INFORMATION FOR NEW READERS OF THIS BLOG

INFORMATION FOR NEW READERS OF THIS BLOG

Because others are now reading my online blog, I thought it would be appropriate to give the new readers some background.

A lot of information can be read on my page at My Space, which is www.myspace.com/montanaalbert

After retiring from a career in teaching, and working as a Detective in Sexual & Elder Abuse for the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, I traveled full time in my RV.

While traveling, I always looked for possible places that I would enjoy settling down to spend my later years.

I found my spot during the spring of 2005, while traveling through Montana. It is an 1863-patented mining claim in the middle of the Helena National Forest. It is more isolated than most people would appreciate, but it is perfect for me. I am surrounded by almost a million acres of forest, with my closest neighbors being about five miles away, in the ghost town of Marysville.

I have always been one of those people that prefer to be alone and I am happy keeping myself occupied. Living alone always gives me the last word, and I win all of my arguments. I do have companions that keep me from feeling alone and fill my daily life with joy. Zoey, my calico cat was the first friend to keep me company, and then came Zack, a German Short Hair Pointer. He is one smart dog and we spend all our time together. Both of my friends travel well and go on trips with me in the motor home.

Zack travels with me all of the time, whether it is just a trip to the Continental Divide for a cell phone signal, or a trip to town, meaning Helena, or some other place. He likes to travel and see new places, being perfectly happy to stay in the car when he can’t accompany me.

My property had a modern seasonal log sided cabin built in 2002, and I have adapted it for full-time living. Every morning when I get up, I say to myself, “Another day in paradise,” because it is. The wild life that visits me on a regular basis includes deer, mule and white tail, elk, moose, an occasional black bear, and I have seen a wolf and the signs and sounds of a mountain lion. None of the more dangerous animals bother me and Zack always warns me when one is on the property.

The deer and moose frequent the mineral salt licks I have in my yard, and even play with Zoey once and a while. I have several families of Least chipmunks that entertain me, playing in the firewood pile just outside my window. I hide peanuts and sunflower seeds for them to find.

Most retired people want to move away from cold winters and the snow, but I sought out this environment. If one prepares themselves for cold snowy winters, it isn’t difficult, and I love to watch the snow fall and feel the changing of the seasons. I use an Argo for my winter transportation to and from town. It is an 8-wheel drive amphibious vehicle with snow tracks.

My place is so peaceful that the only man-made sounds you hear are those you make yourself, with an occasional airplane flying high overhead. Sitting on my deck, the songbirds and the breeze rushing through the trees is all you hear. Because of my altitude, I don’t have frogs or crickets, and no snakes or other reptiles. Another nice thing is that I don’t have fleas or pesky weeds like foxtails or burrs, to remove from Zoey or Zack.

I do worry a little bit about Zoey when she goes out hunting, as I do have Red Tail Hawks, Golden and Bald Eagles looking for a meal, but she is a wily cat and dashes from place to place, never staying in the open areas for very long.

My property is a Placer mining claim, and a creek runs through it that is fed year around by a spring. There are trout in the creek, but they aren’t very large, so I don’t fish for them. There is also gold in the creek, but the amount of work verses the amount of gold dust doesn’t make it profitable for me at this time.

Many of my friends ask me what I do with all my time during the long winter nights, but the days and nights aren’t long enough for me to do all of the things I enjoy. I write, mostly my daily log, but also books. I do artwork, mostly pencil, pen & ink, and water color work. I read or listen to books on tape, while sitting by a cozy fire watching the snowflakes slowly drift to the earth. I have satellite television and Internet, so surfing the net or becoming absorbed in a television program or movie is always available to me.


Living off the grid, meaning I produce my own electricity and pump my own water, can be challenging, but also very rewarding. If I have a power outage, I don’t wait for the power company to fix it, I do it myself. I also have no utility bills to deal with. Living my lifestyle may seem stressful to some, but challenging myself to overcome problems tells me I am alive and not just living.

And now that you have some background information on me, let me say that I love my lifestyle and many of my friends are jealous of me. I hope that those of you that love your lifestyle can enjoy it as much as I do mine.

Now, I invite you to keep up with my daily log and allow yourself to live vicariously through me.

Mountain Man

Sunday, June 28, 2009 -
The weather is a bit calmer this morning but before I could enjoy having the sliding doors open, the wind built to around 7 mph, gusting to 10, so I closed all but one door so Zack and Zoey could come and go without me having to get up and let them in and out. Zack likes to go out and lay on the front porch, soaking up the sunshine, and then comes in and goes to my bed for a short nap. He repeats this several times, so having the door open keeps me from jumping up all the time.
For those that may be new to reading my blog, I have one of the screens on my sliding door that allows you to pass through without having to open and close it. The flap has magnets that allow it to close and stay shut until someone passes through it. It makes it nice for the animals, but I do worry about them bringing in a mouse or gopher, or the chipmunks that seem to find their way through the crack and come visit me.
I have spent the early afternoon doing research, paying bills, and picking up the cabin in preparation for a good cleaning. My friends, Joe and Michele are going to come up for 4th of July weekend and spend it with me. They are bringing all the food for a nice steak BBQ, along with snacks and chip & dip for our usual board game time. We usually play Yahtzee and Monopoly, and some times other games that I keep for when I have company. So, I’ll be doing some cleaning to bring the cabin up to my standard for guests, as well as mowing the front forty and working on the road.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon researching cameras and cleaning the cabin. I managed to pick up the sunroom and kitchen, and then scrub the kitchen clean. It is now 9 O’clock and I have gone too long without food, so dinner is my focus at the moment. After dinner, I shall shower and then relax in front of the television until bedtime.

