Notes From The Cabin

Suspending Blog

2010-02-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Because I receive no feed back or comments on this blog, I have decided that it isn't worth my time to continue it. If you are a regular reader and wish for me to continue it, please let me know.

Week of Feb. 8 to Feb. 14

2010-02-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, February 8, 2010

            The skies are clear and the sun is out, shining brightly this morning. The low temperature was 3 degrees, with the high predicted for the mid thirty’s.

            I worked all day on genealogy but took breaks to play with Zack and do a little bit of cleaning. I finished the day by loosing my eyesight at about 7:30 PM, showered before eating dinner and rested the remainder of the night.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

            Last evening, before it got completely dark, I watched an ice cloud drift slowly down my gulch from the Divide. It was an eerie sight and I wasn’t sure if it would remain for the night or move on. When I got up, the hoarfrost covered all of the forest around me and left me with visions of old man winter blowing ice-cold air, covering everything with a layer of white frost.

Aside from the morning weather, today was a repeat of yesterday. Following my grandmother on my father’s side of the family, I managed to view 478 pages of the 1900 census for Cass County Texas, which is where my grandmother was born. Each of the pages consists of 50 handwritten, in cursive, entries of the family name and members. Most of the pages had water damage at the bottom and the gif format made reading them difficult. So, at 50 people per page and 478 pages, I perused almost 24,000 names.

My diligence paid off, as I believe I found the family. I will continue to search for additional information to see if I can trace further back on her side of my family. Check out this page to see what I had to view and the family of Mack Johnson (entry number 70), my grandma’s father.

            I ended the day with eye fatigue and a neck and back pain from straining to see the names, so a hot shower and some dinner were in order.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

            Blowing snow this morning and out of all the mornings to have heavy snow, I have to go into town. The temperatures are staying in the low 20s to teens for the night and then right around 32 degrees during the day.

            By eleven O’clock, I had the Argo warming up and played with Zack before heading to town. We made the trip there and back again without any problems. I managed to run all of my errands, make my chiropractor appointment, and still get home before dark. Zack and I played briefly after I had put all of the frozen and refrigerated food away.

            I stoked the fire back to life and had my V-8 while reading my mail. My camera was returned from warranty repairs and I made sure it was all there and working. The work order only listed that several things were cleaned, but nothing about repairs or replacements, so I hope what they did has truly fixed the problem. In researching possible fixes before sending it in, I discovered that Nikon’s are all made in Thailand now and that most of the parts are purchased from other country resources, so I shouldn’t be surprised that everything else, like the quality control and finished product, is below my expectations.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

            I was surprised to see an almost clear sky this morning, with the sun making a valiant attempt to break through and shine. By 11:00, it was snowing heavily, like it did most of yesterday. The one positive thing is that the clouds are keeping the temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s.

            I cleaned the cabin most of the day, as I am having my friends, Joe and Michele, up for the three-day weekend. Normally Joe would have to work on Saturday, but the owner closed the business for good on Wednesday. Joe wasn’t depressed as he had already lined up another job here in Helena and was quitting at the end of the day anyway. He now gets a mini-vacation until his new job starts in a week or so. He had already moved all of his things to Helena, so after locking the store doors, he was free and clear to move on.

            I spent the day cleaning the cabin, organizing and putting things away. Zack and I had our playtime and I managed to get four loads of wash done. While living alone gives me the luxury of letting things go, it is always nice to have a clean house and everything in its place.

Friday, February 12, 2010

             It is snowing and blowing this morning with the wind being fairly consistent at 7 mph, with gusts to 14. NWS is predicting snow for the next several days, but the temperatures are supposed to stay in the double digits.

            This type of weather makes it nice to stay inside by the fire and with company here; we can play board games and visit while relaxing.

            After my usual morning routine, I cleaned the kitchen and assembled the items I need to prepare my seafood chowder for our dinner tonight. I will be taking the Argo to meet Joe and Michele in Maryville at 6:00 and then return for a hot meal and good visit.

            I arrived in Marysville at about 5:20 and only had to wait about 5 minutes before Joe and Michele showed up. We loaded their things into the Argo and headed for the cabin. The trip was uneventful and we arrived home before it became dark enough to need headlights.

            They got settled while I prepared dinner and we ate around 7:00 and then enjoyed the fire and a visit before going to bed at about 11 PM.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

            It is overcast and gloomy outside this morning, with snow in the forecast. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warmer, so I would expect to see several groups of snowmobilers come by. Last weekend, I had several and my tracks are fresh, which is why they follow them.

            My back muscle is acting up again and is causing me a lot of discomfort, which along with the weather had us all staying inside, watching the Olympics and visiting most of the day.

Sunday, February 14, 2010           HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

            As predicted, the sky cleared and the sun shone brightly. After a hearty breakfast, Joe, Michele and Zack went for a walk in the snow.

            I haven’t had any relief from my back pain and it is bad enough to upset my stomach, so I stayed inside and tried to find a comfortable position that would help.

            In the afternoon, we watched some more of the Olympic events and a few DVDs, and then I prepared dinner. After eating we watched television before retiring.

Michele and Joe watching the fire dance while it snows outside. Note the icicles hanging from the roof.

This is a double icicle that ran into each other and formed one. Note the size of the snowflakes in the background.

Week of Feb. 1 to Feb. 7

2010-02-07T19:10:00.002-07:00

Monday, February 1, 2010

Well, the first month of the New Year has passed us by and after re-reading my own blog; it wasn’t that great of start for me. I hope things have been better for all of you.

The weather is still overcast and NWS predicts snow through the entire week. It is snowing lightly this morning, with a 2 to 3 mph breeze blowing snow out of the trees.

Saturday, I changed out my last full propane tank so I have to go into town to get one refilled and pick up a few things. Zack and I loaded an empty tank into the Argo and headed for Marysville at noon. Once we reached the Divide, the sky cleared and the sun was out, but a glance back towards the cabin showed that it was still snowing heartily.

We reached Marysville, parked the Argo, warmed up the Jeep for the next leg of the journey and visited briefly with Guy and Mary before departing. The trip to town was unremarkable and I collected my mail, filled the propane tank, got groceries, prescriptions and gas, returning to Marysville by 4 PM.

On the way back up to the Divide, the Argo was making an odd noise and with the problems I’ve been having I stopped to check on it. The sound seemed to be coming from the snow tracks and almost sounded like a flat tire as it was rhythmic and made a thumping sound. I stopped and checked all the tires and the tracks but found nothing wrong. I surmise that it may have been the weight of the full propane tank (187 lbs.), 15 gallons of gas (84 lbs.) and groceries of an undetermined weight, causing the tracks to make the noise.

We continued on, arriving home at about 4:30. I unloaded the propane tank to gain access to the groceries and then took the items into the cabin to be put away. Once that was done, I moved the Argo to its garage and removed the gas cans, putting them in the shed. Zack and I played for a while and then I fed him and the cats, built up the coals into a good fire and sat down to read my mail before a shower and dinner.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

It is still snowing, heavy at times, but generally light and staying just around 30 degrees. The snow is dry and almost a crystal rather than flakes.

I spent the day doing research, reading and writing with time to play with Zack several times. In the afternoon it began snowing harder and Zack doesn’t care what the weather is when it comes to playing, so I stand under the roof and throw the disc for him until he gets tired or I get too cold. After we come back in, he naps by the fire while I continue with whatever I am working on.

Rusty is having a very good day and has been a real pill all morning. He tried to get me out of bed to feed him at 6:30 this morning, but I resisted until a little after 8 O’clock, and then got up and started my day. Meanwhile, Rusty is racing up and down the stairs, into the sunroom and back to the kitchen, trying to climb my leg. It was like he was high on catnip or something. This continued most of the morning with naptime coming just before noon, and then he started all over again. All of his activity got Zoey going and she chased him around for a while and then didn’t want to be bothered.

I guess I strained my lower back yesterday when I wrestled the propane tank out of the Argo, as it is bothering me this morning, along with my leg muscles, so I am moving stiffly and not feeling like being too active.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The sky cleared during the night and the temperatures went from double digits to a single digit, with the low being 3.7 degrees at 7:30 this morning. When I start my morning fire, I try to remember to check the outside temperature to see if I need to heat the flue before lighting the fire and it was 8 degrees, so I preheated the air in the chimney using my propane torch. After a few seconds, I lit the fire and it had no problem drafting properly.

The days are getting noticeable longer and the sun poked its head over Greenhorn Mountain by 10:30 this morning. It is staying light until 5:30, which makes me believe that spring is on its way. Except for a few high thin clouds, the sky is clear and it is above freezing before noon today. Yesterday, the high was 30 degrees and it snowed almost all day, so this is a nice break.

I split and stacked about ¾ of a cord of firewood, and it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do with my back causing some pain, but it warmed up and the sun was shining, so I needed to take advantage of the weather and get the firewood stack a little higher.

After finishing that, I headed the front door to work on the Argo and as I shut the front door, I almost collided with a killer icicle that had curled all of the way under the porch roof and lurked to injure me. I removed the flooring from the Argo, checked the chains and lubricated everything again. I started to work in the shed, but the clouds moved in and it was getting late, so I quit for the day. Zack and I played one last time, then I fed him, and the cats, did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

I just stoked the fire and the animals are all laying down for their after dinner naps. I will shower and then fix myself something before relaxing for the evening.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

It is another dreary overcast morning with a few flakes of snow blowing around. The forecast is for snow all day, but yesterdays forecast was the same and it was a sunny afternoon. It is colder this morning than yesterday, with the low being 3 degrees.

I spent the day giving my back a rest and doing some genealogy research on my grandfather. I had spent the last several days looking for him and his family on Ancestry.com and having gone through pages and pages of census records, found nothing. I did find him listed on the voter’s registrations going back to 1924, but that was all. Ancestry.com allows you to have a free 14 day trail where you can search all their records and then after the 14 days, they charge your credit card a monthly fee until you cancel.

I finally gave up and Googled “free birth records,” which led me to the site of the Latter-day Saints, which is free. My grandfather had become a Mormon during his second marriage (he was married three times) and as such was obligated to research his genealogy. In less than 15 minutes I found his family tree and the information I was looking for. He managed to trace his family back to the 1500s and England, but it stops there. So much for Ancestry.com being worth a monthly fee.

Having consumed the day in my research, after one last play period with Zack, I fed all the animals and then showered, relaxing for the rest of the evening.

Friday, February 5, 2010

This morning is starting off exactly the same as yesterday morning, with the low being 3 degrees, overcast, a few errant snowflakes, but no wind. Yesterday afternoon the sky cleared and it was sunny and a warm 49 degrees, so maybe today will end up being nice. When I went out to shut off the generator last night, the sky was clear and I could see a million stars, so I was a little surprised to see it overcast this morning.

I spent the entire day working on the computer, stopping to play with Zack several times and once to service the generator so it is ready for the next time I need it. I have been doing family research and for those interested in genealogy, try the Mormon site: http://www.familysearch.org, it’s free and they have millions of family trees and information.

I ended my research day at five O’clock, playing one last time with Zack and then feeding all my critters, showering, eating dinner and relaxing for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

It is a bit foggy this morning; in reality it is a low flying cloud scooting through my gulch on its way down from the Divide. It looks like it may clear and leave me with some sunshine to help warm the day. The days are getting longer fast and I have daylight until 6 PM now. Soon it will stay light until 9:30 at night.

I spent the entire day researching family members, with some success, with time for Zack, Zoey and Rusty. Rusty is having a good day today, as he did yesterday also. His good days are out numbering his bad days so I hope his system is getting stronger and he will gain his full strength.

Inbetween my research, I managed to do some wash, make up the bed with clean linen and vacuum, so I feel like I accomplished a lot.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

I hate starting off my days like this morning, but after checking the outside temperature, 8 degrees, I used the propane torch to preheat the firebox and chimney, or so I thought. The wood started burning and seemed to be drafting okay but then it stopped and filled the cabin with acrid smoke.

It took me almost an hour to set things back to normal after removing the smoke alarm battery, opening the sliding door, setting up the box fan to exhaust the smoke while the ceiling fan ran at full speed. What a pain in the butt. There is still some remnants of smoke lingering in the air, but it was just too cold to leave the cabin open to the outside air, which rushed in faster than a flood. The smoke assaulted my lungs enough to cause a constant cough and eye irritation, but I’ve suffered it before and survived. To top it all off, at about 3:30 this morning, I awoke with a muscle spasm pinching a nerve between my shoulder blades. I took ibuprofen immediately, slept restlessly until 8:00, and then got up. Moving around has helped a little, but it is still bothering me.

I spent the entire day doing more genealogy research and had limited success. I find it fascinating and addictive, but also exhausting and eye crossing. It is now 6:30 PM, and I have played with and fed all the animals so I will now shower and relax for the rest of the night.

Week of Jan. 25 to Jan. 31

2010-01-31T11:02:00.002-07:00

Monday, January 25, 2010

This morning is a mixed bag of weather. It was 14 degrees, overcast and a few snowflakes when I got up, but as the day went on, it showed signs of improving and then it started snowing again. The high was 30 degrees at 3:30, up from the low of 6 degrees around 7 AM.

I spent most of the day on the computer, posting my blog, reading, listening to a short story, doing research, and keeping the fire stoked. Zack and I played several times and both Zoey and Rusty got some one-on-one time with me. Zoey hasn’t tired of the new toy, which is one of those circular plastic things with a ball in the trace and scratch pad in the center. The ball on this one has a motion sensor and lights a blinking red light when moved. Zoey loves that, but Rusty has only tried it once and since then, ignored it unless Zoey is making a lot of noise with it.

Rusty had a good night and was active before daylight, causing me to wish he would play down stairs instead of on my bed. By noon, he was looking ragged and tired, napping most of the day. I have tried to keep the humidifier going to ease any problems the dry air might cause, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Meanwhile, it seems to be helping Zack’s pads, as they aren’t dry and rough. I have also been putting the pad balm on his pads every night before bedtime, which must be helping also.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Today was a repeat of yesterday’s weather, with overcast and still air, turning to blowing snow in the afternoon, with winds around 4 to 5 mph.

I spent the day working online and finally maxed out my download limit by 4:30 and had to quit for the day. It all started when I received my usual political email from the Ron Paul website that had an interesting link. The grab line stated that we, the U.S, might have caused the Haiti earthquake on purpose, using HAARP. I couldn’t resist reading and viewing videos on just how man could cause an earthquake in a specific, pin point spot, like Port au Prince. The more I read and viewed, the more plausible the theory seemed.

It seems that the United States, along with Russia and Norway, have stations with antenna that emit High-frequency Active Auroral signals called HAARP. The U.S. has two stations in Alaska and one in Puerto Rico, close to Haiti. I haven’t been able to finish my research due to the slowing of my internet downloads, but will continue it tomorrow and report my findings.

Man need not fear the coming of the end of earth due to the planets aligning or mother nature, as he will end it himself.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Clear skies and bright sunshine are the order of today. The problem with clear skies is that allows all the heat to escape, so the low at 7:15 this morning was 0 degrees, with the temperature upon awaking a mere 5 degrees.

I attempted to resume my research on HAARP as my service was showing I was at full speed. As soon as I opened a second search, it slowed down and when I clicked on a third, a message from Hughes Net came up saying they were having trouble charging my monthly fee to my credit card. I spent the next hour trying to remedy the problem only to find out that Citi Corp locked my account for some reason, so I then had to use another card and pay online to regain use of my internet. What a pain in the ass. This is the third time Citi Corp has caused me problems and I won’t be using this card any time soon.

By the time I finished everything, it was still slow and I was told it would take up to an hour before it went back to normal, so I quit and turned to cleaning the cabin. I vacuumed upstairs, the stairs, and all of the downstairs and then cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. While doing all of this, I stopped a few times to cool down and give Zack his playtime.

The day was over before I checked back on the computer and found that my download speed was back to normal. I showered and fixed everyone dinner, then relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

It was cold again last night, with the low being -0.6 and only 8 degrees at 9 AM. As I started the fire, it instantly backed up and started filling the room with smoke. The flue was just too cold to allow the smoke to rise in the chimney, so I fought with getting it to draft and then clearing the room of smoke.

As the computer was running normally, I decided to check my mail and do some poking around. One email I received was for a site that allows you to visually visit almost anyplace and see a 360 view. It is www.vpike.com and a great site that will captivate you for hours, should you let it. Thanks for sending it to me Fred.

Another project that took the remainder of the day was searching for family members and/or relatives for a Lewis Brooks Hazelton. Who is Hazelton? Well, when I was still with the Sheriff’s department, I discovered several letters and a single photo inside of some stolen merchandise. The letters would have been discarded, as the true owner of the items couldn’t be found, so I kept them and tried to discover who Hazelton was, in hopes of returning the letters to the family.

In the course of working the Sheriff’s warehouse, I discovered and returned many items that might be valued memories, such as a videocassette of someone’s wedding, a photo album of old family photos, and some other things, but these letters eluded me finding anyone . . . until today.

The technology and information available to us in today’s world has improved since I found the letters, and in a few simple searches, I found the history of Lewis B. Hazelton. Let me give you a small picture of the man and what happened to him.

Lewis Brooks Hazelton was born in Liberty, Arizona on December 26, 1890, at the family farm of Enos Carter Hazelton and his wife Mattie Julia (Stewart) Hazelton. He was oldest of 8 children, having 5 sisters and 2 brothers. He worked on his father’s farm until he was 19 and then started his own small farm. He never married, but had a sweetheart named Winnie. Whether he and Winnie would be married and have a family is lost to time as at 26, he enlisted in the army to fight in WW I. He was sent to Fort Funston in Kansas for training. The letters start on September 20, 1917, as he is taking the train to Fort Funston. The first letter is to his second and third oldest sisters, Pearl, and Una. Reading the letters, you can tell that he dearly loves his sisters and is lonely for news from back home.

He hadn’t traveled much before now, so he was seeing and describing the landscape of New Mexico, and Texas, not caring for what he saw. His second letter was written September 22, and is to his mother. He arrives at Fort Funston and it has been raining almost the entire trip. He talks about how many boys from Arizona are there, naming several, and that they are all housed together in several barracks. He misses the family and home, but is anxious to get over to Europe and fight. He is in Battalion A, of the 340^th F.A.N.A., which I believe is a field artillery battalion.

A third letter, dated November 20, is to Una and Pearl, and talks about a quarantine of the men, but doesn’t say for what, possibly the Spanish flu. He mentions that he wrote to his mother the day before, but that letter isn’t with the others. A fourth letter, December 13, 1917, a couple of weeks before his 27^th birthday, is to Pearl and he mentions that he had been on 24 hour guard duty and upon getting off duty, was kicked in the right thigh by a horse. He doesn’t go into detail about the injury, but from a future letter, I concluded that it was bad. He writes that they will probably “cross the water” in January or February and that he has taken out a $10,000.00 life insurance policy for “papa and mama.”

On January 25, 1918, he write to Pearl that he was taken out of 340^th, Bat. A, and is now in the depot brigade and expecting to ship out at any moment, but he doesn’t go into any details. He says that his orders are drawn for over seas service, but doesn’t think they will go as “there is something wrong with most every one of us and it does not look reasonable that the cripples would be sent over first.”

The last letter is dated March of 1918, he writes to his sisters that he is at Camp Merritt, New Jersey and in the 69 Causal Company, and will be going overseas soon. I was unable to find anything on the Causal Co., and he spelled it this way three times in the letter. I tried spelling it “casual” without any luck.

On July 28, 1918 he was killed in the Battle of Reims and is buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in France, with 6011 other soldiers that died in the Oise-Aisne campaign.

I have contacted a woman that I believe is a relative of Hazelton, to see if she wants the letters, but haven’t heard back from her yet. I’ll let you know what happens if and when she contacts me.

Friday, January 29, 2010

It is overcast with a few snowflakes here and there, but warmer this morning. There is a light breeze and the sun is attempting to break through the overcast, so it may warm to the 33 degrees that NWS is predicting.

I spent most of the day working on the computer, with breaks to play with Zack and bring in more firewood. The temperature has remained right at 30 degrees, give or take 2 degrees, all day. The sun did try to come through but it was only intermittent and didn’t help warm things up too much.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The sky looks about as it did yesterday, with one or two errant flakes of snow and cold, with the low this morning being 11 degrees, but warming to the 20s by 11 O’clock. NWS is predicting 80% chance of snow for this afternoon and then 60% through the beginning of next week.

Other than working on the computer, I split and stacked more firewood, but not all of the cut sections I still have by the splitter. The sun was out briefly and then the clouds moved in and the wind increased, causing it to be unpleasant outside.

I managed to do three loads of wash, and made up the bed with clean linen and comforters. It’s always nice to climb into a nice fresh bed with Zoey and Rusty joining me. Zoey tolerates having Rusty there is he stays on one side of me with her on the other. Zack often asks to come up just before I get up for the day, and I let him, giving him his good morning pets.

Zack got plenty of playtimes today and both Zoey and Rusty had individual attention from me. Rusty had a great morning, being more active than usual and running up and down the stairs and from the kitchen to the sunroom. By 11:00, he crashed and went into his stupor, with glassy eyes, drooling and in general looking like he was about to die. By evening, he was back to being active and playful. I am beginning to believe that he is having small seizures, which is causing him to go into these stupors, but their isn’t any physical signs that I can see. This behavior occurs at least once every 7 to 10 days and I will start keeping track and recording them to see if there is a pattern.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

It snowed lightly during the night and this morning, but by 10:00, the sun broke through and the sky cleared. Maybe I’ll get some warmer weather today, even through NWS says no.

Yesterday, I had three different groups of snowmobilers go through. I was out splitting wood and playing with Zack when two groups went by and they waved, but none stopped. With their full helmets on it is impossible to tell who they are or even if they are male or female, but each group consisted of 4 or 5 snowmobiles. I don’t like what the snowmobiles do to my road, leaving moguls and ruts, but don’t mind having them come by once and a while. They have no idea how they mess up my road as they only come this way on snowmobiles and probably only once a season. There are miles and miles of labeled snowmobile trails, most of them groomed, through out the Helena National Forest, but the road to my cabin is not one of them, but then it is a public use area and not controlled by gates or fences.

I have no plans to do anything special today, and will probably spend most of it inside by the fire. The morning hasn’t warmed up much, sun or no sun. It is still in the teens with some snow still falling even though the sky is almost clear of clouds.

I will post these updates now as I doubt if anything exciting is going to happen today.

Week of Jan. 18 to Jan. 24

2010-01-25T14:22:00.002-07:00

Monday, January 18, 2010

Well, I guess the predicted snow for today is late as the sky cleared by noon and the sun came out, raising the temperature to a comfortable 54 degrees by 2 PM.

I worked on the Argo again today and finished everything, including checking all fluids, lubricating all chains and greasing all fittings. I finished and had all of the tools cleaned and put away by 3:15. I took it for a test spin and to my dismay; the new tensioners didn’t take up the slack and adjust the chains as they are supposed to. The tops of the chains were still dragging on the frame and shouldn’t be. I tried a couple of things, hoping to get them to work and then gave up.

I came in and studied the manual but can’t see that I did anything wrong. The only thing I didn’t do was taking the snow track off to allow the wheels to individually turn freely. The only thing I can think of that is allowing the upper portion of the chain to stay loose, is the slack in each axle. I will start all over tomorrow and hope I can resolve this issue so I can get into town on Wednesday.

Zack and I played for the third time today and then I fed him. Rusty is having a bad day today as he drank a lot of water with his breakfast, and then threw it up. Immediately after doing that, he had a sneezing fit that caused him to rise up and fall over backwards. His eyes looked glazed and he isn’t very active. He has good and bad days on an ongoing basis and this was just one of his bad days.

A warm fire and shower and then I’ll have some dinner and relax until bedtime.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

This morning is bleak looking, with the temperature in the mid to high 20s and a few snowflakes dancing in the air. I am hoping that by noon the sun will poke through and give me some warmth so working outside isn’t too difficult.

I got lucky and the sun did come out with the temperature getting into the high 30s, but unfortunately the wind created a wind chill factor and caused my eyes to water. It’s hard to work outside when you can hardly see.

I worked for about 2 ½ hours on the Argo, jacking it up, removing the snow track to allow me to turn the wheels, taking up the slack in the upper portion of the chains. I had to remove both chains again, and it was a good thing I did as I discovered that the spring on the forward tensioner wasn’t wound enough to move the block up. I fixed it and then reinstalled both chains, reattached the snow track, inflated the front and rear tires and took it for a test drive.

Even though the chains still have a little more slack than I’d like, it has to be that way. When the slack is 2 ½ inches, it allows the tensioner to move up a notch and take additional slack out. I did notice that when in reverse gear, one of the left side forward tensioners is too loose and needs to have the spring wound more to work correctly. While in forward gear, it seems fine, so I’ll wait to fix it when I have to tear things down again.

I replaced the floor panels and put my survival gear in the back, along with two empty gas cans for my trip to town tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

It is colder this morning than the past couple of mornings with the temperature at 10 degrees when I got up at 9 AM. NWS is showing temperatures in the twenties with lows in the teens through the weekend. They are forecasting a 60% chance of snow starting tomorrow and through the weekend.

I had my morning cup of coffee, dressed and headed for town by 10:30, hoping to get my errands and appointment finished early enough to be home long before dark.

We did it. We made it home by five O’clock and Zack got his playtime in the fading daylight. I unpacked the Argo and parked it in the shed, having made the trip to town and back without any problems. I fed the gang and put all of the groceries away, built up the fire, which had kept the cabin warm all day, and then sat down to read my mail before showering and having some dinner.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

It is clear and sunny with the temperature reaching 50 degrees by early afternoon. NWS is giving the chance of snow for tonight at 60%, with more on the way.

After having worked on the Argo for several days, I decided to take today off and just catch up on computer stuff, research and reading. While Zack and I played outside several times, the cats made good use of the new toys I purchased yesterday.

A nice fire, steak dinner and relaxing for the evening was the order of the evening.

Friday, January 22, 2010

When I got up this morning, a cloud of ice was settling over the cabin and shortly thereafter, the wind picked up and it started to snow. The storm is coming out of the northeast, which is where the Canadian cold fronts come from, keeping the temperature in the low teens, with the high being 15.6, after a low of 7.5. NWS is indicating that this storm could dump an additional 14” of new snow over the next few days.

I spent the day reading, working on the computer, stoking the fire and watching television, and of course Zack got his playtime, both inside and out. I played keep-away with his monkey toy that hangs over the sunroom ceiling beam, and threw his disc for him while out gathering more firewood.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

I awoke to blowing snow that was dry and light. The winds are coming out of the northeast, so this is still coming out of Canada, with the low temperature being single digit.

After my trip to town on Wednesday, I brought home the Nickel Ads, which is the free give away paper like many communities have. Inside was an ad for Murdoch’s and after reading through it, I discovered that they had a sled, which can be pulled behind ATVs or snowmobiles, on sale. I went online to see if it suits my needs for hauling large or heavy items to and from the cabin in the winter. The sleds are made by company that specializes in molded plastic ATV items and they are the cheapest I’ve found. Otter Outdoors makes a wide variety of sleds so I researched all of them and found one that I think would be good for hauling my propane tanks and other items back and forth. It is the 1040 Wild large sled, which is listed for only $34.95. The hitch is extra, at $54.99, and a cover is available for an additional $69.99.

All in all, the sled looked perfect and because the sale ends tomorrow, snowstorm or no snowstorm, I decided to go to town and purchase one. Zack and I headed out in fairly heavy snow at about 12:30, and made it to Marysville without any problems. I was surprised to see so many snowmobilers out and about, but this type of snow is the kind they love to play in. The ski hill is also doing a booming business as cars went up one after another.

I cleared the snow from the Jeep and we headed into town, going straight to Murdoch’s. Randy, the owner of Zack’s mom and sister was working and Zack always goes nuts when he visits him. I think it may be the odor of his mother on Randy’s clothes. Randy informed me that they had no sleds in stock, but could get one from another store at the sale price. He then told me that they only carry four models of the Otter sled, and none was the one I wanted. Not only that, the one closest to the size I want was $120.00 on sale! Knowing that the web site indicated the price was only $34.95, I opted to order online and have the sled and hitch delivered to Guy and Mary’s so I wouldn’t have to haul it on the roof of the Jeep.

I purchase dry food for Zack and the cats, a couple of lead ropes on sale that were more than half off ($4.00 regularly $9.99), and some balm for my dry feet, so the trip wasn’t totally wasted. We also stopped at the market to get some hamburger for Zack’s dinners and then back to Marysville. After transferring everything to the Argo and a short visit with Guy, we headed for home arriving at 4:15. The snow hadn’t stopped and the visibility was poor. I was worried about a fast moving snowmobiler coming down the trail and hitting us, so I stayed to the far right and moved around corners carefully.

After unloading and parking the Argo, Zack got his playtime and then dinner. I put things away and then sat down with my V-8 to warm by the now roaring fire. The temperature never got above 17 degrees, but the cabin had stayed at 70 while we were gone.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

The sky is a mixture of clouds and clear sky, with the air moving them to my southwest. By noon, the sun made a full appearance and it began to warm considerable. The high was 43 degrees, which is a huge difference from yesterday’s high and the morning low of 2.8 degrees at 9:30 this morning.

I had a full breakfast, or I should say brunch as it was almost noon, of pancakes, bacon, eggs and orange juice and went online to order the sled. I put the sled and hitch in my “cart” and then when I was ready to enter my credit card information I noticed a note that told me to check shipping zones for the cost that would be charged to my card. The shipping information on the finally total only stated that the charges were yet to be determined. The sled only weighs 36 lbs. and the hitch couldn’t be much, so I thought shipping costs wouldn’t be too much, but checked the zones. I was floored to discover the cost of shipping the sled was $122.00, and the hitch was $14.00.

That is unreal, so I checked their list of dealers to see if another store near by carried their brand and discovered the there is a Big R Ranch store in town. I haven’t run across it in my shopping so will find it the next time I am in town and see if I can get the sled I want, for a reasonable price, from them. A check online shows most sleds cost several hundred dollars, which is why I think the Otter sleds are such a good deal, but not if the shipping exceeds the cost of the items.

The remainder of the day was spent playing with Zack, organizing my tax records (just got my 1099-R), and shoring up the roof over my firewood on the deck. The heavy wet snow that has piled up, falling from the upper roof, is causing the 2 x 4s to sag dangerously. To avoid another collapse like a couple of years ago, I cut and wedged upright 2 x 4s under the sagging ones to help support the weight.

A few loads of wash, putting clean sheets on the bed, fixing dinner for all and taking a shower before relaxing to enjoy some television, filled the remainder of the day.

Week of Jan. 11 to Jan. 17

2010-01-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, January 11, 2010

            It is in the teens this morning with a few scattered clouds as the sun is coming over the mountain. The sun doesn’t shine on the shed until 11:30, so that’s when I plan to go out and tackle the temporary repairs and get the right side wheel on.

            I worked on the Argo all day and just finished at 4:30 PM. I used 2x4s to make heavier temporary rub blocks and positioned them under the drive chains to take up the slack. I put the repaired wheel on the right side and managed to refasten the snow track. They never go on the same way twice, and just when I think I have found an easy way to do it, something else goes wrong. This time, after letting the air out of the front and rear tire so the track could be pulled together, the rear tire got pinched between the two ends of the track and I had to start over again.

            I put Slime in all of the tires, aired them up and took it for a test drive. The improved rub blocks seem to work okay, but I wouldn’t trust them for more than one trip down and back, which I’ll make tomorrow.

