OVER THE MEADOW AND THROUGH THE WOODS . . .

We've been away from the homestead for four weeks. We traveled for nearly two weeks, then it was rainy, then Mike wanted to bird hunt in the Valley. This morning we drove back to the farm in two rigs. Mike set out ahead of me in the big ol' Dodge Ram. I came behind in the Dakota – our newer old rig. Nellie was with Mike in the cab of the old pick-up. We wended our way over Clarkston Heights, down 15^th, across Hwy 12, over Red Wolf Bridge, up Down River Road to Hwy 12 and 95. It takes 15 minutes just to get to the highway. It felt good to be on our way and things were going well. I was listening to Christmas music – and I began to think about all the things we were taking to the farm. I always take a lot of stuff and Mike never complains. He's like my mother in that regard – nothing is ever too much trouble. How lucky I am, I thought to myself. As I am wont to do, I began to mentally tick off the things we would need and the things we were taking. And suddenly, as I'm crossing the bridge at Arrow, I remembered I'd forgotten the cell phone. I said I would pick it up. I told Mike I would bring it. Then I toured the house and locked a few windows and walked right out without it. I knew we would need it and the sooner I went back for it the better. So, I passed Mike, and we pulled off the road at Cottonwood Creek. We are not gracious about each other's lapses. Discussion ensued.

"We'll just get along without it," Mike said. But, I reminded him, we have a service person coming on Friday. Yes, we would need the phone. So, we agreed that I would return to the town house for it while he drove on to the farm.

Reverse route -- Down Hwy 12, over the bridge at Arrow, more highway at 65 mph, onto Down River Road, over Red Wolf Bridge, across Hwy 12 on 15^th, wend way over Clarkston Heights to our house on Chukar Lane. Grab cell phone and DO THAT ROUTE ONE MORE TIME TODAY.

Other than that, there were no difficulties. There's construction at the bridge in Orofino, and traffic narrows to two lanes. I'm sure this will ultimately constitute an improvement. When I arrived at the farmhouse, Mike was already here, of course, with a cheery fire in the fireplace. Nellie was so glad to see me! She gave me a hug and pestered me for five minutes. "She must have been worried about you," Mike commented.

It's lovely and mild here today. Our weather station reports a low of 28 on November 14 and a high of 67 on October 27. Everything seems in order EXCEPT for the mouse that got caught in the oven, apparently some time back. Mike took care of it and we agreed today would be a great day to let the oven self clean! KW

[Photos: Nellie watches as Mike takes his hunting gun and leaves her behind. The maple tree in the yard has lost all its leaves. What a contrast to our last day here, October 20. And this shot to the south is illustrative of fall bleakness but beautiful contrast in the sky.]

IT AIN’T OVER YET

The satellite dish installer called before 8:00 a.m. today. I gave him directions to the farm. He seemed to understand and read them back to me. His English seemed fluent enough but he spoke with a heavy accent. I felt we hadn't really understood one another and had a sinking feeling about his ability to find us. Sure enough! Between 10:00 and 11:00 we had several more calls from him. He didn't understand that he had to travel the whole grade. The words "on top" eluded him. I had said 10 miles; he understood 3 miles. Nevertheless, he persevered and was willing enough.

The installer announced that first of all he would have to call the tech number because there was no dish on the work order. That in itself was an appalling omission when we were requesting an update to HD. "Now, there will just be one dish, right?" asked Mike. "No sir. You have to have two dishes. Just one dish doesn't work. There were problems and the company no longer uses just one dish," explained the installer. But we had been told by Dish India that the install in town was wrong, that we should have only one dish, and that there would be just one dish at the farm. "I don't have room for another dish," said a frustrated Mike. And this proved to be the case. So, after calls to his main office, the entire update was cancelled. Mike made two calls to Dish India before our service here was restored.

Well, it just isn't over yet. I told Mike I admired him for not throwing in the towel three days ago. I offered to wean myself from television altogether. If I were the "alpha do-er," I'm sure I would have given up. And you might remember that we haven't been handled well by Cableone, although the local office was sympathetic and ultimately helpful.

On a lighter note, I made two batches of elderberry jelly – both successful. I have enough juice for two more batches. And I have been working on bears, although that was disappointing in a way. I didn't realize that my old Singer Athena 2000 has really given up, so I was unable to sew here. I'm breathing deeply and knowing that everything will work out – everything will come together. It will be all right. KW

UPDATES

Mike was getting ready for his bike ride. "It looks like rain," I observed.