Monday, June 29, 2009 -
Although my barometer is indicating rain with a falling pressure, it is 76.8 degrees in the sunshine. There are only a few small wispy clouds in the sky and the sun is shining brightly. Last night, or I should say this mornings, low temperature was 31.6 at 5 AM, and the high yesterday was 84.3 at 4:44 PM. The wind reached a maximum of 25 mph at around 3 PM, and didn’t quit blowing all day long. The air is still, as of 10 this morning, but if a storm is moving in it will get windy again.
I am still having trouble finding the correct settings for the inverter to correctly charge the new batteries. The AGM type batteries require different voltage and amperage inputs so they don’t charge too fast and become over heated. Even though I have been lowering those settings, the generator bogs down and the inverter registers that the speed is too low, so kicks it out of the equation. The float level on these batteries should be 26.8 volts, but I can’t charge them beyond 24.6, which means that they are undercharged and only last a couple of days before having to recharge them again.
I have done research and found the charging information for these batteries at the manufactures web site, so I will study them and see if there is something more I can do to achieve the proper settings.
I changed into my grubby work clothes and went out to mow the front 40. It took about an hour and half to mow all of it, which includes stopping to move objects that were in the way, and fill the gas tank twice. Surprising to me that what little energy all of that took, it tired me out. I played with Zack and then quit for the day. A shower helped rejuvenate me, and I played one last time with Zack before feeding him.
I crashed in my recliner with a drink and read the information about the batteries and inverter one more time. It was 10 PM before I fixed and ate my dinner, but it doesn’t get dark until almost 10 PM, so it is hard to keep track of time. I watched a movie on television and went to bed at midnight.

Friday, June 26, 2009 -
It is another clear, sunny, warm morning, with a light breeze. It was too cool to open up yet, but not cool enough that I feel like I need a fire.
I am not sure if it was the stress of dealing with Hughes to ensure my internet connection, or something else, but after having gone to bed earlier than I normal do, I slept until 10:20 this morning. At least I am well rested, but still had to focus to make my coffee and feed my chipmunk and wild bird friends.
I went online to retrieve my emails, as I was expecting an email from my friend Joe, as I had invited him to come spend the weekend at the cabin while Michele is in Washington for a couple of days. This was the first time I had signed on since the upgrade and needed to re-register my modem before I could get online. It took way too much time to re-register and it knocked me off twice before I could finish. At the end of the process, it asked me for a PIN and I used what I use to sign into the Hughes Net, but it wouldn’t accept it, so I had to drive to the Divide and call support to find out that my PIN was just my ending phone number. Now how was I supposed to know that? I finally got all of it done and was able to collect my mail and read some things on the internet, when all of a sudden; my modem went to “NOT REGISTERED.”
I had to go through the entire process of re-registering again, with the exception of having to drive to the Divide and call Hughes. It worked and I was able to get back online and finish going through all 47 emails and respond to the ones that needed it. By the time I finished, it was late afternoon, and although I had planned on mowing the front 40, I decided to wait until tomorrow, or the next day, as I just don’t have the drive to go out and work.
Doing research, without being slowed down by Hughes, and playing with Zack, I managed to get almost all of the things I wanted to do, done. It is now 8 O’clock, I have played and fed Zack, and Zoey, finished and posted yesterday’s update, and now finished this update for sending. I will have a nice shower and then broil a Cornish game hen for dinner, before putting my computer to sleep and relaxing for the remainder of the evening.

