Monday
began with a visit to the contractor’s office. As the business of renovation
winds down, he provided documents for our records. We mentioned a few needed finishing
touches and a few things we can’t find, like the toaster.
Back
at the farmhouse, Farmer Kyle’s operation was just finishing in the north
field. Mike was right, of course – we missed a lot of dust. On the other hand, a
smaller tractor is going over the ground again, so we’re still getting plenty
of dust.
Once
we were settled, the next order of business was to look after the needs of the
hummingbirds. We had many here last week, but we apparently lost momentum when
we left. We were gone less than 48 hours, but we see only a hummer or two now and
then. The new feeder we brought with us didn’t seem to appeal to the hummers,
but more to the point, we questioned its design, so we rehung the old one, which
is a little small. We still need a larger feeder.
As
we walked to the mailbox late in the afternoon, we found Farmer Kyle’s
operation at a standstill. He said a deer antler had punctured one of those gigantic
tractor tires. A service tech from Les Schwab Tire was there to install a new
one. A neighbor wondered if Les Schwab would have changed the tire for free if
Farmer Kyle’s wife had been driving.
We’re
still putting things away, and as I continued to consider how I could conserve
space, I was startled to realize that everything is pretty much put away. I can
now reassess and rearrange as needed, but I’m not challenged to find more room.
Mike
and I have been hanging pictures, etc. – basically trying to put them back
where they were before. I was so pleased to see that this little shelf,
purchased some years ago at Pier 1, blends so well with the new kitchen colors.
The old color scheme – red, green, white and brown – were fun for a while but limiting
in the long run. I’m loving the change.
Mike
said he saw bear scat down by the pond. I questioned his identification, but he
was certain. After our walk Wednesday evening, as he was playing fetch with Bess,
the bear appeared, heading toward the yard. Mike called me and I ran to the
front porch with the camera. I managed to just catch the bear as he/she was loping
away. If you look closely, perhaps you can make out the cinnamon fur of its
face and shoulders. KW
Crazy to see a bear again! Did Bess see it and sound an alarm?
ReplyDeleteI don't know who saw it first -- Mike or Bess. Bess wanted to run after it, but Mike called her back.
ReplyDeleteA bear!! How did I miss this post? I can't tell from the photo how big it was--medium? When we lived at Canyon we occasionally had to be on the look out for bears. Usually it was old sick ones who would come into camp because they hoped for easy pickings.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris!
ReplyDeleteI would say it was a small- to medium-sized bear, unusual (to us) because of the cinnamon ruff. We see bears only occasionally, but I believe they are hunted here during the season. The attraction here is the pond.