Category: General (Page 53 of 64)

Well. The Broncos won their AFC title game last Sunday and are off to the Super Bowl. Our son Toby called us to see how excited we were at this development and was somewhat chagrined to learn we are not that excited. It would be nice if the Broncos win but it won’t crush us if they don’t. We just hope for a good, close game that is well played by both teams. I will, however, dig out my Broncos sweatshirt and wear it for the game.

This last week has been a bad one for me. I was off work all week with a medical problem. I was experiencing stomach cramps and abdominal pain. Turns out there was an adhesion problem in my abdomen which caused a partial blockage of my small intestine. Part of the intestine was stuck to the wall of the abdomen.

My first visit to the doctor, last Monday, resulted in a prescription and X-rays. By Wednesday the X-rays were back but the doctor wanted a CT scan as it would show more soft tissue detail. It was that or a colonoscopy, so I opted for the CT scan. Results of the scan showed there was no mass inside the intestine, good news for me. By now I was on a regime of anti-gas medication, stool softeners, and orders to pump liquid into my diet. By Friday I was able to eat three smallish meals, the first time I was able to do so all week. Today I am feeling OK but not 100%.

If the intestine does not come unstuck by itself I may need surgery to separate the intestine from the abdominal wall. The doctor thinks the intestine may be stuck to the scar tissue of my appendectomy, done when I was in grade school.

Good Lord. One thing I don’t want  is hospital gowns, poking and prodding, and stool softeners. This could impact our plans for the summer, not to mention the severe discomfort that would result from abdomen surgery. Hopefully the intestine will un-stick itself and any more intervention will be unnecessary. Odds of that happening are not in my favor, though, so we will have to see what the next few weeks bring. The doctor did clear me to go back to work tomorrow.

Once again, our sympathies to family and friends in the Midwest who are putting up with below-normal temperatures. We had the coldest December on record, but January has been near (and sometimes above) normal. As I look outside my window I can see some of the ice on the edge of the road starting to melt, indicating today will be above freezing as it has been for the last week or so. Average daytime temperatures for this time of year are in the mid to upper 30’s.

Thanks for the comments regarding the cabin dreams. Our biggest decision concerns what we intend to do with the house; use it as a weekend getaway or would we use it in retirement as a full-time house, even for part of the year?  The answer to that will influence our choice of house plans and we are continuing the debate.

There has not been a lot else going on this past week. We did put up a few more framed photos  and Pam bought some foam to make cushions for the glider bench. Maybe this week will be more interesting!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Our oldest cat, Mira, visited the vet for several overnighters with intestinal problems Tuesday and Wednesday.  Intestines seem to be the topic of the week.

Men are not good patients.  Cats are better patients.

Happy Trails

I am writing this on Sunday morning; the Broncos play their AFC championship game against the Patriots later today. Otherwise there is not a lot going on in mid-January folks!

We’re cabin dreaming this winter, and we’d welcome some feedback on possible floor plans for a cabin on the lot. I have advocated a fairly traditional cabin and Pam has come up with a somewhat unconventional structure. First, here are some details of Pam’s Solargon house, which is supposedly based on a yurt:

Solargon octagonal cabin (Mfg. photo)

Here is a typical floor plan for the Solargon 30-foot model:

Typical floor plan (Mfg. photo)

We would put such a structure over a walk-out basement giving us more storage space and square footage to put the utilities such as  a hot water boiler, furnace, solar system “stuff”and pressure tank for the well.

The kit is available with either 8-foot or 10-foot walls; we would opt for the 10-foot model. Square footage is 700 square feet, which would about double over a walk-out basement.

Advantages of the Solargon include: lower purchase cost, easier assembly,  soaring interior spaces, and more economic in terms of heating and cooling. Manufacturer is in Fort Collins so shipping would not be very expensive. Disadvantages include: no covered deck (who wants to shovel snow off a deck?) and the garage would need to be an octagon as well to visually blend with the structure. More information can be found at: http://www.solargon-structures.com

My selection is more traditional, with a rectangular cabin and a covered porch:

“Hunter” model cabin (Mfg. photo)

Suggested floor plan looks like this:

Hunter floor plan (Mfg. photo)

My thought would be to add a garage to the left-hand side of this plan. This cabin would also be put over a walk-out basement doubling the over-all square footage. This floor plan is 1,460 square foot of space. We couldn’t  afford log construction so would go with a standard timber-framed structure.

Let us know what you think about either of these two approaches. Construction is a couple of years away but it’s nice to dream in the middle of Winter.

