I'd written the blog, checked Facebook, and was on the third of my mandatory three games of solitaire (I am nothing if not a creature of habit) when "blip" the power went out yesterday. Oh crum. No water, no fan, no TV, no nothing. It took a total re-think of the plans for the day. The only thing I could think of that didn't take electricity in one way or the other was dusting. Aarrgh. Good old PG&E was on the ball and ta da! got us up and running in about a half hour and I was saved from that terrible fate. Life went on as usual.
I'm a little worried about Inga. For two days running, she has not finished her nighttime treat nor wanted her breakfast cereal. She has been eating alfalfa during the day and does not appear to be losing weight, but it's just not like her to skip a meal. Inga is by far the oldest girl in the diminishing herd and I know her time is coming, but I'm never ready for the end. Maybe the heat has caused her to lose her appetite.
Since we once again had water, I threw a load of clothes in the washer. I was down to my last clean pair of bibbies, but with animals, there's no telling how long they'd stay clean. I also mixed up four quarts of juice for the hummers, just in case. I filled the big pot of water for the wild things, as I do every morning. I never know what it is that comes during the night, but in hot weather, it is nearly empty every day, poor things.
The Dynamic Duo are coming this morning to finish the onerous job of cleaning the shed. That only takes boy power.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
Where There's Smoke
Oh crum, two more wildfires sprang up, fast movers that have required the evacuation of the entire town of Lakeport, farther up north and to the west. Lakeport was the home of Steve's grandparents and the site of many family reunions. Tales of terror and heroism from the evacuees are enough to break your heart even if the smoke hadn't already put tears in your eyes.
What with all the particulate matter in the air, it was a good day to sit and watch NASCAR, although I could have done without Bubba Wallace's horrific wreck just at the end. It was amazing to see him finally climb out of what was left of his car. After any crash, the known signal that the driver is okay is when they drop the window guard, and there was a collective holding of breath because it took Bubba quite a while to do that, and wild cheering when he did. It is a tribute to the race car manufacturers and to the tracks themselves that there can be a wreck of such proportions and still have the driver walk away. Would that all cars were built like that.
After the race and the news regarding all the fires, it was good to take refuge with "Victoria And Abdul" (2017, Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard). I hadn't seen much hype about this movie, but there are those actors for whom I will watch anything they make, and Dame Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard are on that list. Dame Judi (Dame Dench? I'm not up on protocol) reprised her role as Queen Victoria and her relationship with "the help," as she did in "Mrs. Brown." Both films are fictionalized accounts of actual events. Eddie Izzard, who has made the transition from stand-up comedian to successful serious actor, plays Victoria's son Bertie, who became King Edward VII. Suffice it to say that Queen Victoria was a little spitfire who did things her way.
I don't know if it was the smoke or my neighbor's dogs, who seem to only come out at sundown, but the girls were spooked and bedtime was bedlam last evening. Inga and Tessie had their usual contretemps when one dashed into the wrong stall, and defenceless Inga got the wrong end of the stick. The smoke covered the sun and darkened the sky, so I put them in earlier than usual.
A good soaking rain would be helpful about now. Nature, are you listening?
What with all the particulate matter in the air, it was a good day to sit and watch NASCAR, although I could have done without Bubba Wallace's horrific wreck just at the end. It was amazing to see him finally climb out of what was left of his car. After any crash, the known signal that the driver is okay is when they drop the window guard, and there was a collective holding of breath because it took Bubba quite a while to do that, and wild cheering when he did. It is a tribute to the race car manufacturers and to the tracks themselves that there can be a wreck of such proportions and still have the driver walk away. Would that all cars were built like that.
After the race and the news regarding all the fires, it was good to take refuge with "Victoria And Abdul" (2017, Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard). I hadn't seen much hype about this movie, but there are those actors for whom I will watch anything they make, and Dame Judi Dench and Eddie Izzard are on that list. Dame Judi (Dame Dench? I'm not up on protocol) reprised her role as Queen Victoria and her relationship with "the help," as she did in "Mrs. Brown." Both films are fictionalized accounts of actual events. Eddie Izzard, who has made the transition from stand-up comedian to successful serious actor, plays Victoria's son Bertie, who became King Edward VII. Suffice it to say that Queen Victoria was a little spitfire who did things her way.
I don't know if it was the smoke or my neighbor's dogs, who seem to only come out at sundown, but the girls were spooked and bedtime was bedlam last evening. Inga and Tessie had their usual contretemps when one dashed into the wrong stall, and defenceless Inga got the wrong end of the stick. The smoke covered the sun and darkened the sky, so I put them in earlier than usual.
A good soaking rain would be helpful about now. Nature, are you listening?
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Pack Up Your Troubles
"Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile." (WWI marching song, 1917. The advantage of having had a father who fought in WWI.)