            I played with Zack one last time and then fed him and the cats. I am having my daily V-8 drink with apple cider vinegar and watching the fire come to life. It was a good day to work outside and if I had more days like yesterday and today, I’d get more done outside. The high temperature for today was 48 degrees but there was a slight breeze later in the day. I had been working in my T-shirt but as the sun ducked behind some clouds, I had to put my sweatshirt back on. All in all, it was comfortable for working outside.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

            The morning started out mild with a clear sky and the sun cresting Greenhorn Mountain at 11:30. I spent the morning as usual and then got ready to head to town.

            Zack and I left at noon; heading for Marysville, hoping the temporary fixes on the drive chains hold.

            It is now tomorrow and I am just getting back to writing about the trip to town. We made it to Marysville without any issues and the temporary rub blocks held and worked as well as expected. A check of the UPS tracking site showed that my parts had been delivered at 6:37 last night. UPS policy is that if you pay for next day delivery, they promise to deliver the item no later than 7 PM the next day, but because you must pay extra for Saturday deliveries and my order went out Friday afternoon, the parts wouldn’t arrive until Monday. Under these circumstances, I won’t pay extra again as the parts probably would have arrived on Tuesday anyway.

            Zack and I headed to town in the Jeep, needing to run a couple of errands and pick up the house batteries. I also had an appointment, via telephone, with Social Security to sign up for Medicare, Part B. I collected my mail, stopped at Ace Hardware for a couple of items and then waited outside of the storage and transfer office for the Social Security phone appointment.

            The call came through at the exact time and I answered all of the questions so the person could electronically file my application. Why I couldn’t have done the same thing online, I don’t know, but in about 10 minutes, we were finished.

            I proceeded to the office and signed for the batteries and when the forklift operator brought them out to the Jeep, I was surprised to see that they were on a smaller pallet than my previous delivery of the same sized four batteries. The entire pallet fit in the back of the Jeep and after a quick stop at Costco to purchase their least expensive digital point and shoot camera, we headed for Marysville. My expensive new SLR camera has become totally unreliable and I have to send it in for repairs under warranty, so I wanted a simple camera to use until it is returned.

            Upon arriving back at the Argo, I had to determine how I would transfer the heavy batteries (158 lbs. each), and how many, into the Argo. My friend Guy had just returned from town and came to help me and we managed, with much effort, to slide the batteries, one by one, from the back of the Jeep into the back of the Argo. By placing a couple of 2x6 boards across the rear seats, we were able to get all four of them in. I wasn’t positive that the Argo would pull that much weight, plus Zack and myself up to the Divide, but wanted to try so I wouldn’t have to make an additional trip back to Marysville.

Batteries in the back of the Argo. You can see the fourth one on the floor under the ones on the boards.

            I loaded the remainder of items and the repair parts for the Argo and we took off for home. While the going was slow due to the weight, the Argo pulled us up to the crest of the Divide without a problem. My temporary rub blocks both broke on the way, but enough stayed in position to prevent damage to the chain from rubbing on the frame.

            The trip down the other side to the cabin was easier and we arrived home at dark. I unloaded the small items and left the batteries for unloading another time. Zack got in one last playtime before I fed the crew, built a fire and sat down to read my mail and relax before a shower and dinner.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

            The day is clear and as the sun began warming things up, the snow on the roof began melting and dripping onto the deck. By noon, it was 45 degrees outside and calm.

            I had my morning coffee and routine, then changed into my work clothes and went out to figure exactly what I need to do to fit four more batteries into my system.

            The day didn’t go as I had planned, as it was one of those days when nothing seems to go right. I had laid awake the night before, imagining how I could arrange all eight batteries to fit in the existing battery box. I believed that by placing them on their ends all eight would fit, but it didn’t work out. Being AGM type batteries, they don’t have any water in them and can be positioned in any direction, so I figured that if all of them were on their ends, they would fit, but without removing two layers of insulation board, they were too tall for the enclosure.

            I ended up building a two-foot extension platform in front of the battery box and will temporarily put a cover of some type on it, until I can build a more permanent enclosure this summer. This means that they will be exposed to the elements, but these batteries can survive to forty below zero, so I don’t think it will affect them too much.

            I ran out of daylight before I could connect them to the current set, but will do that tomorrow. One last play period with Zack and then I fed all the critters, built a fire, had my V-8, showered and then ate some dinner before calling it a night.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

            So far, this New Year hasn’t been too kind to me. With the Argo problems and dealing with the batteries, I find myself facing difficulties I’d rather not have in my life. Although NWS was only predicting a 20% chance of snow today, the wind is blowing at a steady 7.4 with gusts to 20 mph and errant snowflakes passing by horizontally. This isn’t the type of weather I enjoy being outside in, so I may wait to see if the prediction of mostly sunny skies tomorrow is true.

            The weather didn’t improve, and in fact got worse with more snow and wind, staying right at freezing, so I worked on projects inside all afternoon. With clear calm skies tomorrow, and temperatures expected to be in the low 40s, I’ll finish connecting the new batteries and maybe have time to start working on the Argo.

            Although Zack is still considered a young dog, being 4 ½ years old in human years, he seems to be suffering from either arthritis or acute muscle fatigue. Playing in the deep snow, he over uses muscles he may not use on a daily basis, and this is causing him to be stiff in the evenings and into the next day. This morning he can barely walk to go outside for his usual morning call. I have checked his nails and feet, massaged his muscles and while he doesn’t complain, I know he must be in pain and sore, so I made him stay inside and take it easy today. Not playing at least once or twice is more painful to him than suffering through his stiffness, but I think he needs to rest and heal rather than play.

            The remainder of the day and evening went pretty much as usual and I hope the weather will cooperate tomorrow. Eew, I just checked Weather Underground and while it is for the Marysville area, a thousand feet lower than me, they are predicting partly cloudy and warmer, but they are also predicting winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts to 50 mph. Not the type of weather I am hoping for.

Friday, January 15, 2010

            The sky is clear and it is 32 degrees this morning with winds around 5 mph. The wind died down last night and didn’t start again until around 10:30 this morning.

            Because the house batteries are on the east side of the cabin and the wind is coming from the southwest, I can work on connecting the new batteries with some protection from the weather.

            At 32 degrees and windy, the wind chill factor stayed around 28 degrees, which was bearable, except when I needed to remove my gloves to handle the nuts and bolts attaching the cables. I shut the inverter off, disconnected every cable, and removed all of them. Because I now have eight 12-volt batteries, I can connect them differently than I previously had, so I started from scratch.

            I had some difficulty getting four of cables connected as they were about a quarter of an inch to short. I had to bend one end and make sure the batteries were as close together as possible. I finally got all of the cables in place and tightened, then I tested to make sure they were producing 24-volts as a group, which they were, before I reconnected the cables to the inverter. I connected my wind generator and then temporarily covered the batteries to give them some protection from the weather.

This is the new set up with all eight batteries connected and functioning.

            All of this took longer than one would expect, but that’s pretty much par for the course around here. It was 4 PM by the time I finished and was satisfied with my results. I played with Zack and then fed him and the cats, started a fire and heated up some of my seafood chowder for dinner.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

            It is overcast and due to the warmer temperature of 35 degrees and rising, it looks like it might rain. NWS is still predicting 20% chance of snow for today and tonight, so we shall see.

            After my usual morning routine, I changed and went to work on the Argo. Without going into a lot of detail, I can say that this is no easy job. Just to remove one of the chains and give me access to install the new tension block takes a couple of hours. The manual says to jack up the Argo so the wheels can be rotated, but in order to rotate the wheels, I would have to remove the snow track, yet again. I tried to avoid that, was lucky enough to find that the retaining clip holding the rear chain together was accessible, so I removed the chain and installed one of the new tension devices and a new rub block.

            Attempting to put the chain back together is another story. After numerous attempts to gain the necessary slack that would allow me to pull and fasten the chain together, the day grew short (along with my temper) and began getting much colder, with snow starting to fall. I decided to give up for today and hope for better weather tomorrow to finish it.

            Playtime with Zack in the snow and then I fed him and the cats, stirred the fire and sat down to warm up before taking my shower and eating dinner.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

            The morning is looking much better as the sky is clear and the sun is coming up over the mountain. With the low of 11 degrees at 4:30 this morning, it has warmed to 40 degrees by 11 AM.

            I had my coffee and a bite to eat and then went to work on the Argo.

            Back online at 6 PM, after having worked on the Argo all afternoon. The weather cooperated and I worked in my T-shirt until a few clouds blocked it around 4 PM. I have played with Zack and fed him and the cats and they are now napping in front of the fire.

            Work on the Argo isn’t finished and didn’t go as well as I had hoped. After jacking up the right side, I managed to reattach the rear chain and then remove the front chain and replace the tensioner and block, but I discovered the frame member that supports the tensioner had a broken weld on the inside, causing the tensioner to drop down at an angle. This is probably why both tensioners broke in the first place.

            No matter how I tried, I couldn’t raise it enough to get something under it. After working on it for some time, I finally realized that I might be able to get a logging wedge driven under it. This tensioner is directly under the driver’s seat and gas tank; so doing a proper repair at this time is not possible. This summer, I’ll haul the Argo to a shop in the back of the truck, and get the brace welded. For now, I hope this will work and last through this winter.

            I didn’t finish today as the spring clip that locks the chain pieces together broke. I took one off one of my old chains and worked for almost half an hour trying to get it to lock before I discovered that the front chains have a different size link by about 1/16th of an inch. I was running out of daylight and it was getting colder, so I put things away for today and came in.

            After stoking the fire, I used my Dremel tool to grind the spring clip and allow it to fit and it should hold, at least until I can get a new replacement clip. I might just be able to get the Argo in running order so I can keep my chiropractor

Jan. 2 to Jan. 10, 2010

2010-01-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday, January 2, 2010

            It was windy with gusts to 15 mph and snowed much of the day, finally stopping around 3:30 and the sun actually showed its face. Zack loves to play in this type of weather (actually, all kinds of weather) and we played several times before he had dinner.

            I spent most of the day working on projects, sewing Zack’s disc, which turned out to be a dismal failure. I am sure it takes a special machine to sew right next to the surgical hose that forms the outer ring, because I kept breaking my thread and still couldn’t get right next to the edge. We took it out to test it and after about five throws, the edge of the new rip-stop material pulled out. From now on, I am just going to sew small patches of material over holes and hope to make them last longer.



Sunday, January 3, 2010

            This morning is one of the warmer ones with the low 23 degrees at 11:15 last night. Even with my bedroom window wide open, I had to throw off a quilt to keep from being too warm. I am outside enough in this cold weather that my blood has thickened and what would seem really cold to you in warmer climates, seems warm to me.

            The day was consumed with removing the Argo tracks and switching wheels, so I have good tires in the front and rear on each side to drive the snow tracks. The day warmed to 36 degree with full sunshine, so after checking with NWS and seeing that they predict 70% chance of snow for tomorrow and the next day, with the highs of the day in the teens, I decided today was probably a good day to work outside.

            I cleared the snow from the area just outside the Argo shed and backed it out. I removed the right track and then jacked up the front. I pulled the bad tire off the front and switched the second wheel to its place. I had to deflate that and the rear tire to reattach the snow track, which was more work and effort than I hoped for. The sun was racing to hide behind the mountain, so I hurried to remove the left track, removed the rear wheel with the bad tire and then took the second wheel off and put it in the rear. The reason I did that was that the third wheel was also flat and I didn’t want to take a chance that it wouldn’t hold air and recreate the problem.

            I managed to finish the left side in about half the time it took to do the right side and the sun had just disappeared when I finished and put the tools away. I switched out an empty propane tank with a fresh one and then played with Zack before feeding him and the cats, calling it a day. It started snowing shortly after dark.

Notice the missing wheel

Monday, January 4, 2010

            It is still snowing this morning and NWS indicates that it will snow through Wednesday night and then clear, with the high temperatures being single digit.

            I spent most of the day cleaning up my hard drive, deleting old stuff and consolidating others and then worked on projects inside, playing numerous times with Zack outside. I had to re-shovel the path to the generator shed as the snow had filled it in with about 2’ of new stuff.

            The afternoon brought heavier snowfall and the temperature stayed right at 31 degrees all afternoon. I had all the fixings for my recipe of seafood chowder, so I prepared it for my dinner, with plenty leftover for the next few days.

            This being the beginning of a new year, I am surprised that I haven’t heard or received emails on New Years Resolutions. I have never made resolutions and while I have general goals for the year, I don’t make promises that I will only focus on those goals, that way I never get disappointed. Have you made resolutions in the past? How about this year? Let me know.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

            Still snowing and now NWS has posted a storm warning with predictions of a possible 20” of snow in the next 24 to 48 hours. This is a wet snow, with the temperature at 33 degrees and a faint hint of the sun shining through the snowstorm.

            NWS is predicting the storm passing on Thursday, with high temperatures being only single digit, so the arctic front is passing through behind this storm.

            With as much snow as I am getting, and as wet as it is, I am concerned about the weight load on the roofs. I am not worried about the cabin, but the garage and Argo lean-to haven’t had this much weight on them since I built them. All I can do is hope they hold up.

            I spent the morning and part of the afternoon researching home made wind generator, watching videos on them being made. The rest of the day I worked inside on my projects and played outside with Zack, while Rusty and Zoey came out to watch. I had the sunroom so hot, I had to leave the sliding door open for almost a half an hour to cool down.

            The rest of the evening followed my usual routine and we all enjoyed a warm fire while the snow continued to fall.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

            Before 8 PM last night, the outside temperature dropped below zero and stayed there. I awoke this morning to a clearing sky and bright sun. With all of the new snow and now the sunshine is causing me to go snow blind. It was still below zero at 10 AM, and has slowly been climbing into the teens, with a noon temperature of 18 degrees.

            I spent the morning shoveling my path to the shed so I could service and start the generator. I also took lots of photos to show the snow loaded trees and landscape. I then worked on projects and enjoyed my amazing view in all directions. It is truly a winter wonderland scene.

            By two O’clock, the sky was completely clear and the air calm, inviting me outside to take advantage of the perfect photo opportunity. Zack and I headed outside and I started the Argo to let it warm up. It was only 18 degrees, but with no wind and the sunshine, it felt warm to us.

            The Canadian company that makes the Argo, Ontario Drive & Gear, has a contest for photos of Argos to use in their yearly calendar, and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for some great shots. I had wanted to get a good photo with the Argo sitting on top of the Divide, so after taking a few shots by the Christmas tree with all of its snow, we headed for the Divide.

            Crossing the creek was a bit precarious as the snow builds a two-foot drop off into the water. Once across the creek, I thought if I could get up the hill I could get a great shot of the cabin from above. It was not to be as the Argo was pushing three feet of snow and the tracks couldn’t climb above it, so we continued on. While my previous tracks where completely covered with new snow, the piles on the sides from me plowing a couple of weeks ago were still visible, so we stayed within them and made our way to the spring with little trouble.

            Once we passed the spring, the area is more open and the snow was heavy, being 2 to 3 feet deep, or deeper, so the Argo was pushing the loose snow in front of it as the tracks propelled us forward, at least for a while. As we got to the steeper portions, the Argo once again was pushing a wall of snow in front of it and the tracks couldn’t gain any traction.

            After several attempts, I got out and shoveled the snow in front to see if I could climb above it. Several more tries and the Argo simply couldn’t overcome the deep loose snow. I ended up having to turn around and retrace my tracks to where the actual road turns to traverse the side of the mountain up to the Divide.

            As we made our way, the Argo was in its amphibious mode and was literally floating on top of snow, which was about 6 feet deep. When the tracks lost traction, I would have to turn more towards the downhill side to make additional forward progress. I ended up zigzagging up the slope until I was on the Divide, but several hundred yards further south than where my road joins the Divide road. I turned and keeping on the edge of the Divide road was able to make my way towards the road going down to Marysville.

            I stopped to take several photos and because the sun was low in the sky, I couldn’t get a shot of the Argo looking west, which is what I wanted, so settled for several shots looking east and south.

    I decided that it was early enough in the day, so we headed to Marysville to make sure there weren’t any surprises. We continued on and literal plowed through deep snow getting to the county road. Several snowmobilers had been up the county road and you would think that their tracks would provide a decent surface to drive on, but snowmobiles leave moguls that violently jar the Argo with no suspension. I stayed to the side of the road in the softer snow, and just before reaching the road that is plowed, I ran out of gas.

            I always carry a gallon of gas for such occasions and also have a gallon of gas substitute in my emergency box. I poured the gallon in and the Argo started immediately, allowing us to finish the trip to Mary and Guy’s.

            Mary and Guy were out walking the dogs and soon arrived back at the house. The sun was now on the other side of the Divide and the temperature dropped quickly towards zero. Guy offered me some gas and I refilled my gallon container and poured about another gallon into the Argo, not wanting to take all of Guy’s gas. He has a snowplow on his ATV and a snow blower, so needs gas for them.

            After a short cold visit, Zack and I headed back up the mountain for home. I come and go over open land between the plowed road and Mary and Guy’s house, so when I came to the road I had to climb up and over the mountain of snow that the snowplow leaves along side the road. The Argo made it up and then slid to the side, getting high centered on the mound of snow. I got the shovel and began digging it out when a young guy approached and asked if I wanted him to pull me off with his truck. It would certainly be faster, so I said yes. He had been trying to load his snowmobile into the back of his truck when he saw me, so I after he pulled the Argo off the mound, I asked if I could return the favor and help him.

            He couldn't get his snowmobile into the back of his truck, and he had no ramps. He was trying to back the truck into a snow bank and drive it in, so I helped him, slipping on his truck bed liner and whacking both shins bloody when I tried to climb in the bed of the truck. We finally got it in and then visited for a bit. His name is Vince and he is around his mid to late 20's. He works off shore jobs, meaning anything out in the ocean. He finished the crab season in Alaska, and is now working on a tug doing salvage around the world. Interesting guy.

            We headed on up the hill and I tried to go the short way up the power lines, but couldn't get up the steepest part. I backtracked and started taking the long way when the Argo started acting like it was running out of gas. The engine would only rev up a little and then bog down after we moved a few feet. We crawled up the road at about a half a mile an hour, pushing deep snow in front of us. The engine die twice, but starting right away each time. I thought maybe the fuel filter was clogged but after struggling all the way to the Divide and starting down the other side, it dawned on me that the gallon of gas I put in before getting to Guy and Mary’s must have been old and caused the problem. After it died again, I dumped in the fresh gallon Guy gave me and it started running normally, getting us home at dark. For a few moments, I thought Zack and I would have been hiking home.

            I will change the fuel filter and fill the tank with fresh gas before leaving for town tomorrow. Upon our arrival, the temperature had dropped to eleven below zero and the fire in the sunroom had trouble keeping the temperature up. I stoked the fire, adding more wood, but it just wasn’t putting out much heat. I played with Zack, even though it was now dark, and then fed all of the animals. I sat down with my V-8 juice and tried to warm up, but the sunroom was still at 54 degrees. Due to the temperature difference and the fact that the sunroom had been allowed to cool down, it took two hours for the room to become comfortable. By then the outside temperature had plummeted to -20 degrees.

            After warming up the room, all the animals napped in the warmth of the fire and I watch some television before going to bed at midnight.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

            I was -20 when I got up at 9 AM this morning. The air is calm and the sky clear, so as the sun peaks over Greenhorn Mountain, it should start to warm up. The lowest temperature was at 8:40 this morning; being 21.9 below zero, and yesterdays high was 20 degrees.

            This is the third arctic cold front to move through the area this winter and usually I only get one with temperatures below zero, so I hope this one passes quickly.

            I had my morning coffee and then got ready for our trip to town.

            I played with Zack to help calm him down a bit and then started the Argo to warm up, only it wouldn’t start. It was -11 degrees and the battery was growing weak. I set up and started the propane jet heater to warm the entire Argo shed and the insides of the Argo, then sprayed starter fluid down the carburetor and after a couple of more attempts, it finally started. I let the engine warm up while I loaded the two wheels and 3 empty 5-gallon gas cans. The trip to Marysville was unremarkable and we easily followed our tracks from yesterday, making it to the Divide and down to Marysville.

            It took us longer than usual to get to Helena as I had about 14” of snow and then ice on the Jeep.

Once in town, I hurried from place to place, hoping to get back home before dark. I dropped off the Argo wheels to have the tubes installed first, and then ran my errands and got gas and groceries before returning to pick up the wheels. I stopped to get my mail and took that opportunity to retrieve my phone messages.

            I had ordered four additional house batteries for the cabin and thought they would be delivered today, but a phone message informed me that the freight driver called me on Tuesday and because he couldn’t reach me, didn’t even bother to try and deliver them to Guy and Mary’s address in Marysville. These batteries are 130 pounds each and come on a pallet, so there wasn’t any way I could get them into the Jeep with three gas cans, two Argo wheels and all my groceries. I called them to see if I could have someone else pick them up, thinking my friend Joe might do it with his truck on Saturday. I was told that they are closed on the weekends, so that option was out. I guess I’ll need to make a couple of trips to town to haul them back to Marysville and haul them to the cabin in the Argo.

            After that, we immediately headed back to Marysville, arriving at about 5 PM. I transferred everything to the Argo and after a brief visit, headed for home. When I went over the pile of snow left by the snowplow, I broke the rear right drive chain tensioner and the thing began making one hell of a racket. I stopped to try and determine what exactly broke and if I could fix it, but I would have had to remove EVERYTHING from the Argo to remove the floorboard. My flashlight was weak on power so I decided to try and make it home at a crawl and hoped it would make it without doing a lot of damage.

            At a slower than walking pace, we made our way up to the Divide and down the other side. All of a sudden, the noise of the drive chains got very quiet. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never did and we made it all of the way home. Looks like I'll be doing more work on the Argo before I can make any trips to town.

            After all of that, I was exhausted, so I unloaded everything from the Argo, put it away, played with Zack in the dark, built up the fire, fed the animals and sat down with my V-8 to read my mail. After resting for about an hour, a hot shower and dinner finished off the day.

Friday, January 8, 2010

            It isn’t quite as cold this morning, with the low being -17,2, but after the sun came up, it rose to a warm 17 degrees. It is partly cloudy, with a promise of sunshine and temperatures in the high 20s. Snow is predicted for the weekend, but the temperatures are expected to be above zero, so that arctic front is moving on, thank goodness.

            As the sun warmed things to the 20s, I donned my work clothes and headed out to shovel snow from around the wood splitter while playing with Zack. I split some more firewood and still have plenty left, plus my extra supply against the cabin. I then removed everything from the Argo and pulled the floor out. I was absolutely right about the chain tensioners breaking. Both of the right rear tensioners broke into two pieces and it was a combination of the chain hitting the broken pieces and dragging on the frames cross members that caused the noise.

One of the broken chain tensioners and the other is still lodged in the chain towards the top of this photo. This photo is taken from the rear looking forward.

            I immediately emailed the supplier to order new parts as if I wait, I won’t be able to order until Monday. I then cleaned out the broken pieces and thought about a fix. I rummaged around my Argo parts and found some rub blocks that I had ordered previously, measured and cut a 1x4” piece of wood to the correct dimensions, put a rub block on top and forced it under the chain. That took up the slack and should work for a few trips to town and back. I still need to make a second block for the forward chain, but that shouldn’t be a problem.

            Back in the house, I had replies to my emails about the parts and they are shipping them second day air today, so I shouldn’t have any problems installing the new parts, making the Argo reliable and hopefully I will be able to get my additional batteries up and installed.

            Playtime with Zack, built up the fire, fed all the gang and sat down to update this. It is now dark and I will take a nice hot shower and then have a bite to eat, settling in for the evening.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

            It was a mild night with the low being only around 18 degrees as I didn’t clear the night before, so I am not sure. It is overcast today with NWS saying 30% chance of snow this afternoon and tonight.

            After my usual morning, but before noon, I started a load of wash and began cleaning. I ended up doing five loads of wash, which included my two comforters, which constitutes a load by themselves. I cleaned and mopped the kitchen and bathroom, vacuumed everything but the upstairs, which I’ll do tomorrow, and put things in order.

            It is now 6 PM, and I am quitting for the day. The last load of wash just finished drying and I’ll make up my bed with fresh everything, and then shower and have some dinner. I fed the crew already and tired Zack out playing catch in the deep snow.



Sunday, January 10, 2010

            It is still overcast this morning and I only got a light dusting of snow overnight. The temperatures are in the high 20s and low 30s, so if the sun makes its appearance, as NWS says it will, it should get nice enough to do some work outside.

            I worked on building the front chain tension block and after installing it, backed the Argo out to put the wheels back on. I started with the left track and could not get anything to cooperate, but finally got the wheel on, refastened the track, with much trouble, and then added Slime to all the tires and aired them up. By the time I finished, it was getting dark and cold, so I decided I would leave the right side until after I went to Marysville for the chain tensioner parts. I needed to move the Argo so the Slime would circulate inside the tires, so I drove to the garage and both of my jury rigged blocks broke and became useless.

            I will now need to spend tomorrow making stronger blocks, using 2 x 4s instead of the 1” material I used. If I can complete the task early enough, I’ll try to get to Marysville to pick up the replacement parts, but if not, I’ll make the trip on Tuesday.

            I am suffering for my labors of today, so after playing with Zack, feeding the crew, building up the fire, I sat down to have my V-8 and finish writing this. The day turned out nice, with a high of 46 and no wind, so working outside wasn’t too bad, except for standing in the snow.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

This is my place yesterday afternoon. The sun made a valiant attempt to show itself through the falling snow.

This is my Christmas tree with lights.

Rusty and Zack taking a nap by the fire after both played outside in the snow.

This is my place this morning.

Happy New Years

2010-01-01T17:55:00.001-07:00

Friday, January 1, 2010 - Happy New Years to Everyone

Well, here we are starting a new year and I truly hope it is the best year ever for everyone. My weather on this first day of 2010 is bright and not as cold as past mornings. The low was 15 degrees and the snow stopped sometime early this morning, leaving me with about a foot of new snow on top of the other, giving me about three feet of snow around the cabin. This is more than I’ve had in the past, with more promised before winter warms to spring. Damn that global warming!

Does anyone out there still really believe in the lies of global warming and that man is causing the problem? If you do, please educate yourself and see that the earth has always had cycles and this is just one of them.

I worked on several projects, inbetween playing with Zack, cleaning up Rusty’s sawdust mess and letting Zoey stake out a mouse on the deck. Due to the limited room in my cabin, I chose to put the 40 lb. bag of sunflower seeds along with the 50 lb. bag of birdseed out on the deck. I knew that if the mice found it, they will chew a hole in the bags and help themselves, but once completely covered with snow and frozen, I thought they would be deterred. Well, the other morning, after the fresh snow covered the deck, I saw mice tracks leading to the bags and when I let Zoey out, she smelled the mouse and just froze in position, hoping to pounce on it.

After a considerable amount of time, she got too cold to keep the vigilance and wanted back in. This morning, when the sun came out, it was actually above freezing and warm, so she took up her watch for over an hour before wandering off in search of more interesting things to do.

Zack managed to pack down the new snow and make a nice path out to the tree line, where I consistently throw the disc. He loves to get it in the powdery snow and pounces on it like it was prey. Once and a while, he will bury it deeper and then have to dig and search for it, but in general he just enjoys it.

I got out the sewing machine in hopes of repairing or rebuilding one of Zack’s older discs that has several large holes in it. I purchased some rip-stop nylon material while I was in town the other day, and hope to keep the disc serviceable, as they are now $22.00 and rising. I ended up having to rip out all of the nylon stitching and try to cut a new piece of rip-stop material and insert it into the ring that supports the center. It is much more work than I thought it would be, so even if this turns out well, I think I’ll just sew patches over the holes and let it go at that.

I also worked on an ongoing project, which is a walking staff. I have collected several good sized limbs along with some old dead trees that never got larger than about 2 1/2” in diameter, so I am using a draw knife to strip off the outer layer and then trimming and decorating them as nice sturdy hiking poles. It is a messy project, so it takes almost as much time to clean up as it did to do the trimming and carving.

Along with all of the above, I also did two loads of wash, made the bed with clean linens and put all the clothes away. I will now shower and fix myself some dinner, having already fed the others. I am now starting off the New Year clean.

PS - I am having some camera problems and right now none of them are working, so I won’t be able to send photos until I resolve the issue.

Week of Dec. 28 to Dec. 31

2010-01-01T17:23:00.001-07:00

Monday, December 28, 2009

By midnight last night, the low of the night registered at -6.6 and actually started getting warming towards the morning hours.

I worked around the cabin doing this and that, playing outside with Zack several times and giving Zoey and Rusty some attention, enjoying a fire and working on the computer.

Not a very exciting or productive day, but the pressure of Christmas now behind me, I feel lazy and just want to relax, so I am.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

It is overcast and snowing very lightly this morning with the overnight low being 7.5 above zero for a change. NWS is predicting 30% chance of snow for the day and evening, so I may see more this afternoon but right now it isn’t even enough to cover the bare spots on the deck.

I researched home made wind generators online and found a design that I think will work better for my location. My wind is never consistent in direction so the wind generator has to constantly move to catch the wind, and thereby doesn’t achieve the 7 to 21 mph speed it needs to produce electricity. The design I researched is a bucket type, which will catch all of the moving air no matter which direction it is coming from. Now I just need to decide how large to make it and get the parts necessary.

I spent part of the afternoon playing with Zack while I split and stacked more firewood. I managed to replenish my woodpile, which should last me at least another two weeks.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

It is in the teens this morning with some errant snow flakes every now and then. The low was 1.5 at 8:12 this morning and climbing.

I am preparing to make a trip to town today, and will leave soon, trying to break that problem of not getting home until after dark. It is just now 10 AM, so I’ll finish my coffee, change clothes and go.

Finally, we actually made the trip to town, ran all the errands, had a treatment at the chiropractor, and got home before dark. The trip to Marysville in the Argo was uneventful, but before departing Guy and Mary’s for the return trip, Guy pointed out that my front right tire was actually coming off the rim. A closer inspection showed that this is the only one with a tube inside and the valve stem had been completely ripped off of the tube, so forget putting air in it.

We aired up the rear left tire, but it is leaking so badly at the valve stem that it won’t hold air for long. I couldn’t find any tubes in town, so had Les Schwab order some that fit my tires. They should be in next week, so I’ll have to dismount the bad wheels and replace them with good wheels from the second or third position. The snow tracks should remain stretched between the other tires, and as long as the front and rear tires on both sides remain in good condition, travel should be possible.

I played with Zack just as it was getting dark and then fed him and the cats, sat down with my V-8 and read my mail, which was all junk and bills. A warm fire, shower and dinner rounded out the evening.

Shortly after dark, it began to snow seriously and hasn’t stopped when we retired at 12:30, so I’ll have new snow covering everything in the morning.

Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Now I have to get use to typing 2010

By the time I got up, the snow had stopped, after dropping about 10”. The wind is mild but gusting to 10 mph, so it is blowing the snow from the heavily laden tree branches, causing a mini storm of its own.

I kept forgetting that today is New Years Eve and the television programming is out the window. The bad thing about being in the Central or Mountain Time Zone is that unless you get local channels, which I don’t, you have to watch the New York feed and see New Years rang in two hours early, or watch the West Coast feed and stay up until 1:00 AM to see the festivities. I did neither and watched a marathon of the Three Stooges and then a movie, going to bed at 12:30 AM.

This is the last entry for the year, so I’ll be starting my journal for 2010 tomorrow and posts this past weeks to my blog tonight.