Thursday, June 25, 2009 -
Checking the high temperature for yesterday was a surprise, it registered 84.4 degrees, but of course with the breeze it didn’t feel anywhere near that warm. The low temperature of 28 degrees was for Tuesday morning, as I hadn’t cleared the weather station.
Today looks like another beautiful day in paradise, but the barometer is indicating a drop in the pressure, which indicates the possibility of a storm, and NWS is predicting one for today, so we shall see.
Hughes Net has done it again as they slowed me down early yesterday evening, saying I had gone over my limit. I will be making a quick trip into town today, so I’ll call them and see what excuses they offer me.
Zack and I made our trip to town, and the Jeep’s remote outside temperature probe was registering 90 degrees outside. It was confirmed by two bank temperature readings, so it was hot enough to turn on the air conditioner, especial for Zack, as he was now panting heavily. We ran our errands, filled the Jeep and four gas cans with gasoline and then headed back home. The Blue Angels were practicing overhead for this weekends air show, and they were even using their smoke trails, which was impressive against the dark thunderclouds to the south.
We got up to the Divide and I drove by to see if a range rider was on site, so I could introduce myself, but the camp was empty. I haven’t seen any cattle yet, but all the gates have been closed and Guy told me he had seen several trucks moving cattle up the mountain. I guess they are dropping off the herd that usually grazes the area near the ski mountain, which never make it to my area.
Before heading down the gulch from the Divide, I found a good strong cell phone signal and called Hughes. After jumping through all of their hoops, I discovered that the upgrade wasn’t made, but no one seemed to know why. I had to talk to tech services to have the FAP restriction removed and then talk to billing, as they can’t communicate with each other, to have the upgrade made. They requested that I not go online for a couple of hours, which would give tech services a chance to remove the restriction and then they could do whatever is necessary to make the upgrade. When it all works well, the world is in balance, when it doesn’t, things can spin out of control. I then headed for the cabin.
I need to remember to recheck my information and see which ranges are going to be left empty this summer, just so I’ll know. I believe American Gulch isn’t rested until next summer, so I expect cows in my area by August. I purchased the treated lumber to make my cattle guard, and stopped to measure the one at the border of the BLM and National Forest Service. I will make two up and install them in the road, one at both sides of the property lines, to keep the cattle from following the road onto my property. Cattle, like water and electricity, will take the path of least resistant to their destination, so they use the road.
If I have enough time, I will make and put up Jackleg fence to protect the property and keep the cattle out. If time is tight, I could always temporarily string some of the barbed wire to prevent them from getting to the cabin, but I’d prefer not to create double work of putting it up and then removing it later.
Zack and I played and then I fed him and Zoey, showered, cleaned my incision, which is a little infected, so I used hydrogen peroxide to clean it, and then re-bandaged it. Dinner was a nice thick steak with a green salad, some Texas toast, and a few prawns. Some relaxation and television for the evening and I went to bed at 11 O’clock.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 -
It is a bright sunny morning and the air is still. After taking care of my morning routine, I stepped into the sun room, set my coffee down and prepare to put out the treats for my chipmunk friends. I glance at the outside temperature, having already concluded that I don’t need a fire, and am surprised that with the weather station now in the sun, it is reading 74 degrees. I am delighted and hope to get some outside work done today.
I slept well enough; only waking when I would accidentally hit my wrapped wound, which only happened a couple of times during the night. The gauze wrap has loosened and is now in the crook of my arm, leaving the wound unprotected. I need to remember to tape one end to my arm so that won’t happen. I analyze the open wound and from experience, I know that it is too late to re-stitch it, so the course of action is to keep it clean and covered until it scabs over.
The doctor and I discussed, in some detail, what I could do to deal with a wound like this if I can’t get care. Because it is a fairly large opening, super glue shouldn’t be used as it might trap harmful bacteria inside and cause it to get infected. Using a butterfly Band-Aid and keeping it clean and covered was her preference. I said, “What? I can’t just use some thread and sew it up.” She looked at me as if I was . . . well, you know. I told her of other bad cuts I’ve had and just butterfly and nursed back to health, and she agreed that it would be the best thing to do. The only reason stitches are preferred is to keep the wound closed and not cause a large scar. At this point in my life, I don’t think one more scar on my arm is any big deal, so I’ll just nurse it along.
It doesn’t hurt at all, but I flinch every time I forget about it and quickly reach for something. I can feel the skin being pulled and separating a little more. The Band-Aid I used for the butterfly has a material base and stretches more than I like, but it is the best I have. It dawned on me that the doctor erred in her approach to making the incision the way she did. She cut across the grain of my arm, instead of with the grain. Think about it, if she had made the almond shape cut so that the ends were up and down my arm, instead of side to side, less stress would have been applied to the area, thereby allowing it to heal without stress. I am almost positive that it wouldn’t have pulled open if the incision had been a180 degrees from the way it is. It just makes sense to me, but then who am I, it is just my body she was cutting on.
I started to do some work outside, but was reminded of the injury every time I needed to reach or pick something up, so I stopped and spent most of the afternoon doing research on the computer and writing. I haven’t even cleaned the cabin or put things from the motor home away yet, but there is always tomorrow and I am pretty sure it will all be there when I get around to it. I managed to play with Zack, using the same throwing techniques I used when I had my elbow problems. I use a twist of my body and wrist action to send the disc flying almost as far as doing it the regular way. It doesn’t make me extend my arm and stretch the injured area.
Well, it is 5 O’clock and Hughes hasn’t slowed me down yet, so maybe the email that I was able to finally send yesterday got through to them and they’ve done something about it. I am going to play with Zack again and then feed him, hoping he will be content with three play periods today and let me rest in peace. I will then shower, fix my dinner, and relax in my easy chair for the remainder of my awake hours.

