Mike and I drove to the farm yesterday (Friday, Nov. 24) to winterize the house. It was foggy along the river, though visibility was fine. Being the day after Thanksgiving, traffic was light.
We stopped in Orofino to leave Mike’s shoe at the shop for repair. “Do you think they’ll be having Black Friday in Orofino,” Mike jokingly asked, and as we turned the corner onto Johnson Avenue, the scene was a far cry from the bustling little town of my youth.
As we climbed the Gilbert Grade, we drove out of the fog to find a bright, sunny day on top, though fog was still lying in the canyon. Occasionally, it would drift across the north field to be dispelled by the sun. It was actually a cold day – in the 30s – but the sun was bright and warm.
The house was chilly, but Mike lit the fireplace and also ran the wall furnace. I brought along a bottle of elderberry juice that I had frozen last year and immediately set about making a batch of elderberry apple jelly, which also helped to heat the house.
Mike serviced the generator, and then he cut the grass in the ditch on the upper part of the lane with the weed eater. That was hard work. His initial plan was to burn it out, but that was time consuming and not very effective.
I had a list of things to take back to town, the most important being my collection of Hallmark houses for the Christmas tree. “I will sacrifice taking these crates in order to take the box of ornaments,” I said, but Mike is a good packer, and we got back to town with most everything.
As our visit drew to a close, Mike turned off the water, drained the pipes, and poured antifreeze into the toilets, but we will meet the plumber at the house for further winterization. We will also empty the fridge, bring back other food, etc.
As we drove out of the farm yard, Mike spotted his gloves at the pole where he turned off the pump, and we retrieved them. At the top of the grade, he missed his phone, and we briefly considered a return to the farmhouse. However, I checked my purse and found that I had thoughtlessly picked it up with mine. The only thing we left was my list, which remains on the dining room table. These things happen to us now, but perhaps they always have.
As we traveled to town between 2:00 and 4:00, the sun was brutal. Sometimes we could hardly see the road. We vowed to avoid this situation again and travel earlier or later. KW
4 comments:
I'm curious about the beaver moon. I've never heard of it!
The following is from the "Daily Almanac" (The Old Farmer's Almanac). See Almanac.com.
"Why the “Beaver” Moon? This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts.
"For decades, the Almanac has referenced the monthly full Moons with names tied to early Native American, Colonial American, and European folklore. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred and through all of the Moon’s phases—not only the full Moon."
They also put out a very nice calendar on the full moons (https://store.almanac.com/calendar-moon). I sent one to Silas last spring when he was learning about the moon and bought one for myself. I think I'll do it again.
Very interesting! And I'm in awe of Silas' learning!
Haha! I guess that did sound too erudite for a toddler. He was focused on the moon, and a favorite book at that time was Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. So, when I saw that calendar, I thought he would enjoy all the moon pictures, and his mother said he did.
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