post, pretty much just daily life.

Thanks for looking in!