Week of Dec. 21 to Dec. 27

2009-12-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Monday, December 21, 2009
It is partly sunny with the temperature remaining just above freezing and no wind. During the night, it snowed lightly, just covering the deck and other things with a powder. NWS is predicting a 50% chance of snow tonight with 80% chance tomorrow.
I had planned on going to town today, but needed to finish a few things first, like cleaning and repacking all of my emergency kit items that I carry in the Argo, and attaching boxes to my platform to hold the groceries.
By afternoon, I finished fixing the inside of the Argo so I have some secure storage for groceries and loose items. Due to the time of the day, I decided that I would attempt to make my trip to town tomorrow. During the course of going over the Argo for the trip, I discovered that two of the eight tires were flat and I was unable to get them to keep air, so will warm a can of Fix-A-Flat in the cabin over night and try to seal them tomorrow. The Argo is still drivable, but it could cause problems if the tires slip inside the snow tracks. One tire is in the very front on the right side, and the other is in the very back on the left side. Those are key drive positions, and I need them fixed.
After loading one empty propane tank and three empty 5-gallon gas cans in the Argo, I should now be ready to go first thing tomorrow.
Playtime with Zack, stirring the fire, feeding everyone and showering took me until after dark; so I sat down to relax before fixing myself some dinner.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009
It is overcast this morning and NWS is predicting snow, but so far it hasn’t materialized. It is close to 32 degrees and I even see some signs of the sun trying to shine through the clouds.
Before I could finish my coffee, the power went out, so I had to trudge outside and start the generator. Just as I got back inside and took off my coat and gloves, it quit. Back out I go to add oil, as I am sure that is the problem. I keep the oil in the cabin now to prevent it from being so thick from the cold temperatures.
It started right up and continued to run; so back to the cabin I go. I remove my garments and look at the power panel only to discover that the inverter isn’t reading the generator, so back out I go. The green light is on, as well as the Christmas tree lights, which are plugged directly into the generator, so I suspect the plug and cord as being the problem. I disconnect and check the wire nuts on the connection going to the inverter and found that the white wire was loose. Convinced that cured the problem, I start it back up and return to the house. I check the panel and it is charging, so I remove my outerwear and sit down to finish my coffee.
I have an outside light connected to the same wires as the cord to the wires going to the inverter, this way I can see at a glance if the generator is online. I check it frequently from my chair in the sunroom and when it abruptly went out, I had to go back out and check the generator. This time it was the connection at the plug into the generator, and I had to disassemble and reconnect the wires and then it worked without further problems. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. Such is the plight of living off the grid and being self reliant for power.
Before noon, Zack had his play time and we were ready to go, so I pulled the Argo in front of the cabin, leaving it running to warm up the insides, and tried the Fix-A-Flat to seal and air up the two flat tires. I discovered that the rear left one has a split valve stem and there is nothing I can do about that without removing the track and then the wheel. I don’t have the equipment to disassemble a tire from the rim, and of course don’t have a replacement valve stem, so I decided to continue my trip and hope for the best. The right front tire accepted the fluid but never completely filled with air. The can says that after putting the foam in that the tire should be driven 4 to 8 miles to allow the foam to spread and increase the air pressure, so hoping for the best, off we went.
We had no trouble making it over the Divide and to the Jeep, but due to about 4” of frozen solid snow on the car, it took another 25 minutes. I had to break through the icy crust and then shovel the ice and snow off. Once that was done, I had to scrape each window so I would be able to see where I was going. Luckily, the time it took me to get the snow and ice off, the car defroster had helped with the ice removal on the windows.
It was now 1:45 and because Mary and Guy weren’t home, we headed straight for town. It seems like I can never get an early enough start so that I have time to leisurely run my errands and get home before dark, and today wasn’t going to be any different. Living like I do, I didn’t even think about the crowds out shopping, so the traffic and stores were all packed.
I stopped at the Humane Society and finalized the adoption of Rusty, so he is officially part of the family. The girls there were thrilled to hear he was doing well and had a good home.
My next stop was to get the propane tank filled and then on to Safeway for groceries and gas. Once that was completed, it was getting dark, so we hurried to pick up Zack’s meal supplements before getting my mail and heading for home.
Guy and Mary were still away, so I loaded all of the items into the Argo from the Jeep and almost died trying to load the full propane tank into the back, which now weighs 187 lbs. I never try to lift it, but push, shove, and manipulate it so it is leaning against the Argo and then push the bottom up until it balances itself and can be pushed into the back. It took me three attempts, which is two and half too many, but I finally got it in.
The Argo had been warming up the entire time and Zack was comfortable in the passengers seat. We started up the hill and had no problems, other than moving slowly due to the additional weight of the full propane tank and gas cans. By the time we got to the steepest part of the short cut up the power lines, the Argo couldn’t get enough traction and the wheels began to slip inside the snow tracks. After four attempts to get up the road, I had to back down and try the long way around that part.
I guess that due to the friction of the tires slipping, it heated them up and the snow and ice melted, causing the tires to continue slipping all of the time. Progress from this point on was tenuous, and we had to move in low gear at a walking pace.
I was very relieved when we reached the summit of the Divide and the remainder of the trip was basically down hill. We inched our way along, arriving home at 7 PM. I spent the next half hour unloading everything and then putting all of the groceries away, feeding the crew and building a fire. I was too tired to do much but sit in front of the fire and have my V-8 while reading my mail. It was 9:30 before I had the strength to fix myself some dinner. It dawned on me that I hadn’t had a single bit of food all day. I was in a hurry to leave this morning, so only had coffee, thinking I would grab a bite to eat in town, but I never felt hungry, so had nothing.
It started snowing by the time we had reached the Divide and was lightly snowing when I let Zack out before bedtime. NWS predicted a 70% chance of snow in the afternoon, so it was late, but I was glad as the lights reflecting off the snowflakes and the windshield wipers going make driving the Argo at night even more difficult.
My warm bed will feel good tonight.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Having stayed up until midnight, plus the wear and tear of yesterday, I slept until ten O’clock this morning, and felt that I needed the extra sleep. It is cold this morning, with the temperature at 11:00 being 1 degree and snowing heavily. I am sure glad I made the trip to town yesterday.
The snow is beautiful and I can enjoy sitting in front of my nice warm fire watching it coat my outside Christmas tree. The flakes are large and slowly floating to earth, just like one imagines a Christmas snow should be like. After today’s snow, it is supposed to be cold but mostly cloudy for the remainder of the week and the weekend. The high for today is supposed to be 8 degrees and it looks like it will achieve it.
I spent the day cleaning my kitchen so I could bake cookies and make peanut brittle, which I will give as gifts to my friends on Christmas day. I made a batch of peanut brittle and when it came time to put the baking soda in, which is at the very end, I couldn’t find it. Last week, I made a batch and left all of my ingredients out on the kitchen island and I guess I must of accidentally pushed it into the burnable trash, which is at the end of the island. I had no choice but to finish and hope that the missing soda wouldn’t ruin it.
After feeding the animals and stirring the fire, the peanut brittle had cooled enough that I sampled it and it tastes fine, so I’ll make another batch tomorrow and have enough to fill my Christmas containers for gifts. I am also going to bake chocolate chip cookies to give with the peanut brittle.
I don’t believe it got above 8 degrees all day and without any wind, it isn’t too hard to keep the cabin warm enough for all of us to be comfortable. I welcomed bedtime early, as I was still tired from the exercise I got from the trip to town.

Thursday, December 24, 2009
The wind picked up during the night and blew hard enough to charge the batteries fully. The battery bank registered 23.7 when I went to bed, and was at 24.1 when I got up this morning. It is cold again this morning, with the warmest of the day being 12.5 degrees at 11:30 last night.
I spent the day baking cookies and making more peanut brittle, all of which turned out well. I also attempted to fix the two flat tires on the Argo, without any luck. I don’t have time to remove the tracks and rotate the wheels, so I will hope that it will get us down to Marysville for Christmas dinner tomorrow and back again. Without any load to weigh it down, I should be able to make it home without a problem.
Several play periods with Zack and giving Rusty and Zoey some individual attention between baking the cookies, rounded out my day.

Friday, December 25, 2009 - Merry Christmas to One and All
The weather isn’t following NWS predictions and instead of clear and cold, it is overcast with light snow flurries. I am hoping that the tracks from my trip to town on Tuesday are still there and frozen over as it will provide a good base to travel on without sinking into the snow.
After spending Christmas morning with Zack, Zoey and Rusty, whom all got a visit from Santa, I prepared the spinach salad to take for the dinner and then got ready. After ironing a pair of slacks to wear, I played with Zack and then started the Argo to warm it up. I checked the tires again and found that the two bad ones were completely flat, plus an additional one was almost flat. I am not positive but I believe the cold weather is having something to do with it. I used another can of Fix-A-Flat and then aired up all three tires. The right front one held air and the rear left tire appeared to hold some air, but I couldn’t get it above 2 lbs. of pressure.
Zack and I headed to Mary and Guy’s in Marysville for the Christmas feast, making the trip without any problems.

Ray and Rae were already there, as was their dog, Oaklie, so Zack joined her on the deck along with Mary and Guy’s two dogs, while I enjoyed a glass of Cold Duck with the others.

Dinner was served at 4 PM and we all sat down to enjoy it.

When we finished, we had coffee and desert of apple pie and Christmas pudding. The Marysville fire chief, Dan, and his wife and two children stopped by and enjoyed some desert with us. Zack and I left around 6:30 and were home by 7 PM, without incident.
I built a fire, fed the animals and enjoyed some television before bedtime.

Saturday, December 26, 2009
The sky is clear and brilliant blue this morning, with the sun bouncing off the snow and making the day brighter than I’ve had for a while. NWS predicts the next few days clear, with a 20% chance of snow on Monday. The temperatures are still cold and the low was -6 at 8:00, and the highs are in the low 20s.
I spent today relaxing and aside from watching a couple of movies, I got out my sewing machine and set up. Although I purchased it some time ago, I haven’t used it, so needed to read the instructions, set up the bobbin and thread the needle. I have never used a sewing machine before, so this is a new learning experience. My machine has 28 different stitch patterns and for each pattern a different foot is needed. While several accessories are included with the machine, the foot necessary for darning, which is what I wanted to do, is an option. Not having experience, I am not sure if the type of mending I what to do, can be done with the accessories I currently have.
I tried my hand at practicing some different stitches on scraps of material and found it fairly easy to use. The machine does most the work for me, leaving me to keep the material straight and allowing it to feed through the foot. By the time I got the hang of it, it was getting dark and I need to play one last time with Zack and then feed him and the cats.
I managed to do two loads of wash while learning how to use the sewing machine, so folded the dry clothes and made the bed with clean sheets. I showered and then fixed myself a nice steak dinner with a spinach salad.

Sunday, December 27, 2009
The morning is cold, with -6.7 being the low at 8:20 AM, and the sky is clear with the bright rising sun coming over Greenhorn Mountain.
Before I finished my morning routine, I became involved in a couple of programs on the History Channel. One was the French Revolution and the other was on the conspiracy to kill Hitler called Valkyrie. I always find history educational and I am always surprised at how much it has changed. New discoveries have changed it since my days in schools and it make me wonder if most of what I was taught was just someone’s version of what they wanted us to believe.
I spent the day doing some house keeping and mending, getting more practice on the new sewing machine. I managed to sew up the ripped pockets on my sweatshirt, the crotch of a pair of pants and put a patch on the knee of my work pants. They may not look great, but at least they are now functional.
The day warmed up in the sun as the outside temperature registered 44 degrees, but the outside thermometers in the shade never climbed above 20 all day.

Week of Dec. 14 to Dec. 20

2009-12-21T14:20:00.003-07:00

Monday, December 14, 2009

The wind started around 9:30 last night and blew all night long, with gusts to 15 mph. That means the dry loose snow will be blown all over the place and large drifts will be on the road and the Divide. I never did put up the snow fence, as it was a low priority on my list of things to do, and now it probably wouldn’t make any difference.

NWS is predicting snow for the next week and a half, with winds and temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s, so I shouldn’t have to deal with the sub-zero temperature of last week. The wind chill factors do come into play and temperatures become sub-zero when figured into the equation.

I spent the entire day cleaning the cabin from top to bottom. It all started when I got up to find that Rusty had managed to pull Zack’s 3-gallon self-watering container from the stand. The kitchen floor was flooded, so I had to wash the rugs and mop the floor. When I had finished that; I continued cleaning, washing the bathroom rugs and vacuuming the entire cabin, including upstairs. The “natural” litter I have upstairs is nothing more than sawdust and it gets tracked all over the place, so I did a particularly good job of cleaning up stairs. I find the bits of sawdust in my bed and everywhere you-know-who with wet feet can get to.

So far, I have tried three “natural” litters and haven’t been happy with any of them. One was a newspaper type compressed into small pellets, which neither cat liked. The other was pine sawdust pressed into pellets, which absorbed well but you can’t use a scoop to clean it out, so you must throw all of it out and start with fresh. This being a wood product, I was able to burn it in the stove, so it served two purposes. The scoopable form of this brand is just pine sawdust, which like I said, gets tracked everywhere. The last is called Swheat Scoop, which are finely ground wheat hulls. Both cats will use it, but it too gets tracked around.

At least none of these litters will get rock hard like cement after being wet, so I will probably stick with the sawdust or the wheat hulls and see how it works out. At least the sawdust absorbs well, including odors, and smells like fresh cut wood.

I carried out the burnable trash and some empty cardboard boxes and then mopped the remainder of the entry and dining room tile, along with the bathroom. After the rugs were all dry, I replaced them on the now clean floor, hoping they will last a few days with Rusty’s antics.

Other than oiling the furniture, dusting all the knick-knacks and shelves, I managed to play outside with Zack several times and on the last occasion, he broke and split yet another nail, this time on the rear foot. I had to cut most of it off and doctor it before I fed him and the cats. I showered and fixed myself some dinner before calling it an evening.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

It is overcast, but not snowing and the slight breeze is only occasional. It looks like a little patch of blue sky in the east, but it is quite dark beyond that.

I worked inside, going out to shovel the path and start the generator, plus playing with Zack, and then worked on projects indoors.

Zack and I played several times, and I spent time giving both Zoey and then Rusty some personal time in my lap. Just when I think Zoey has finally accepted Rusty and I watch them chase each other back and forth from one room to the next, she will turn on him and swat while hissing. Poor little guy isn’t sure what to do with mixed messages like that.

The sun tried to make a showing in the late afternoon, and it got up to 33 degrees. I listened to the local radio station for a bit and they say that the upper winds have broken the arctic cold front and it will be moving out of the area, creating warmer temperature, which means around freezing.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

It was snowing heavily this morning, adding more to my base. At least the wind is very mild, so it isn’t blowing all over the place. NWS is predicting snow through the week, into the weekend, and beyond.

I had a chiropractor appointment for today, but cancelled it via email, as I didn’t feel like going through the trouble to get into town just for an adjustment. I will reschedule for the beginning of next week and that way I can pick up any necessary items and fill the gas cans while I am in town. I also need to pick up the fixings for a Christmas dinner salad and will need them to be fresh.

I spent most of the day researching alternative power to increase my off the grid abilities.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

It is snowing off and on, with gusty winds to 34 mph, so the roads will have big drifts when I go to town next week. The snow is still very dry and I can’t even compress it into a snowball. If it doesn’t warm up, this snow may all blow away with the wind.

After my usual morning, I spent the entire afternoon working on the generator shed and have finished all of the new wiring and connection boxes, so I can put the foam insulation in the walls and cover them with the masonite sheets I bought.

I came in at 5 PM; as it was too dark to see what I was doing and I still haven’t run a new wire from the cabin to the shed, so don’t have electricity unless I run the generator.

One last play period for Zack and then I fed him and the cats, showered and fixed myself some dinner, ending the evening with some television.

Friday, December 18, 2009

There is more blue sky than clouds showing, so I am hoping for a nice day. The wind is calm with only an occasional breeze. NWS is predicting more snowstorms coming in tonight and through next week, but temperatures are remaining in the teens and higher.

I got out the Christmas decorations, put ornaments on the tree outside and then strung lights on it. The tree has grown a lot since we planted it and I had to get a ladder to put the top ornament and lights on. It looks nice and I have the lights on when the generator is running, so I can enjoy it, as it gets dark.

I continued working on the shed and managed to get the insulation in the walls around the area where the large generator will be, and then cut openings in the Masonite for all of the outlets, boxes and breaker panel. I put up the panel on the back wall but still have the side to put up.

While I was decorating the tree, Zack found a stick and had me throw it numerous times, so he got plenty of exercise today. One last play time and then dinner for all the critters and myself.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

It is gloomy and overcast, with NWS promising snow showers by this afternoon. I plan on working in the shed again today, but have decided to restring the Christmas lights on the tree, as they didn’t look even when I watched them twinkle last night.

It is 6 PM, and I have just quit for the day. After I restrung the lights, I decided to install the snowplow on the Argo and make sure the road up to the Divide was level and clear of any bad drifts. It took me longer than expected to install it, but I managed after a couple of tries. It is actually a two person job, so I have to balance it on something and then lift and attach one side at a time.

I had given some thought about putting a large pipe in the creek at the crossing and then plowing snow over it so it will be easier to cross it in the Argo. The way the snow and ice pile up on the banks makes it about a three-foot drop into the creek and in the past, I’ve had trouble getting across.

I had a piece of 14” well casing pile left over from when I installed my water system, so I placed that in the creek and then pushed snow over it from both sides. The running water washed a lot of it away, but enough has stayed that if more snow fills it in, it will be a nicer crossing.

When that was finished, I plowed the road all of the way up to the Divide and didn’t finish and return until after dark. I feel good about the road and the work it took to get it plowed. I will be going to town on Monday or Tuesday, so I now know that the drifts are leveled and the path is clear.

I just finished feeding the crew and building a fire and am typing this as I enjoy a glass of V-8 and watch the lights on the tree. I am glad I rearranged them, as they look so much better now.

I am going to shower and then I’ll think about some dinner before relaxing in front of the fire and watching some television.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Before retiring last night, it was snowing lightly and when Zack went out, it was raining. It rained through out the night and I was awakened several times by the snow on the upper roof, falling onto the lower roof. This warming (35 degrees this morning), may change conditions but I won’t know if it is for the better or the worse until it happens. After plowing my road yesterday, the rain could cause it to become a slushy pit that will freeze when the temperature drops. Maybe it can be a bobsled run instead of a road.

I had planned on working indoors today, trying to finish a couple of projects to mail when I am in town, but I also need to load at least one of my three empty propane tanks into the Argo to be filled, and prepare the Argo for the trip by removing the snow plow. For those of you that have followed my exploits, you may remember that two years ago, I almost flipped the Argo end for end when the plow broke loose and dug into the ground as I was going downhill at about 20 mile an hour.

I removed the snowplow and worked on organizing the inside of the Argo, installing a board across the back seats and attached two boxes to it so I can carry the groceries home without them spilling all over the back. It was raining the entire time, so I worked in the Argo lean-to until it got too dark to see what I was doing. I’ll finish it tomorrow and load the trash and one propane tank in preparation for the trip to town.

I came in and fed the crew and then showered and roasted a game hen for my dinner, which was delicious. Some television and then bedtime by eleven O’clock finished the day.

Week of Dec. 7 to Dec. 13

2009-12-13T18:00:00.001-07:00

Monday, December 7, 2009
I managed to keep the fire going most of the night, getting up a couple of times to stoke it, but when I finally got up at 9:30, it was just coals and the temperature in the sunroom was 47 degrees. A check of the outside temperature showed it was -22 degrees outside, so I didn’t feel too bad. That -22 degrees was the low for the night and as the sun came up in a clear blue sky, it warmed to -5 by noon, with hopes of even higher temperatures this afternoon.
The winds and snow accumulation, that National Weather Service predicted, didn’t hit me, so I only have about 10” of snow and as of right now (noon) it is calm. If the winds on the Divide didn’t blow the snow into impassible drifts, I should still be able to drive out in the truck. I will attempt a trip to town tomorrow or the next day, and if there are drifts that I can’t get through, I’ll come back and take the Argo into Marysville.
Due to the weather, I will stay inside again today and work on various projects I have in progress.
I did manage to shovel a path to both the generator shed and the garage, but other than that and playing with Zack a couple of times, I stayed inside and worked on the computer and some projects.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009
It is cold this morning, with the low being 30 below zero at 6:30 AM. Neither of my weather stations record temperatures below minus 21.9, so I am going by my outside thermometer. I got up every couple of hours to feed the wood stove and I checked the outside thermometers in both the sunroom and the bathroom.
It hasn’t gotten above -10 degrees all day, but the sun is out and there is no wind. I had planned on going into town today, trying to drive over the Divide to Marysville in the truck, so Zack and I got ready and went out to the truck. While the battery wasn’t dead, it didn’t have enough juice to start the engine. The oil is probably like honey on a cold day, so it takes a lot to turn the engine over. I grabbed the RV battery, which I have inside the cabin and fully charged, but it too was drained before the engine started.
I tried the Argo and it only turned over twice and then was dead. I had started and ran all of the vehicles on Saturday but the -30 degree weather sucked the batteries power to almost nothing. I ended up taking all of the batteries out of the vehicles and bringing them inside to clean and charge over night. The combination of being in a warm environment and slow charged, should bring them up to par. If it isn’t too cold tonight, they should start the vehicles tomorrow.
By 4:30, I had everything inside and on the charger, so I played one last time with Zack and then fed him and the cats. Rusty is doing much better today, being more active at times, than yesterday. Still no breathing problems or runny nose and I haven’t heard him sneeze all day long. I am keeping my fingers crossed that his behavior is just his body adjusting to not having the antibiotics and that he will level out and be okay.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
It is windy this morning and I know it is going to build the drifts on the road; so going to town is looking more and more like the Argo instead of the truck.
The batteries needed to charge more, so I spent the day working inside on several projects.
Rusty seems to be fully recovered as he is active from morning until night and has been eating and drinking well. I haven’t witnessed any drooling but he is sneezing on a fairly regular basis, but that could be because of the wood burning stove and dry atmosphere.
Playing with Zack, Rusty and Zoey before feeding them and myself, took up the remainder of the day.

Thursday, December 10, 2009
It is still below zero at night, but the daytime temperatures are warmer and in the 20s.
After my morning coffee and checking my emails, I re-dug a path to the generator shed and then to the garage. I then carried the truck battery out and installed it, just so I could run the engine for a bit after that terrible cold spell. After I got it installed, I tried to start it, but it acted like the battery was dead, so I removed it and took it back to the house.
Buy the time I installed the Argo battery and got it started, it was already 2 PM, so I gathered my lists and after playing with Zack we headed for Marysville. After snow removal from the Jeep, I left it running to warm up and visited with Mary and Guy for a few minutes and then drove to town.
After running my errands and getting groceries and gas, we headed for home in the dark. I transferred all of the items to the Argo while visiting with Guy. By the time we got home and unloaded, it was 8 PM. I fed Zack and the cats after stoking the fire and then sat down to relax before taking my shower and eating a light dinner.

Friday, December 11, 2009
The sky is clear and the sun is out, even though it is still only getting into the mid 20s. Without any wind, it is nice enough that I will work outside.
By days end, I had split and stacked about a half a cord of wood from the stacked sections next to the log splitter. As the trees and mountain created a shadow on my work area, the temperature dropped from a high of 33 degrees to 17 degrees, and I had to come in to warm up a couple of times before I got all the split wood stacked.
By the time I fed the critters and sat down with my V-8, I started feeling the pain from all the lifting, stooping, crouching and carrying. I took some Ibuprofen and ate some dinner before I improved.

Saturday, December 12, 2009
The morning was overcast and threatening, with NWS predicting snow. By a little after1:00 PM, it began snowing lightly and continued all day long.
I spent the day inside working on this and that, stopping to play with Zack several times. I fixed a cardboard scratchboard and sprinkled catnip on it for Zoey and Rusty to play with, which they enjoyed.
Nightfall found all of my furry friends fed and napping, while I built up the fire and thought about my dinner.

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Snow, snow and more snow. It hasn’t stopped snowing since yesterday afternoon and I now have more than 2 feet of new snow. It is the dry powder that skiers always dream of. If a wind comes up, it will all be blown away, just like most of the snow from the previous snowstorm.
I had to dig a new path to the generator shed and start the generator so I could do a couple of loads of wash. Zack and I played outside a couple of times and I generally worked on things inside today.

Global Warming - Ha!

2009-12-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Watch this video that John Stossel did on global warming.

Week of Nov. 30 to Dec. 6

2009-12-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 30, 2009
Well, the weather report seems to be true as it is sunny and clear with the temperatures rising to the low 40s by noon. Snow is predicted for tomorrow, so I will try to take advantage of the good weather work on the shed today.
After my usual morning routine, I changed into my work clothes, played with Zack and went to work on the shed by noon. I spent the entire afternoon working on the wiring and discovered that I must have a bad wire coming from the cabin to the shed, as it wants to short out every time I flip on the circuit breaker. I have isolated the wires and am in the process of rewiring and putting in new junction boxes to the breaker panel. After stripping out all of the old, brittle wire, I began rewiring and had to stop when the sun ducked behind the mountain and left me in the dark.
I played with Zack one last time and then fed him and the cats, before sitting down to relax and rest my aching lower back. I guess I did more bending than I thought, as it is stiff and painful right now. I built a fire and will now shower before fixing myself some dinner and resting for the remainder of the night.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
I can’t believe it is already December and only 25 days until Christmas. Where does the time go? I awoke to a thick blanket of new snow this morning. It started snowing heavily around 2 AM this morning and continued until I got up, stopping at about 9:45. The clouds parted and left that really blue Montana sky, with the sun making all the snow so white that it almost blinds me. It is only 16 degrees at 10:30, but now that the sun is out, I think it will warm up, especially without any wind.
It is now 3:30 and I have just come inside from working on the shed. The floor of the shed is raised and as such is colder than the ground. My feet burn and hurt so much that I couldn’t stay out there much longer. I managed to get the circuit breaker box wired, but I need a few things from town to finish the job. I can’t build the generator platform before finishing the electrical as it would be in my way, so if the weather is half way decent tomorrow, I’ll go into town and buy the necessary items to finish.
I played with Zack and then stripped off my work clothes and boots so I can thaw out. I will work on my art projects for the remainder of the afternoon and then relax after dinner and watch some television.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Yesterday’s temperature never got above the teens in the shade and while in the direct sunshine it got to 44.7 degrees, you couldn’t prove it by me. The temperature dropped quickly as soon as the sun ducked behind the mountain, and by 6 PM, it was 6 below zero. The low for the morning was -13.4 degrees and it was -10 when I got up at 9 AM, and for those that may wonder, yes, I did have my bedroom window open all the way.
My morning started off lousy as one of the first things I do, after turning on the water to heat for my coffee, is to start a fire. Because it was so cold outside, I knew that I needed to preheat the wood stove chimney in order for the fire to draw properly and allow the smoke to go up the chimney. I had a large wad of brown packing paper and I put it in and lit it. In a short period of time it seemed to heat the air and start drawing the smoke up the chimney, so I put on some wood and a fire starter square and lit it. From there, it all went bad and the smoke immediately filled the sunroom as the colder outside air forced its way down the chimney, pushing all of the fire and smoke into the room.
I have had this experience previously, so I grabbed the cats and put them in the living room, closing the sliding door that separates the living room from the sunroom. Zack was already upstairs napping on my bed, so he was relatively safe from the smoke. Some smoke had already gotten into the living room, but it wasn’t enough that I was concerned about the animals, so I opened the outside sliding door in the sunroom to hopefully allow the smoke to dissipate and the fire to draw in fresh air. While that helped some, the fire still wasn’t drawing properly and I was choking on the acrid smoke.
I placed my box fan in the sliding door opening and turned it on full blast, hoping it would clear the room of smoke, and I went into the living room to breath less smoky air. When the fire began to draw, it was 42 degrees in the sunroom and still smoky. I got out my survival candles and lit several, placing them around the room to help eliminate the smoke. As the stove slowly heated the room, the outside temperature was still -6 degrees. It took two full hours to clear the room of all smoke and heat it to 62 degrees.
Due to clear blue skies and sunshine, I will make my way into town today and buy the necessary materials to finish the generator shed project. I am disappointed at the problems and work involved in completing what I thought was a simple project that shouldn’t have taken more than a couple of hours. Judging from my past experience, I anticipate that it will take at least two to three days of work to set it all correct and finished so I can finally install the big generator.
Zack and I drove into town without any problems but got a late start, leaving the cabin at 2 PM. We stopped at Costco for a case of canned cat food. They have the best price and the way Rusty has been eating, I need a large amount to last awhile. Next stop was at Home Depot where I bought the wire, insulation, sheeting to cover the wall and some other incidentals. I took the Jeep as the generator is still in the back of the truck, so I had to secure the insulation and wallboards to the roof.
We picked up my mail and then stopped at Ace Hardware to pick up a couple of items, then on to Safeway to buy groceries and get gas. It was dark by the time we left and I decided to stop and get a Papa Murphy’s pizza so I wouldn’t have to fix anything when I got home. Have you tried their Cowboy pizza? I absolutely love it.
We drove straight home and I was a little concerned about ice on the Divide stopping us, but there was enough snow to give us traction and we made it home without a problem. By the time I got all the groceries unloaded and put away, fed the crew, stoked the fire and poured myself a V-8, it was 8 O’clock. I baked the pizza and enjoyed it while watching some television before bedtime.

Thursday, December 3, 2009
I managed to keep the fire going all night so I wouldn’t repeat the problem of yesterday, and I am glad I did, as it was 16 below zero when I got up at 9 O’clock this morning. The low temperature for the morning was -19.4 degrees at 7:45 AM. While it is clear and sunny, it is way too cold to be working outside, so unless it warms up considerably, I opt to stay inside and work on my art projects.
While doing my morning grooming, I turned on the hot water tap, to rinse out my toothpaste filled mouth, and nothing came out. I thought the accumulator tank was just empty, so I went to the closet and flipped the water pump switch on. I was surprised when the pump didn’t kick on, so looked at the gauge and discovered I had pressure. I went to the kitchen sink and turned on the hot water tap and nothing came out. I turned on the cold water tap and had running water. If the sub-zero weather was going to freeze anything, it should be the cold water lines, not the hot water lines. I checked to see if the pilot light on the water heater was on and it was. I decided to wait and see if the increasing outside temperature would have any affect and sure enough, by noon, the hot water ran freely. I have no idea what happened and have never had this happen before. The only thing I can figure is that the inlet or outlet hose on the water heater, which is close to an outside wall, may have froze.
National Weather Service is prediction snow for tomorrow and through the weekend, but they don’t estimate how much snow I’ll get. If I get a lot, and if there is wind, I need to move my Jeep down to Marysville or I may be snowed in and unable to get over the Divide. I’ll keep a close eye on it and make a decision as more information becomes available.
Well, after checking two other sources regarding the weather, and finding that NWS just issued a storm warning for lots of snow and low temperatures, I decided I should take the Jeep to Marysville today, without delay.
I took the insulation and paneling off the roof of the Jeep and put it in the shed, hooked the tow bar to the truck receiver and then to the Jeep and off I went, leaving Zack at the cabin due to him breaking a claw close to the toe. I had to cut it off and control the bleeding, wrap it in gauze and then put on a sock to keep it clean and dry.
I debated whether to put chains on the truck or not, but decided that I should be able to make it without them. As I started down to the creek crossing, the truck slid one way and Jeep another. Once at the creek, I was unable to pull the Jeep up the other side, even in four-wheel drive low, so unhooked the Jeep and drove each vehicle up to level ground. After that, I was able to make my way to the spring, where the Jeep started sliding all over the place and the truck was just spinning its wheels. I unhooked the jeep, ferried each vehicle to the top of the Divide separately, and then decided that I should go ahead and put the chains on, as it can be very slippery going down the hill to Marysville.
I was glad I had the chains on as several spots were difficult and without the chains, I wouldn’t have made it. I finally got to Marysville, unhooked the Jeep, and parked it at Guy and Mary’s place. They were in town, so I headed back home, arriving at 5 O’clock.
I fed the critters and stoked the fire as the temperature was already dropping fast and was at zero. I decided to finish this update before having my dinner or showering.