In any case, we found out we have to put in a well before we put in a septic system. We’d hoped to put in the septic first as this would mean I would not have to pull the RV over to the dump station to empty the holding tanks.  Ah, no.  Well first.  Septic and well will cost around $20K according to a local contractor. We are looking into ways to finance these improvements this year as our (ambitious) goal is to complete the driveway, get a tool storage shed, and get the well and septic in place. Big order…the septic may have to wait until 2015.  After that we need to install an off-grid solar system for power — although we could run the well pump from a generator if we had to for a couple years. At a minimum we need to complete the drive, purchase a storage shed, and get the well drilled. It will be a busy and expensive year. Once this work is done (and paid for) we can start getting serious about putting up a cabin.

In other odds and ends, mom cat Ebony was taken to the shelter this last Wednesday. We found out  all 4 of her kittens had been adopted within a week of being dropped off. That is good news to us, particularly Pam who puts so much time and effort into the fostering process.  They were all black kittens, a challenge to adopt during busy kitten season (Summer).

It’s been a while since I put some pet photos in a post so here is a recent photo of the dogs Blondie, “Sassy” Bru, and “Auburn” Jo.  All three dogs have been through their winter groomings, Bru also successfully came through lumpectomy surgery in December:

Blondie, Bru, and Jo

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

A guiding parameter when considering development of the Sanderling lot is something our realtor mentioned while we were on the land search.  The development where we’ve purchased the lot doesn’t really support resale in the quarter-million-dollars-and-up range.  So, when putting in improvements and buildings, one must proceed with as much economy as possible to keep the overall costs in line. Difficult to do when well and septic alone are half the cost of the lot.  And driveway installation costs are horrendous.

I’m also concerned about who will actually build the proposed cabin, when that time comes.  The best economy is to purchase a home kit, but let’s face it – neither Jer nor I are capable of assembling a kit at 9,000+ feet any more.  My thought was to contact the local shop teacher and see if he could foreman a small crew of capable Fairplay industrial arts students for a long summer weekend.  Lots of food, a porta-potty, and cash payment —  voile — an erected cabin shell.  (?)

Happy Trails.

I have been watching more TV than normal as the football season is winding down. All the college games have been played and the NFL playoffs are on-going. Coupled with the winter weather this means more inside time and more TV watching.

I wish Auburn had held on to defeat Florida, but otherwise the college games were pretty good. Imagine…36 bowl games. Some I have never heard of, along with the teams that played in them. I guess I don’t pay enough attention during the season. I didn’t watch them all, by the way, just the majors like the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and  a couple others.

My sympathies to all our Midwest friends and family about the Packer loss. I thought sure the Pack would be moving into more playoff games. On the other hand, I never thought the Broncos would make it this far. They beat San Diego today and will be playing the Patriots next week. Winner of that game goes to the Super Bowl. We will have to see what happens next week!

Last week at this time the Midwest was suffering from a polar vortex that dropped temps to record lows and forced school closings. Record temps were not only found in the Midwest; our Florida friends, Mary and Jeff, reported a low of 34 around their place in central Florida. (Of course it rebounded into the low ’80s a few days later.)  We remember those cold Wisconsin days. In ’91 we had just moved back to Wisconsin from Oregon and the Christmas Day temp was -22. The steering wheel in the Toyota cracked from being so cold. I had to outfit both cars with freeze plugs and tank heaters so they would start. Bundling up the kids was always a chore. Yes, we remember those days well and extend our sympathies to everyone who is dealing with this weather.

Out here it finally warmed up enough to begin melting the snow and ice on the roads. A light snow this morning covered everything with a thin layer of white, but it was short-lived as the temps got near or above freezing this afternoon. The yard still has a heavy layer of snow, but the white stuff is receding around the edges of the sidewalks and driveway. Our two snowiest months are ahead (February and March) but for now there is a lull.

Pam ordered a glider bench and it arrived a couple of days ago. Here are the components sitting in the living room:

Glider parts waiting for tung oil

Pam lightly sanded the surfaces then put a coat of tung oil on all the wooden parts. After letting it dry and doing the assembly work the glider looks like this:

Assembled glider

Initially we will use it in the house, then on the deck when the weather warms up. Pam has wanted  a glider for a couple years and it is sort of a late Christmas gift. It is quite comfortable to sit on but Pam will fix up some cushions to make it even more comfy.

Speaking of furniture, here is a photo of Pam’s “antique” drop-leaf table, now serving as our printer stand and extra work space.  Pam says this table may actually be someone’s shop project from the 1950s, but time has qualified it to be considered “antique:”

Pam’s drop-leaf table

The printer, an Epson R1900, is a large unit and takes up a lot of space. (The basket under the table holds dog toys.) Having the table near the computer has worked out very well, giving Pam more space around the computer to spread out papers and eliminating a lot of clutter. The table has a built-in drawer on the left side that makes a good place to store extra paper and ink cartridges.  Table came from a local Re-Store shop,  a division of Habitat for Humanity. Cost was $100.00 but the best part is the table fits the spot where Pam wanted it. Still need a few small items on the walls (a few of my photos), still need a console table/sideboard. Then the “spruce up” project will be done.