It was amazing how quickly my troubles, such as they are, disappeared when I got an early morning text from Dave with an invitation to meet for lunch. Count me in! I calculated time and distance carefully and was ready and raring to go so as not to be late. (He'd said "noonish.") I pulled in to Bones parking lot at 12:08...and no Dave. Hmmm. Just one problem. I reread his text. In my excitement, I had inserted Bones in my mind instead of Poor Red's. Of course, there was no cell reception to let him know I was another ten minutes away. I don't think I've ever made the drive from Pleasant Valley to El Dorado faster. I even hit the four stop lights green.
Dave and Jester had ridden their motorcycles and were enjoying a cold beer while waiting for the errant mother. Poor Red's has air conditioning so we opted for an inside table rather than eating out on the patio. Good food filled my belly, but it was the company that filled my heart.
What troubles?
It was amazing how quickly my troubles, such as they are, disappeared when I got an early morning text from Dave with an invitation to meet for lunch. Count me in! I calculated time and distance carefully and was ready and raring to go so as not to be late. (He'd said "noonish.") I pulled in to Bones parking lot at 12:08...and no Dave. Hmmm. Just one problem. I reread his text. In my excitement, I had inserted Bones in my mind instead of Poor Red's. Of course, there was no cell reception to let him know I was another ten minutes away. I don't think I've ever made the drive from Pleasant Valley to El Dorado faster. I even hit the four stop lights green.
Dave and Jester had ridden their motorcycles and were enjoying a cold beer while waiting for the errant mother. Poor Red's has air conditioning so we opted for an inside table rather than eating out on the patio. Good food filled my belly, but it was the company that filled my heart.
What troubles?
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Shame On Me
I'm ashamed for all my sniveling about the smoke and heat. Yes, it's hot. Yes, it's hard to breathe. It's summer, woman, what did you expect?! It's not like I do all that much anyhow, so I just need to get over myself.
I watched a lot of news yesterday, and California is on fire. If there is anything good about the Ferguson fire over by Yosemite it is that, big as it is, it is in an unpopulated area. Animals will recover and, as they found out when Yellowstone burned, the forest will come back stronger than before. The Carr fire up around Redding is a different matter. It is gobbling up houses like potato chips, entire neighborhoods burned to ash. Cousins lost their home to the Santa Rosa fire in 2017, and it was devastating. There was the one time that we were in a position of imminent evacuation here, and I don't ever want a repeat of that. I know there is another big fire down in southern California, but it doesn't get the same news coverage up here.
How grateful we all must be that there are men and women willing to put their lives literally on the line and work in unspeakably terrible conditions to try and keep others safe.
Slowly and in small increments, daylight comes later and sundown is a bit earlier now. Here, at least, life goes on as usual. In the grand scheme of things, I have no complaints.
I watched a lot of news yesterday, and California is on fire. If there is anything good about the Ferguson fire over by Yosemite it is that, big as it is, it is in an unpopulated area. Animals will recover and, as they found out when Yellowstone burned, the forest will come back stronger than before. The Carr fire up around Redding is a different matter. It is gobbling up houses like potato chips, entire neighborhoods burned to ash. Cousins lost their home to the Santa Rosa fire in 2017, and it was devastating. There was the one time that we were in a position of imminent evacuation here, and I don't ever want a repeat of that. I know there is another big fire down in southern California, but it doesn't get the same news coverage up here.
How grateful we all must be that there are men and women willing to put their lives literally on the line and work in unspeakably terrible conditions to try and keep others safe.
Slowly and in small increments, daylight comes later and sundown is a bit earlier now. Here, at least, life goes on as usual. In the grand scheme of things, I have no complaints.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Up And Running
Four a.m., eighty degrees. Just thought I'd throw that in.
After barn chores yesterday, I was ready to tackle the vacuum cleaner again. It's amazing what a difference bright light, glasses, and the instruction manual make. I'd made the assumption that there wouldn't be much of a change between models and, boy, was I ever familiar with taking the old one apart and putting it back together. I was wrong. The triangular "this" that had me confused has nothing to do with air intake and the hose attaches in a completely different place. The new cleaner is much lighter than the old one and it took off like a racehorse out of the gate. The old one was like pushing a tank around, slow work. Even so, after cleaning a token patch and making sure the thing was running right, I called it quits. Just too darned hot.
I know what I'll be doing today...early.
After barn chores yesterday, I was ready to tackle the vacuum cleaner again. It's amazing what a difference bright light, glasses, and the instruction manual make. I'd made the assumption that there wouldn't be much of a change between models and, boy, was I ever familiar with taking the old one apart and putting it back together. I was wrong. The triangular "this" that had me confused has nothing to do with air intake and the hose attaches in a completely different place. The new cleaner is much lighter than the old one and it took off like a racehorse out of the gate. The old one was like pushing a tank around, slow work. Even so, after cleaning a token patch and making sure the thing was running right, I called it quits. Just too darned hot.