"What do you mean?! I was just outside – the sun is shining."

"Nevertheless," I said, "it's dark to the north."

Mike went for his ride during which Nellie and I went for a walk. No more going out without gloves, I said to myself. And where did I put my gnome hat? It felt like snow and Mike also said as much. The low temp this morning was right at freezing.

[The two photos above look to the north. The photo to the left looks south on the "road" through June's place. Nellie and I often take that route as we return to the house from our walk. That way our final approach is a decline rather than an incline.]

Farmer Kyle is here doing the fall planting. He brought the equipment in last night about 5:00 and expected to work into the night. However, a breakdown occurred and he didn't really get started until this afternoon. The up-close photo is just south of the house. The distant photo is in the south field. Kyle explained that he's planting all our fields this fall instead of rotating them in order to put this farm on the same cycle with June's place, farmed by the Praest boys.

Hallie is traveling right now, helping a friend move from Seattle to San Diego. She was looking forward to the trip and seeing new things. She'll fly back to Seattle but I'm not sure what day. We probably won't hear from her for a few days.

We caught one mouse last night in one of the old snap traps. He made the fatal error of approaching the sofa from behind. (No photo.)

Deer season opens tomorrow. Hunters expected. KW

WORK IN RETIREMENT

"We have a lot to do this week," Mike announced. "I guess we'll have to prioritize and pace ourselves."

Yeah – like that's going to happen, I think to myself. If there's a chore to be done, Mike doesn't rest until it's done. We arrived at the homestead at 11:00 yesterday, having already loaded the old beater and driven here – what some might consider almost a day's work -- and by lunchtime Mike had unloaded the truck, put away what he could, and inserted new ballasts into a window. After lunch he worked on the Wolverine, then planted the raspberries. The photo shows him digging a hole using the old auger, which we surmise could have been Grandpa Jack's. Late in the afternoon he took a rather short bike ride, then began erecting the utility shelving on the kitchen porch, a project he had to give up with the waning light. He grilled bass for supper, which was later than usual, before showering and watching the double-header Monday Night Football presentation (part of which he had recorded).

My new sewing machine, "Bernie," was calling my name, but I also had work to do. The box of pears was ripe and ready for the dryer, so as soon as I had put away the groceries, I began to pare and slice them. My dried pears have been lauded by samplers in Seattle and Denver, and word has reached me from Philadelphia that they were spoken of in Utah. This year I will keep drying them as long as the pears remain available and affordable. Of course, the pears are just naturally good, and I add no preservatives. Once the product comes out of the dryer, I put it in baggies for the freezer to insure against spoilage. I helped Mike plant the raspberries and walked with Nellie while he rode his bike, but aside from that, I spent the afternoon paring and slicing, just finishing at dinnertime.

Right after breakfast this morning, Mike returned to the porch to continue putting together the shelving unit. "Snaps together in minutes," says the caption on the box, "with only a hammer." Mike amends: "Snaps together in minutes – about 120 of them – with only a hammer, a screwdriver, a block of wood, and an assistant." I, the assistant, was out on the porch in my robe and pajamas.

But look at the change it makes in the mechanical room! (Sorry – I forgot to take a "before" picture. Too bad.) My main complaint had been that our work shoes and boots sat on the floor under the window, and last year my rubber boots rotted and split – I figure from the sunlight. The shelving brings the footware as well as rags and bags off the floor and out of direct sunlight. Much neater and handier.

"I'm so proud of you and Dad for staying busy," said Hallie. I'm just surprised it ever occurred to her that might be a problem. And the work goes on . . .

WEATHERING THE LULL

You know how it is when you've looked forward to something for a long time -- then it comes -- then it's over. We had looked forward to Hallie's visit for four months, and it's not so much missing her as it is a feeling of "what's next?" Today it just seemed hard to get started on anything. This batch of pears finished drying. I tried a new zucchini bread recipe using brown sugar and oatmeal. I rode 9.65 miles on my bicycle and walked Nellie two miles. We also set up Mike's shotgun stations in the gully, and he seemed pleased with that. Still, there was a heaviness about the day.