The pictures are of 1) the wildflowers on the Divide that caused me to pull my wound open, 2) My American Gulch as I was driving home yesterday 3 ) Evening Grosbeaks at feeder.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 -
Although it is a bit breezy this morning, the sky is completely clear for the first time in a week or more, the sun is brightly warming the ground, Zack went out to lay on the front porch to try and soak up that warmth.
NWS is predicting partly cloudy and then more thunderstorms moving in by Thursday and continuing through Friday morning. I was hoping for a couple of days of sun so the yard would be dry enough to mow. It is getting long in the tooth and needs a good cutting. Maybe the wind and sun together will dry it out enough that I can cut it tomorrow.
With all the dead trees in the forest now, we can use the rain and moisture to help keep the fire danger down. When it heats up later this summer, I expect we will see some large forest fires over the entire area of bark beetle kill.
As soon as I finish my coffee and have a light breakfast, and then Zack and I will head into town to my doctor appointments, and run a few errands.
By 6 PM, we arrived home and unloaded the items from town. The trip to town went according to plans, as I collected my mail, made my chiropractor appointment, went to Safeway for some grocery items, stopped at Murrdoch’s for more bird seed and couple of additional salt licks, and then stopped at my doctor’s office for a blood draw and to have the stitches removed.
We headed for home, but made one last stop to pull a prank on my friend Michele. She had been boasting about how her strawberry plants already had tons of little berries and she couldn’t wait for them to mature. I bought some strawberries at Safeway and planned to put them in her plant bed to make it appear they had magically grown to maturity over night.
Her daughter, Heather, was home, so I conspirer with her to do the deed. She told me that Michele wouldn’t be home until tomorrow night, so she’d put them in the refrigerator and position them tomorrow night before her mom got home. She said she had thought of doing the same thing with the tomato plants, and I told her she should.
We left and headed to Marysville. There is no more road control, at least until they need to chip and seal the pavement the second week in July. I decided to take the long way up to the Divide, as I was pretty sure the wild flowers would be impressive, and I was right. I reached into the backseat to retrieve my camera, and my incision opened up like a defective Ziploc sandwich bag. It didn’t hurt, and still doesn’t, but it feels weird and poured plasma, or what ever that non-blood fluid is, down my arm.
I drove home, cut a butterfly bandage, applied it to the opening, and wrapped it tightly with gauze. I still had to unload the car and then Zack expected my to throw him the disc, injury or not. I made the best of it and managed to throw the disc several times without pulling on my incision. When he was satisfied enough to stop, I fed him and he went to take a nap.
I have been watching the deer at the salt licks and keeping Zack from going outside to investigate them. Zoey is now outside watching the deer. They are cautious and keep their distance, but return to the lick to enjoy the salt and minerals.
It is now after 8 O’clock and I need to shower, keeping my incision dry, and then have some dinner before relaxing in front of the television.

Saturday, June 27, 2009 -
The weather this morning is a lot like yesterdays, except . . . by 11 AM, the wind built to 20 mph with higher gusts and kept on blowing.
Using the UPS tracking web site, I discovered an order I had placed had been delivered, so I’ll run to town and pick it up. The Air Show is also in town, so I’ll get a chance to watch the Blue Angels do their routine.
After my morning coffee and some brunch, Zack and I played and then drove into town to pick up my order and watch the air show. It is being held at the airport, which is at the exit I take to pick up my mail. I also need to pick up some more water filters for my system. I noticed that the water smelled dusty and that is usually because the filters can’t filter out all the slit. I always filter my drinking, coffee, and ice cube water through my Brita water filter, so I have clear clean water, but brushing my teeth and showering, the water has just gone through the ultra violet filter, killing 99.99% all bacteria, after having passed through the silt and carbon filters.
It is a beautiful, clear, warm day in town and as I approached my exit, I could see some activity over the airport and noticed the large amount of traffic. I had checked online to see what the schedule of events were, and the Blue Angels were scheduled to perform at 2 and 4 PM, and it was now 1:30, so I had time to pick up my mail, the filters, and still get to the airport to watch the show.
I was going to pay the $5.00 parking fee, which supports the event, with entrance to the show being free, but there were no signs pointing to the location. There is the old air terminal, where the college has an aeronautics program and the reserves have some aircraft, and then there is the public terminal for commercial aircraft, and at the far end is the UPS cargo and Forest Service aircraft. After I crossed the freeway, I noticed a large number of cars parked on the grass near the airport authority facility, so followed the crowd and pulled in.
It turns out that it was just people that found a good place to watch the show from and nothing to do with the organized show at all. When I found out where the actual show was, and saw the stop and go traffic, I decided to stay where I was and watch the show. As far as I know, there wasn’t much in the way of aircraft on the ground, so the big event was watching the Blue Angels, which I could do from almost anywhere in the area.
By 2 O’clock, nothing was happening, so I walked over and struck up a conversation with a man that was driving a bright orange 1967 Road Runner. As we visited, a F-115 and WW II spitfire started doing air maneuvers overhead. We watched and visited but the Blue Angels never got airborne. Not being in a location where we could hear an announcement, it is hard to say why the show didn’t take place at the scheduled time. I ran another quick errand before heading home and when I came out of the store, I noticed the Blue Angles performing. I drove back to the same spot and watched, taking a few pictures before my camera malfunctioned for the last time.
The routine of the Blue Angels seemed to be the same as when I watched them several years ago, so I was a little disappointed, but it was a good show. When they landed, all of the people tried to leave at once, and no one wanted to let cars into the line going out to the road. I had to force my way in and then because I wanted to turn left, while all the others were turning right, I drove on the shoulder and got out on the road. I was basically across the road from the U.S. Forestry Service office and I wanted to see if the new law enforcement person was on station yet. The last I knew was that it was a young woman that they were sending through the academy and she wouldn’t be out in the field until mid to late summer of this year.
As chance would have it, there was only one person in the office and it was the new officer. Her name is Jennifer Thomas and she is in her mid twenties. After introducing myself and explaining my reason for stopping by, we visited briefly and then I left. She is still doing her training and it will be late July or some time in August before she’ll be out and about in the forest.
Because I am planning on rerouting my road, I wanted to make sure I had befriended the only person that might give me problems, and now I know that they don’t have anyone to patrol the entire Helena National Forest, so don’t need to worry about being stopped in progress.
Zack and I drove home, unloaded the car, played, and then I fed him and opened my package. I had purchased a crossbow and it needed to be put together. I spent the evening doing that and then showered and had some dinner before watching a little television. I got tired long before my normal bedtime and retired at 10:15.