I know what I'll be doing today...early.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Hissy Fit
The shed critters were in a right snit after the cleanup. Bits of what remains of the ceiling insulation were thrown down all over yesterday. If they were capable of throwing rocks, I'm sure I would have been bombarded. Ask me if I care. They need to move on.
When the vacuum cleaner stopped working (again), I ordered a new one. Since it's just me, I could deal with (i.e., ignore) the bits of leaves and burrs that Bessie spreads around, but when Deb and Craig made their surprise visit, I went into a panic. I got out the old-time carpet sweeper and went to work, and I do mean work. It gave me a great appreciation for what women went through before vacuum cleaners were invented.
Well, late yesterday afternoon a nice man delivered the new machine. (I know he was a nice man because he came equipped with a cookie for Bess.) I knew I had a task at hand because it was an upright vacuum and it came in a square box. Because it is the same brand and just a different model, I was able to identify parts and got it mostly put together and then it came down to attaching the hose. For the life of me, I couldn't figure how to fit a square "this" over a triangular "that." The sun was going down and the light was getting dim so I set the whole thing aside before I had a hissy fit of my own and decided it was a job that could wait until today.
In the meantime, the cats had commandeered the empty box and were playing hide and seek. They could care less about the contents, they think I bought a box just for them.
Currently, we're getting no relief from the heat at night and we're in a week-long stretch of 100-plus days. Aaargh.
When the vacuum cleaner stopped working (again), I ordered a new one. Since it's just me, I could deal with (i.e., ignore) the bits of leaves and burrs that Bessie spreads around, but when Deb and Craig made their surprise visit, I went into a panic. I got out the old-time carpet sweeper and went to work, and I do mean work. It gave me a great appreciation for what women went through before vacuum cleaners were invented.
Well, late yesterday afternoon a nice man delivered the new machine. (I know he was a nice man because he came equipped with a cookie for Bess.) I knew I had a task at hand because it was an upright vacuum and it came in a square box. Because it is the same brand and just a different model, I was able to identify parts and got it mostly put together and then it came down to attaching the hose. For the life of me, I couldn't figure how to fit a square "this" over a triangular "that." The sun was going down and the light was getting dim so I set the whole thing aside before I had a hissy fit of my own and decided it was a job that could wait until today.
In the meantime, the cats had commandeered the empty box and were playing hide and seek. They could care less about the contents, they think I bought a box just for them.
Currently, we're getting no relief from the heat at night and we're in a week-long stretch of 100-plus days. Aaargh.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Progress
A lot got done yesterday, but not by me. The Kid and Brother, now known as the Dynamic Duo, came at 6:30, armed with the gloves I'd told them to wear. I had a very dirty, much needed job for them to do. Some long while back, hundreds of pounds of acorns stuffed by woodpeckers over the ceiling of the "first shed" had come pouring down. Clay and I had cleaned up that awful mess.
Yeah, well, it didn't last. Between rats and ground squirrels, the shed was a disaster zone again. I store bags of squashed aluminum cans in there until there are enough to justify a trip to the recycling center, as well as some other odds and ends and the birdseed. The furry fiends in residence had torn open the bags and scattered the cans. They'd pushed glass jars off of shelves to break on the cement floor. Remnants of insulation from what was left of the ceiling was thrown down, presumably to make comfy beds below. In addition, there was a ton of droppings everywhere. Yech.
The Dynamic Duo worked for three hours and made terrific headway. Brother explained that it was hard to get into the corners with the shovel. Waggling my fingers, I explained what they were for. "Oh." That's okay. It was getting hotter by the minute and the boys had gotten a lot done, so I called it quits for them and their mama came to pick them up.
I don't feel even a twinge of guilt at having displaced who knows how many squirrels and/or rats. It's time they realized this is not a homeless camp and they need to move on. Hospitality has its limits, and I'd definitely reached mine.
There is still much that needs doing, but there was progress yesterday.
Yeah, well, it didn't last. Between rats and ground squirrels, the shed was a disaster zone again. I store bags of squashed aluminum cans in there until there are enough to justify a trip to the recycling center, as well as some other odds and ends and the birdseed. The furry fiends in residence had torn open the bags and scattered the cans. They'd pushed glass jars off of shelves to break on the cement floor. Remnants of insulation from what was left of the ceiling was thrown down, presumably to make comfy beds below. In addition, there was a ton of droppings everywhere. Yech.
The Dynamic Duo worked for three hours and made terrific headway. Brother explained that it was hard to get into the corners with the shovel. Waggling my fingers, I explained what they were for. "Oh." That's okay. It was getting hotter by the minute and the boys had gotten a lot done, so I called it quits for them and their mama came to pick them up.
I don't feel even a twinge of guilt at having displaced who knows how many squirrels and/or rats. It's time they realized this is not a homeless camp and they need to move on. Hospitality has its limits, and I'd definitely reached mine.
There is still much that needs doing, but there was progress yesterday.
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