Friday, December 4, 2009
While it is clear, calm and sunny this morning, NWS is predicting a 90% chance of snow this evening. The weather warning for this storm is listing a possible 2+ feet of snow with wind chill temperatures at 25 below zero. It is the wind blowing the snow into impassible drifts that will keep me from driving in and out until this coming June. I will need to use my Argo from this point forward and will install the snow tracks today.
Last night’s temperature fluctuated between -5 and +2 degrees until I went to bed at 12:30. The overall low was -6.9 at 7:40 this morning. With the sun out and no wind, it had reached 16 degrees by 11 AM. I am going to put the tracks on the Argo and then make sure everything is secure in preparation for this coming storm.
Well, it took me just over four hours to get the tracks on the Argo and that was with only one 15 minute break to change the Little Hotties in my boots. They are a small chemical heat toe warmer that sticks to the bottom or top of your socks. While the package says that they last for up to 5 hours, mine only lasted 2, but they did keep my toes from freezing.
After getting the snow tracks on I had to air up all eight of the tires, so I used my small portable pump that plugs into the light of the Argo to do so. I carry one of these in all my vehicles and have had occasions to use each of them to air up tires or inflatable items.
I came in at 4:30, and before taking off my outdoor wear, I went on the deck and played with Zack for a while. His nail has healed over the end so it doesn’t bleed and he isn’t favoring it, so I tossed the disc a few times to make him happy and then we came in. I fed him and the cats and then showered before settling in for the evening.

Saturday, December 5, 2009
The predicted snowstorm came in early this morning and I kept the fire going enough that the cabin stayed comfortable. I stoked the fire, let Zack out to pee, fed Rusty and Zoey, and had my morning coffee while checking my emails.
Boy am I stiff and sore this morning. All of the bending, stooping and kneeling to put on the snow tracks yesterday, really took its toll.
Due to the weather, I stayed inside and found plenty to keep me busy. I have been working on a wood carving and purchased some additional Dremel tool bits for the job while I was in town last week. I am disappointed in how they cut the wood and now must think of some other way to finish this project.
I played inside with Zack, but he wasn’t satisfied and demanded I throw his disc for him. I did so a few times, but the cold is too much for me just standing around outside. He seemed satisfied, so we came in and I gave him his dinner. I also fixed Rusty’s usual, with all the supplements that I put in Zack’s food, but he didn’t come into the kitchen as he normally does. I went to check on him and found him asleep in his bed. He was drooling and looked totally out of it, like the last time he went down hill after finishing a round of antibiotics.
The little guy is totally a rag and doesn’t seem to have the energy to even stand up. I took him into the kitchen and put a small amount of his food on his nose, but he ignored it and just sat there with a blank stare on his face. I encouraged him to eat, but he didn’t. I then warmed up a little milk knowing that at least that would keep him hydrated, but after putting some on his nose, he just laid down on the floor. He looked totally miserable, so I took him back to the sunroom and held him in my lap the remainder of the evening.
His nose isn’t running and he doesn’t seem to have labored breathing, so I am not sure if this is a relapse of the upper respiratory infection or not. I am beginning to think that he may be having seizures, not showing much outward signs, as my vet books list the drooling, and the stupor behavior as possible effects from seizures.
There wasn’t anything else I could do for him, so I decided to leave him in my chair and went to bed. Sometime during the early morning hours, he appeared in bed with me, so he had the strength to climb upstairs and into my bed. By daylight, he was acting like his normal self, chasing my toes and running around the cabin. When I got up, he was playing and had eaten some of his food and most of the milk, or someone else did. I know Zoey didn’t because she doesn’t like the additives in her food and won’t eat it, but Zack may have helped himself, who knows?

Sunday, December 6, 2009
This morning is only minus five degrees and the overnight low was only -6 degrees. I will be staying indoors all day today as NWS is predicting the possibility of a wind chill factor of -35 today.
Rusty seems normal, so I am just going to monitor his behavior and intake before deciding if I need to get him to town and back on antibiotics.
I am finishing this update at 5:30 PM, and not much about the weather has changed from this morning. It remained minus five degrees all day, dropping to -10, as it got dark. The wind that NWS predicted never appeared, for which I am thankful, and the wind chill factor stayed the same as the outside temperature.
I tried to encourage Zack to play inside, but he insisted on chasing the disc, no matter how cold it was outside. We played briefly and he was glad to come in and warm up. I had to shovel a pile of wind-blown snow from the sliding door and deck just so we could go out, and I shoveled a path from the cabin to the generator shed to start the generator. In this cold weather, the generator oil is so thick that it takes several pulls to get it started, which always scares me because if it won’t start, I currently have no other means to charge the batteries and would be without power.
I spent much of the day cleaning out and rearranging my kitchen cabinets, and then cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, while doing four loads of wash. The generator stopped a couple of times without explanation, but started right away and charged afterwards. Doing the wash usually keeps the water pump running and that drains the batteries, so I was glad that the generator was reliable.
I will now shower and fix some dinner before settling in for the evening.

Week of Nov. 23 to Nov. 29

2009-11-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 23, 2009
It is overcast with some errant flakes of snow being blown about. By afternoon, the sun actually came out and while the high temperature was only 29 degrees, the wind made it feel a lot colder. More snow is predicted for tonight, but then it is supposed to be mostly sunny with the highs reaching 40 degrees on Thanksgiving Day.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I accepted Ray and Rae’s invitation to dine with them, Guy, Mary, and two other single people, so I will have a Thanksgiving dinner after all.
Last night, right after Joe and Michele left, I turned on the water pump and it ran for an extraordinary length of time. I shut it off and discovered that there was no water, so either the line froze or the supply at the creek is totally frozen. I had to resort to my back up containers of water, which I keep for just such occasions.
This morning, I plugged in the heat strip, which I had attached to the water line when I installed it, and left it on hoping it would melt any frozen spots. I changed both filters and tightened the hose clamps at the pump, primed it and then started the pump. The water flowed instantly and I think that the stoppage may have been due to the clamps being a little loose, causing it to suck air instead of water. What a relief to have it fixed, as I didn’t relish the thought of going without running water for the winter.
With having that fixed, I was able to do the dishes and clean the kitchen, and other than working on the computer, that was all I accomplished today. I will now take a nice hot shower and fix myself some dinner.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
It is snowing lightly and is calm this morning. NWS is predicting snow for today and tonight, with partly to mostly sunny until Friday, when snow is again predicted. That may give me the conditions I hoped for so I can rewire the shed and install the big generator.
I have made arrangement to meet Greg in town for lunch today, as I have a 2 PM chiropractor appointment, so I’ll finish my morning coffee and Zack and I will head into town.
Like most trips to town, it took all day. It was snowing fairly heavily when we left at 11 AM, arriving at Greg’s office at 11:50. Greg was ready to go and we drove to Montana City and had lunch. I didn’t know that the café had changed ownership and the menu and food were only mediocre, and in fact, the waitress got my order wrong and never came back to our table to check on us.
Greg and I had a nice visit and we parted when we arrived back at his office, with him heading to show some property and me to get dog food and my mail before going to my chiropractor appointment.
After my appointment, we stopped at Safeway for a prescription, some groceries, and to fill the Jeep and two cans with gas. We head straight home, arriving at dusk. I unloaded and put away all the items, played with Zack, built up the fire, fed the critters and then fixed myself some dinner.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
It is overcast with a light breeze this morning. I can see some blue sky to the east of me and it looks like it is moving this way. It is warmer this morning, as last nights frost had melted from the deck and roof by the time I got up.
If the weather stays this nice, or better, I will go to work on the shed, rewiring and making the adjustments on the generator platform.
By noon, the sky cleared and the sun warmed things up to the mid 40s with only a light breeze, so it was pleasant to be outside. I changed into my work clothes and after playing with Zack, went to work.
By 4:30, I had managed to remove all of the old tarps from the Argo shed and replace them with one large new tarp, secured by numerous batten boards to keep the tarp from flapping in the wind. I also disassembled the generator platform and removed the insulation from the area that I need to rewire for installation of the large generator.
I took three breaks to play with Zack and as the sun disappeared behind the mountain, it started to get really cold, so I stopped, played with Zack one more time and we came in to feed my furry companions. I took a shower and then ate some dinner before relaxing in front of the fire and watching television.

Thursday, November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving Day
I sent out an e-card earlier, but if you didn’t get one, Happy Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day that we remember our forefather’s and how they came peacefully together with the Native American’s to celebrate the bounty of the land. They all gave thanks for the crops and good fortunes that had been bestowed upon them.
As I prepare to go to a friend’s home and celebrate my thanks, I can’t help but reflect on the past and give thanks for my good health and the things that helped get me to this point in my life. I hope all of you can find plenty of things to give thanks for in your life.
The weather today is about the best it has been in a couple of weeks. It is sunny and clear with a predicted high in the 40s, and no wind. Yesterday was about the same, with the high being 51 degrees and pleasant enough to work outside without a jacket, at least until later in the afternoon.
After my morning coffee and routine, I got dressed, played with Zack and then we headed to Ray and Rae’s for our Thanksgiving Day feast.
Ray and Rae’s home is very nice and they have done a good job of decorating it, but I’d hate to have to dust and clean all of the knick-knacks and things they have on open display.
After being given a complete tour, Guy, Mary and another friend, Glen, arrived. The other party was invited to her son’s for the day, so it was just the six of us for dinner. We all visited while Mary and Rae finished cooking and preparing the feast. When the turkey was done, Ray carved it and all of the dishes were placed on the kitchen island for us to serve ourselves. All of it was delicious and it has been a year since I’ve had a good turkey dinner, so I over ate and when I had finished the slices of pumpkin and pecan pie, I was full.
We ate at about 4 O’clock, so by the time we finished, it was dark. Both Glen and I excused ourselves, thanking the host and hostess, and headed for home. Zack had been invited inside to be with Ray, Rae’s dog and Guy and Mary’s two dogs, but he chose to stay in the car. I had him come in three different times and got him calmed down, but each time he headed to the door and begged to go out, so I let him. It wasn’t terribly cold outside, so he was comfortable enough laying in the driver’s seat of the Jeep.
We got home at a little past six, with the trip taking just over an hour, being almost 50 miles one way. I was glad I went and enjoyed the meal, but was feeling uncomfortably full and glad to be home. I downed an Alka-Seltzer and stirred the fire back to life, fed all the critters and then sat down to try and rid myself of the near explosion feeling in my stomach. I was actually looking forward to bed, knowing I would wake to a better feeling in the morning.

Friday, November 27, 2009
It was overcast and gray with a light breeze when I got up at 8:45, but it soon turned to rain mixed with snow and then alternated through the day with rain, sleet and snow. It never stayed below 32, so the wet snow melted as fast as it landed.
Due to the weather, I stayed in all day and worked on the computer and some art projects I have going. I played with Zack numerous times, while Zoey and Rusty took turns getting individual attention in my lap. Although Zoey still isn’t ready to fully accept Rusty, they did share the couch for a long nap together.
Rusty is still doing fine, but I won’t be convinced he is 100% until at least a week after stopping this latest round of antibiotics. I still have several days’ worth to give him, so we shall see.
Dinner for all and I enjoyed the fire while watching television until bedtime.

Saturday, November 28, 2009
The weather this morning is clear with a very light breeze and in the high 20s to low 30s. I built a fire on the still red-hot coals of last nights fire and then had my coffee while checking my emails.
I worked on some training with Zack, as I need to spend more time challenging his exceptional brain. We reviewed all of the tricks and commands he has already learned and then I tried out a few new ones. A hand shake is something that a lot of people meeting him for the first time try, but I had never worked on that, so we spent some time doing that and he was rewarded with his favorite thing in the world . . . playtime. I also tried challenging him by throwing two of his disc at the same time to see how he would deal with it. At first, he tried to pick both of them up to return but when he couldn’t, he left one and brought the other back to me. I had to make him go retrieve the second one and we repeated this several times without him ever being able to collect and return two at a time.
I also spent some of the day doing research, writing, and working on some of my art projects. The day was too cold, with the wind chill being 21 degrees, to work outside. I played with Zoey and Rusty, using the catnip filled toys hanging from the ceiling beam, but Rusty wasn’t that interested and wandered off, which is when Zoey dove in and chased them.
Rusty is having trouble learning simple commands and I am not sure if it may be due to his possible brain damage or not. I don’t remember Zoey having any trouble learning voice commands for the words; move, stop that, watch out, come here, and other simple commands, but he at least is learning the command “no.” Often times he will stop what he is doing, or about to do, but mostly he just hesitates and then tries it again until I physically stop him.
He hasn’t been playing in his water dish very much and I made it impossible for him to move it, which I think helped. I replaced the clay litter in the downstairs litter box, which he has since used just to pee in, but only added the Feline Pine to the upstairs litter box, as Zoey isn’t use to this new type of litter. They are both using the upstairs litter box more than the downstairs and neither of them have used it for anything but peeing. I think that with time, they will both become accustom to using the new type of litter, and that should eliminate the mess and dried clay litter between Rusty’s toes.
As the day progressed, it tried to snow but didn’t and the wind picked up with gusts to 6 mph, which isn’t too bad. I have kept a fire going all day and the sunroom has remained at 72 degrees and comfortable for all of us.
I will play with Zack one more time before feeding all of them and then I’ll shower and fix myself something to eat as I settle down for the rest of the night.

Sunday, November 29, 2009
The wind picked up during the night and blew continuously, causing me to get up at 2:30 in the morning and shut my bedroom window. The temperature wasn’t that cold, 21 degrees, but with the gusting winds it felt a lot colder. It is supposed to be “partly cloudy” today, but it became overcast by afternoon and the temperature stayed at 32 degrees.
I did my usual computer work, played with Zack, cuddled with Zoey and then Rusty, who had spent the night sleeping with me, had something to eat and then worked on my art work for the remainder of the day.
Tomorrow is supposed to be “partly sunny” with a high of 38 degrees, so I plan on working on the generator platform and wiring for the shed and might even have some time to split some more firewood.
That’s it for this week. I hope your Thanksgiving and week was good.

Week of Nov. 16 to Nov. 22

2009-11-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 16, 2009
It is partly cloudy outside and a bit warmer than previous mornings with the temperature being in the high 30s. NWS is predicting the same until Thursday, and then a 20% chance of snow through the weekend. If the wind stays calm, I should be able to get more firewood cut, split and stacked this week.
Due to Rusty’s condition, I will drive to the Divide and call my vet to see if they can see him.
After finally getting a cell signal, I called my vet, explained the situation and they conferred with my vet, Julie. She told me to bring him in and leave him so she can do additional tests to find out if there are other problems that are causing him not to get well.
We drove to town, I checked in at the office and they had an assistant come out to the car and take Rusty in. I had to
give them contact information and it took a great deal of insisting to get them to agree to notify me by email, rather than phone. For today’s businesses not to have the ability to communicate over the internet seems shorts sighted, but even their web page is “under construction” and has been for some time. I think they just don’t want to bother dealing with people over the internet and while I appreciate that, in cases like mine, I would expect them to make an exception.
I truly hope that this course of treatment will give Rusty back his full health and not become an on going thing. I hated to leave him when he was so happy being here with us, but the assistant pointed out that he had originally spent more time there than he has with me, and should remember the place and people. She was right, but you know he will spend his nights alone, in the dark, in a cage, rather than cuddling in a warm bed, getting pets of reassurance.
Zack and I stopped at Ace Hardware and I bought two rolls of the vinyl snow fence. I had done the research on the web and decided to try some this winter, and can hopefully block the drifts on my road out. There are two or three spots that drift over the road at the angle of the hillside and I have slid off and down against trees while trying to traverse the area in the Argo, with the snow tracks on. The placement of the snow fence is critical, and all I can do is try it this winter and see if it will help. If the placement isn’t correct, I will have to try a different placement next winter and keep experimenting until I find the correct location.
The web sites, some of which are from highway departments in snow bound states, say that the fence needs to be placed 80 to 140 feet from the road, which is impossible for my situation as I am dealing with the wind driving the snow up the hillside from the creek, which is about 50 to 60 feet down the steep bank. I will try placing the fence about half way up the hillside and hope that will work. I will need to pound in posts between the trees to fasten it, so I may use the old T-posts from the barbed wire fence that I removed from around the cabin.
We stopped for my mail and then at the motor home to remove the batteries, which I should have done long ago. We arrived home just as the daylight was fading and I played with Zack before feeding him and Zoey, showering, eating some dinner and watching some television before bedtime.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The sky is mostly clear with some high thin clouds in the distance. The temperature never got really cold last night with the low being 24 degrees. By the time I got up at 9 AM, it was 37 degrees and the frost on the roof was thawing out and dripping off. I am hoping for a nice day so I can cut up all the trees.
By 11:30, I had changed into my work clothes and with only a sweatshirt on, went out to play with Zack and then attack the task at hand. The sun felt good and the temperature continued to increase, along with a breeze. Because the temperature was in the 50s, the breeze felt good and kept me from getting too hot and sweaty.
It took me 5 hours, but I managed to cut all of the trees into sections and stack them next to the log splitter. I took numerous breaks to rest and drink fluids, which caused Zack to believe if I wasn’t working, it must be playtime. I managed to use the tennis ball throwing stick to toss the ball enough to satisfy him without draining all of my energy. He was happy and I got to rest my back and shoulders for a bit.
By the time I put the chain saw and equipment away, it was almost 5 PM, so I fed Zack and Zoey and sat down to have my glass of V-8 with apple cider vinegar. I started to stiffen up right away and I know I’ll be sorry tomorrow for pushing myself so hard to get it done today. The only reason I pushed to get it all done is that NWS is predicting the possibility of snow for tomorrow. Because I stacked all of the sections, they won’t freeze to the ground and I can split them, as I need them if the snow continues.
National Weather Service is showing partly cloudy after today and through the remainder of the week, with a possibility of snow again on Friday night and Saturday. I need to keep a close watch on the possibilities of snow and the amounts predicted, as I have to move the Jeep into Marysville before the road becomes impassible, or I won’t have any way to get to town.
After a nice hot shower and some dinner, I relaxed in front of the fire and enjoyed a couple of programs on television before bedtime.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
My new weather station is working out very well and is showing a variation of about a half a degree difference from my old station. I attribute that to the placement of the unit and it being a newer, more sensitive unit. I also like that I can see the day, date, inside temperature, inside humidity, outside temperature and humidity, plus the wind and gusts without having to press any buttons, as I do with the old one. So all of the information I am interested in is displayed at once and all I need do is glance at it.
It is overcast and cold this morning with NWS still predicting snow for today, but only 30% chance. Did anyone see any meteors last night? I stepped outside every 30 minutes or so and while I saw thousands and thousands of stars, I didn’t see one single meteor. I was disappointed, as I had set up my new camera to try and snap a few photos if I could.
I haven’t received any messages from the vet so far, so I will drive to the Divide today and try to call them for an update on Rusty. I think Zack misses him because he is sniffing all of the places Rusty had frequented. Even Zoey seemed to look for him, and I assured her that he would be back, but she is just happy to have my lap to her self for now.
I drove to the Divide and called the vet and was told that Rusty is doing really great but the doctor wouldn’t be in until tomorrow afternoon, and they can’t release him until she signs off.
I haven’t been weighing myself every day, but usually try to every other day, and do so in the morning and again that evening to see what the difference is. When I weighed myself last night, I was almost shocked to see that I have dropped 24 pounds in just the last couple of weeks. The last time I was weighed at the doctor’s office, I weighed 230 lbs. and after getting this new scale, I weighed 228 lbs, and last night I weighed 206, and I haven’t changed my routine or eating habits very much. The only thing I have done, is have the two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and drink a lot of V-8 juice. I have been trying to keep my pH at or about 7.0, but other than those things, I have been eating as usual and other than cutting the wood, I haven’t changed my exercise routine. Do you suppose that the claims of people loosing weight by consuming apple cider vinegar and controlling their pH have real validity?
The day was colder than I thought it was going to be and with the wind chill factor, I decided not to work outside today and got out my assorted art equipment and started a couple of projects for Christmas gifts.
Using my new weather station information, regarding the indoor temperature and humidity, I have yet to achieve the “happy face” icon, which happens when the temperature is between 68 and 79 degrees, with the humidity between 45% and 64%. When I first build a fire in the morning, the humidity is close to 45%, but the temperature is in the 50s and as the temperature climbs from the heat of the fire, the humidity drops. Even with the humidifier running full blast, I can’t seem to get the humidity any higher than the low 30s. No wonder my skin is dry and itchy.

Thursday, November 19, 2009
The sky is clear and it is cold outside, not to mention it is only 52 degrees in the sunroom. The propane stove in the living room came on early this morning and ran until I got up. It is set at 55 degrees and only heats the living room, dining room and kitchen area, so the sunroom is always a bit cooler in the winter.
It is noon now and the temperature is only 41 degrees, but the wind is less than 2 mph, so I might work outside today, but I need to wait to hear from the vet, and if she releases Rusty, I’ll drive into town and pick him up.
No one bothered to email me, so at a little after 3 PM; I drove to the Divide and called them to see if I could come pick him up. They told me to come on in and get him as the doctor said he was fine.
Zack and I drove to town and I was able to talk with Julie about Rusty and his problems. She was very honest in telling me that there is no way to know if his immune system will ever mature to the point that he can fight off the viruses and illnesses that come his way. At least being up here at the cabin, he won’t be exposed to anything, so he should have a fighting chance to build the immune system and be a healthy cat.
Julie asked that I keep her informed and sent us off with a new prescription of another liquid antibiotic, his fifth course as of now. She said this antibiotic is mild and won’t affect his joints or cause any other problems for him. We stopped for my mail and some hamburger for Zack’s dinners before heading home. I let Rusty lay in my lap for the drive home and he happily stayed right there the entire trip.
Once at the cabin, he followed me around while I prepared dinner for Zack, Zoey and him. He ate the full amount and then napped while I showered and fixed my dinner. The remainder of the evening, he slept in my lap and stayed downstairs when I finally went to bed.

Friday, November 20, 2009
It is overcast but warmer than the previous morning, but a quick check of National Weather Service shows a 60% chance of a snowstorm this evening with a 70% chance tomorrow. Snow is predicted through the weekend and into next week and the high temperatures are remaining in the 20s.
Rusty climbed upstairs and snuggled with me just before I was ready to get up this morning. He isn’t acting like a playful kitten and sleeps most of the day. I tried to get him interested in playing by using the laser light, but he just stares at it. Meanwhile, Zoey will chase it all over the place and Rusty looks on with indifference. I haven’t quiet figured him out yet and I’m not sure if it is some brain damage, or he just isn’t up to par and hasn’t really figured life out yet.
Even though it isn’t very warm outside, I decided to deal with the siding on the propane shed. I never finished it when I left on my trip to Missouri, so I wanted to get the wood off the ground and put away the new lumber that I had purchased to refinish it.
It is now 5 PM, and I just fed the gang, with Rusty having had a half a can this morning and a quarter of a can tonight. There is nothing wrong with his appetite. He is still learning the word “no,” as I am sure he hasn’t heard it much under his circumstances, and he is now laying in the bed I bought especially for him. Small steps in the positive directions are all I should expect.
I will shower and then have a bite of dinner before relaxing for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, November 21, 2009
The snowstorm blew in sometime in the early morning hours and the wind was the worst of it. It blew at 12+ mph and only left a dusting of snow covering the ground. It is 25 degrees at 10 AM, and the low was only 24.4 degrees at 7:37 AM. My old weather station is showing sun and rising pressure, while the new one is showing rain (or snow) and a dropping pressure. I will wait and see if they change in the next few hours.
I spent the entire day bathing Rusty and Zack, cleaning and vacuuming to rid the cat litter that Rusty had scattered all over the cabin. He slept with me the entire night, getting up at about 7:30 and when he came back to my bed, he was wet and covered with cat litter. I made him sleep on top of the bedding and when we got up around 9:00, I had to give him a bath before I even had my coffee.
Zack wasn’t really dirty, but he smelled “doggy,” if you know what I mean. After bathing the two of them, I had to vacuum or Rusty would just be covered with litter again. I also did five loads of wash, washing all of the pet bedding. Now the critters are clean and smell better, along with their beds.
Joe and Michele arrived a little after 5:00 PM, and we visited for a while and then I fixed us a spaghetti dinner and we ate until we were full. We visited more and watched some television before bedtime.

Sunday, November 22, 2009
It was actually warmer last night, due to the cloud cover, and the low was only 24 degrees. It snowed most of today and at times was heavy, but there was no wind.
We enjoyed a brunch of bacon, eggs, hash browns, biscuits, and orange juice and then played a game of Monopoly. I lost big time, finally ending the game when I couldn’t pay Joe the $1,200.00 rent on his property with a hotel. I grilled chicken breasts for dinner and had a fresh spinach salad and some rice with it. By 6:30, they packed their belongings into Joe’s truck and headed for Helena. I watched television until bedtime and took Rusty to bed with me.

Week of Nov. 9 to Nov. 15

2009-11-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunny clear skies, but cold, it was 13 degrees at 9:30 this morning and the low was 10.2 earlier. NWS is predicting snowstorms starting tomorrow and last through the week, so I’d better get outside and get some more firewood and finish up a few things as I may not see another day this nice for a while.
At the end of the day, I had split and stacked all the sectioned tree I had cut up last week. It was cold and by the time the sun ducked behind the mountain, I was ready for some warmth from the fire, so after one more playtime with Zack, we came in. I fed the crew and sat down with my V-8 juice to warm up before showering and having dinner.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The sky is clear and the morning is cold, with a low of 21 degrees. At least the wind has died down and if the sun warms things up, it will be nice to work outside.
I spoke too soon, before I could change into my work clothes and get outside, the wind picked up again, gusting to 28 mph. Even in the sunlight, the wind drove the cold through my jacket and made my nose constantly run, but I managed to finish my work.
I bucked the downed tree from last week and cut it into two sections so I could drag it to the cabin with the Argo. I then proceeded to cut down four more trees, buck all of them, cut them in two pieces and drag them to the cabin. One tree was too big and heavy, so I ended up cutting it into three sections. By the time I got the last section to the cabin, I was too tired and cold to continue, plus I have a rule of not operating the chain saw, or any dangerous equipment, when I am tired, so even though it was only 3 PM, I quit for the day and put things away.
After parking the Argo, I came in, built up the fire and sat down with my V-8 to relax for a bit. Wood chips had gotten down the back of my shirt, so I stripped and showered, enjoying a nice hot shower. I played outside with Zack briefly and then fixed some dinner and relaxed in front of the fire and television.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Veteran’s Day
Today is the day that every American should be thanking all of the men and women that have or are serving to preserve our way of life. Agree or disagree with war or our current situation, but remember that those men and women are serving us and following directions whether they agree or disagree with them. Thank a veteran today; my sister thanked me.
It is overcast and threatening this morning, with NWS predicting a 60% chance of a snowstorm. They are predicting snow for the entire week and through the weekend, with high temperatures never getting above 28 degrees. Right now it is 37.5 degrees at noon and the wind is starting to pick up, but no rain or snow as of yet.
It is now evening and no sooner had I wrote the above and it started to snow. At first the flakes were large and floated through the air searching for a place to land, and then they came faster and faster until the ground was covered with them.
Due to the snow, I found things to do inside and spent the day in front of the fire watching it snow. Zack and I played inside and a couple of times outside, while Zoey and Rusty watched through the windows. Rusty seems all well now and I finished the last dose of medicine tonight. He loves to play in the water dish, so I have restricted him to having a very small amount in a heavy bowl that he can’t tip over. I wash his feet two or three times a day to get all the caked-on cat litter off, but it is an ongoing process.

Thursday, November 12, 2009
It is still snowing lightly and has accumulated; covering the trees I pulled to the cabin on Tuesday. NWS is predicting snow through Saturday night, with some sun on Sunday, so Joe and Michele may be up to help split and stack wood.
I finally got a return email from La Crosse, which is the company that made my weather station. I had written to them last week to see if I could just buy the wind indicator and not have to buy a whole new weather station. They told me that while they didn’t sale directly to the public, I should check with Great Big Outlet, as they handle the company’s entire surplus, discontinued and blemished products, so I did. It turned out that they had the indoor receiving unit, but not the sending units. I did find a replacement wind sensor that would work, but it was $32.75, whereas, I could buy an entire weather station, that was a discontinued model, for $42.75, so I opted for that.
I do have the old weather station sending good data on outside high and low temperature, and wind speed, so I can use it as a back up to the new unit. The new unit has some differences, but I think I’ll be able to learn those differences without a problem.
I have spent the day inside, due to the snow, and organized papers and paid some bills, while keeping warm and cozy. Zack hasn’t even bugged me to play and he and Zoey are napping in front of the fire, while Rusty naps on the chair next to me.
It has just stopped snowing, so I’ll ask Zack if he’d like to go out and play and I’m pretty sure I know what his answer will be.
The afternoon cleared up and the sun even came out, but it still only got to 31 degrees, so I stayed indoors and kept the fire going. I did a lot of computer work, nothing important, just this and that. Zack and I played inside and out several times and when I went out to start the generator, I broke off a rather large icicle and threw it for him to chase. When he picked it up, it shattered and then he proceeded to dig in the snow looking for it.
Rusty is behaving like a normal kitten, well as normal as he can be, and playful, especially in the water dishes. After he pulled over the big self-filling water container, I spent a lot of time mopping and cleaning up the mess, then bathing him to remove the litter. I am glad he likes taking a bath, but hope he gets over the playing in his water dish.
As of right now, I plan to make a trip into town tomorrow for a few items, including returning the incorrect chain for my 18” chain saw. I picked up the wrong one and although it is for an 18” Husvarna, it won’t fit mine. I will also drop off a couple of chains to be sharpened professionally. It is worth the small fee they charge to have them done correctly and it is time consuming for me to do them. I may also have my new weather station as UPS tracking is telling me it should be delivered tomorrow.
I shall feed my zoo and then shower and have some dinner before relaxing for the evening.