Monday, June 22, 2009 -
It rained, off and on, all night and this morning, clearing in the late afternoon. Since yesterday morning, I have received almost a half-inch of rain, according to my rain gauge. NWS is still predicting chances of thundershowers through tonight and at the end of the week.
I spent the entire morning reading my owners manual on the inverter, to find out why it was loading the generator down while I tried to recharge the batteries. None of the settings had been changed from before, and yet the generator would kick in and then after a few minutes, bog down and kick out. It would continue to do that no matter what things I had on or running. It has been five years since I set the inverter up, so I needed to go through the entire manual again and reset several things.
I turns out that the setting for the charger portion of the inverter, had the maximum charge amps AC at 30, which meant if anything, and I mean anything, else was using amps, it loaded the generator down. I reduced the amps to half of that, but even at 15 amps, it would drag the generator down. I finally got it to stay online and charge the batteries while set at 12 amps.
In my reading, I discovered that the AGM sealed type batteries require less amps and time to charge, due to the way they are constructed. So far, it has been charging the batteries without a problem and I can still run electrical items in the cabin. When I did my research on batteries, I thought that I had read that it could be charged faster and at a lower rate, meaning using less generator time, but I didn’t consider the amperage and how it would affect the system.
Anyway, It seems to be working fine and I have moved on to other things. I have mainly been doing additional research on the Fair Access Policies of other satellite providers and compiling information for my letter to the CEO.
Now it is time to go play with Zack for the fourth time this afternoon, and then feed him. The breaks in the rain have allowed us to have some quality playtime today. Right now the wind is blowing hard and it makes the flight of the disc interesting to say the least. Just when Zack thinks it is within his grasp, it goes up and away from him. He has managed to move quickly enough to still snag many of them, but a few have taken a detour into the creek.
I will be doing my usual evening things, i.e. shower, dinner, watch television, and then head for some sleep time. I have my chiropractor and doctor appointment tomorrow, so will be spending most of the day in town.

Sunday, June 21, 2009 - Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all you Fathers
Some clouds and cool enough to have a small fire this morning. I expect an afternoon thunderstorm, as predicted by NWS, as I have had one each afternoon or early evening this past week.
I spent the entire day writing and doing a small amount of research, as I didn’t want to be slowed to a snails crawl on the Internet. I’ll finish my letter to the Hughes CEO, with copies to others, tomorrow and mail it when I go to town on Tuesday. I still have research to do, but it appears as I expected, Hughes has over sold the ability to provide service with their current satellites and now we all pay for it. Several of the sites lamenting this problem, simply say to change service, but that isn’t possible for me, unless I hear from Dish Network about providing me with the service. It would be my only other provider besides Hughes.
I really hate that the government is in everyone’s business and now even going to produce cars, but I think someone needs to regulate the service providers for the Internet. They do it for satellite television, so why not the Internet too. There should be standards set and upheld for what service they provide, the speeds and bandwidths, and their contracts. After I read through the Hughes Terms Of Service agreement for the fourth time, there isn’t one single word or section that protects my rights as a paying using, but page after page protecting their rights and telling you what they will do to you if you don’t follow their rules and regulations, which they change at their whim and don’t even bother to notify you.
Enough of that for now, and I wish I could tell you about all of my wonderful accomplishments today, but as I said, I just wrote and did a little research, that’s it, nothing more.
It is now a little past 7 PM, and a peal of thunder has just rolled through and made the cabin vibrate. The sky has turned ominous and I expect rain to come down soon. I am ready to build another fire, take a shower, eat dinner and then veg out in front of the television.