I thought the hummingbirds were gone – no sign of them when we came in on Friday. Then Nick and Mike spotted one or two, so I made nectar and filled the feeders. But yesterday's wind and rain storm must have convinced them to move on. I haven't seen them today. The Calliopes were already gone. The ones that remained were probably Black Chins. At one point during the summer I was filling the feeders twice a day and keeping nectar on hand. No more until next year.

Lots of harvesting remains to be done in the area but our fields and the neighboring fields are harvested. Mike saw Kyle working on the old Plank place (just north of us) Sunday afternoon and went over to watch. He enjoyed riding the combine with Kyle for a while.

The Olympics are over. Mike finished the book he was reading. I finished sewing my quilt blocks together. It seems like we've come to a lot of finishes all of a sudden. We're just at the point of some changes. KW

WHEN SHADOWS FALL

Two photos taken as the sun disappears behind the hill. We notice the days are getting shorter.

NOT LONG TILL HARVEST

Mike took his road bike out to the paved highway and made another long ride. He has already packed his bike into the Dakota for return to Clarkston. He says harvest has begun in earnest in Lewis County, so no more rides out to Nezperce and beyond for a while.

While Mike was gone, Nellie and I took a long walk – an extension of our usual route. Here's a pre-harvest photo looking across "June's" field to our north field. The clump of trees on the left is our grove.

When we returned, I finished a Christmas presentation I’ve been writing, “No Skimpy Christmas Here!” based on Ina’s pre-Christmas letters. I don’t know why it was so important to me to finish it this early, but it was on my mind and I’m glad I have worked through it. It’s a one-woman presentation in which I am Ina telling about a depression-era Christmas on the farm through the letter she’s writing to Vance. I have one scheduled performance. Of course, that’s in December.

Have you been watching the Olympics? Mike is an avid fan, and I enjoy watching some events. We blend old technology with new and record by means of VCR (a little tricky but Mike has it figured out) so that we can watch when convenient and eliminate commercials.

I have been picking raspberries for the last two weeks. I had several days of bumper harvest – ½ cup per day. Now it’s trickled off to half dozen berries or so. The strawberry plants purchased at a yard sale did not bear this year, but I am happy to say I had good survival rate. The plants that were munched last week have come back nicely with the protection of some netting. But I have a dozen everbearing plants set out last year that are producing a few berries. My tomato plant has two tomatoes, but I’ll be amazed if they ripen before frost, which could be in the not-to-distant future. And I’m not sure the zucchini plant will ever bear. You can’t afford to be late with your planting in this environment.

MORNING EXERCISE

I love to exercise early in the day for several reasons. I don’t like to exercise at all, so if I do it early I feel I’ve really accomplished something and can get on to other things I like to do. Otherwise, I feel a certain dread – like I have something I need to do that I’m putting off. And – it’s so much nicer to exercise in the cool of the day. I have more energy then.

Mike went to Pete’s this morning to help him with his old bicycle, so I stopped there on my bike ride in order to get my tires checked. Then I set off for a ride down Miller Road. Nellie stood at the side of the road looking as though she wanted to come with me.

“Stay Nellie! You can’t come with me. You stay here! Stay!!”

But ere I had ridden a quarter of a mile, I heard the clip of dog feet hot on my tail. Sure enough! Nellie zipped right on by me and then stopped up ahead as if to say, “See? Yes, I can come with you! I can! I can keep up with you! I will!” It was obvious she really wanted a good run in the cool of the morning, so I said okay.

We zipped on down Miller Road with Nellie staying ahead. She knows where all the country ponds are – yes, she’s run Miller Road with us before. At one point she quickly ran through a pond and appeared through the brush drenched and refreshed. She didn’t dally about it. Staying ahead of me was her mission!

Miller Road is probably 3.5 to 4 miles long. From the farmhouse to the end of Miller Road is five miles and a good exercise ride for me, but today we turned back when we were in sight of the Miller house – about halfway. Nellie continued to stay with me or keep ahead all the way back to Pete’s. She stayed with Mike while I rode a ways further. Then I picked her up and she ran hard beside me back to the farmhouse.

[Nellie is taking a nap this afternoon since she had a good run this morning.]

STORM STORY

I had already taken Nellie for her walk and while we were out, I took pictures of the impending storm.