In cat news, Ebony (mother of litter #24) had her spay operation and will be surrendered to the shelter this coming Wednesday. Ebony is  young and petite and black — we think her chances of getting adopted this time of year are pretty good. Right now she is bored with no other cats or her kittens to keep her company. Must be tough with nothing to do but eat and sleep all day.  (Sounds like a pretty good life, actually.)

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Jer humors me with the mention and photos of “my” glider.  Truth is, I’ve been looking at that glider for almost two years now in the catalog and finally ordered it.  I envision it someday up at Sanderling, inviting us to actually sit down and enjoy the mountains rather than work ourselves till we drop.  For me to sit in it, I will need a pillow behind my back to fit in the glider; Jer’s size is perfect for the seat depth.  When it arrived, and we unbundled the glider from packing material, I was distressed to find I needed to hand sand all cut and curved edges.  I thought the Amish had made this item, apparently Amish folks don’t sand rough edges?  Goes to show nothing is quite as you think it will be.

Happy Trails.

Just in case you missed it, here is a great flash mob Christmas video:

http://www.military.com/video/forces/air-force/usaf-band-does-holiday-flash-mob/2893304289001/

The US Air Force Band does a flash mob at the Air and Space Museum. “Joy To The World.” Really neat if you like both Christmas music and military bands.

So  — Welcome to 2014.

First, I want to to thank several people:
Larry and Tabitha for being my most consistent comment posters. I appreciate your comments!
Judy and Willis Volden for sending us a gift of fudge every year. Great stuff!
Mary Hayes, Jon Bjornson, and Tom and Patti Hamilton for being good friends who visited us in Colorado during 2013.
XS 11 club members Ray,  Ed, Scott, Tkat, and Brant for time shared together during motorcycle rallies.
And, not least, Pam for putting up with me for another year.

Last year was sort of a watershed year for us. We started improving the mountain lot we bought late in 2012. By Pam’s count we made  23 visits to the lot in 2013. Most trips were overnighters but a few were one day events. Buying the lot was a big deal for us; we had spent almost 2 years looking for a lot that was within our budget and had some of the basic requirements we had set out including: a view, few neighbors, and a mix of evergreen and aspen trees. Although we worked  hard and probably didn’t spend enough time just enjoying our days at Sanderling, we did get much enjoyment from being in the high country. 2014 should be easier in many ways as we now have the RV, truck, and a plan of attack for cleaning up the lot and further development of the land.

No family members died in 2013, a good thing at our age. However, our Christmas card list keeps shrinking, down this year to about 50 cards from a high of over 120+ a couple decades ago. I get the feeling people just don’t send as many cards as they did in the past (maybe because first class postage is so high?). It is also true that we keep losing older aunts and uncles as well as older co-workers from previous places we have worked.  That’s one of the sad parts of Christmas, remembering the friends who are no longer with us (miss your sense of humor, Harry Recker and Bob Krueger).

So what else is ahead for us in 2014? I’ve already touched a bit on the lot. This year we hope to extend the driveway up to the saddle where we will put in a pad for the RV. This will get us into a more secluded area with trees around us and get us better access to the middle part of the lot. An equipment shed would be nice for storage of tools like the chain saw, generator,  and cart.  All it takes is money….:)

We plan to travel a bit more in 2014. It’s been a while since we took an extended trip together. While we did get to Boise last year to meet Felicity at her Sweet Adelines convention, that was basically a weekend trip. Pam would like to get together with her high school friends Mary and Julie for a “Wenches Weekend” sometime this spring (plans are in the works for that), and we are talking about a trip into California’s Napa Valley for our 40th anniversary.  More on both of these in future posts.

This year’s motorcycle group rally, on the east coast, will be in Canada above the state of New York. I am toying with the idea of attending this one, but there are other rallies planned in other parts of the country that also sound interesting. Decisions, desicions… At my age there are not a lot of years left to get out and ride so I plan to make the most of it while I can.  (Pam also appreciates the break from having me in the house – a mini vacation for her too.)

Along with the regular New Year’s resolutions ( lose weight, excercise more) I have made a new one: Be more courteous. I think as a society we have become less civil over the years and simply don’t appreciate the other people in our daily lives as much as we should. So I plan to say “Thank you” and “I appreciate that” more than I have in the past.

I also resolve to get all my dental work done. Been putting it off far too long. (TMI?) I also need to look into treatment for my sleep apnea. There is a place in Grand Junction that specializes in treating apnea and I need to get in and be evaluated. My brother Jon got treatment a few years ago and reports it changed his life a lot; he has more energy and sleeps much better at night. Hopefully I would see similar results.