Saturday, June 20, 2009 -
It rained off and on most of the night, and woke me early this morning as it increased. I have been enjoying the morning in front of a nice fire, watching the chipmunks play and get the hidden peanuts and sunflower seeds. Zack has been snoozing in front of the fire all morning, not even asking to go out and play.
An attempt on my life was made again last night, but I didn’t realize it until the early morning hours. It happens once or twice, sometimes even three times a year. The effects are always the same as the poison enters my system and flows through my body. My fight with this invisible foe has continued for several years and you might think that I would be ever vigilant, but after I recover from my near death experience, some time goes by and I forget to watch for the signs. I have vowed to be more careful in the future, and have gone through and thrown out all of the suspect items in my refrigerator.
I am, of course, talking about food poisoning. I have a tendency to keep things longer than I should, and if it isn’t discolored, or has the aroma of garbage, I eat it. I checked the expiration dates and both the salad dressing and the green salad olives said they were still good, yet I believe that they were the cause of my stomach violently telling me that something was wrong. At first, I thought it was the new medication I am on (Hydrochlorot 25 mg), as I almost passed out from dizziness when I got up to go to bed last night. I remembered reading that another possible side affect was nausea, so I chalked it up to the meds. When I carefully made my way to the bathroom at three O’clock in the morning, it dawned on me that it could be a mild case of food poisoning, and not the medication. I survived the night and have no ill affects this morning, but still, I have promised my self to be more diligent in my choices of food from the refrigerator.
Hughes has slowed my service down again this morning, saying I have exceeded their FAP. On Monday, I will be making some telephone calls and sending a letter to the CEO. I am spending some research time today to find out exactly who controls the Fair Access Policy of the internet, or is it just some excuse the satellite providers dreamed up to cram more user on less equipment. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about FAP. “Fair Access Policy or Fair Use Policy is a ISP-promoted term for a bandwidth cap. It may limit a user to a daily or monthly cap and once that cap is reached it may result in slowing, a complete cut-off, or overage fees.
Large uses of bandwidth, such as P2P and streaming video, and have led to increased bandwidth usage. In an effort to increase profit many ISPs instituted complicated bandwidth schemes limiting users from the bandwidths they were advertised.
Broadband has long been a market based on overselling. As video services have become widespread, users have started using the bandwidth they were sold, threatening and changing consumer ISP's business models.”
Based upon that information, I’d say Hughes is setting and changing the bandwidth cap to suit their needs. I have started my research, slow as it is, and will be compiling my information. I will then write my letters and complain to those that might have the power to do something about it.
Other than switching between being too warm with a fire after the sun came out, to being too cold without the fire after the sun disappeared, I have played with Zack, done some writing and a little research. I am not going to take a shower and have something to eat . . . other than leftovers.