Friday, November 13, 2001
It didn’t occur to me that today was Friday the thirteenth until I typed it. I am not superstitious but all the same, driving to town on the snow I do have can be troublesome.
The weather is cold (0.3 degrees) and NWS still predicts snow, but it is just a very few flakes blowing by and the sky overhead is perfectly clear and bright blue. I hope the snowstorms hold off until just before Christmas and that way I can still drive all of the way in and out to town.
Zack and I made the trip to town and we stopped at Murrdoch’s to replace the wrong chain for my 18” chain saw. Marc, the manager, simply gave me the correct one without even caring to see my receipt, so we next stopped at Ace Hardware and I bought a couple of tarps to replace the ones the wind storm tore up. I visited with Steve, one of the managers, for a short while and discovered that they carry the vinyl snow fences and he said that due to living in the mountains, he installed some where the snow drifts across his driveway and always blocks the road. I told him about the two or three spots where the snowdrifts fill in my road, making it difficult to pass in the Argo. The snow fence comes in 4’ x 50’ rolls for $30.00, so I may try it this winter and see if it will help make it safer in the drift areas.
We then stopped to pick up my mail and the new weather station had been delivered. I also had a lot of mail, but mostly junk mail. I drove to Safeway, got a few items and picked up a prescription, and then filled three 5-gallon gas cans and we headed for home.
I stopped at the motor home to get the tow bar, as I will need to tow the Jeep down to Marysville before the next heavy storm. It was 28 degrees outside and I had trouble getting the lock and electrical line off, so my hands were almost frozen. I finally got tools out of the Jeep to help remove them and managed to get it off and put it in the Jeep.
We didn’t arrive home until after sunset and it got dark fast. I unloaded the car and then played with Zack for a few minutes before putting the groceries away. I built a nice fire, had my V-8 juice drink and then opened my mail. Upon completely that, I fixed myself a very nice T-bone steak and made a fresh spinach salad. I also sautéed some fresh mushrooms and had all of it with a nice glass of red wine. It was delicious and as good as the steak dinner Michele, Joe and I had last Sunday.
A shower and some television before bedtime rounded out the day.

Saturday, November 14, 2009
It doesn’t seem as cold this morning, but it is only 14 degrees at 9:30 and the low was 9.6 overnight. The sky is mainly clear and the sun is shining, so I am hoping it will melt some of the snow on the ground and make tomorrow a nice day to work outside.
I spent the majority of the day doing several loads of wash, cleaning the kitchen, playing with Zack, Zoey and Rusty, working on the computer and watching television in front of the fire.

Sunday, November 15, 2009
It is clear but cold this morning with a low of 13 degrees. There is a slight breeze, but I am hoping that it doesn’t build, as I’d like to cut more firewood today.
My friends Joe and Michele were planning on coming up today to help me split and stack firewood, but Michele’s car broke down and they have to go car shopping. It’s just as well because the wind picked up here and while the temperature, in the direct sun, was 29, the wind chill factor made it 5 degrees.
Before I discovered just how cold it was outside, I donned my work clothes and heavy work jacket and went out to tackle the job. By the time I put the new chain on the chain saw and gassed it up, my fingers were tingling and burning. When I was in the service, my nose, ears, fingers and toes were slightly frostbitten, so they are the first to react to the cold. I cut part of a tree and had to go inside to warm up. After cutting the entire tree into sections, I took another warm up and then stacked the sections next to the log splitter, so they don’t freeze to the ground. By this time, I decided I should wait for a warmer day to continue, and stopped working.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon setting up my new weather station. While it is similar to my old one, it required reading the directions twice to set all the proper settings. I finally have it up and working and really like that it shows some different things than my old one, like the indoor temperature AND humidity with a little happy/unhappy face if the humidity isn’t high enough. Having dry itchy skin is probably due to the low humidity when I have the wood stove going all day. The humidity was only 32% when I finally set up the unit and 45% to 64% is considered the normal range. Because of this, I have been running the humidifier to help adjust the humidity.
This unit also has a moon phase display, showing the moon phase for the day with an image. One feature I really like is the wind gauge. It not only gives the wind speed, but it shows the highest gust, plus it has the Beaufort scale, showing the top wind speed from 0 to 12 in strength. My old unit only showed the max wind speed if I pushed the buttons while this new unit displays all of the information all of the time. This weather station doesn’t show the wind direction, but then that usually doesn’t change at my location, so I can just look at the trees outside and see the direction it is coming from.
I am still reading all of the information on how to get the high and low, with the date and time, so I can keep a record. I am very pleased with the new station and you can’t beat the price ($42.88 + 12.33 S/H) for a unit that is usually $159.95). The blemish, which is an almost unperceivable little mark on the plastic face, is why it was sent to La Crosse’s discount distributor, Great Big Outlet. If you, like me, are interested in keeping track of your weather, I highly recommend going to the outlet store and finding a weather station that fits your needs.
Bad news about Rusty, he seems to be coming down with the infection again. He has been acting like a kitten up until this afternoon and then he became listless; with rapid swallow breathing, drooling, a slight temperature and signs of some dehydration. I have been forcing water by using a syringe but he resists it to the point that most of it runs out and down his chin. I will monitor him through the night and call the vet in the morning to see if I can get him started on the antibiotics before it gets too bad.

Week of Nov. 2 to Nov. 8

2009-11-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 2, 2009
The day began with a sunny clear blue sky, but still cold in the early hours. I had a fire to warm the sunroom and fixed my coffee as usual. I gave Rusty his pill and noticed a lot more discharge coming from both eyes and his nose. He was sneezing regularly and looked miserable. He wouldn’t eat the canned food I gave him and barely touched his water. After nine days on the antibiotics, he should have been improving, not going down hill, so I put him in his crate and drove with Zack to the Divide for a cell phone signal.
I called my vet, explained the situation and finally got them to let me bring him in to be seen. I emailed most of you the following, but will put it in for my blog post so that others can read it.
Rusty was taking a nose dive again and aside from not eating and drinking, he was having trouble breathing and just laying like a rag doll, not wanting to move, so I drove him to the Divide, where I could get a phone signal, and called my vet, hoping to have her see him today.
I managed to get Rusty in even though they refused at first. They said that because I hadn't officially adopted him and he was just placed in my care as a trial, they couldn't treat him without the Humane Societies permission. Well, after a lot of discussion, and the assistant running back and forth to the vet, I found out the Humane Society is closed on Monday, but I finally convince her (my vet is a woman) that he needed to be seen today.
They told me to bring him in and she would work him into her schedule, but to keep him in the car so the facility wouldn't be exposed to the disease. I went in and notified them I was in the car in the parking lot, and they should let me know when they were ready to see him. I had barely gotten back out to the car when an assistant came out and led me through the back door and into an isolated exam room. Julie, my vet, came in and recognized Rusty as Herbie, the poor kitten that almost didn't make it. It turns out that she was the vet that the Humane Society sent him to when they first got him. She was the one that nursed him back to health and told me that he was so bad off that she actually took him home with her so she could keep an eye on him through the night.
When I told her the story of events and the medication the Humane Society had him on, plus the fact that they recommended aspirin for him, she about flipped. The antibiotic they had him on is too strong for a kitten and she agreed that aspirin could be deadly for cats and I had done the right thing to NOT give him any. She questioned me about the girl that told me these things, saying that the Society doesn't have an in-house vet, and while she didn't know the person I described, two of her vet assistants work as volunteers for the Society and she would find out who the girl was and set her and the Society straight.
Julie wanted to keep him for a couple of days to hydrate and keep him in a cage with a humidifier, but I told her that he had been bounced around enough and I felt capable of caring for him. She agreed and prescribed a subcutaneous injection of fluids and a milder liquid antibiotic. Two assistants came in to give him the fluids and immediately recognized him as Herbie. Everyone made a big deal over him and said they almost adopted him themselves, and they were glad to know he was in a good home.
Julie came back in, gave him an injection of the antibiotic and gave me the liquid of the same, with instructions on administering it. Due to the circumstances, they are billing the Humane Society, even though I told them I'd pay for it. Now I am not sure if I should go ahead and adopt him now, or wait until he is healthy and let them pay for the vet bills and medicine. Julie said that some kittens can take months to recover and are kept on antibiotics. She also told me that excessive antibiotics can be harmful and I mentioned the killing of good bacteria in the gut, causing problems with digestion, and she said no, it could damage their joint development. I hadn't read anything about that, so I am now guarded on this his third round of antibiotics. She asked that I contact her in a week and let her know how he is responding. She also gave me a couple of cans of high protein canned cat food to help him regain his strength.

We stopped at Target to buy a humidifier and then after stopping briefly at the RV, headed for home. It was dark by the time we arrived and I unloaded Rusty and built a fire. I then set up the humidifier and fed him the canned food. He ate it all and was acting more normal, so I guess the fluids and shot acted quickly to help him recover some energy.

I had promised Zack some inside play time so we played keep-away and tug-o-war for about 20 minutes, while Rusty watched with great interest. I then fed Zack and Zoey, showered, ate, and relaxed for the night. At bedtime, I followed Julie's suggestion, put Rusty in the carrier, and positioned the humidifier so it was putting steam into the crate.
I think you can see from the above that it consumed my entire day.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
When I got up at 5 AM, Rusty heard me and was crying, so I let him out of the crate only to discover that he was all wet. The humidifier must have been putting out too much steam, even though I had it set on the lowest setting. I shut it off and dried him, putting him on my chair and building the fire up. I went back to bed and Zack asked to come up, so I let him. Rusty started crying so I called him and to my amazement, he climbed the stairs and jumped up into bed with us. I covered him and snuggled, which caused loud purring and much contentment. After awhile he decided he wanted to explore this new world and jumped down to explore all of the upstairs. Even though Zoey was upstairs, I never heard a hiss or any disturbance, so I guess Zoey just kept a close eye on him.
It is cold this morning and overcast, looking like it may rain. I hope it clears up and gets a bit warmer as I planned on collecting and repairing all of the wind damaged items.
By noon, the sky did clear and the sun came out, but it was still cool enough to need a jacket outside. I had my coffee while warming the sunroom with a nice fire, and collected my emails, letting Rusty purr in my lap. After having some fresh biscuits and honey, I changed into my work clothes and went out to collect the items that were still in the creek after the windstorm. While in the creek bed, I noticed that several rails of my Jack Leg fence were down and went to investigate. It seems that the wind knocked one of two dead standing trees down and it landed on the fence, breaking several of the rails.
I reattached the tin to the roof of the firewood storage area, securing all of the panels with numerous extra screws so it will hopefully stay. I refastened the tarps and decided that I’ll need to buy new ones the next time I am in town. These were pretty torn up and I wasn’t able to attach all the edges like it needs to be. I put the outside freestanding fireplace back together and then changed the oil in the little generator. I had a choice to make about working on the platform for the big generator, or hauling the downed tree to the cabin and cutting it up. I decided to haul the downed tree, so took the Argo over and bucked the fallen tree, hauling it to the cabin. I decided to take down the other dead standing tree as it was probably going to fall during the next storm, so I fell, bucked and dragged it to the cabin.
I started cutting the first tree into sections and got half way done when the weather turned uncomfortably cold, not cool, but cold, so I put my things away and came in. I discovered that it was only 4:15, but the sun was behind the mountain, so I will leave the rest of it to be finished another day. I have a chiropractor appointment in town tomorrow and need to make a decision about Rusty and the Humane Society while I am in town. I probably won’t get back to dealing with the firewood until Thursday.
I started a fire and played with Zack before sitting down to write this update. I’ll shower and then eat something before resting for the evening.
Just as I was getting ready to take my shower, the power went out so I traipsed out in my underwear, thinking I would simply start the generator and return to the cabin as I usually do. Well, it was 35 degrees outside and the generator refused to start. I spend a half an hour working on it to no avail. I found a ground wire broken, so made up a new one with new connectors and installed it. It didn’t help. I returned to the cabin and tried to light my Coleman lantern but the propane tank was empty. I then tried to light my kerosene lamp and found that Rusty had knocked the chimney over and it destroyed the mantle, so I found another propane tank and got the camp lantern lit. I put on some more clothes and went back out to work on the generator.
I checked everything I could think of and found too much oil in the foam air filter, so cleaned and reinstalled it, but it still wouldn’t start. I though maybe it was flooded, so pulled the plug and it was dry. I had a new plug so installed it and after much pulling I got it to run. I guess I’d better work a little faster on getting the big generator installed and make sure all of my back up lighting is in good order.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
It is cold this morning, with the low being 17 at 5 AM. The high thin clouds broke up by 10 AM, the sky cleared, and the sun began warming things up. I still built a fire to take the chill off the cabin and the propane stove in the living room, which is set at 55, was on when I came down stairs. The barometer is indicating a low and showing the possibility of rain, but NSW is predicting clear and sunny, with the possibility of snow on Friday and through the weekend.
Last night, I took Rusty upstairs with me and he slept under the covers next to my head, purring all night long. I know he is feeling better and was so happy to be with me in a nice warm bed. He didn’t move or get up until 5 AM and then came back to bed with me when Zack did around 6 AM. Zoey joined us briefly and I don’t think she even knew that Rusty was under the covers.
Zoey is still acting put out and wants to make friends and play, but doesn’t know how to do it. At one point this morning, they were both on the stairs, Zoey coming down and Rusty going up, but when Rusty was one step away, Zoey hissed and acted as if she was going to swat him. They stayed that way the entire time I was doing my morning routine in the bathroom, and then Rusty left, following me into the kitchen for some breakfast. He has been packing away the high protein canned food like a starving kitten. He also finished off a cereal bowl full of dry kitten food, so he should be bulking up any day now.
I am giving him the liquid antibiotic morning and night, but he hates it and slobbers most of it out. I wish the vet had given me the pills instead as he didn’t mind taking them. I have to go into town today and will stop by the Humane Society and make a deal with them. I can finalize the adoption, at no additional charge due to knowing he is going to need further medical treatment, or I can extent the temporary custody and let them pay for his treatments. I already paid a $35.00 fee and the adoption cost for a cat is $85.00, which covers the neutering and shots, so I think them absorbing the remaining $50.00 would be fair. We shall see what they think of the deal and go from there.
I made the trip to town, stopping at the Humane Society as I said I would. I didn’t need to make a decision about finalizing Rusty’s adoption as they offered to extend my agreement and they will pay for all vet and medicine needs until he is completely healthy. I spoke with the woman that is in charge of the Society and let her know about the advice to give Rusty aspirin and she was unaware that it had been used on cats. She will look into it and I hope for the sake of the cats, she does.
I stopped to get some prescriptions refilled and pick up a couple of items and then we headed for home, arriving around 4 PM, which is about the earliest I’ve gotten back from a trip to town in a long time. I unloaded the items from the Jeep and played with Zack before fixing dinner for all of them and sitting down to relax in front of the fire before fixing my dinner and watching some television.

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Except for some high thin clouds, the sky is mainly clear and sunny. I am hoping for a repeat of yesterday’s high, which was 62 degrees. NWS is predicting a snowstorm for Friday and through the weekend, so I hope to get some work outside completed before that happens.
I changed into my work clothes and went to work on splitting and stacking the firewood. I finished, getting about a half a cord of wood, and stacked all of it. Even though it started getting cool, I decided to fall a couple of more trees and get them to the cabin. By 4 PM, the sun had disappeared behind the mountain and I had downed two more trees, dragging one of them to the cabin and sectioning it. The other tree has a lot of limbs that need bucking, so it will have to wait for another day.
By the time I sectioned the tree and stacked it next to the log splitter, it was getting dark and had dropped in temperature to the point I had to put my sweatshirt back on. I took care of a couple of more things, put away all my equipment and came in for the evening.
Rusty is improving to the point he is acting like a normal kitten. He is ALWAYS under foot and I have accidentally stepped on him twice and swiftly moved him out of my path, unintentionally, with my feet. He is eating and drinking a lot, playing with toys and generally getting into mischief, which is pretty normal. I am teaching him the meaning of the word, NO, but he is fighting it, getting into and onto everything he can. Last night, he jumped about two feet from a chair right into the middle of my steak dinner! He is a character and I can tell by his behavior that he is afraid to let me get out of his sight, and I am sure it is because he's been moved around and left so many different places.

Friday, November 6, 2009
The weather is cloudy with the threat of a storm. NWS is still saying snow today and through the weekend, so we shall see. The low was 31 with a high of only 37 for the entire day.
I over did it yesterday while cutting wood and my lower back and shoulders are hurting, so I opted to take it easy today and only do some light cleaning of the cabin. Joe and Michele are coming up tomorrow evening and spending the night; so I will pick up and do some cleaning so the cabin is more presentable.
I decided to move the couch in the sunroom against one of the sliding doors and when I pulled the couch away from the wall, I discovered that it must have gotten wet under there as the ASB flooring under the carpet is bubbled up and spongy. I also discovered that something, probably a mouse, died and literally melted under the couch. There was a rather large area of some substance pooled on the carpet. It was about a 1/8 of an inch thick and I had to use a putty knife to scrape it up. I vacuumed and then used carpet cleaner four times without being able to remove the stain.
It became too dark to see what I was doing, so I’ll left things as they are and will wait until tomorrow morning to peel the carpet back and inspect the bubble in the flooring.
More playtime outside with Zack and then I fed all the critters and took a shower. As soon as the sun ducks behind the mountain to my west, which is by 4 PM, it gets really cold, so our playtime outside was a short one.

Saturday, November 7, 2009
The wind has picked up again and it was 22 degrees with horizontal snow this morning. The snow isn’t sticking and the wind is blowing it around.
I had a shorter than normal morning, as I wanted to do some laundry and finish the cleaning. I cleared and oiled the dining room table, scrubbed the kitchen and island, mopped the floor, cleaned the bathroom, finished arranging the furniture in the sunroom and vacuumed the entire cabin. I also cleaned the sunroom windows inside and out before stopping at sunset and taking a shower.
I relaxed in front of a nice warm fire and watched some television while waiting for Joe and Michele to arrive. They got here a little after five and we visited for a short while as they became acquainted with Rusty, then I put a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven for our dinner.
After dinner, we watched a little television and then Joe and Michele retired while I stayed up to watch some additional television before going to bed.

Sunday, November 8, 2009
It got down to 18 degrees before midnight last night, and is still cold this morning, but no snow. There are threatening clouds to the west, but so far it is sunny with a strong breeze. The wind gusts are in the 20 mph range and causing a wind chill that exceeds my comfort zone.
Joe and Michele were up before I climbed out of bed, which is usual. It seems that Rusty enjoyed spreading the cat litter on his wet feet in Joe and Michele’s bed during the night. He only visited me briefly in the early dawn hours. He is acting normal for a kitten and I am hoping that this latest round of antibiotics will put an end to his infection. He doesn’t have any discharge from his nose or eyes, other than a little from his bad eye, which has nothing to do with his cold. He is breathing normally and active, so with the additional days of antibiotics to give him, I’ll hope for the best and see how he does.
I have discovered a couple of more things about him, one of which is that he is double jointed in both front paws and sometimes he will stop walking and one paw seems to be doubled back and looks very odd. He also seems to have some mental processing problems as he will jump up and head somewhere and then just stand still like he forgot what he was doing. He has a look of confusion on his face, but after a short time, he continues to do whatever it was he started to do. I wish I could read his mind and tell what was going on. He is a funny little fellow and I enjoy all of his idiosyncrasies.
After my morning coffee, Joe played with Zack outside while I started breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and orange juice. After breakfast, we visited and then started a round of Yahtzee. The score sheets provide for 6 games and we usually play that many. We did take a break after the fourth game and Joe played with Zack again while we stretched our legs.
Back at the game, I finally won one, while Joe took the majority of the six games. We put things away and started dinner, which consisted of some huge T-bone steaks, large baked potatoes, and artichokes. I sautéed some fresh mushrooms to go with the steak while Joe BBQ the steaks outside, and we all had a great dinner. Michele and I split both a steak and a potato, as we knew that we wouldn’t be able to finish them on our own, while Joe ended up taking part of his dinner home.
After cleaning up and after doing the dishes, we sat around the fire and let the meal settle, while visiting some more. It was almost 7:30 by the time they packed up their things and headed for home, while I added to the fire and watched some television until midnight.

Week of Oct.26 to Nov. 1

2009-11-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 26, 2009
Boy am I behind. I haven’t been keeping up with my log, so I will reconstruct most of this week from other emails I sent and notes on my calendar.
The weather today was dark and overcast with the look of rain and by late afternoon the wind picked up to gusts in the 35 mph range and it started snowing before sunset.
My sister, Sharry, and I emailed back a forth and she, along with a lot of others, suggested some names for the kitten. One name she suggested sounded perfect for him, so his name is Rusty. Thanks Sharry.
For most of the day I called him by that name and he didn’t respond, so I became suspicious and decided to test his hearing. Prior to this, he had been so sick that he slept most of the time and it didn’t occur to me that along with his eye problem that his hearing may also be impaired. I started testing his hearing with sounds that I was sure would attract his attention. I waited until he was looking away from me and then made the sounds. He didn’t respond and didn’t even move his ears toward the sound. I made the noises progressively louder and noticed that if I clapped loudly, or whistled loudly, he was startled and would turn towards me.
My conclusion was that he was practically deaf, noticing only really loud noises. It didn’t bother me that he may be deaf and I just needed to adjust my approach to communicating with him. His “cold,” which is called Feline Viral Respiratory Disease (FVR), is getting better and by late afternoon, he was eating and more alert than yesterday, but still not acting like a playful kitten. All of the feline "colds" are called FVR, but there is FCV, which is Feline Calicivirus, a Feline Pneurnonitis (Chlamydia psittaci), Mycoplasmal infection, Feline infectious peritonitis and pleuritis, and FHV, Feline Herpesvirus, which can cause the same symptoms but the cat may NEVER get over. If he doesn’t get completely better, I’ll have him tested by my vet for the cause.
I spent the day cleaning and doing some wash, working on the computer, and watching television in front of a nice warm fire. Zack and I played several times and I enjoyed watching his interactions with Rusty.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The weather today is cold and blowing snow, with gusts to 20 mph and the high for the day barely getting above the freeze mark. My chipmunks have disappeared, except for one hearty soul that is taking a few peanuts back to his burrow. The birds all disappeared last week, so the animals are trying to tell me something. What do you suppose it is?
It snowed most of the day, so I played with Zack indoors, using the toys I strung up over the log-ceiling beam in the sunroom. He got plenty of exercise and I wore him out three times during the day.
Rusty is improving, as this is the third day he has been on the antibiotics. He his eating like a horse and drinking copious amounts of water. I have discovered that this kitten loves water, which is kind of unusual. I am using a regular cereal bowl for his water container and he moves it out from under Zack’s food and water platform and plays in it. He then dries off in the litter box, so he has the absorbent clay litter stuck in his front paws constantly. I started only putting small amounts of water in it so I could wash it out and replenish the water on a regular basis.
He took to the new bed that I bought especially for him, while he was so sick but now avoids it like the plague. It may have the odor of his nasal discharge and reminds him of being sick, so I will wash it and see if it helps.
Some of my observations about Rusty are; his ears look too big for his head, his cocked eye makes it look like he is looking at two different things at the same time, despite his eye damage, he seems to see out of it okay and even has depth perception as he can jump great distances with accuracy, he sneezes 7 times in a row, like I do, but he isn’t consistent, he loves water, and has one of the loudest purrs I’ve heard. He also isn’t the least bit afraid of Zack and even likes him.
I spent most of the day indoors, going for a short walk when the snow stopped momentarily, and working on the generator shed briefly. I just haven’t been overly eager to get the big generator back on line, as the little one not only works well, it uses far less gas for the same amount of running time.
A quiet evening in front of the fire, with a good dinner and some television ended my day.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
It is overcast and cold this morning, with some brief periods of calm air and the sun trying to peek out. NWS is predicting snow and rain for the remainder of the week and into the weekend.
Rusty is starting to act more like an energized kitten and playing and exploring everything. I am trying to teach him the meaning of the word “No,” but between his hearing and stubbornness, he is a slow learner. He is, however, regaining some of his hearing and responded to more noises. I am beginning to think that the congestion from the cold may have been plugging up his Eustachian tubes, causing him to loose his hearing, and now that the antibiotics are helping, the tubes may be clearing and he is able to hear better. I hope that is the case, as it would be nice for him to respond to his name.
Zoey hasn’t exhibited any signs of coming down with the FVR and is behaving normally. She is getting braver and approaching Rusty without hissing or acting aggressive. She is slowly getting the idea that he isn’t going to go away, and therefore she wants to make sure he knows she is in charge.
I goofed around all afternoon and did some research online about the Copenhagen Treaty. By late afternoon, the winds picked up and it began to seriously snow. It was a wet snow and stuck to everything, including my satellites, so it knocked out my internet connection. I shut things down and showered, fixed and ate dinner, watched a prerecorded movie and went to bed.

Thursday, October 29, 2009
It is cold this morning, with the temperature at 10:00 being 14 degrees, with an overnight low of -1.8. The high for the day was in the late afternoon, when the sun came out briefly, and it reached 38 degrees. Most of the day stayed in the 20s.
Last nights snowstorm delivered about 8” of new snow and covered everything. The icicles on the edge of the roof look like the plastic ones we used to hang on our Christmas tree when I was a kid. I snapped a couple of photos and will include them.
I managed to clean the kitchen, including a thorough cleaning of the stove, and need to clean the refrigerator as a plastic storage dish cracked on the side and spilled sticky stuff all over the shelves. I’ll get to that later. I played with Zack, both indoors and out as the weather wasn’t too bad, but stayed cold all day.
A nice hot shower, some dinner and then television time rounded out the day.

Friday, October 30, 2009
It turned warm (34 degrees) last night and started raining, heavy at times. It is washing all of the snow away and making the ground a muddy mess. Zack tracks in mud and spreads it around faster than I can clean it. Once it dries, I can usually vacuum it up with out too much of a problem.
Mary and Guy are hosting a lunch on Sunday and invited me. Ray and Rae, maybe cowboy Harry, and myself are the guests. I accepted as Joe and Michele aren’t coming up this weekend, but will be up next weekend.
It rained most of the day and I played with Zack indoors rather than have him getting all wet and then tracking more mud into the cabin. I spent the afternoon cleaning the cabin and managed to clean the bathroom from top to bottom, and the sunroom, including a thorough dusting and vacuuming. I also washed all the pet blankets and the towels that I use for them.
Zoey is getting braver and even used Rusty’s potty box to let him know she owns this place. He is still sneezing and has discharge from both eyes and his nose. He seems to have several hours of feeling good and then he has a bout of sneezing and naps for a couple of hours. I know he feels miserable and hope he gets over this soon.

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - Happy Halloween
The wind picked up shortly before 11 O’clock and has been blowing strong all day. I have had gusts to 48.5, with it being fairly constant at around 20 mph. While working on the computer, that strong gust ripped a section of the new metal roofing off the wood shelter and blew it past the window. It also blew one of my porch light off and down into the creek, knocked over the free standing outdoor fire place, shredded the tarp on the side of the Argo garage, blew down the 16’ Little Giant ladder that I had leaning against the cabin, and knocked my weather station off the deck and into the creek, totally destroying it. I can’t, or I should say won’t, try to fix any of it while the wind is blowing as I just fight with it and the wind wins.
I did go down and collect all of the items blown into the creek and secured them so if it does snow, they won’t be lost until next summer. I tried to play with Zack outside, but even throwing the tennis ball was fruitless against the wind. We played inside until he was tired and then he napped while I finished this update.
It is 5:30 PM, and I will now build a fire as when the sun disappeared, it got cold, and then I’ll shower and have some dinner before settling down to watch some television for the evening.

Sunday, November 1, 2009
Without a weather station, all I can report is the current outside temperature, whether there is wind or not, and condition of the sky. I am looking into getting another weather station and will probably go with the same type so I don’t have to learn a whole bunch of new instructions to operate it.
The wind is still blowing, but not as strong as yesterday, at least not right now. As the day wears on, it may once again picked up to 30 or 40 mph. By 11 O’clock, the sky over me was completely clear and sunny, while it was snowing, with the wind blowing the snow horizontally from the south-southwest.
I will be getting ready and heading to Marysville for the afternoon lunch with Mary and Guy soon, so I’ll finish this upon my return.
I didn’t finish this last night as I was tending to Rusty and his cold, or whatever it is. He actually seems worse, so I’ll try to get a vet appointment for him tomorrow. Zack and I drove to Marysville, making the passage with only a little slipping and sliding on the muddy road. We arrived right on time, 1:00, as instructed. Another couple, Ray and his wife Rae, arrived a half hour later and we all visited for a while. Supper was hot pulled pork on fresh bakery rolls, with a homemade bean salad and potato salad, followed with desert of cheesecake with homemade berry syrup. It was all delicious and filling. After more visiting, I said my goodbyes and headed for home.
Zack and I got home around 5:30, and I built a fire and fed all the critters. Upon playing outside with Zack, I fooled around with the weather station and actually got it to send data to the inside display, so I can at least get the high and low temperatures, plus wind speeds. Having eaten so late, I didn’t eat again, so settled in to let Rusty cuddle in my lap while I watched television and then went to bed.

Week of Oct. 19 to Oct. 25, 2009

2009-10-27T10:47:00.000-06:00

Monday, October 19, 2009
The weather is still unsettled and it is raining this morning. By 11 AM, the rain turned to sleet and then snow. It was still above freezing so very little stuck until later in the afternoon when it had built up so much that it covered everything in a new white coat.
I spent the day inside doing this and that, working on the computer, watching television, enjoying a nice fire to keep cozy. I rigged Zack’s toys over the log beam in the sunroom and played keep away with him until he gave up. This satisfied his need for exercise and I repeated the game later in the afternoon. He was happy to nap in front of the wood stove and enjoy the warmth of the fire.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
It is overcast and cold this morning, with the low being 31 at 8 O’clock this morning. The forecast keeps changing so I don’t pay much attention to it and just go by what is happening outside the window.
After my usual morning, I changed into my work clothes and worked in the generator shed until 5:30, and then played with Zack before coming in to fix him and Zoey their dinner. I built a nice fire, showered, and then fixed my dinner, settling in front of the fire and television until bedtime.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
It got down to 28 at 9 AM this morning, and is staying cold outside. I built a nice fire to take the chill off the sunroom and then went about my usual morning routine.
I received a disturbing email from three different sources, all about the Copenhagen Treaty, and spent time downloading and reading the treaty text. If you haven’t already been made aware of this world changing treaty, please read about it. It could be a big step towards One World Government and the New World Order. This Oblamea, not a typo because we can blame him for all of this, is going to ruin our country within the first year in office.
In the afternoon, I worked on putting a tarp up on the woodpile next to the cabin and I restacked the wood for optimum space, cleaned the entire area, burning the debris in the outside freestanding fireplace. I also cut more firewood and stacked it with the firewood on the deck.
More play time with Zack and then I put away the tools and we came in. I fed him and Zoey, built a fire, made a cup of tea and rested before my shower and dinner.