The mashed potatoes were in the microwave, ready to be warmed. The apricot pie was waiting to be baked during the cool of the evening. I had gone to take my shower while Mike finished grilling the chicken. That’s when the storm hit. It was 6:40 p.m. We know because that’s when the electricity went off. And about the same time – early in the storm – the forked fir tree split and half of it fell.

During the storm winds gusted to 35 mph according to our wind-o-meter. We had brief spells of hard rain or hail. Of course there was lightning and thunder. Before supper we saw smoke that appeared to come out of Little Canyon both to the north and to the south of the house. Mike left immediately to check it out but saw no fire. He finished grilling the chicken and we had supper without mashed potatoes or pie.

Whatever our plans might have been, we were now having an “old home” evening. We sat and read for awhile as daylight waned. When it was too dark to read, Mike lit the Coleman lantern and we read some more. It was while I was brushing my teeth, about 9:20, that the electricity came back on. We were relieved. We then decided to stay up a while longer. I cooked the mashed potatoes and baked the pie.

Here are before and after pictures of the tree:

This picture was taken August 5 from the other side of the pond. The tree in question is the odd forked one to the right of the house.

And here's a good picture of the damage. As you may be able to see, the tree was rotten at that fork. We count our blessings that not only was no one hurt but the branch missed the young trees we had planted in that area as well as the composter, the wood shed, the outhouse -- well, okay -- maybe the outhouse should be gone.

And here's a picture of clean-up, Mike's activity of the afternoon.

A SPECIAL SPOT IN THE ROAD

I knew there was a place on Miller Road where the Clearwater River could be seen. Just briefly I spied the river from my perch behind Mike on the 4-wheeler. So, on today’s bike ride, I took myself to the end of Miller Road, and on the way back I began to watch for the spot where I might catch sight of the river. I had begun to think I might have been dreaming, when suddenly it happened again – I saw the river.

I can't name the section of river we see in the photos. I just know it's the Clearwater. I'm sure the spot has been known to locals for generations because there was a narrow turn-out at the spot. It's hazy today -- probably smoke. Now that I know the place, I'll try for a photo on a clear day -- and maybe find someone with info.

At 3:30 p.m., it's 95.4. That's hot for here. It's 75.5 in the house -- quite pleasant. We closed all the windows about 8:30.

Oh -- We haven't seen the horses today. KW

NIKON PHOTOS -- UNCENSORED & UNCROPPED

We made a quick trip to Clarkston on Sunday to check on things in town, get groceries, pick zucchini, etc. It was a busy time for both of us but we were fairly well organized. We spent the night there and came back to the farm yesterday (Monday). We waited for the UPS man to bring the camera. He did not disappoint. He was there by 10:00.

We were nervous about some things here at the farm and were anxious to get back. On Friday the water tank started leaking at the gauge. Mike made a few phone calls and then we drained the tank and he made repairs. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But we had to do it twice and then we weren’t sure it was fixed. The bucket is dry this morning, so that's a good sign. (And Mike was going to call a plumber!)

Another concern was the horses who have invaded our territory, and yes, when we drove in, there they were at the pond. Mike decided to “encourage” them to go home, so he and Nellie followed them – five horses and two mules – to the edge of the canyon. The fence is in bad shape and Mike tried to make minor repairs. I’m not sure it was successful. I think I see fresh sign out there in the yard. He also reached the owner by phone. He claims he’s doing all he can, and we just don’t see it that way.

The photos on this post I took with the Nikon CoolPix P60 during our walk yesterday afternoon. I wish I could share all 32 of the photos with you, but you probably wouldn't be as excited as I am. I take a lot of photos these days. I call them my "country living" photographs. I see things differently than I used to. Instead of seeing the same field every day, I see it for how it's different -- the stage of the crop, the play of sun and shadow, etc. There's always something new.





This photo of Cow 435 is not great but I like it anyway. She stood up as if to ask me what I was doing.

CHILLY AUGUST SATURDAY

It’s a cooler Saturday than we would normally wish for August. It was 59 when I got up at 7:00. It’s about noon and not yet 70. Thursday morning it was 48 when we got up and 91 at the highest. That’s quite a temperature spread for summer!

We talked with Kyle Meacham, our farmer, yesterday evening. He said that harvest won’t start until August 15, if then. He said the cold nights are delaying the ripening process. One of his concerns was that harvest helpers will have to return to school before harvest is over.