Thursday, June 18, 2009 -
It is partly cloudy with the chance of a thundershower this morning, and after my morning coffee, I hope the weather will hold long enough to install the new batteries.
Just as I was changing into my work clothes to go outside, it poured rain and the wind started blowing at about 12 mph. I decided I would wait for the rain to pass before I would try to tackle the batteries. By two O’clock, the rain had stopped but the wind hadn’t. I put on a sweatshirt and went out to get the job done.
First, I needed to disconnect all of the old batteries and remove them from the battery box. My doctor told me that I shouldn’t be doing any thing that might pull the stitches, but I told her I would have to, but I’d be careful. I managed to slide each of the 135-pound batteries off the edge of the battery box, controlling their drop to the ground. Once they were all removed, I focused on removing the old foam insulation and putting in the new blue board insulation. Blue board, which can also be pink in color depending on where you purchase it, has almost three times the protection that regular foam or fiberglass insulation has. I want to make sure that these batteries are well protected from the cold during winter.
After replacing the insulation in the walls, I put down two layers of blue board on the floor. Not only for added protection, but also to raise the new lower profile batteries, up to my cable height. After removing the shrink-wrap from the pallet, I found that each battery was in its own box. The boxes had no bottoms, so I could just lift each one off the battery. To my shock, the batteries had automotive posts and not the L-shaped connectors with holes to bolt the cables on. I looked at so many sites and read so much information when I researched the batteries that I thought I had specifically ordered the L-posts, but I guess not. Now I had no way to connect the cables and hook them up.
I would have to make a quick run to town for adapters, but it was already 3:50 PM. I knew that if I couldn’t make the follow me truck departure time, I’d end up getting into town too late to get the necessary parts. The only place that I knew would carry them was Northwest Battery as they are the ones that made up all of the cables for me originally. I figured they closed at 5 PM, so I would probably have to buy a less desirable type connector at Wal-Mart and adapt it to work.
Zack and I jumped into the Jeep and roared down the mountain, hoping to catch the follow me truck at the quarter past departure time, but we missed it by five minutes. We now had to sit and wait for 25 minutes, which would put us in town after 5 PM. I decided that I would find something in town that would work, and because the days are so long up here, I’d have time to get home and finish the job. I also needed to mail a box to my sister, which I had taken to town with me yesterday, but forgot to mail it. Too much was happening and when I got home . . . there it was, in the back seat.
I decided not to stress about any of it and just go with the flow, so sat and listened to the radio while we waited for the follow me truck. At 4:45, the truck appeared and we followed it out Marysville Road to the Lincoln Highway. The road work appears to be finished as they are putting the last of the guardrails up today, but my conversation with the follow me truck driver, Alicia, yesterday told me that they still have to put down a coat of chip and then seal it, which will cause them to repaint the lines before it is finished. All of Marysville will be glad it is over with . . . for now. I say for now because they are planning on paving past Marysville and up to the ski run in the near future. I would bet that they won’t be able to find the money to complete the job and it will remain as it is, but we’ll see.
I went into Helena and knew that the Post Office would be closed, as it was 5:15, so headed to the UPS Store, knowing they are open until 6 PM. I mailed the package to my sister and then hurried over to the Northwest Battery shop to see if by chance they were still open. Well, my luck held out and because he had a customer in the shop, he hadn’t locked up. I managed to get the battery post connectors and was on my way. I stopped in at Burger King for a quick dinner, knowing that by the time I got home and finished the job, it would be late.
Out of necessity, I ate while driving back to Marysville. I hate to do that more than talk on the phone and drive, but felt that it was about the only choice I would have to eat. We got back to the Marysville Road at 6:15 and the work crew had quit for the day, so we didn’t have to wait for the follow me truck.
Once back at the cabin, I was able to finish installing the batteries. The new batteries are 165 pounds each, but I was able to back the truck up to the battery box and then just slide each one off the tailgate and onto the battery box. After connecting all of the cables, I carefully threw the circuit breaker and went inside to read the inverter panel. Bad news, I had 36.5-volts for my 24-volt inverter. I shut it down and got the inverter manual to see the different configurations for batteries. Having switched from eight 6-volt batteries, to four 12-volt batteries, got me confused and I had connected them incorrectly. I redid the cables according to the manual and flipped the breaker again. Inside, the panel indicated that the inverter was working, with 25.8-volts coming in from the batteries, and 120-volts going out. The only problem was that I still didn’t have electricity. I read the trouble shooting section of the manual and rechecked absolutely every cable and connector to make sure they were tight and correct, but still no power.
After reading the trouble shooting section several times, and then looking at the diagrams in the manual, it showed a fuse or circuit breaker in the system, but I didn’t remember any, other than the breaker I installed when I first put the system in. Upon closer inspection, I found an obvious 30-amp pop out circuit breaker on the end of the inverter. Once I had reset that breaker, I had power. These are just a few of challenges that must be faced if one wishes to live the lifestyle I do.
It was now 8 O’clock and I hadn’t fed Zack his dinner yet. I played with him one last time and then prepared his dinner. I started a fire, took a shower, and fixed myself a drink before sitting down to relax and enjoy the fruit of my labor.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 -
Aside from a few high wispy clouds, the sky is a clear deep blue and the sun is shining brightly. NWS is still predicting the possibility of thundershowers, but I hope it stays clear and helps dry out the road a little.
I won’t be working the road today, as I have my doctor’s appointment in town, and trips to town usually end up taking all day. I didn’t get a tracking number for the delivery of my new batteries, but I am hoping they are in town for me to pick up. If not, I’ll call and get an ETA on them. I will also be calling Hughes and upgrading my account so they don’t continuously slow me down.