Thursday, October 22, 2009
It was clear, sunny, and still cold this morning but by 10:30 the rain clouds began to appear and it became dark and threatening. NWS is predicting a 70% chance of snow for tomorrow night and then again on Sunday evening. I don’t think this storm will amount to much and will probably be mixed with a lot of rain, as the temperatures haven’t been that cold during the day.
I need more hamburger and vegetables for Zack’s dinners, so we headed into town in the afternoon.
One of my stops was at Costco, and directly across the road is the Humane Society. I had inquired about kittens in the spring, and while they had some, none were ready for adoption. They require all animals to have a check up, shots, and to be fixed before they can be adopted.
I stopped in and they did have several kittens that were ready for adoption so I looked at the ones available. They have a “cat room” where all the cats and kittens are allowed to roam freely, share toys, beds, food and play with each other. When I first went in, one little Orange tiger kitten came to me and was rubbing against my leg. I picked him up and he purred so loud people in the next room could hear him. After I put him down to investigate other possibilities, he continued to follow me and rub against me while purring loudly.
After I had looked at all of the kittens, I inquired about the tabby and was told that he had been brought in by a person that found him on their door step. A car must have hit him because his hindquarters were paralyzed and he was dragging himself around. He was taken to the outside vet that cares for the Society’s animals, examined and treated. They kept him until he was able to walk and treated him for brain trauma and an eye infection. His right eye is cockeyed and weeps constantly. Once he was well enough to be considered for adoption, he was sent back to the Society and put up for adoption.
Upon being returned, he instantly caught a cold, which is the Feline Viral Respiratory disease. It is highly contagious and often affects all of the cats in the facility. They treat it with antibiotics but the kitten didn’t do well on the first type, so they tried another and he got better.
I made a decision that this was the kitten for us; Zoey, Zack and myself, so told them I wanted him. Due to his medical history and only being with them a short while, they insisted that I take him home on a two-week trial basis. If he didn’t do well or get along with my other pets, I could bring him back. If he did well, I could fill out the adoption papers and keep him.
I was assured that he was completely healthy and had been checked by their in-house vet, so there shouldn’t be a problem. They gave me a hard sided cat carrier to use, telling me to bring it back in two weeks if I was going to keep him.
While he was at the vets, which was almost a month, they had given him the name Herbie. Of course I was under no obligation to keep that name and due to the fact that he didn’t respond to it at all, I thought I’d come up with a different name for him. Some names just don’t fit the personality and I wanted to see what he reacted to when I got him home.
We ran the rest of the errands needed and then got home around 5 PM. After bringing the kitten in, setting up a new litter box, water and food, I let him explore the cabin. I unloading all the stuff from the truck, played with Zack and then fed him, Herbie, and Zoey. Zoey was NOT happy to see the kitten and hissed at him, staying her distance. She pretty much stayed upstairs, where her litter box and dry food is, while the kitten stayed downstairs. He ate heartily and then climbed into my lap and napped. After building a fire and showering, I fixed myself some dinner, snuggled with the kitten in front of the fire, and watched some television until bedtime.

Friday, October 23, 2009
It is cold this morning, with the low being 24 degrees shortly after midnight, and staying in the low 20s until sunrise. It is overcast and dark outside, with the feeling of a storm coming in.
I read my emails and got bad news. My Air Force buddy, the one I visited in Wisconsin this past September, died early this morning. His wife, Rita, asked for information about his time in the service and I put together all the information I knew and sent it to her. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, and due to time and distance, I told her I wouldn’t be coming, but would like to remember him as he was during our visit. She responded that she understood. His obituary and the funeral service information is posted at http://www.roseberrys.com/httpdocs/Obits/2009/October/Smith.htm
I had planned on driving up to Great Falls to pick up my generator as the shop owner, Greg, had emailed me yesterday that it was finished, tested, and ready to go. Because of the bad news, I didn’t leave as early as I had planned, but Zack and I did leave at 2:30. We drove the truck up, loaded the generator into the back and then stopped to visit with Joe and Michele at their store. We didn’t get home until it was almost dark and I parked the truck in the garage, as I haven’t finished the improvements to the shed for the generator yet. I will make the necessary changes and rewire the shed before attempting to reinstall the generator.
I played with Zack and fed everyone before showering and relaxing with some heated up leftovers. The kitten seems lethargic and isn’t looking too good. He is sneezing more than yesterday or this morning, so I need to keep a close eye on him.

Saturday, October 24, 2009
It wasn’t as cold last night as the previous nights, but the temperature isn’t warming up. It is staying in the high 30s to low 40s, with an overcast and wind.
The kitten is looking like he is at Death’s Door, not eating or moving and a heavy discharge from both nostrils with labored breathing. I read every vet book I have for cats and knowing that he had a case of Feline Viral Respiratory disease I read everything about it. It is common for cats to have a relapse and I had no doubt that the kitten was suffering from that. I did an online search for information about FVR and looked for home remedies that might ease his suffering. About the only thing that the research and books recommended was the Children’s Afrin nose drops. I didn’t have any type of nose drops but knew he needed something to ease his labored breathing.
I decided to take him to town to see my vet, as waiting would mean letting him suffer or taking him to an emergency vet on Sunday. We drove to town and I called my vet, only to find out they closed at noon. I called the Humane Society and spoke to the same woman that I talked with when I took the kitten. She told me to bring him in and the in-house vet could look at him and give me the necessary antibiotics. I could either leave him with them to treat, or take him back home if I felt comfortable treating him myself. I didn’t bother telling her I worked as a vet’s assistant while in college, or that I have tons of vet books and a fairly full first aid kit for my pets, but told her I would keep him.
We drove to town and their vet, a young woman, took his temperature and handed me a bottle of antibiotics, telling me to give him a quarter of a pill twice a day (she didn’t even bother to give him one right then) and half a baby aspirin. I questioned her on the aspirin as everything I have ever read says that aspirin is deadly to cats. She assured me that it was fine and did wonders for the sick cats there. I doubted her and won’t be giving him any, after all, aspirin is usually to help bring a fever down, which he had a slight temperature, and to ease aches and pains. Knowing that a slight fever wasn’t going to harm him but the alternative of killing him with aspirin wasn’t an option.
We left, heading for home, arriving at dusk. I made a fire, gave the kitten a quarter of the antibiotic and made him comfortable. I then played with Zack and fed him and Zoey. Zoey has already been exposed to the FVR, so keeping them separated at this point seemed useless. Zoey has been staying mostly upstairs, but has been playing with the catnip-laced toy that the kitten had played with. They have their own litter box, water and food, so all I can do is hope for the best.
The first day I brought the kitten home, Zoey was really pissed at me and stayed upstairs. She would sit on the steps towards the top and hiss every time she saw this stranger, but as time went on, she got closer and investigated him.
I showered and then had some dinner, sitting down with the kitten in my lap, wiping his nose and weeping eye with a wet cotton ball to clean the snot and fluids away, preventing them from forming a crust. I put a very small dab of Vicks on his nose and I think it helped his breathing somewhat. I had stopped at the store and looked for the children’s Afrin, but they evidently don’t make it any more. The druggist recommended that I use a saline solution, putting one drop in each nostril, so I did. There wasn’t anything else I could do, so when it came time for bed, I built up the fire and made sure he was comfortable, letting him sleep in the new bed I bought for him.

Sunday, October 25, 2009
The sky is dark and cold with a heavy overcast. Snow and rain is predicted for today, and the wind is picking up. NWS predicts 60% chance of snow and rain this afternoon, with it dropping to 30% through the week, until Thursday, when it goes to 40%.
I was happy to see that the kitten seemed to be rebounding and was eating, drinking and being more active. I gave him his morning pill and fed him some wet food.
I spent the day reading and researching items on the internet. It held off raining, or snowing, until late in the afternoon and then rained a little bit. Aside from playing with Zack and giving Zoey and the kitten attention, I did little else.
It is now late and I had a shower and some dinner, and then watched television until bedtime.

Week of Oct. 12 to Oct. 18, 2009

2009-10-18T18:20:00.001-06:00

One last large icicle

The skunk that visited

A chipmunk that died praying

Monday, October 12, 2009
It was cold again last night with the low being -10.8 at 7:48 AM this morning. Helena was calling for a low of 7 degrees for last night, so I hope the predicted high in the 40s for Wednesday is true. It is clear this morning, but NWS is calling for more snow tonight and snow likely tomorrow and through Thursday night. They are showing a possible break on Friday, with the high being 44 degrees and partly sunny.
I have been having some trouble with my acid reflux and allergies, so didn’t feel like doing much of anything today. I was having trouble focusing my attention on anything for very much time, so did a little of this and that most of the day. I decided to do additional research on acid reflux, as what the doctors are doing isn’t working and the medication, while being probably the best for me, isn’t solving my belching. It is so bad that it makes me sick and I feel like I need to throw up all the time.
I found a web site on using apple cider vinegar (ACV) to solve the problem and spent most of the afternoon reading about the benefits of taking a couple of table spoons of it on a daily basis. A few years ago I had purchased a book on using vinegar for health and dug it out to reread. It seems that the natural ACV has a long history of medicinal uses and is said to cure many aliments. Using apple cider vinegar with baking soda helps balance the body’s pH and can be beneficial. According to the site: Apple Cider Vinegar has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties, primarily coming from the malic acid and acetic acid portion of the vinegar.
Most of what I managed to read and understand makes sense and at this point I am willing to try almost anything. My acid reflux problem has followed a long list of symptom, from a constant dry cough, to severe heartburn, to stomach pains, regurgitation, and now abnormal bouts of belching. The medication has helped the symptoms but not cured the problem, so I am going to try the apple cider vinegar and baking soda treatment, along with a spoon full of natural honey, and hope for the best.
ACV and honey is also supposed to help allergies and asthma, so it may help in more than just one area and seems like it can’t do any harm. Besides the acid reflux and allergies, I have no other problems and hope that this may be the natural wonder elixir I am searching for.
By 5 PM, it began snowing for the first time since yesterday evening, so I guess NWS is correct in their prediction. I shall shower and fix myself some dinner, already having fed Zack and Zoey, and then relax by the fire until time for bed.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
It was overcast and in the teens this morning, but by 11:30, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and began to raise the temperature. By noon, it was reaching the 40s and the snow began to melt. My hopes of the weather changing and becoming warm enough for the snow to melt were dashed when I checked NWS and discovered that they had changed the forecast and now expect a 70 percent chance of snow this afternoon and 90% tonight, with more snow through Thursday night. The 40+ degree weather they predicted for Helena has changed to 80% chance of snow into Friday, with the temperatures rising into the 60s on Friday afternoon.
After my disappointing trip to the RV on Sunday, I doubt that the ice in the tanks will melt enough to empty them until the temperature has stayed in the 50s or 60s for several days. My problem here is whether the winds will blow the still loose snow into deep drifts on the Divide. If it does, I may not be able to get into town as both vehicles are here at the cabin. None of the weather reports forecast far enough in advance to determine if I should move the Jeep to Marysville for the winter. Normally, I wouldn’t have to do that until late November, but this isn’t normally.
I spent the morning as usual and then played with Zack before deciding how I would spend the day.
Well, it is 6 PM now and I just played with and fed Zack. It is somewhat sunny and the temperature in the direct sun got into the mid 40s, but on the shady side of the cabin, it didn’t get higher than about 34 degrees. The sun helped melt some of the snow, but there is still plenty left, plus NWS says a 90% chance of snow this evening. They are also predicting winds, which will cause the road on the Divide to be impassible with deep drifts.
I spent the afternoon working on resetting the inverter/charger limits, as the batteries simply aren’t holding a charge for more than 24 hours. They should last me 36 to 45 or more hours, so I got out all of my manuals and the information about my new batteries, which I had downloaded from the web, and carefully reread everything. After reading it out loud, three times, so it would all make sense, I realized my error.
I had read that low temperatures don’t affect these Acid Glass Mat (AGM) batteries, at least until it is 40 below, but I didn’t understand that the charging of these batteries is affected by temperature. With the low and below zero temperatures I’ve had, the voltage needs to be increased to fully charge the bank. I won’t bore you with all the math and terminology here, but to put it in simply terms, I needed to decrease the amp input and increase the volt input, which I did.
Just prior to doing the adjustments, I had run the generator until the charger said the batteries were fully charged, so I had shut it down just prior to making the adjustments. What I found out when I took voltage readings of each battery was that I charged the bank to about 60% of a full charge. The inverter told me they were charged based upon the figures I had previously entered. Once I made the adjustment for the low temperatures and started the generator again; it began charging to the full capacity. The bad news it that at 40 degrees and lower, the bank will take 10 to 13 hours to be fully charged!
So, based upon this new information, I should be able to fully charge the battery bank and have it last me for at least 36 hours before it needs to be topped off again. I just hope that all of the under charging I have previously done hasn’t shortened the life of the batteries. The generator has only been running for two hours since I recalibrated it, so I will have to refuel the generator a couple of times before I am done, not to mention stopping and starting the generator for bedtime. I just hope that this truly solves my problem.
I will shower and then have some dinner and relax for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
It is partly cloudy, with a breeze, but not threaten in overall appearance. I have decided to make the trip to town for my chiropractor appointment.
As I was doing my regular morning routine, not in a hurry to go to town as my appointment was for 2 PM, and my peripheral vision noted a large dark shape at the sliding door. I started to get up to let Zoey in when I realized she was asleep in the chair next to me. Zack was asleep in front of the fire and didn’t stir. I saw something I’ve never seen at the cabin, and hoped I never would. It was a large skunk! He sniffed around the door, woodpile, the peanut shells and debris in the area, and then disappeared around the corner into the woodpile along side the cabin.
Zack had been acting funny about going out, sniffing at the door and firewood and then turning around and wanting back in. He hadn’t barks, growled or acted scared, but his behavior wasn’t normal. I now suspect he picked up on the scent and didn’t like it. It dawned on me that if the skunk decided to pack his winter home under the woodpile, we would all be trouble. It then occurred to me that skunks are nocturnal and this one was out snooping around at noon on a now sunny day. My understanding is that it could be a sign of a rabid animal, so I wanted to make sure it didn’t stick around.
By now, my getting the pistol to insure my safety if I went out and it attack, stirred Zack, but he still didn’t want to get outside. I carefully stepped out and walked away from the cabin so I could view the woodpile and surrounding area. I saw no sign of it and walked all of the way around the cabin. There was still enough snow on the ground that I might have seen tracks, but didn’t. I imagine he could have been under the pile, but I couldn’t see all the way to the back. The underside of the cabin is sealed very well, with metal flashings shirting the entire foundation, so unless it dug under the skirt, I don’t believe it could gain access, but I’m not sure.
I couldn’t take the time for further investigation, so Zack and I headed for town, while Zoey was safely inside cabin. I still had the chains on the truck tires, so I wasn’t concerned about making it out, but NWS forecast 90% chance of snow this afternoon. We got to Marysville without too much of a problem, only sliding into ruts where the gumbo mud was. In Marysville, I removed the chains and we made it to my appointment at 1:45. After the adjustment, we stopped at Safeway, Whole Food, Ace Hardware, Target, and picked up my mail. We then stopped at the RV Park and I managed to open all the valves and drain the water heater, but I won’t know the damage until I try to use the water system the next time I use the motor home. It is supposed to be into the 60s by Friday, so I think most of the ice will melt and drain, at least I hope so.
I decided to take a chance that we could make it back without put the chains on, so up the mountain we went. It hadn’t rained or snowed since we left, so my tire tracks were still visible and we followed them home, arriving at 5:30. After unloading my goodies from the truck, starting a fire, and putting things away, I was disappointed to discover that my adjustments to the inverter/charger made no difference whatsoever and I had to start the generator to charge the batteries.
I will need to rethink the setup and try to figure out why the charger isn’t charging the battery bank to its fullest.
There was no sign of the skunk, so I am hoping it was just passing through looking for food. Zack don’t react when I let him out, so I hope it is gone for good.
I fed Zack and Zoey, but due to the lateness of the day and the fact that it was getting cold, plus a split on his paw, Zack got no playtime. I showered and fixed myself a grilled skinless chicken breast and due to drinking way too much V-8, had three sodas before going to bed.

Thursday, October 15, 2009
The sky was clear last night, but there are a number of clouds in the sky this morning, with the forecast being for possible rain. The high temperature yesterday really surprised me at 60.4 degrees. National Weather Service is predicting a high of only 48 tomorrow, but 61 on Saturday.
Yesterday, I purchased an electronic scale that not only tells you your weight, it gives you calories and BMI, so I spent some time reading the directions to set it up only to find out it was defective and I couldn’t even get it to turn on. I also bought the new water filter product called Zero Water, which gives you a TDS tester that tells you the amount of Total Dissolved Solids in the water, and the fewer the particles, the lower reading. I was amazed to find that my bottled drinking water had 233 dissolved solids, while my faucet water was 111, and the Brita filtered water had 044, whereas the Zero Water had 000.
I am totally impressed with this new filter system and can taste the difference in the water. Because I am on my annual health kick, I am watching what I eat and trying to keep my pH levels balanced, which includes drinking a lot of water, so the better the water, the better for me, or at least I think so.
The Zero Water system has a convenient pitcher, which allows you to either pour from the spout, or use the push button dispenser on the bottom. That way you can place it in the refrigerator and just get a glass of water when you want. I brought mine at Target for $34.99, but you can find them in other large stores like, Home Depot, Walgreens and Wal-Mart. After testing my bottled water I think that using the Zero Water is a good idea for pure drinking water. If you go to Amazon, you’ll see several different types of pitchers and systems.
I haven’t seen any sign of the skunk and even put out some apple to see if it would take the bait. Zack isn’t acting strange about going out and none of the chipmunks seem to be acting differently. I truly hope that it has moved on to other locations. Speaking of animals, Zack’s crack in his pad is healing and he seems to be back to normal. I have limited his playtime and he seems just as satisfied, so I’ll keep checking it and hope for the best. I am going to make him some snow boots to wear this winter, and hopefully limit the cracking in his pads.
The weather was kind of stormy, so I stayed in, cleaned the kitchen and picked up the mess I have been living with for the past several weeks. After returning from my trip, I sort of just left things where they laid and not done much cleaning. Michele had done an excellent job of cleaning and vacuuming before my return, so I started in good shape and have gone down hill since then.

Friday, October 16, 2009
The sun shining in my eyes awakened me and I looked forward to a sunny, warm day, but that changed when the clouds moved in and looked like it might rain. A quick check of NWS shows that they have altered their forecast and now show a partly sunning day with the high only reaching 48. It isn’t the mid to high 60s that they thought we would have, and after the surprising high of 60 degrees day before yesterday, I expected today to be nice.
I spent the morning doing some more research on diet and pH balance and found some interesting and surprising information. I was told by my chiropractor to check out a site that outlines diets and discovered a chart of alkaline and acid foods. I am going to try the apple cider vinegar idea, check my pH levels on a daily basis for a month, and record my findings. I will summarize those findings on my blog when I conclude the study.
I have done a lot more studying about diet, the use of vinegar, and acid reflux, along with playing with Zack a few times. I am not holding my breath, but NWS is predicting 59 degrees and mostly sunny for tomorrow, so I will plan on working in the generator shed, preparing for the return of my large generator. Meanwhile, I am still trying to figure out why the charge on the battery bank isn’t lasting longer.

Saturday, October 17, 2009
The weather looked like it was changing for the better and when the sun came out, it warmed up considerably. My high for today, in the direct sun, was 77.3 degrees, which is amazing when you consider it was only in the 40s yesterday. The weather service keeps changing their forecast, so it is hard to predict if this will last.
I had my usual morning routine and then went to work on the generator shed. I managed to make a big dent in the job of cleaning and organizing, but it will take a couple of more days before it is the way I want it. After it is thoroughly cleaned and everything is in its place, I will rebuild the generator platform and rewire the shed. I hope I can put up some blue board insulation and maybe even sheetrock the interior before more cold weather, and then I’ll be more comfortable when I need to use it during the winter.
Play periods with Zack, between working in the shed, and then one final playtime before feeding him and Zoey, finished the day. I showered and had a nice hot cup of green tea before thinking about dinner. I have been on a real kick of drinking V-8, apple juice, and hot tea for over a week now. My body is trying to tell me something and I am attempting to listen.
Dinner and television for the remainder of the evening, with bedtime coming at midnight, which is the time I’ve gone to bed almost every night this week.

Sunday, October 18, 2009
The wind picked up during the night and is blowing close to 12 mph, gusting to 15 at times. It is overcast, cool and looks like it might rain. National Weather Service is calling for 30% chance of rain or snow for this afternoon and evening, with a 70% chance of snow tomorrow. It is a big change from the warmth of yesterday, and that was short lived.
After my usual morning I went out to work some more on the shed, hoping to finish getting the tools all organized and in their proper place.
It is now 6 PM, and I have just come in from getting all the tools organized and starting to disassemble the table that the generator sits on. I have to lower it a few inches so the exhaust pipe doesn’t need an extension as it leaked and filled the shed with fumes.
I played with Zack until he was pooped and then fed him and am doing a second load of clothes while the first dries in the dryer. I just built a small fire, as it is getting a little chilly. I will finish this update and then post this weeks events before I shower and have my dinner.
I finished computing my pH level, as it requires two days worth of readings and then some math to come up with the average and my actual pH level. It came out to a reading of 5.91, which is more acidic than it should be, but not off the charts. The book says I am 5 to 10 times higher than I should be and I need to balance my system. I need to do some more reading to see just what I need to do, and I will adjust my diet to compensate for the high level.
I have continued my two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and rather enjoy the taste of it, when mixed with a glass of water. I am trying it in hot water, like a tea, right now and find it soothing to my throat. I made the mistake of taking a deep breath before having a sip and about choked on the fumes. The smell reminds me of dying Easter eggs. Mom always added some vinegar to the dye and the smell brings back pleasant memories.
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope the weather holds so I can finish my shed and retrieve the generator next week.

Week of Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, 2009

2009-10-12T17:30:00.000-06:00

Monday, October 5, 2009
It is still snowing this morning and 27 degrees. A quick check of NWS tells me I should stay home today, instead of making the planned trip to town. NWS has a storm warning posted and predicts a possible 10” of snow this afternoon. I can last another couple of days on the gas available for the generator and my medications so will wait and see what the weather is like tomorrow or the next day.
The chipmunks and birds, Juncos and Pine Siskin, are out in full force, regardless of the weather. I have been trying to get a good photo of a chipmunk and Junco eating out of the bowl by my window at the same time. Every time I get set up, the Junco takes off, so I’ll just keep trying.
Zack alerted to something out on the mountainside, across the creek, and as I looked I saw a wolf making his way west about 200’ up the mountainside. I attempted to get a good picture, but he was moving fast and soon too far away. I have spent most of the day on the computer watching videos from my drawing instructor. So far, the storm hasn’t blocked my internet connection, for which I am thankful.
By 4:00, the snow stopped and the sun made a weak attempt to melt some of the snow. Zack got additional playtime and Zoey got a lot of lap time. She has had an upset stomach and throwing up for the past two days. I am sure it is hairballs and have given her Petromalt, which she loves. She hasn’t been active and wants to be in my lap all the time.
I received an email from the shop that is fixing the generator and he informed me that after replacing the oil tubes the engine still leaked (factory defeat from the get go) and Generac decided to send him a whole new engine rather than replacement parts. If they had simply taken my word for it and replaced the entire unit, they would have gotten away cheaper. Anyway, the engine hasn’t arrived yet, but as soon as it does, he will replace and test it, notifying me when I can pick it up. NWS is predicting more snow for the rest of the week, so I hope I will be able to get the pickup in to town and collect it, and then return without getting stuck.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The wind picked up to about 20 mph in the early morning hours and the outside temperature dropped to a low of 8.4 at 11:50 PM, last night. I managed to sleep through the night with my bedroom window open, but knew it was colder than usual. Zoey snuggled all night long, while Zack was happy to stay downstairs next to the propane stove in the living room.
The wind is kicking up all the loose snow and while the sky is mostly clear, it still appears to be a snowstorm outside. I need to get into town for supplies and gas for the generator, so will head out and hope for the best.
Zoey is back to her old self this morning, chasing things and running up and down the stairs. She hasn’t thrown up since Sunday, and I am allowing her to eat small amounts of canned food and watching to see how she copes with it. Cleaning her litter box shows me that things seem normal, so I just need to give the Petromalt on a regular basis so this doesn’t happen again.
Well, we got back from town with only some white-knuckle driving. The gumbo mud was more trouble than the snow and ice. Going out, I slid into a rut from water run off and got momentarily stuck. I managed to back out of it and then slid my way back onto the roadway. Going down my usual short cut, I followed several other tire tracks and while the snow was deep in spots, my down hill momentum managed to get us down the mountain.
Once in town, I ran my errands, purchasing the items needed, picked up the mail, stopped at Safeway for groceries, medication refills, and gas, then stopped at Costco to buy oil for vehicles and equipment, before heading home.
Coming home, I took the long way, which takes me up the county road to the Divide and then to my turn off. The snow was wind blown but passable, until we came to the cattle guard on top. The snowdrift was a couple of feet deep and I took a running start to get through it. After getting through the deepest part, we slid sideways and into a ditch. Once again, I managed to back up, rock the Jeep until I got out, and back onto the road. The next obstacle was at Windshield Hill, which is where I have gotten the truck, Jeep and Dozer stuck before. I decided to take the short cut over the hill instead of following the road, as it usually has much deeper snow due to the wind drift. I could see tire tracks going both directions, so followed the ones taking the shorter route.
When we got to the top, I could see that other vehicles had been stuck in the deep snow, so built up my speed and headed down. My down hill speed got us through the snow and onto the Divide road. The remainder of the trip was without incident but still a slow and careful drive.
I unloaded the gas and oil and then moved the Jeep to the cabin and took out the rest of the items. Some playtime with Zack brought us to sunset and after feeding him and Zoey, I built a fire and sat down to relax.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I awoke to more snow and probably an additional 6” sticking to everything. NWS is predicting snow for the remainder of the week and I am now beginning to think that winter is officially here, verses the usual snow then warm spell that October has traditionally brought us.
My wind yesterday reached over 31 mph, but in the afternoon, the temperature soared to 52 degrees. Last night wasn’t nearly as cold as yesterday, but because I hadn’t cleared the low temperature from my weather station, I have no idea how cold it got.
It is now 7:30 and it hasn’t stopped snowing, so the ground is covered to about a foot deep. I had to shovel a path to the generator shed so I wouldn’t have to put on boots just to go out and start the generator. I really don’t know if this will stop and melt or just keep going until next spring, but hope it clears up so I can get the other generator back to the cabin.
I spent time researching possible publishers for a friend of mine. Ken, who lives in Canada, takes really great photographs and is always hiking into backcountry areas. I think he needs to share his photos with the public and maybe make a little money on the side, so I am trying to talk him into publishing them. If you are interested in viewing his photos, go to his album on his My Space account at http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=51318660
I will end today’s update and shower, then fix myself some dinner as Zack and Zoey have already had theirs.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Ittt isss ccoold this morning. It was 6 degrees at 9:30 and the low was 1.5 at 8:55 AM. As the sun reaches the weather station, the outside temperature has climbed to 30 degrees at 10:30. The cold isn’t keeping the birds and chipmunks from having their breakfast, and they are here in numbers.
One reason it got so cold is that the sky is completely clear, allowing all the heat to rise. The sky is clear and bright with that Montana blue, so I am hoping the sun will bring the temperature up and melt some of the snow. After yesterdays snow, I have about a foot, maybe a little less. NWS is calling for 20% chance of snow today and 90% tonight, with 70% tomorrow. Other than a 20% chance on Saturday night, the weekend is looking clear.
I built a fire and then fed the critters before making my coffee and sitting down to enjoy the beauty of my view. I watched the first chipmunk of the day starting to hunt for the peanuts and thought he was smart to be early and have all of them to himself, but then realized he wasn’t too bright as he would find a peanut and hide it in another spot on the wood pile. He didn’t eat it; he simply moved it to a new spot . . . as if another chipmunk won’t find it.
A noisy Jay showed up to scare all the birds and chipmunks away, and then after hopping onto the table to get some seeds, he flew away when he saw me pick up my camera.
I spent the day doing this and that, working on the computer and watching some television. In the afternoon, after playing with and feeding Zack and Zoey, I made a big pot of my seafood chowder and boy was it good. I have enough left over to have a couple of more servings.

Friday, October 9, 2009
The morning low was 4.2 at 7:18 AM and there are snow flurries with a completely overcast sky. NWS is promising more of the same for the next couple of days. I knew I should have winterized the RV when I was in town. A quick check of Helena’s weather and I see that they are having the same cold weather as I am, but the lows aren’t quite as low.
If I have more freeze damage to the RV, I can only blame myself. I hope that it doesn’t do any damage, but won’t know until I get into town and check on it. The roads are deep enough with snow that if I did try to go into town, I’d surely have to put chains on before leaving the cabin. If the weather turns decent tomorrow or the next day, I’ll try to get to town and deal with it.
I spent the majority of the day reading the owner’s manual and using my new camera. This is like any other single lens reflex camera and has many settings and all the bells and whistles, so there is a lot more to remember than my simple point-and-shoot digital camera. It has been a long time since I have used my 35 mm camera, but this new digital camera is much the same.
In the afternoon, Zack alerted me to something outside and when I looked I saw what I thought was the wolf, but then realized it was smaller, so thought it was a coyote, but when it got into the clearing, I got some decent photos and realized that it was a Red Fox.
I opened the sliding door so I could step out and get a good picture and in doing so, Zack bolted out and went after the fox, barking loudly. I called him and he stopped short of it by about forty yards. It was frightened and let out a yip while tucking it’s tail between its legs and almost scooting down the snow covered hill in a submissive posture, and disappeared into the willow brushes by the creek. Zack followed the tracks for a short distance and then at my insistence, returned at a full run to the cabin. He had defended his domain and was satisfied the threat was over.
This is the first sighting of a fox that I’ve had since living here. I have seen what might be fox scat, but it is difficult to tell it from coyote scat, so I am never sure. I think I have seen more wildlife this fall than ever before, and enjoy being able to get better photos with the new camera.

Saturday, October 10, 2009
The sky is perfectly clear this morning, with that Montana blue that I have only seen here. I knew it got cold last night and I even closed my bedroom window when I went to bed. At 11 PM, it was 4.3 degrees, so I stoked the fire well before retiring. This morning, when I checked the max and minimum on the weather station, I discovered that at 6:24 AM, it was MINUS 14.2 degrees. For it to get this cold in early October is not normal, at least since I’ve been here, and I didn’t hear of any Canadian cold fronts moving in, which is usually when I get below zero readings, so was somewhat shocked.
I don’t even want to know how cold it got at the RV Park, as I can’t bare the thought of having to replace all the items I had to replace last time. The main reason I didn’t winterize it, was that Joe and Michele had talked about going up to Glacier National Park before snow closed the roads. I have been looking forward to doing that for some time now, but will probably have to wait until next summer or earlier next fall.
I have spent a great deal of time familiarizing myself with the camera and taking lots of photos. I have also spent a lot of time trying to identify a bird that is unfamiliar to me. I have four or five different species coming for seed and have been enjoying their antics and how they interact with each other, and the chipmunks that want to share the food. So far, I have Juncos, House sparrows, both male and female, an as yet identified type of sparrow, and a Steller’s Jay, all coming for the seed. The jay scares off everyone, but so far, the other birds are sharing and don’t even leave when a chipmunk shows up to eat.
Because I have scattered seed all over the table, just outside my window, I have an excellent view to watch their behavior. Even though it hasn’t gotten above 24 degrees in the sun, they all have been feeding all day long. I know that birds have the ability to slow, or shut down, the blood flow to their feet; but it still amazes me that they don’t freeze in this weather. I have observed them feeding while standing on one foot and then the other, and even flying to a chair back, which doesn’t have any snow, to relieve their feet.
One last play time with Zack before I feed him and Zoey, and then I’ll settle in for the night.