I started riding my mountain bike this week. (“Started means I’ve ridden it twice; that’s a start.) Yesterday I rode past the cemetery because I wanted to see the new fence just erected the day before. The fence is one of those white plastic ones and sits only across the front end. It has a 14-foot gate – wide enough for the hearse and necessary equipment, I guess. Just past there I met an old native farmer who stopped his car in order to chat a spell. (Hmmmm! Sixty-ish woman in biking shorts and shirt; let’s make her nervous!) He said his barley is ready to cut – quite dry.

But he also told a bit about Carl Braun, who lived at Gilbert and was the mail carrier here, probably in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Most everyone out of Orofino knew Carl, at least by name. Carl served the area when some of the long-time folks were elderly and some were widows unable to drive. Carl would run errands in town for these folks – would bring them groceries and supplies when he delivered the mail. Today such favors are against regulations for mailmen but in that time, these services on a person-to-person basis were a lifeline to those who had no family to help them and no place to go.

Mike rode his road bike to Nezperce on Thursday. He carries his bike on the 4-wheeler to a grain elevator six miles from here which is just beyond where the pavement ends. I think he rode beyond Nezperce to Lawyer’s Canyon on Thursday, then stopped at the store to pick up a lemon and get a Pepsi and Big Hunk which he enjoyed in the park. But – when he got back to the farm, he discovered a new geocache had just been placed in Nezperce proper, so Friday he rode to Nezperce again. Yes, he was the “first to find,” a coup in the geocaching world.
The horses? Yes, they are still here. Mike ran them off in the wee hours of the morning Friday and we didn’t see them at all during the day. But this morning we found them grazing in the south field. As they moved toward the pond Mike once again encouraged them to move back to the canyon.

We’ll make a brief run to town tomorrow (Sunday) and come back on Monday. KW

[The photos were taken with the little Fugi camera on 7-11-08 during Jack's visit. The August landscape is more amber than green.]

THE REST OF THE STORY

Last night at bedtime, when I thought Nellie was barking at the deer, Mike said whatever it was had scared her. She was running out of the north field back to the house. Then I thought I heard the crunching of gravel, but we decided not to go out again. About 11:30 I was awakened by the same footsteps-in-the-gravel sound, but when I looked out, I didn’t see anything.

After lunch today, Mike started setting up the horseshoe set Hallie gave him for Christmas a few years back, and as we were working in front of the house, our attention was drawn to movement at the pond. Five horses and a mule headed out from the path at the pond into the south field, heading west toward Little Canyon, where they live. They belong to the hunting lodge there.
“Bark,” said Nellie. “Woof!” Then she plastered her snout to my knee and stayed there.

Mike made phone calls to our farmer and to the owner of the horses. It’s about all we can do.
There’s just one positive. It’s good to have some of the stuff they leave behind in the composter, so with my trusty companion, Nellie, I searched the grounds for some of those piles and toted it to the composter.

Yes, the horses probably did eat the strawberries, judging by evidence unnoticed before. “So – that exonerates the deer?” you ask. Only a little – only a little.

MULE DEER PAY A VISIT

Last night while I was washing the supper dishes, a medium-sized mule deer doe entered our yard through the north field. Behind her came three small bucks. I called for Mike, who came running from the den to stand beside me at the window. Nellie picked up on the excitement and ran circles behind us, finally realizing she could view the scene at “her” window in the dining room. She planted herself there and barked sharply, contemplating whether or not she wanted to go out.

Mike and I had never seen such small bucks – antlered small males. The smaller deer decided to move back to the field, but the doe seemed confused. She made like she would head off to the raspberry patch, then circled in place and also went into the field. In mule deer fashion – springing jumps – the party cut through the north field and across our lane into June’s field – probably on their way to the garbanzos. When they were a good way off, we let Nellie out. You aren’t supposed to let your dog chase the deer, but I’m all for letting the deer know I have a dog. It’s my yard and they do a lot of damage.

I felt the deer were still moving around the yard at bedtime. Nellie put up a ruckus in the north field, and once we quieted her, I thought I could hear movement in the gravel driveway. Mike says he doesn’t know why they would bother our plants when they have the garbanzos. I say there’s no telling what they think.