In other news, I mentioned working on the Honda’s brakes in my last post. I put new rotors on the front and new pads in the rear calipers. The old front rotors were too thin to “get turned” (resurfaced) so I had to replace them. The Honda has now received a new battery, tires, and brakes in the last few months. Hope it is now good for another 50K miles with just routine maintenance (currently 315,000 miles on the odometer).

Honda gets new front brake rotors

Rear pads (left) were getting pretty thin compared to new pads (right)

We took Christmas down on New Year’s Day. All the lights, ornaments, garlands, and other stuff are now back in boxes and up in the garage attic, waiting for Thanksgiving week next year to again be brought out. Seems like such a short time ago  we decorated the place. This Christmas season just seemed to fly past.

Christmas tree 2013

Mesa County issued a burning ban because of the weather inversion, so we didn’t have an opportunity to use the fire pit at all during the holidays. This December went into the books as the coldest on record; we did not get up to our seasonal avereage of 37 degrees the entire month. Our heating bill for the month went up almost $70.00.  It was even too cold to go snowmobiling.

Speaking of snowmobiling, I won’t be out on my sled this winter. I did not renew my registration and may sell the Mountain Max. Pam gets concerned when I go out alone and I find I enjoy riding the ATV a bit more, so my snowmobiling days may be over. I was out on the ATV on Christmas Day; the snow was not so deep on Wild Horse Mesa and I could get around OK. The heated grips and thumb warmer, my Christmas present, worked well and I had fun getting out.

I think “getting out” is the key, I am not happy just staying around the house. Pam has questioned why this is so, and I guess it’s because I was raised in rural Wisconsin and had access to rivers, streams, and forests all on our own (60 acre) property. With a small house and 4 kids my parents encouraged a lot of outside time, even in the winter. I had a snowmobile during my high school years, and before that we had a variety of winter activities.

One of these involved being pulled on a tobaggan behind a horse. Later on we substituted Dad’s 8N Ford for the horse and a hood from a ’53 Chevy – it had a curved up nose – for the toboggan. A foam pad made the hood a bit more comfortable to ride on. I can still remember doing donuts on that hood while the tractor swung us around in an empty hay field. (Crack the whip with the tractor pulling us.) Fun times. Dangerous, but we never considered that. In any event, I spent a lot of time outside, even in the winter. Old habits die hard.

Pam took the four black kittens to the shelter this last Friday. Ebony, the Mom cat, will follow shortly after she gets a spay operation. We will be “kittenless” for the first time in about 7 months.  I’ll be glad to get the master bathroom back and not have to guard the door to the hallway when I go in and out of the master  bedroom. (The kittens spent their days in the master bedroom/bathroom.)  We should have a few months off, but undoubtedly Pam will foster kittens during 2014.

Time to wrap up this post. I hope all who read this have a healthy and satisfying 2014.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Resolutions:

To begin altering my “wardrobe” so my clothes are as comfortable as pajamas and my shoes are as comfortable as slippers.  (Hopefully I won’t have to go as far as Hugh Heffner and actually walk around all day in pajamas and slippers to accomplish this.)

To find a reason to renew my long-expired passport.

To actually go on some of those trips we talk about.

As for that being nicer concept of Jer’s, I think I’m going to stick with grumpy old person.  It’s workin’ for me.

Dreams:

A lottery win.  This doesn’t have to be the ginormous half a billion jackpot, $750,000 on up would be quite acceptable.  I promise to help others as well as animal rescue organizations if a big lotto win comes our way.

A part-time job (again).  My mother died when she was 65, life speeds by so rapidly, time is precious.

Happy Trails in 2014.

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.

Increasing the resolution taxes my 2001-era MacPro computer and it takes a lot longer to prepare and save videos but the increase in quality is probably worth it.

I mentioned snow…we received 3 – 4 inches of heavy, wet snow last Friday night. Some has melted in the last two days and the rest should be gone by Thanksgiving. The Grand Mesa received over 2 feet of new snow and the local ski area, Powderhorn, will open soon. Winter is creeping in…

Pam has some chores for me to work on (honey-do list) so I better close and get busy with the day’s other activities.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

OK, life may be slowing down for Jer, but I still have 4 two-month old kittens and their mom in the house.  Jer has shown an inclination to “have the master bathroom back” (as it’s been the birthing suite since June), so I will call in my loaned-out animal pens and try to set up cat containment areas in the cat room (aka third bedroom).  It’s time to wean the babies off mom,  she needs her own containment area separate from them, with decreasing visits between mom and babies as her milk dries up.  Operations for spays/neuters should occur for all sometime mid-December, then I’ll see how the shelter is for space.  The sad reality — black kittens and a [beautiful sleek petite] black mom cat are not in high demand, even during the holidays.

Of course, I will also coordinate  holiday package mailings to our children and begin preparing the holiday (more likely New Year) cards.  No, life is not slowing down for me.  It will be on fast-forward until the end of the year.

Happy Trails.