Sunday, October 11, 2009
The high temperature yesterday was only 31 degrees at 3 PM, and that was in the full sun. My other outdoor thermometers never got above 20 degrees. Luckily, there wasn’t any wind or it would have been really miserable outside.
My weather station recorded a low of -5.8, at 10:54 PM, last night. This morning is cold with snow flurries and completely overcast in all directions.
My concerns for the motor home over took my desire to stay home, so I put the chains on the truck and headed for town. I was very glad to have the chains on, as I would have never made it without them. The drifts on the Divide were deep and I could see where other travelers had gotten stuck. I managed to white-knuckle my way over the Divide and down into Marysville, but before getting down the road to where the pavement begins, I saw a car that had slid off the road and into the ditch. Remember, this is the first snow the new road has seen, so you could expect almost anything. The guardrail should prevent vehicles from going over the side and down the ravine, but the way they graded the road, you slide towards the mountain and into the deeply cut channel for the run off.
A woman and her three children had slid off and buried the front wheels in the snow. I was glad I was in the truck as I had the winch to help get them out. After turning around so I could connect my rear mounted wench to the back of their car, I pulled out enough cable and instructed the woman on what to do as far as steering goes. It was a Honda, with front wheel drive, so I didn’t want her to give it much gas, but at the same time, she was close to a steel marker and I didn’t want the car to slide into it.
I used the winch alone and managed to get her past the steel post and then I played out more cable and moved the truck up the road. As I did, she maneuvered it out of the ditch and back onto the road. She thanked me profusely and told me that she had let her newly licensed 16-year-old son drive, which probably wasn’t the best idea. I told her he needed to learn how to drive on ice and snow at some point and was just glad no one got hurt and there was no damage to the car.
They carefully drove down the hill and I turned the truck around and followed them. The paved part of the road was free of snow and ice, so I stopped and removed the chains. Zack and I drove to the motor home and I had planned on starting the engine and generator, leave them running and the water heater on while we ran to town for a few grocery items.
The generator refused to start and finally flooded, so I left the engine running with the coach heater on full and headed to Safeway. I had loaded the two empty propane tanks into the truck but then realized that it was Sunday and they would be closed. I bought the items I wanted and we headed back to the motor home.
I tried to start the generator again, but had no luck. I decided that I would just open all the drain valves and leave it that way, hoping for warmer weather. I first tried to remove the water filter under the kitchen sink, but because the water was still frozen, I couldn’t get it loose. I could see a split in the side, so I know it is a loss. Next, I tried to drain the fresh water holding tank but its valve was also frozen solid. My last endeavor was to remove the drain plug from the water heater, but I didn’t have the proper tools with me, so gave up on the whole thing and shut it up to suffer whatever fate it will.
Because I had done two loads of laundry and run the generator to charge the batteries this morning, we had gotten a late start for town, so it was now getting dark. I drove back to the exact spot where I had removed the chains and put them back on for the trip home. I followed my path back without deviating and while it was deep in some spots and slippery in others, having the chains got us to the cabin without incident.
By the time I unloaded the truck, it was 7:30 and dark enough that I needed lights in the truck to see what I was doing. A quick check of the temperature indicated it was already 5 degrees, so I parked the truck in the garage and then moved the Jeep, which had been parked in front of the cabin, to its parking place in the garage.
It was late and I was too cold to give Zack his playtime, but he didn’t complain when I told him we had to go in. I fed him and then showered before sitting down to watch television before bedtime.

Week of Sept. 28 to Oct.4, 2009

2009-10-04T15:16:00.000-06:00

Monday, September 28, 2009
It is calm and sunny this morning, but I found it necessary to build a small fire to take the chill (54 degrees) off the sunroom, which is the last part of the cabin to get direct sunlight.
After my coffee and usual morning, I changed into my work clothes and went outside to tackle some of the jobs I’d like to finish before the snow flies.
I started to shore up the lean-to that I had thrown together last year, for storing my excess firewood, and while I planned on it being temporary, I decided to make it more permanent. I ended up deconstructing the roof and supports so I could make it sturdier to withstand the snow load. It took all afternoon and I managed to put it together and install a metal roof to keep the snow off the pile.
More play time for Zack, shower, dinner, some television and then bed.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It is a bit warmer this morning and I had my usual routine, checking the National Weather Service for the latest forecast, and then planning my day. They are still predicting rain tonight (40% before midnight) and then a 90% chance of snow after midnight, with continued snowstorms for the remainder of the week. All of the predicted highs are in the low 40s with nighttime lows in the low 30s.
For a moment there, I thought we would make it all of the way through September without any snow, as I have always had one or two good snowstorms before October. Last year I had a good storm on August 30 and again in September, so I expected at least one this month.
Scott Settle, who owns the cattle that free graze in my area, stopped by to visit and told me that he would be taking the cattle out this week or next. When I told him about the prediction of snow, he decided to open the gates at the cattle guards and let the cattle wander back to the Marysville area so he can drive them back to the ranch for the winter.
I spent the afternoon reestablishing my internet, as Hughes turned my service off, due to their inability to automatically charge my monthly auto pay for my account. This is due to my Citi card being terminated due to a hacker stealing account numbers from their system. I drove to the Divide for a cell phone signal and called Citi Bank to have them revalidate my card, then I called Hughes and had them put the charge through again. It cleared without a problem and they reestablished my connection.
I finished the day by cleaning out the lean-to next to the generator shed and moving the Argo back to its proper parking area. I also cleaned up the stuff that had blown into the creek bed and even some items that ended up on the other side of the creek, and into the trees, by the high winds of the past couple of days.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Before going to bed last night, it began to rain, just as NWS predicted, and I awoke to an inch or more of snow. It has been snowing, off and on, all morning and although NWS changed the forecast a little, it is supposed to snow most of today and then again on the weekend.
I have spent the day on the computer and watching television as it continues to snow. Zack still got his playtime, albeit in the cold snow, and seemed to enjoy the return of the white stuff.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
I received about an inch and a half of new snow and it was 32 degrees at 10 AM this morning, but I could see blue sky to the east. The sun has been breaking through the clouds every so often and by noon; the temperature was 41 degrees, causing snow to slide off my roof and onto the deck with loud thuds.
The sky is going from a brilliant bright white to a gray shadow, as the sun plays peek-a-boo from behind the clouds. NWS is predicting partly sunny for today and tomorrow, with snow likely on the weekend. I am using this time to catch up on some things inside that need my attention.

Friday, October 2, 2009
I woke to clear blue skies and lots of sunshine, but it was still 30 degrees outside at 10 AM this morning. NWS is still predicting more snow for the weekend and chances through next week. The highs are predicted to be in the low 40s, with lows in the 20s and 30s.
After my usual morning, I changed and went out to clean the generator shed so I can rewire it for the return of the generator.
Okay, as usual, I got distracted and never did go out to work. I got a message from Face Book and got involved in reading all of Kathy’s (legendsofamerica.com) updates on her latest trip, and then ended up answering a bunch of messages that I never check on Face Book. By the time I got done with all of that, played with Zack, fed him and Zoey, did all the dishes and built a fire, it was 6:30, so I just decided to relax and watch some television.
At one point in the afternoon, Zack alerted to something or someone outside and was serious about it. He barked and pawed at the sliding door to get out and when I looked, I could see nothing. I opened the door and he bolted out, running full speed towards the creek. That was when I saw a very scared bull moose take off running in the opposite direction. I called Zack and at first it appeared that he was going to ignore me and catch the moose, but then he stopped and returned to me.
I didn’t think he would challenge a moose, but I guess I was wrong about that. He goes after deer and elk because they run from him, but he seemed very intent on bagging a moose. I couldn’t get mad at him, but I want the wild life, at least the non-threatening ones, to come around and his barking keeps that from happening. I haven’t seen a single deer come into the yard this summer. Some of it may be because of the cattle grazing in the area, but it is also Zack’s urine odor and barking.

Saturday, October 3, 2009
It is overcast and cold this morning; with the early morning low of 19.3 degrees. By two O’clock, it was 46.9 degrees in the sun and snowing. I’ve never experienced snow at this temperature, but my weather station and eyes aren’t lying. I have had light snow flurries all day long, and now at 6:15 PM, it is 34 degrees and starting to snow again.
I needed to wash all my bedding due to having a smelly dog share his odor with my comforters. I washed the sheets and both comforters, plus my regular wash of clothes and towels. I needed to start and run the generator to keep the water pump running, along with the dryer and other electrical items. Zack and I played several times and then I gave him a bath so he won’t dirty the clean linens. This, along with working on the computer, has taken all day. I am now drying the last comforter that I use like a bedspread, and will shower and eat some dinner before relaxing in front of the television for the evening.

Sunday, October 4, 2009
It has been blowing snow all night long, and it is a corn snow, small dry crystals; it has covered the deck and ground, but isn’t sticking to the trees or even the roof, and the wind blows huge billows of it all around the cabin.
While reading my emails and enjoying my coffee in front of a warm fire, the power went out. I went to start the generator and realized that I didn’t have any gasoline and the tank was minutes away from being empty. It then dawned on me that there was gas left in the large tank for the big generator, which I still haven’t gotten back from the shop, so I siphoned it into a 5-gallon gas can and filled the small generator. Now I will have the taste of gas on my lips all day long. Yuck!
I didn’t think the chipmunks would be out on a day like today (blowing snow and 29 degrees), so I didn’t put out their usual fed of peanuts and sunflower seeds. By 10:30, two of them came to my window and sat there waiting for me to come feed them. Once I put out the morning feast, they called their families to come get the goodies.
Yesterday, one of the chipmunks got into the freshly filled bird feeder and kicked out all of the seed just he could get the sunflower seeds that is part of the mix. I have four or five different birds showing up today and finishing off what is left, so I guess I’ll need to refill it just for them. There is plenty on the deck and ground, but it is currently covered with snow.
I will spend the remainder of the day on the computer and puttering around the cabin, so I’ll prepare and send this weeks updates now.

Week of 9-21 to 9-27-09

2009-09-28T12:38:00.000-06:00

Monday, September 21, 2009
After my usual morning, Zack and I went to town to have blood drawn for my regular panel, and to run a couple of errands. We stopped at the motor home to collect the food items and clean out the refrigerator. We then took it all home and put it away.
I spent the remainder of the day trying to reestablish my satellite internet connection. I have no idea why it is so difficult to get it to recognize and connect to the system after having just moved the modem.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I have a doctor appointment with the doctor that did my endoscopy, regarding my air swallowing, so I had my morning coffee and a light breakfast, got ready for town, played with Zack and then we left.
I drove straight to the doctor’s office and had a brief wait before being weighed and shown into a room. Dr. Lee, a young man of Chinese decent, came in and greeted me. I had only seen him briefly before my procedure, so we hadn’t really done much talking. I explained my concerns and in a nutshell, he told me I was obese and bordering on grossly obese. He has what I would consider poor bedside manners and poopooed any of my suggestions or opinions. He told me my BMI was 33 and that a BMI of 40 was grossly obese. He told me if I lost 60 pounds I probably wouldn’t have any of my current problems or complaints.
I admit that I put on some pounds this pass winter when I was traveling, and that I haven’t had the energy to burn calories (he said it was because I was obese), so agreed that I could stand to lose a few pounds. He told me to make an appointment to see him in a month and he would judge my progress . . . yea, like that’s going to happen. I can figure out how to weigh myself and determine my health and condition without him.
I stopped at Safeway and had a prescription refilled, got gas in the Jeep ($2.69 a gallon), and then headed for home. I have another appointment with my allergist tomorrow, so must go back to town again on Wednesday.
Home again, I worked on getting the computer online and then gave up for the night and watched television while having some dinner (a salad, if you are curious).

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I spent the morning working on the computer and FINALLY got it to connect. I had almost 150 emails waiting for me and of course plenty of stuff to investigate and read. My appointment is for 2 PM, so I mustn’t dilly-dally.
We drove to town, bumping into Guy and Mary cutting firewood on the road to Peggy’s. A quick visit so I wouldn’t be late and then we were on our way again.
I had my appointment and it was agreed that unless I had problems or new symptoms, I didn’t need to see him again. We drove home, arriving at 4 PM, and I played with Zack, which is our usual routine, and then started wading through all of the emails. I stopped at 8 PM and had some dinner before showering and watching some television before bedtime.

Thursday, September 24, 2009
I settled in with my coffee and began the task of going through all my emails, which more were delivered since yesterday, and answer those that required a response. It took me until 4:30 to finish, and after a third play period with Zack, I decided to “zone out” in front of the TV with a drink.
Happy to have my internet access back, I could put it to the side and just relax. I showered, ate dinner, watched some television and then went to bed.

Friday, September 25, 2009
After coffee and watching the news on television, I planned on changing into my work clothes and cutting some more firewood, but was distracted. I needed to do several loads of wash and has trouble keeping the batteries charged up to finish. I had to run the generator until the batteries were charged enough to withstand the surge of the water pump coming on. I ended up charging, running the washer, having the generator stop charging, letting it rest and cool down, discharging the batteries, starting the generator, waiting for the batteries to charge and then finishing it all.
Michele had told me that she had to start the generator everyday to keep the power on and they didn’t watch any television or use anything but lights. This isn’t usual, so I investigated several possibilities, but found no reason for it. I disconnected the wind generator to see if that would make a difference and it didn’t seem too. I charged the batteries to the float level (28.6 Volts) and let the generator run for an hour longer.
By 10:30, the power went off and I had to start the generator. I will check the wiring again and make sure I don’t have something hooked up wrong, but for now, I’ll just finish watching my program, shut the generator off and go to bed.

Saturday, September 26, 2009
I awoke a couple of time in the early morning hours, smelling smoke, but it was faint, so I went back to sleep. I got up at my usual time and had my coffee while reading new emails and doing a little research.
Around 10 AM, I got an email from Dan, the Marysville Volunteer fire chief, who works as an emergency dispatcher in Helena, asking for individuals that hadn’t responded to the Mac Fire to let him know if we were available to stand by and help if the Marysville department was called. I emailed back, let him know I was available, and would stand by.
The battery in my fire department pager had died while I was on vacation and I didn’t think to check it until I heard from Dan. I put the radio on the charger and a new battery in the pager and emailed Dan to see what information he had. As several of you know, there was a fire that broke out on MacDonald Pass, about 9 miles from me, as the crow flies, and some of our fire fighters responded last night. Officially, Marysville wasn’t requested, but Dan thought the fire may move towards Marysville and wanted to know who was available and make a plan of action if it did.
I continued to stay in contact with Dan through emails and by 4 PM he informed me that the fire hadn’t grown from the 200 acres and was moving towards Helena, not Marysville. What a relief. I have had a plan of action for a possible fire since moving here, so made sure I had all my important papers and supplies ready if I needed to evacuate. Luckily I didn’t, but I am always mindful and ready for such an event.
A couple of bow hunters stopped by and asked if they could park their truck on my property, near the creek crossing, and I told them it was okay. We visited for a while and then they left. They are brothers from the Helena area and had already seen, and tracked a couple of cow elk on the mountain, but the wind gave their scent away and the cows took off. I hear game on the mountain side all of the time, but have no idea what it is without climbing the mountain and looking for clues.
Zack and I played some more and then I did some reading before stopping for the day. I’ll shower and fix myself some dinner before relaxing for the remainder of the evening.

Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sometime in the early morning hours, the wind died down and it is calm this morning. The apparent danger of a local fire (MacDonald Pass, Hwy 12) has passed and I am much relieved. The fire was less than 9 miles away, as the crow flies, and has burned over 300 acres, as of this morning. Its cause is still under investigation and while they have a good handle on it, it is not yet under control. Another fire broke out near this one and not much information is available, except that they are moving towards Helena and away from me. Note: for up-to-date fire information around the US, go to http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/.
I spent the morning giving and getting information about the fire and then did some research before planning on working outside for this afternoon. National Weather is predicting rain for Tuesday and snow showers for the remainder of the week. I still have a few items that need my attention before I am ready for winter, but none of them are vital to surviving the winter.
Zack and I played for a while and then a quick check of my emails before shutting down the modem showed another email from Mary in Marysville, reminding me of fire training today at 4 PM. I can’t get much done between now and then, so will try to handle a few chores before driving to Marysville and partake in the training. I haven’t been to a fire training in over a year, and am not qualified to do anything but drive the pumper truck, and would like to keep it that way as I don’t wish to fight fires if I don’t have to.
Well, I went to fire training and within the first 15 minutes Dan got a call for EMT assistance from Canyon Creek. He asked if anyone wanted to ride with him and Mary and I volunteered. We headed out, Code 3, to the address and I filled out a response form. A 67-year-old woman was dizzy and incoherent, according to her husband. She had been in a car accident a week ago and he felt that her condition was a result of that. Dan spoke to the woman, getting information, and started to take her blood pressure when the ambulance showed up. At that point, we let them assume responsibility. We assisted them in getting her onto the gurney and into the ambulance so they could transport her to the hospital. I finished the report and we headed back to the station.
The rest of the department had drained the tank of a new truck that Canyon Creek donated to us, and were filling the portable tank, which is a large canvass square on a folding pipe frame, to draft and fill the tank of both trucks. We all assisted and then put all of the equipment away, departing around 6:30.
Zack and I got home and played for a while, I fixed his, Zoey’s dinner, then my own, watching some television, and relaxing the remainder of the evening.

2009-09-25T17:37:00.000-06:00

Note: When I last left off, it was Sunday and I wanted to send the update before the day was done. I now take up with the end of that day.

Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday afternoon - Bruce and Rita pulled into the driveway as I was finishing the removal of bugs from eight different states, and I stopped to greet them. Bruce was looking tired, but in high spirits and we went into the house and visited while having a beer. He was tired enough to go to bed, so I finished washing the RV and then Rita and I had a pizza and visited until 9:30. She too was tired from the ordeal and I needed to feed Zack and then shower before retiring, so excused myself and went to the motor home for the night.
Monday morning - Shortly after rising, I fixed my coffee, let both Zack and Zoey out, and then went into the house. Bruce had been up since 7:00 and Rita got up shortly after. They were having coffee, so I sat in the living room and joined them. Rita had dug out some recent photos to share and Bruce explained as I went through them. Before we could finish, the visiting nurse and a social worker showed up to check on Bruce. They examined him and then talked about medications, dos, and don’ts for the week. Both were very pleasant and helpful to Bruce and Rita, leaving after about 45 minutes with instructions for them to call if they needed anything.
Bruce is really tired from all of the procedures and his stay in the hospital, so he naps for a couple of hours in the afternoon and then is ready for bed by 8:00. We did a lot of visiting, discussing our times in the Air Force and people we both remembered, along with other discussions about childhood and memories of the past. Rita and I visited after Bruce went to bed and then I excused myself and went out to shower and make the bed with clean linens. I did two loads of wash while Bruce was napping and Rita ran some errands, so needed to get the clean clothes put away before I went to bed.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
I awoke to heavy rain this morning, but it didn’t last too long and is still warm. I fixed my coffee, checked my emails, and then went in to visit with Bruce while Rita went shopping for groceries.
When Rita returned, we all had some lunch and then I played with Zack before we too went shopping while Bruce napped and Rita put things away. I managed to spend over a hundred dollars buying a relatively small amount of groceries. The prices are higher by 20 to 30 cents or more for the same item back home, but then I expected that, without competition unless you drive 30 miles to a larger town.
We returned, put the groceries away, and then played for a while. I visited with Bruce and he felt like he needed to get up and move around, so we took a walk. He has a path cleared to the back of his property, wide enough for his truck to collect the firewood he has cut. The property is a thick forest of many varieties of trees, more deciduous than evergreen. Some of them are starting to change, so the feeling of fall is in the air, even though it is still in the high 70s and low 80s. Their property is long and narrow, so it goes back more than two or more football fields and is about as wide as one. There is 7 ½ acres and the clearing and house were already there when they bought it. Bruce had the house raised and a full basement dug for a new foundation. They have also completely replaced the exterior and fully insulated the house. New insulated windows had just been put in and were awaiting trim and paint. Bruce and his sons have done most of the work and he likes to keep busy, hoping to finish the house while he still can.
We didn’t make it to the very back of the property as Bruce became tired and needed to go back and get on his oxygen. As I understand it, the fluid wasn’t in his lungs, but chest cavity surrounding the lungs, collapsing them, and making it difficult for him to breathe. The doctors made a hole in the side of his chest, drained the fluid, put in some powder that was to help the lung adhere to the chest wall, and then sent him home. The hole is still healing and that is part the soreness and pain he is dealing with.
While Bruce napped, Rita and I had a chance to talk and get to know each other a lot better. She is a wonderful person and I doubt if she has a mean bone in her body. We have many of the same beliefs and discussed everything from current events to religion, and things inbetween.
After dinner, we watched slides that Bruce had taken while he was in the service, along with some of family and their wedding. Rita had to find a slide projector for the show and called many people and places. They are like antiques now and hard to find. When they are located, usually the bulb is burned out and replacements are almost nonexistent. She found one that usually isn’t given out on loan, but she told them of the circumstances and they let her borrow it. We didn’t have a screen, but a white wall would suffice. As an old teacher, I had working knowledge of slide projectors, so was put in charge of operating it. Before we could get started, the nurse that had been out the day before showed up with a projector and screen, plus the high school returned Rita’s call and had one she could use. We were now projector “poor” and had a screen. These were the carousel type and we now had an extra tray to load so we didn’t have to wait between trays.
It was a good thing we had two projectors because while the nurse had checked to make sure the bulb was good, she didn’t check to see if the projector actually worked, and it didn’t. It wouldn’t feed or turn the carousel, so each slide would have had to be put in and removed one at a time.
We watched the slide show and it brought back a lot of memories for the both of us. He had a couple of slides of us in our class A uniforms that made is feel really old. I really enjoyed seeing the wedding slides as I didn’t know Rita before they were married and the photos of Bruce’s mom and brothers and sisters triggered my memories of being in the house and treated like I was a family member.
After viewing all the slides, it was 10 O’clock and Bruce needed to sleep, so I excused myself and went out to shower and watch a DVD in the motor home, going to bed before midnight.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I had decided that it was time for me to head home, having had an excellent visit. I had planned on taking several days and take back roads home, but Bruce being in the hospital didn’t give us the time I had planned, and stayed a bit longer than I thought I would.
We visited more and then had lunch. The nurse mentioned that it would probably be better to have many small meals during the day, rather than the three usual meals. Bruce’s appetite has been off, so he doesn’t eat much at any meal. But today, he was eating more and feeling better. He lost about 40 pounds during this episode.
While he laid down for a nap, I played with Zack and then got the motor home ready for the road. I had to catch Zoey as she was really enjoying the freedom of roaming around outside and chasing squirrels and wild turkeys. She came out of the woods when I called her, but instinctively knew not to come all of the way to me, so went under a trailer and meowed at me. I coaxed her close with a turkey feather and then grabbed her. She didn’t complain as this is a little game she plays when she wants to control the situation. I put her in the motor home and then went to see if Bruce was awake yet.
He was napping in his chair and still asleep, but Rita woke him so we could say our goodbyes. Once he was fully awake, we went outside where Rita took some photos of us together with my new camera. I took a couple of photos of them and then we said goodbye, probably for the last time. It was all I could do to keep the floodgates closed, as I knew it would just make him feel bad.
During many of our visits we had discussed the prognosis and he has accepted the inevitable. He and Rita had thoroughly discussed the options, and other than being constantly sick from more chemo, which would only give him possibly another 10 to 12 months, he opted for being active and having a normal quality of life for the few months he has left. They had second and third opinions, but none of the doctors could promise any more than one to six months.
I admire Bruce’s strength and resolve as he is at peace with the decision and they have made all the necessary plans for the end. He doesn’t complain and gets no pity, which is the way he wants it. It’s harder on those of us that will continue on.
By two O’clock, we were on the road and I had charted a path that would take me to Superior/Duluth and across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana on US 2. Although there isn’t a lot of side trips or sight seeing, I had never been that far north and wanted to see what the land is like. After filling the tank near Bruce and Rita’s in Arkdale, I drove Hwy 21 to I-94 and went north. The terrain changed to more hills and rolling fields of corn and potatoes, and as an additional bonus, the trees are starting to show their fall colors. I hope to see more before I get into the flat plains of Dakota and eastern Montana.
We made it through Superior and Duluth, stopping along a railroad track to spend the night. I had driven 271 miles and it was now 7:30 PM. We had stopped to play at two different roadside rests and I played with Zack one last time before fixing my dinner and watching a tape. I rummaged through all the DVDs and VCR tapes that I had with me and found one of my mother’s and my trip back east during the summer of 2001. It was a tape made from the C size tapes I used in my Sony camcorder, so the entire trip wasn’t there. It ended with Fourth of July at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and The Badlands. It brought back a lot of fond memories and I have promised myself to find and convert all of the tapes I have to DVD so I can enjoy and share them.
I went to bed around 10:30 and was only awakened three times by passing trains.

Thursday, September 17, 2009
I didn’t get up until 9:30, so had my coffee and a donut, wrote the above log and then studied the map to see how far I would get today. We didn’t depart until almost 11:30 and I will drive until dusk and then stop of the night.
We drove through Minnesota and the terrain changed from forests lining both sides of the road, to rolling farmland of crops. I caught a glimpse of lakes, but for the most part trees growing so thick that you couldn’t see beyond obscured them. I won’t see a change in the scene until I enter the northwest part of Montana where the mountains reach for the sky.
We drove into North Dakota, stopping in Rugby, ND, which also happens to be the geographical center of the North America, where we found an RV park for the night. We had driven for 8 ½ hours, covering 395 miles. I tried to get the dish to lock onto the satellite, but there were too many trees, so I’ll have to try again tomorrow at a different location. I was able to dump my holding tanks, which were approaching full, and fill my fresh water tank.
I listened to a book on tape while driving, and looked at the passing farms and small towns along the way. We stopped at a couple of roadside rests to play and for me to get a soda and use the bathroom, but otherwise drove the entire time. I am next to a gas station and will fill up in the morning, check out the monument for the center of North America, and then continue west across the plains and into Montana. I am keeping my cruise control set at 60 and 65, depending on traffic and the speed limit, but have hit quite a bit of roadwork that causes me to slow and or even stop for construction work.
I had some dinner, showered and then went to bed earlier than normal for me.

Friday, September 18, 2009
In the morning, I readied the motor home for travel and had some playtime with Zack before driving to the monument depicting the center of North America.
After taking some photos, I had a hearty breakfast at the café on the same corner as the monument, and then played with Zack one more time before driving west.
As we left North Dakota and entered the eastern plains of Montana, the terrain seemed to become more rolling, but still remained crops and farmland for as far as the eye could see. Driving the smaller, less traveled highways is less stressful than the Interstates, but heading due west causes a problem as the setting sun is directly in my eyes. The strain of trying to keep the sun from blinding you and still watching the on coming traffic takes a toll. I finally had to find a place to spend the night.
I found a pull off for a historical information sign that had a ton of space and was empty, so set up for the night. I showered and fix myself some dinner before retiring for the night.

Editors note: neither web site on the center of North America is correct on the monument location. It is currently in the parking lot of the Cornerstone Café, which is on the southeast corner of the intersection of US 2 and SD Hwy 3, and only flies the Canadian and American flag.

Saturday, September 19, 2009
After making my coffee and taking Zack out for potty and a short play period, we got on the road again. We were just east of Havre, MT, so were soon driving through town at a slow pace. Havre is a small town that has history and is known for its underground city. It is supposedly like the underground of Butte, which I wrote about a couple of years ago, but I have yet to tour it. It is also an Amtrak station for the train running east and west in the northern climes of the U.S., which is the closest passenger train station to Helena. I am amazed that Helena has a busy train terminal, but there isn’t a single passenger train servicing it.
We were soon out of Havre, driving south on Hwy 87 to Great Falls. We stopped at a roadside viewing area, read the posts, and took a few pictures before heading on. The country starts to change as we approach Great Falls and as soon as we drove through town and headed south on I-15, we left the rolling plains and were in the mountains. I drove straight to the Lincoln RV Park to store the motor home and unload the contents into the Jeep to take us home.
Zoey was perfectly happy to stay under the couch and continue sleeping, so I had to drag her out and put her in the car. She rode all the way home in my lap while occasional looking out the window to watch the landscape pass by. Zack could tell we were home and was getting anxious to run free.
We arrived at the cabin around 1:00 PM and Michele was there so we visited before I unloaded the Jeep. Joe came at about 6 PM and we all had grilled hamburgers for dinner. I showered and then we visited until about 10:30 before I had to go to bed and get some sleep. Constant driving for three days tends to take a toll on my rest, so I needed some extra sleep.

Sunday, September 20, 2009
Nothing like a good nights sleep in one’s own bed, not that the motor home bed isn’t comfortable, it’s just not the same.
I had managed to load everything into the Jeep and bring it home, except the food items and contents of the refrigerator, so I had inadvertently forgot to bring my coffee cone and filters home. I improvised and used my espresso maker to brew a cup of coffee.
Joe, Michele and I visited, played with Zack and generally took it easy all day long. Joe grilled some chicken breasts and we made sandwiches for our dinner. After watching a couple of television shows, they had to pack and make the trip back to town so they could begin their workweek.
Zack, Zoey and I were home and alone in the peace and quiet of our paradise once again. After watching a couple of television shows that I had prerecorded, I headed for bed and another good nights sleep.

Week of Sept. 7 to Sept. 13

2009-09-13T12:41:00.000-06:00

Monday, September 7, 2009
I got up and made my coffee at about 9:30, joining the other guest outside on Kathy and Dave’s patio for rolls and coffee. Many had already left for their trip home, but there was Peter, Torri, and their girls, Kathy’s brother, John and his family, and her other sister, Kristi and her husband. We all helped clean up the area and put things away, and after John’s family and Kristi and her husband, Geno left, Peter and I helped Dave load the speed boat on the trailer and park it. Dave had given everyone rides on the lake and pulled the tube behind for the younger group to enjoy.
Peter and Torri needed to get home, which is only about two hours away in Lawrence, so we all went to a local Mexican restaurant and had a big late lunch. They left for home and we went back and finished the clean up, taking the kegs back and putting all of the tents and gazebos away. When all of it was finished, it was almost 6 PM and it was just Kathy, Dave, and myself. We enjoyed drinks on the deck and visited until about 10 PM before hitting the sack for the night.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I rose at 9 AM and took my coffee down to the house to have bacon and biscuits for breakfast. Dave needed to get back to Kansas City to take care of business, so he got ready while I prepared to leave. We all said our goodbyes and Dave left while I finished readying the RV for travel. I hooked up the Jeep, said my last goodbye to Kathy and then headed out Hwy. 65 to connect to US 50 east to St. Louis.
I was just a little more than 200 miles from St. Louis and wanted to take a more scenic route than the Interstate, so drove US 50 all of the way into St. Louis, crossing the Mississippi River and finding my way to a big casino on the Illinois side to spend the night. I plan on using the Jeep to cross back over and take the ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch tomorrow, and then I’ll head north, following the Mississippi River all of the way up to Wisconsin and turn off to my friends town.
I hope to get my laundry done here at the casino RV Park and have dinner in the Casino tonight, then a good nights sleep. I tried to get the dish to lock onto the satellite again, but didn’t have any luck, so may have to wait and send my updates and posts later.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I spent the night at the Casino Queen, which is actually in East St. Louis and the most run down, bad part of town, but the casino has 24 hour security that drive the RV Park and parking lots about every 15 minutes.
I can see the arch from my motor home, it being on the bank of the Mississippi directly across from my location. I will stop at the casino hotel and pick up some of the sight seeing brochures that are always available, and plan my day. Because I don’t want to spend another $32.50 to stay an additional night, I readied the motor home for travel, drove my Jeep to the truck/RV parking area for the casino and then parked the RV there. It has been hot enough to have the air conditioner on, so I started the generator and left it going for Zack and Zoey, knowing I would be gone most of the day.
I drove to the hotel and picked up several brochures, one of the things to do at the arch and a map of St. Louis, and then drove to the closest parking to the arch, which is $5.00 a day, and walked the quarter mile to the arch. It is a very impressive structure and standing at the base looking up, all one can do is wonder how in the world did they construct it.
The entire site, Jefferson Expansion Park, also called Gateway Arch Riverfront, is a National Park and there isn’t any admission to enter the underground facilities, so you can visit the Museum of Westward Expansion, Museum Store and Levee Mercantile, which is a replica of an 1880 shop, for free, but if you wish to see the Imax movie about Lewis and Clark’s expedition, the documentary movie of the construction of the arch, or take the tram to the top, you have to pay. With my Golden Age pass, I was given a discount, but still paid $15.00 to do all three.
The movies and tram all have specific times and I opted to see the movies before taking the tram to the top. I watched the excellent Imax movie, which recreates the journey of the expedition, and then the film about the construction of the arch, which fascinated me. In the early 60s, there was a competition for a monument design, and the arch was chosen. They started construction in 1963, putting together triangular sections of stainless steel for both of the legs, filling the space between the outer and inner walls with concrete to help stabilize the structure. When they were too high for scaffolds and ladders, they attached a self-lifting crane that moved up the sections as needed.
Precise measurements had to be taken every step of the way to assure both legs would come together at the top. A mistake of only 1/16 of an inch would have caused serious problems. In 1965 the two legs met and due to the weight and angle of the legs, they had to be hydraulically jacked four feet apart for the last section to fit. Not one person was lost in the two years of construction, even though the insurance actuarial estimated 13 people would die during construction.
The tram that takes visitors to the top is another engineering marvel. There are eight small round capsules that seat five people each and rotate as they ascend to the top. They are gimbaled and as the degree of arch increases, there are trips that adjust the car so it is never at an angle. The ride to the top is 4 ½ minutes, while the descent is only 3 minutes. I was fortunate to only have two others in the car with me, and with the small windows in the door allowing you to see outside of the car, I avoided becoming claustrophobic. The tram is not wheelchair accessible and I wouldn’t advise a true claustrophobic attempting the ride.
After several photos out the very small windows at the top, I took tram back down to the underground facility. Why they couldn’t have put in larger windows, I don’t know, but there are plenty to look out for the 30 or 35 people that were there. Back on solid ground, I spent almost an hour and a half going through the museum, and then having seen and been everyway one can, I left.
The many freeways around and through St. Louis are confusing and difficult to maneuver without a good map. Having a good navigator to read the map and direct me would have been helpful too (Zack hasn’t mastered that yet). On my return to the RV, I discovered a bridge that goes directly from the riverfront to the casino, but no signs letting you know where to get on. Viewing the area from the top of the arch gave me a better view of the area than anything else. I arrived back at the RV by 5 PM, and after playing with Zack and feeding him and Zoey, I studied the map and planned my departure. I wanted to follow as close as possible to the bank of the Mississippi, heading north until I was in Wisconsin. I found the “scenic route” and it appeared I needed to head west, away from the river, out of town where I could catch Highway 79 north. It seemed like I was half way back to Kansas City before I found the turn off and got out of the traffic. Of course I left at the worse possible time, having all the going home traffic to contend with.
I drove the narrow two-lane road finally getting a view of the mighty Mississip and stopped for the night just outside of Louisiana, the town, not the state. Since leaving Kathy and Dave’s, I have driven through several towns named after states, including California. The spot we stayed the night is just a pull-off next to a granary, that had loud blowers going all night, and a railroad crossing, that was also active. Closing all of the vents and windows, I managed to sleep fairly well.