We didn’t see much hummingbird activity when we arrived yesterday, but I made the nectar anyway and once the feeders were filled the hummers gradually returned. It’s easy pickings for hummingbirds at Kathy and Mike’s – at least when we’re here. KW

FARMERS' MARKET

We came back to the farm this morning after a few days in town. It seems like we’re getting a little smarter about these trips to town – we take less and there’s less to bring back. Still, I always think it’s a day’s work to pack and unpack – chores worth the reward of the rest of the day off. Do I sound like a teen-ager?

On the way out of town we stopped by the farmers’ market which is held Wednesday mornings behind the Community Center. Patronizing the local farmers’ market is one of the “cut your grocery expenses” suggestions. We haven’t shopped the market before, so we thought we’d give it a try. We bought a little produce but on the whole we agreed it wasn’t really impressive. The tomatoes looked like they needed more time on the vine; the green peppers were small. The beets were plentiful and looked good. I saw lots of summer squash, but I’m happy to report my own town vines are producing this year, and I picked three large zucchini suitable for grating and one “eater.” One table was full of packaged cookies, but Mike reminded me that they would be loaded with “sat fat.” And one gentleman was displaying fresh homemade jams and jellies. One lady had her table loaded with potholders for which she was asking $1.10 each. I bought three. (Now you know what I’ll give everyone for Christmas!) I didn’t count the vendors but Mike and I agree there were less than ten. I would stop again but I wouldn’t re-arrange my schedule to do so. To be fair, though, it’s been a cold year, and perhaps gardens are late in producing.

What about you? Do you visit the farmers’ market in your community? I remember Murray and Douglas talking about a farmers’ market in Philadelphia, and I’ve heard that the farmers’ market in Moscow is good.

My raspberries have really come on this year. You might remember that it looked like we might have a good crop of berries so we put some fencing around the bushes. The crop began to ripen last week. So far I’ve picked about ¾ cup of berries altogether. (Stop laughing – last year I picked three berries!) Last week it looked like the birds were picking them off while they were still under ripe, so I put netting over the bushes. While we were at Wal-Mart I bought 10 yards of additional netting at $.77 per yard and it was a good thing, too! While we were away the past two days, the strawberry border on the south side of the house was thoroughly munched. I suspect the deer because the work seemed more methodical than I would expect from rodents or grasshoppers. The developed leaves were eaten and the core of the plant left to sprout again if it can muster the strength. So I covered those plants with netting, too. It’s disappointing because the plants were really doing quite well and though I didn’t expect them to bear this year, this will constitute a setback.

[We ordered a new camera, a Nikon CoolPix P60. Maybe it will be here by the weekend so that I can start illustrating the blog again. We returned the little Fugi purse model.] KW

IF YOU THOUGHT THE HOUSE ROOF WAS STEEP . . .

Mike seemed satisfied with placement of the wind gauge on the roof peak. “It’s too bad,” I observed, “that you will have to climb back up there again.”

“Oh no,” he said. “Why would I have to get back up there?”

“Oh – something will happen. It will blow off or need maintenance or something,” I said aloud. To myself I said, “But more than likely you’ll decide you don’t like it there.”

So I truly wasn't surprised when a few days later he said, “The trees in the grove shelter the house too much and I just don’t think the wind measurement is accurate. I’m going to put the gauge on the barn.” (Do I know this man – or what?)

So today he made the switch. I hardly watched. He managed to get the gauge off the house in much the same manner as he placed it. Using the same method – rope over barn and tied to 4-wheeler – he pulled himself up to the peak of the barn roof and sitting astride he affixed the gauge. But alas! The piece of lathing he stuck through the woodpecker hole near the apex fell back through the hole and onto the barn floor. From inside the barn, I had to climb to the second story, pick up the lathing, then climb high enough against the inside wall to poke the lathing back through the hole so that he could catch it and tie the cable onto it. Then I carefully pulled the cable, attached to the lathing, back through the hole. I forgot the camera, remember, so there are no pictures of this momentous event. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

Speaking of the camera, we’re thinking of returning the little Fugi we bought. I think it’s rather feminine in appearance and action, and I just don’t think it works as the family camera. And neither one of us can see the viewer -- or whatever they call that screen -- when outdoors. If you have any words of wisdom on digital cameras, now is the time to share.

P.S. Hallie has placed a link to our “sister blog,” Mile High Warnocks, on the right side of this page. I feel confident in inviting anyone who visits this blog to check theirs also. They post occasional pictures and updates on Emerson and a recent post by Jack tells of his trip to Idaho. KW

PICKING UP ROADSIDE TRASH

"There’s plenty more trash on the road,” said Mike after his bike ride one day. “I think we should do another pick-up. We’ll hook the trailer to the 4-wheeler and use it as a base of operation.”