Thursday, September 10, 2009
It is almost impossible to hear my phone ring while driving, as the noise of the road drowns it out. I noticed that I had a voice mail, so I retrieved it and it was Rita letting me know that I didn’t need to rush as Bruce was in the hospital. My heart sank as I waited for bad news, but it turned out that he was hospitalized due to excessive fluid on the lungs and the doctor had to insert a tube to drain it. He was well enough to talk to me and joke around, so I know he is in good spirits. He should be back home this weekend, so I will continue heading that way, but won’t try to get there by Friday evening as I had originally planned.
I continued driving, following as close to the river as I could, but being disappointed that I could only catch a glimpse for short periods of travel and then the highway would veer off into the farm land. The landscape and topography changed little through Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa or across the river in Illinois, and then became rolling hills with shale out cropping further north in Iowa and into Wisconsin. The crops are mostly corn, with some maze and another that I am not sure what it was.
I stayed on Highway 79 until it suddenly disappeared at Hannibal without notice. North of Hannibal, the road changed to 61, a new four lane divided highway. I wanted to stay on 61 as it was the closest to the river, but I found myself on Iowa 218/27 by accident. I managed to find a cross over highway that headed due east and back to Hwy 61, and I stayed on it until dark and Dubuque, crossing the Mississippi River into Wisconsin on US 151 and finding a rest stop to spend the night.

Friday, September 11, 2009
I used the morning to shave, shower, and have a proper breakfast, and then after playing with Zack, we headed north on Hwy 151.
I turned off on Hwy 23 and headed north into the countryside, enjoying no traffic and good roads while viewing America’s farmland. The crops of corn and sorghum (the crop I couldn’t identify before) started giving way to dairies and cows grazing in the pastures with picturesque farmhouses and barns.
For those of you that like to follow along on a map, I continued north on Hwy 33 and then Hwy 12, crossing over I-90/94, driving through The Wisconsin Dells, which is like a Six Flags amusement park on steroids, and then caught Hwy 13 until the turn off for Arkdale, where Bruce and Rita live. My GPS kept wanting me to go further north, away from Arkdale, and for a time, I was ignoring it, trying to find 11th Ave. on my own. I finally gave up and called Rita for directions. She was still in Marshfield at the hospital where Bruce is. It turns out that the GPS was correct and their home if actually 6 miles north of Arkdale, but because their town is unincorporated, their address is Arkdale.
Rita told me that Bruce hasn’t had his procedure, as his lungs aren’t as clear as the doctor want, so he may not be coming home until Sunday or possibly Monday. She told me where to park and hook up electric and water, and I told her not to worry about me, I’d be fine.
I parked and hooked up after leveling the RV and extending the slide outs. Rita called again to make sure I was okay and give me some choices for the next couple of days. I told her I’d just wait here until Bruce came home and that I had everything I needed in my motor home.
Zack and I walked the property and played for a while, and then he decided it would be fun to chase squirrels, so I cleaned inside the motor home while he got his exercise. He finally gave up, came in for dinner, and is now napping on my bed. I will fix myself dinner and watch my DVD until I am sleepy
I am still fighting with my satellite dish, unable to lock onto the satellite for a signal. I am not sure what I am doing wrong, if anything, but will continue to work on it until I have a connection and can send my updates and post my blog.

Saturday, September 12, 2009
I awoke earlier than usual, having gone to bed around 10 PM last night, tired from the days travel. I started working on getting the dish to lock onto the satellite, and after 4+ hours, got it to lock on and give me service.
Today is my daughter, Darcy’s birthday and she can no longer be trusted, as she is over 30, turning 31 today. I tried to call her a couple of times without any answer. I haven’t had a chance to send her a card or gift yet, but wanted her to know I hadn’t forgotten.
Other than play with Zack and let Zoey out to explore, I have spent the entire day working on the computer reading 136 emails and updating my blog. It is now almost 1 AM and I have sent off last weeks update and posted it on my blog site, with photos. I will attempt to send this past weeks log tomorrow, but for now, I need to get some sleep. I am just really happy to have my connection to the world restored, having been in the dark for an entire week.

Sunday, September 13, 2009
I was finally able to contact Darcy at 1:00 AM, my time, and we talked for an hour. I finally went to bed at 2 AM. Even going to bed so late, I was up at 9 AM when my internal clock went off. I got up and made my coffee, enjoying the quiet surroundings.
Rita thought Bruce would be released today and they would come home, but I probably won’t hear from her until after the doctor has seen Bruce and makes a decision. I plan on washing the motor home and doing some additional cleaning inside while waiting for Bruce and Rita to return.
Because I want to get this past weeks update sent, I will add the photos and send it now, writing what takes place this afternoon in a later update.

Week of Aug. 31 to Sept. 6

2009-09-12T23:19:00.000-06:00

Monday, August 31, 2009
It is already in the mid 80s by 9:00, and I am up and getting ready to hit the road. I cleaned all the windows on the outside, checked the tire pressure in all tires, hooked up the Jeep to the tow bar, emptied the holding tanks, filled the fresh water tank, loaded the quad back onto the roof of the Jeep, dumped the trash, and was on my way by 11:15 AM.
I had a 60-cents a gallon discount on gas at Safeway, so decided to fill the RV and Jeep before departing Helena. I stopped for my mail before getting to Safeway, and then pulled in so I could fill both the RV and the Jeep at the same time. I guess because I was doing both at the same time, it gave me the 60-cents discount on both pumps. I was really glad because the RV only took 13-gallons and the Jeep the same. The discounted price is only up to 30 gallons, so it worked out well.
Without needing anything else, we hit the road, heading east on Highway 12, to connect with Interstate 90 East. I had studied the maps and there really aren’t many side roads headed in that direction, at least none that I hadn’t already taken on previous trips. I decided to head east on I-90 and then south on I-25 into Wyoming. I stopped in Buffalo, WY to fill the tank with gas, and then drove south about 40 miles until I found an ideal spot on a side road to pull off and spend the night.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The drive down to I-90 was easy and unremarkable, and I enjoyed a book on tape as I traveled. Zack and Zoey have become seasoned travelers and Zack sleeps on the couch, while Zoey sleeps behind and under it. She feels safe and that has become her home-away-from-home.
We traveled 412 miles before stopping for the night. I found a side road off I-25 just south of Buffalo, Wyoming, that had a large area allowing me to turn the motor home around and was far enough from the freeway noise to be comfortable. I fixed Zack’s dinner, but he refused to eat. Zoey ate heartily and was even scarfing down the dry food I bought for her. We left there close to 11 O’clock, after playing until Zack was worn out, and continued south.
After fighting a bit of wind coming from my right side, my neck and shoulders were complaining, but we drove 321 miles before stopping. After almost 7 hours of driving, I was ready for a rest and Zack was ready to play again. We had stopped at two different rest stops and played, but he thinks we should stop every 10 miles play.
The side road off the freeway had a wide spot that looked like others had turned around and I thought I’d be able to also, so I pulled as far off the road as I could and put the jacks down to level the motor home. Zack and I played and then I fed him and Zoey. Zack refused to eat once again, so I ended up throwing that out also. Traveling has his system changed enough to throw off his routine, plus he isn’t getting the amount of exercise as if he were at home, so evidently doesn’t have an appetite.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Studying the maps, and seeing my progress, I decided to stay on the interstates and drive directly to Missouri, rather than side roads, which are always more interesting.
I prepared to depart at about 9:30, raising the jacks and making sure all was in order to hit to road. The alarm bell, indicating that the leveling jacks aren’t all up continued to ding long after it should have shut off. I got out to inspect them and found the right rear jack still firmly on the ground. This is the same jack I had completely replaced last December while I was at the dealers in Portland, so thought maybe it wasn’t installed correctly or that the mount was binding, causing the jack to fail.
I got on one knee and kicked the jack, hoping it would free it, but it was not to be. I got out my shovel and tried to pry it loose with the same result. I knew I had the manuals for the jacks, showing how to relieve the pressure by loosening a bolt, so went inside to read the information. I climbed into the driver’s seat to shut the engine off and thought if I tried lowering the jacks again and then release them; it might allow that jack to free itself. I reached down and discovered I had released the front jacks, but not the rear jacks. DUH. I released it, the jack came up, and the warning bell stopped dinging.
I sized up the turn and slowly started but before I was totally committed, could see that I wasn’t going to make it, so quickly straightened out and drove down the road, looking for a spot to turn around. I came to a cross road that appeared to be wide enough for my turn around, so attempted it. I almost made it, the key word being almost. I ended up having to unhook the Jeep, back it away, back up the motor home and then reattach the Jeep before we were on our way.
I continued south to Denver, taking a toll road that allowed me to bypass the downtown area and connected to I-70 East. The toll road was confusing as I kept seeing signs that said it was “cashless” and would read the license plate. As I approached the Denver International Airport, I read a large sign indicated the toll cost for the number of axels and I was prepared to pay the $12.50 for the privilege of bypassing the city, but I didn’t want to get off at the airport and continued on, never seeing a toll booth or passing any type of station that might “read” my license plate. I guess the toll is just for those using the road to get to the airport.
I connected with I-70 and continued on my way. The landscape along my entire route has remained the same, rolling hills and fields of various corn, maze, sunflowers and other crops. Really nothing to see at all, so more books on tapes, and I am glad they were tapes and not CDs because the roads were awful and would have caused the CD to skip. Setting the speed control at my usual 65 mph, I sat back and enjoyed the stories as I rolled along.
Although we had stopped twice to play, Zack was acting like he needed to stop for a potty break and it was almost 7 PM. We had traveled 446 miles, so I looked for a good side road to pull off on. I spotted a boarded up gas station just off the freeway, with a large paved parking area, so I got off and pulled in. I parked next to the deserted building and set up to spend the night.
After letting Zack out to pee, I discovered that he really just wanted to play, so we did and then came in for the night. There was a nice warm breeze and I opened up the windows to enjoy the cool night air. It is humid here and I have been using the air conditioner the entire way to avoid the sticky air.
After dinner and watching some of my DVD episodes of Jericho, I retired for the night.

Thursday, September 3, 2009
We were on the road again by 10 O’clock, and the weather was the same as the previous days. We traveled to Abilene, Kansas, where we stopped to visit President Eisenhower’s library and boyhood home. I found a suitable place to park and left the generator and air conditioner running for Zack and Zoey. Zack and I played so he would nap while I took the time to walk the grounds and see the entire place.
There is a visitor’s center, which shows a 20-minute film about Eisenhower from boyhood to president and after, plus the mandatory gift shop. I watched the film and then walked to the Place of Meditation, where both Dwight and Mimi are entombed. It is a small chapel with the interior being all marble and having pews for about three-dozen people. Next was his boyhood home, which has been maintained in its original state with all the original furniture. The house sits exactly where it has been since it was built in 1887. His father and mother both lived there until their death, and the entire memorial is on the original 2-½ acres that is the homestead. Although Dwight was born in Texas, his father moved the family back to Kansas when he was young. He is one of seven boys (they lost one at 10 months, so often only report 6 boys) that comprised the Eisenhower family, and they all lived in a two story five-room house, with the boys sharing two upstairs rooms. An indoor bathroom and kitchen were added to the rear of the house in later years.
Next stop was the Library, if you can call it that. I thought that Presidential Libraries housed all of the papers, letters, etc. that the President accumulated over the course of their service, but this library, as large as it was, only had a few letters and a speech and only covered the space program and men landing on the moon, which occurred AFTER his two terms as President. Disappointed, I left and was going to take in the Eisenhower Museum, but they wanted $7.50 to go in, so I opted not to see it (yes, I am cheap when it comes to these things).
We left, driving through Topeka to Lawrence, Kansas, where I took State Route 10 southeast, bypassing Kansas City, and connecting to US 71 South. I was now in Missouri, although the landscape hadn’t changed, the amount of traffic did. I drove to Peculiar, which is a city, not a state of my being, found the Good Sam RV Park, and pulled in. I didn’t realize that I had crossed a time zone and instead of 6 PM, it was 7 PM. The office was closed and a sign told me to choose a spot and pay in the morning.
The park advertises, “Every site has a view,” but fail to say that it is a view of the freeway, complete with stereophonic sound of the non-stop traffic. You hear the semi trucks coming from the left, and then going to the right and visa versa, all night long.
I hooked up the water and electricity, and then had a play period with Zack before taking a nice hot shower and relaxing for the remainder of the night.

Friday, September 4, 2009
I awoke to heavy rain falling on the roof and a gloomy overcast sky. Between the rains lull, I walked to the office and paid the $25.00 fee for one night. Due to America’s financial state, they only take cash, so I was lucky I had gotten cash before leaving Helena, as I normally don’t carry any.
Back at the motor home, I had breakfast, updated this log and prepared to leave. The drive to Kathy and Dave’s place outside of Warsaw is about an hour from Peculiar, so I should be there by a little past noon.
After playtime with Zack, we headed south to Warsaw to Kathy and Dave’s place. It rained the entire trip and the four-lane highway soon gave way to a two-lane shoulderless road, but traffic was light, so travel was good. I stopped in Warsaw to fill with gas ($2.29 regular), and then following Dave’s map and written directions, heading to their place. The map was a Google map and hard to read but I had been warned not to trust my GPS as it would take me to a town further south.
After driving out of town and onto the correct highway, I drove a ways before I realized I must have gone too far. I called Dave to get directions and he met me at a bar near the highway. I followed him to the house and was glad I had called as the roads aren’t marked, or are different than the map I had, so I would have been lost for sure.
Dave and Kathy’s house is right on the lake and more of a cottage than a house. They have done a lot of remodeling and it is very nice. They plan to move the business (Legends of America) to this location from the present Kansas City location, and now that Dave is leaving Google they will work together from the lake house to build the business.
Kathy’s relatives began showing up and I met her older sister, a younger brother, sister, and spouses. It seems that land and houses around this area are dirt-cheap and many bank owned, so Kathy’s brother and sister-in-law bought a lake house a block away, and her father bought one just up the hill. Her dad only paid $16,000.00 for a two bedroom, one bath, with attached garage. Kathy had paid $10 k for her house and two adjoining lots, so they are correct that houses and land are cheap here.
We drove up the hill for a BBQ at her dad’s house and I got to meet them and some other relatives. All of the family is easy going and fun people to be with. We stayed until about 8:30 and Kathy almost fell asleep in her chair and badly needed to go to bed. Upon returning, I excused myself and went to the motor home to let Zack out and then watch another episode of my program before going to bed.
I am parked directly across the street from their house on a neighbor’s empty lot. I have electricity and a view of all that is going on. Tomorrow will be a busy day preparing for the party in the afternoon. They have a band and a local restaurant is catering food. They are now expecting about 80 people, so the entire neighborhood is involved and participating.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
It rained off and on most of the night but had stopped when I got up, only to start again. The hope is that it will clear by noon, but if not, the band is going to play inside a neighbor’s large two-car garage and a tarp will be put up over the food area. Dave and his brother-in-law went and bought straw to spread over the muddy ground and help keep it from getting too messy. I certainly hope the weather cooperates as they have done a lot of planning and spent a lot of money for this party.
Relatives and friends started to show up most of the morning and I was introduced to about 30 of them in the course of a couple of hours. Both Dave and Kathy had grown children from previous marriages, plus Kathy’s sisters, brother, and her father and his second wife were there. Trying to remember everyone’s name was a hopeless task, so I was grateful that Kathy’s daughter, Torri, printed names on nametag stickers and applied them to all the people there.
A few were pitching tents next to the lake, while others were staying in neighbor’s spare rooms or the cabin Dave and Kathy had on the property. Some slept in the house, on the couch, in the office on a futon or the floor. One of Kathy’s sisters and her husband had a trailer, but other than that and my motor home, we were the only ones with all the conveniences of home.
I had purchased a tank of helium and a large foil birthday balloon, plus a dozen black 10” balloons, so I filled those and took them to Kathy. I also filled some small balloons and used a permanent marker to write “Kathy’s Party” and then put them at each corner so finding the house would hopefully be easier. I gave Kathy a black ribbon that said, “Over the Hill” and her sister pinned it to her red cowboy hat, which looked great.
By the time it reached 3 PM, most of the relatives and friends had arrived and settled in, so the keg was tapped and the party began. The local restaurant brought and set up a buffet of pulled pork; roast beef, beans, coleslaw, and dinner rolls and everyone helped themselves.
All of Kathy’s friends are party animals and even her dad (76) was getting into the mood. He was the auctioneer and everyone was asked to bring something to be auctioned to help pay for the band, which cost $400.00. It didn’t need to be new, but just something you’d sell at a garage sale. Everyone brought something, including me, and the number of items caused the auction to go past the 7 PM starting time for the band. They brought in just over $900.00 and paid for the band, kegs, and the food. That whole concept is a wonderful idea for reunions and block parties, so keep it in mind for your next event.
Due to the possibility of rain, the band set up in the garage of a neighbor across the street and blockades were put up to keep traffic out. In was truly “dancing in the street” and with the full moon poking through the clouds, it was a great night to party. I took copious pictures with my new camera and watched all the partygoers make the event a great one. The entire neighborhood was invited, so there was about 80 or more people there and they all were having fun and being respectful of the others.
I finally called it quits at 10:30 and went back to the motor home. The band quit at 11 PM, but the dancing and party went on until the early morning hours. I was awoke several times by loud voices and music, but survived the night.

Sunday, September 6, 2009
I awoke at about 8:30 and dragged myself from bed to have a hot cup of coffee. The weather had passed, so it was overcast, but no rain or sprinkles. It had rained off and on yesterday and the straw Dave spread over the muddy areas helped immensely.
One of Kathy’s best friends from high school, Carol, had made a large tray of sausage, cheese, and potatoes for a breakfast, so that, cinnamon rolls and coffee gave everyone breakfast. As the late night partiers got up, the day began full of visiting and catching up on news. I enjoyed all of the new people and closeness of Kathy’s family and friends. I was really glad I had made the trip and now have several new friends and even invited a few to come up and visit me, which they said they would.
Kathy’s daughter, Torri (32) and her husband, Peter (32), along with their daughters aged 5 and 7, promised they would come next summer and Peter wants to pick my brain and help me around the cabin, so I welcomed them. Kathy’s older sister, Deb, and her husband, Jimmy, which live in Texas, also said they’d love to see Montana and when they both retire, hopefully next year, they want to come up and see my place. Kathy’s good friend, Carol and her husband almost made it to Montana this past summer, but had to return to Kansas due to their dog getting hit by a car back home. She spent a lot of time in Cook City, Montana, which isn’t too far from me, and wanted to show her husband the area, so they are invited up also.
We had plenty of leftovers from last night to feed everyone and for dinner, another friend brought steaks directly from a cattle feedlot and we barbequed them for dinner. There was never a shortage of food and beverages for everyone there.
We all sat around an open gas fire pit on the deck and visited until late into the evening. Crazy Kathy never went to bed Saturday night, but had taken a short nap Sunday afternoon, so soon excused herself to hit the pillow. By 10:30, most of us wandered off to bed, some saying goodbye as they planned on leaving early the next morning.

Week of August 17 to August 23, 2009

2009-09-05T10:03:00.000-06:00

Monday, August 24, 2009
The sky is clear, but it is cooler this morning than yesterday. NWS is predicting a 20% chance of thundershowers, but I doubt that will happen.
I spent the morning and part of the afternoon updating my log and loading my photos onto the computer. I then hiked to the dozer, which was about a mile up the road, and “walked” it home. I went very slowly because I don’t trust the tracks and didn’t want to hike back to get the truck and tools. I worked two spots along the way, dragging them as smooth as I could and then worked on the creek crossing a little bit before parking it back in the garage, probably for the duration of the winter.
I played with Zack and fed him and Zoey, showered, and then sat down relax and watch television until I am ready for dinner.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Clear skies with temperatures in the 70s before the sun even touches the weather station. A slight breeze is keeping it from feeling too hot and it should be a good day to work outside.
I cleaned my firewood storage area and straighten it out for more firewood, which I hope to cut before leaving on my trip to Lake of the Ozarks. I cleaned the woodstove, inside and out, and readied it for the next fire. I vacuumed the entire cabin and arranged the living room furniture so nothing is too close to the gas stove, and did three loads of wash.
Between playing with Zack and cleaning the day slipped away quickly and I soon stopped to feed him and Zoey, and then showered and fixed my dinner.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
It is warm and still this morning with the weather station indicating that it is 93.7 in the sunshine. I have an appointment in town and will run some errands and pick up my mail, as I was finally sent a tracking number for the camera and discovered it was delivered a couple of days ago. I forgot to get my mail when I was in town on Friday for my allergist appointment and it was probably already there.
Zack and I went to town, stopping to see if Mary and Guy needed anything, but they weren’t home. We stopped at Cowboy Harry’s to see if he needed anything, but he didn’t, so off we went. I called Greg to see if he wanted to do lunch, but he was in Bozeman with a client, so lunch with him was out.
I stopped at the transfer station and dumped a bag of trash, then picked up my mail and the new camera. I went to the Dollar store to pick up a few items and then to my chiropractor appointment. Afterwards, I went to Safeway to get refills on my prescriptions for the trip and fill up the truck with gas. It was 87 degrees, according to the bank thermometer, and because I wanted to lock the truck due to the camera, I turned on the air conditioner and used the spare ignition key to leave the engine running while I ran in to the store. When I came out, I discovered that I only had the ignition key on my key ring, not the door key. I had forgotten the truck uses a different key for the door than the ignition, so I had to call my road service to have someone open the door for me. It took almost an hour and by the time they got there and opened the door, the engine was overheated, but the air conditioning kept the cab nice and cool for Zack. I need to train him to push the “unlock” button so I don’t have to wait next time.
After a stop at Wal-Mart and Home Depot, we headed home, arriving at 7 PM. I unloaded the truck and played with Zack before feeding him and Zoey. I scrubbed the shower down before taking my shower and then sat down to relax for the remainder of the evening.

Thursday, August 27, 2009
It is clear, warm and still this morning, indicating the possibility of a hot day. When the sun finally hit the weather station, it only registered 83 degrees, which surprised me as it felt hotter than that.
By noon, I am outside and at work using the push power mower to cut the grass closest to the cabin and shed, which I couldn’t get to with the trail mower. Once that was done, I cut the top off a 55-gallon steel drum that I picked up in town yesterday, for a new burn barrel. I positioned it where I had the old barrel and then changed the oil in the small generator, making sure it was in top condition for Joe and Michele’s stay.
I moved the truck into the garage, the Jeep out to the cabin for packing, and then serviced the chain saws in preparation for cutting down some trees. I decided to cut all four of the now dead trees, which form a cluster on the west side of the cabin. Because they are grouped together, they are more of a blight when I look to the west, than most of the other dead trees. Eventually, I will cut all of the dead trees that ring my property thus moving their fire danger a little further from the cabin.
I carried the 18” chain saw out to the trees and sized up which direction to fall the first one. I make my V-cut and then the back cut and the tree slowly started to move in the exact spot I have chosen. When it hits the ground, the trunk flies up a good 8 feet and I am glad I have shut off the chain saw and moved away from it. The large branches cause it to actually bounce and then roll over, landing a good 10 feet further to the west. You can never tell for sure what will happen when falling trees and need to be ever vigilant.
I am exhausted after holding the large chain saw sideways to make the necessary cuts, and put the saw down to take a drink of water. Before I can get the bottle to my lips, I start dry heaving. It isn’t that hot and I am thinking about why I am so spent after just that one activity. I am sweating profusely so I doubt it is heat exhaustion, but that’s what it seems like. I go into the cabin and run cold water over my head, neck and face, and then lay on the floor until I feel that I have regained my strength.
Thinking that I may be suffering from low blood sugar, I have a candy bar and soda to see if it will help and it does. I went back to work and bucked the tree, which means remove all the limbs. I sectioned it into manageable sections to be pulled to the cabin with the Argo, and then repeated the procedure with the next two trees. I take many small breaks so I don’t over do it and seem to be fine, so I cut the next tree down. I take a longer break and drink Gator Aid and a bottle of water, play with Zack, service the small chain saw and then finish bucking the last tree. As I am cutting it into sections, the tree pinches the saw and locks the blade in its vise-like grip. I used the big saw to free it and then decide that it is too late to do much else, so I put both chain saws away and go in.
One last play time for Zack and then I fed him and Zoey, took a well deserved shower, and then sat down to rest before fixing myself dinner and then relaxing the remainder of the night.

Friday, August 28, 2009
I slept through the entire night without moving and didn’t get up until 11:15, which shows me how tired I must have been from yesterday’s work.
It is cool this morning with a light breeze and some thin clouds occasionally hiding the sun. It should allow me to finish getting the trees to the cabin and cut up so Joe and Michele can split and stack the wood for me while I am gone.
I managed to drag all four trees, in sections, to the cabin using the Argo and then began cutting them into 18” sections for Joe and Michele to split and stack. It took me until 9 PM to finish, but I was able to cut all of them and put my equipment away.
Needless to say, I was exhausted, but it felt good to have the work done. I fed Zack and Zoey and was preparing for my shower when Michele arrived. She doesn’t work on Saturday’s, so will be coming up Friday evenings and spending the night while Joe will drive up on Saturday afternoon and then they will both leave on Sunday evening.
After my shower, Michele and I visited and watched a program on television. I was too tired to fix myself dinner, but managed to heat up a small frozen individual pizza and eat it. We both retired at 11 PM and I fell fast asleep without any problem.

Saturday, August 29, 2009
I wanted to clean out the Jeep before packing the items I want to take, and also to finish putting the second door back on the propane shed, so got up at 8:30 to get started.
I had a quick cup of coffee and then started working on the shed door. My circular saw battery went dead and I grabbed the second one, only to find out it too was dead. While both batteries charged, I cleaned out the Jeep and pack it with the items I had gathered for my trip, and by the time I finished, both batteries were charged. I worked on the door but found that I was going to have to make adjustments and additional cuts for the new hinges before it would allow the doors to open and close properly, so just made some cuts so they fit together and will finish it when I return.
I changed out of my work clothes and gathered up Zoey so we could leave, when Joe pulled up. It was now 5:15, so I said my goodbyes and drove to the RV. I readied it for the road and after chasing all the cows away, backed out of the spot and connected the Jeep to the tow bar. The damn cows had rubbed and licked the sides of the motor home, making it look really dirty.
We drove straight to the Lincoln RV Park and found that they were full! I managed to get an electric only spot for tonight, with a full hook up site tomorrow.
I spent the remainder of the night cleaning the refrigerator of the mold it developed, in preparation of loading it with food tomorrow. I drove to the corner convenience store and got some ice and a sandwich for my dinner, returning to eat it before showing at the bathhouse and going to bed.

Sunday, August 30, 2009
It is sunny and warm with the promise of temperatures in the high 80s today. I had a cup of coffee and made a list of items to buy for the trip. I didn’t bring anything in the way of food from the cabin, knowing I could buy the few items I wanted for the trip.
I moved the motor home to the full hook up site, which was right across from the dog play area, so Zack and I played, while Zoey watched from the front window of the motor home, and then Zack and I drove into town to do the shopping.
I stopped at K-Mart to buy a DVD player that they had on sale for $35.00. I didn’t bring the satellite DVR, so without a converter box to change the analog to digital signal, I would have no television. I did bring the set of DVDs for the first and second season of television series Jericho, so I have 21 hours of entertainment if I get bored with reading, books on tape, and computer stuff. I also bought a couple of pairs of new jeans as they too were on sale.
Next stop was the car wash to get the caked on mud off the Jeep. The mud had gotten into the brakes and the grit was making noise, which I am sure is not doing the brakes or disc any good. It came out looking no worse for the wear and shinning like it was happy. We then went to Safeway and did our shopping and then back to the RV to unload and put it all away.
After more playtime for Zack and hooking up some hanging toys for Zoey to play with, I vacuumed the entire motor home and spot cleaned the carpet, which was almost all of the carpeted area. I cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, and was in the process of cleaning the windows on the inside when Joe and Michele drove up. It was 6:30 and then had just come down from the cabin and dropped off one of the vehicles at Michele’s house and were on their way to get dinner when they thought they would see if I was still here.
We visited briefly and they said they had split and stacked a cord of wood, plus moved some of the brush and limbs to a pile that I’ll burn this winter. They left me to finish my cleaning, which I did, and then I showered and ate dinner before watching an episode of Jericho on the newly hooked up DVD player. I had also hooked up my satellite internet, but after an hour of searching the sky, the dish wasn’t able to lock onto the satellite, so I quit trying and will work on it while I travel.