Today was the day. After breakfast, the two of us set out to pick up trash along Curfman and Miller Roads. You may recall that the last time we picked up 65 cans. This time we were prepared with plenty of sacks and two 5-gallon paint buckets. We decided it would be okay for the dogs to run along with us. It’s five miles from our place to the end of Miller Road, but there are at least two ponds where they could -- and did -- refresh themselves.

After some initial confusion on my part, our pick-up system began in earnest. We played leapfrog with the 4-wheeler, emptying the aluminum cans and other trash we picked up into sacks in the trailer. The dogs stayed with Mike.

While we were working on Miller Road, one of Kyle Meacham’s farm helpers passed us in his big John Deere tractor. Later, Mike met him again as he [the farmer] was working a field. The farmer stopped his tractor, got down, and came over to shake Mike’s hand and thank him for what we were doing. He said he thought the roadside trash was terrible -- that he he didn’t throw trash on the road himself but allowed that not everyone will pick it up. He said we were awesome.

I guess that was the affirmation we needed. We finished Miller Road, then accommodated our speed to the dogs and brought them back to our place. After a brief respite, we chained Duke, told Nellie to stay, and set out again. If you know the area, we took Curfman Road past Beldings to Cemetery Road and Cemetery Road to the highway, the highway back to Curfman Road at the grain bins. We did that mile stretch of Curfman Road on foot, playing leapfrog with the 4-wheeler again. By the time we finished it was 1:00 and we were hot, thirsty, hungry, and tired. [Two deer stopped briefly to gaze at us, making it possible for me to catch this shot.]

We gathered one big garbage sack of aluminum cans and two big garbage sacks of trash. I found three bottle caps (all Coors) but only kept two. There were many more bottles than caps. All in all, we put 16 miles on the 4-wheeler. And I am filthy!!!!

THE WEATHER STATION

For a long time I’ve wanted a weather station on the farm that would give wind and rain data in addition to temperature and humidity. Just before the end of the year I saw a Lacrosse Technology unit on sale in Cabela’s at a deep discount so I ordered it. We’ve had a Lacrosse for years in town that gives temperature (indoors & outdoors), humidity and minimums and maximums and it has been a really good unit. Of course, I didn’t get to install this new unit until the first part of June. I had all kinds of problems – rain gauge didn’t work at all, wind speed appeared inaccurate, manual was terrible and even incorrect and the unit was complex and not user-friendly at all. After talking and corresponding with Lacrosse several times I eventually returned it to Cabela’s and exchanged it for a more expensive model. It just arrived and I got it installed today – no easy feat.

This model is much less sophisticated than the other one even though it cost more. It runs on batteries only whereas the other one could run with an adapter and would also upload data to a computer. I didn’t need something that fancy. Just tell me how hard the wind is blowing. This one will do that. Of course, it’s in beauforts. Don’t tell me you don’t know what a beaufort is. Well, in case you’re that ignorant you can get the details at http://www.stormfax.com/beaufort.htm (as I did). Actually the Beaufort scale makes pretty good sense. It also gives the wind speed as well as gusts in mph.

Naturally, the toughest part of the installation is mounting the wind gauge. It needs to be high, unobstructed and within 32 feet of the thermo/hydro sensor because it must be connected with a wire. The rain gauge on this one transmits a signal whereas it had to be hard wired on the other one. We finally concluded that our only option for the wind gauge was the apex of the roof on the north end of the house. This house has about the most inaccessible roof as any place I’ve seen. Finally got it done with sweat, blood and ropes. Fortunately it was a fairly calm day – no more than 1 beaufort. I can tell you, I did hit the Easy button when the project was finished. M/W

TODAY'S PHOTO JOURNAL OF ACTIVITIES

Jack and Grandpa Mike discuss upcoming 4-wheeler trip which will include geo-caching.

Jack rides the "tote-goat."

Jack was allowed to ride the 4-wheeler in the yard.








Below are photos of Jack's first experience shooting clay pidgeons with a shotgun. He broke his first target, then had some misses until Grandpa's instructions came together for him and he broke three in a row. The session ended on a high note -- a good hit!