Here I am, two days later, just now getting back to this. The trip to town was close, but I made it to my doctor’s appointment with five minutes to spare. They took me right in and after the preliminary weight, temperature, blood pressure and updating medications, the doctor came in and we discussed Cat Scratch Disease. I was pleased to see that she actually knew what it was and pulled up all the information from the database on her laptop computer. After examining my foot and talking about the wound, she examined my lymph glands and we agreed that unless there were other complications, all symptoms should pass in the next month or so.
She prepped my arm to remove the spot and then gave me an injection to numb the area. The new young assistant that had taken my history had commented that it would be cool to watch the procedure, so I told my doctor, Jennifer, and she invited her in to observe and assist.
Jennifer draped the area and began cutting an almond shaped area around the spot, to insure she got all of the possible cancerous cells. As she got to the outer edges, it wasn’t numb and I could feel her cutting. It didn’t hurt, as the scalpel was very sharp, so I told her to just go ahead and finish it, which she did. When she removed the piece, she placed it in a medium to be sent to the lab. Three stitches later and it was all finished.
We discussed my blood pressure, which was down from the last visit, but not where she thinks it should be, so she increased the water pill dosage, telling me that I needed to have another blood draw when I came back to have the stitches removed, which is in 7 days. I am feeling some of the side affects of the new medication, but nothing serious, so she wants to keep tabs on my potassium levels. The last thing on my visit was to update my tetanus shot. I hadn’t had one since 1999 and she wants to make sure I have the booster. I don’t remember tetanus shots hurting so much, but it was by far worse than having the spot cut out of my arm.
Zack and I left the doctor’s office, heading to pick up my mail, but first I stopped at Taco Bell to relieve the hunger from fasting for the blood draw. As I pulled in to the drive through, my phone rang. I answered and it was the delivery person with my new batteries. He was at the UPS Store, where I get all of my mail, wanting to know what to do with 660 pounds of batteries. I told him I would be there in a minute and he could simply load them into the back of the truck.
Talk about luck and timing, I had planned on driving the Jeep to town today, but at the last minute decided to switch and take the truck. And then to have him at my mail pick up at the same time I was going there was good luck. I got my food order and drove to the UPS Store. He was waiting with the pallet of batteries on the lift gate of his truck. I simply backed up to his truck and he lowered them into the truck bed. I signed for them and then picked up my mail and we headed to Safeway to get a few items and have my new prescription filled.
Once I was done at Safeway, I filled the gas cans and we stopped at Home Depot for a new 6’ long digging bar. This is the third one I’ve bought since living here. The other two had been taken from the back of my truck the two different times it was stuck in the snow. I could have used it to help with the repair of the dozer tracks, so wanted to buy another to have available for the next time I need it.
From there, we headed for home and I had visions of exchanging the new batteries for the old ones, and actually having power without having to run the generator. By the time we waited for the follow me truck and got home, it was after 7 PM, threatening rain and had become cold and windy. I was tired so after playing with and feeding Zack, I decided to leave the task until tomorrow. I showered, built a fire and had a light dinner, before sitting down to watch television.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 -
It is overcast again this morning and NWS is predicting thundershowers for the afternoon. The wind has picked up and was blowing at a steady 9 or 10 mph, but then calmed down after noon. The ground is very muddy, after yesterday’s rain, so roadwork is out of the question.
The dirt around my place consist mainly of clay, so when it is wet, the mud sticks to anything and everything, making grading almost impossible. When I have attempted to work in it, I had to stop the dozer every 50 feet to clear the mud that stuck to the box blade. I spent more time clearing the mud than working the road, so now I wait until the dirt isn’t so wet.
I have spent this morning reading my emails and researching chipmunks. I have been enjoying their antics in and around my woodpile, so wanted to find out a little more about them. According to all of the sites I investigated, there are 25 different species, and with the exception of one Asian species, all live in North America. I discovered that their average life span is 7 years, which is longer than I would have guessed. But National Geographic’s site states that in the wild, they only live 2 to 3 years. Wikipedia states that they are omnivores and even eat bird eggs, while another site states that they also eat fledglings and small frogs.
They have had many different names through out history, but we know them as chipmunks. They have been called: chitmunk, chipmonk, chipmuck and chipminck. They have also been known as chip squirrels, striped squirrels, chippers, munks, timber tigers (I really like that one), and ground squirrels. I found out that the Eastern chipmunk is larger than the Western chipmunk and lighter in color, while the Asian chipmunk is the smallest of the species. All of them hibernate in the winter, but rather than put on fat and survive by sleeping the entire time, they wake and eat some of the stored food every couple of weeks. The Eastern chipmunks have two litters of 4 to 5, spring and late summer, while the western chipmunk only has one litter in the spring.
Chipmunk nests, or tunnel system, can be as long as 30 feet, and have many chambers. The sleeping chamber is usually filled with leaves, grass and even feathers, to make it comfortable, while the other chambers are used to store food and their waste. One site suggested that some chipmunks use bird’s nests as a home, but I doubt that happens around here, as they couldn’t be protected from the winter weather.
Of the 20+ species that comprise the Western chipmunk, I have the Least chipmunk at my cabin, although I would be hard pressed to tell you the differences from all the other species. Evidently, chipmunks make good pets if they are hand raised, but I certainly don’t need one while I have multiple families of them entertaining me right outside my window.
On another note, I did research on Cat Scratch Disease (CSD), which is just one of the zoonosis diseases that can be passed from animals to humans (Dogs can also carry the CSD and pass it to humans). I had just read an article in one of the magazines I get from the AKC and my vet; about CSD and it all of sudden dawned on me that it may account for the non-healing sore on the top of my foot. While Zack and I played at the Salton Sea, he stepped on the top of my bare foot, scratching it rather badly, to the point of bleeding. His claws and pads are sharp and my skin is thin, so it left a wound that scabbed over, which as it healed, itched. This occurred some four months ago and now the area of the wound has lost its scab, but still doesn’t look like it is healed. It has begun itching so badly that it will awaken me in the middle of the night.
After connecting the information in the CSD article to my symptoms, I realized they matched, so did additional online research on the matter and discovered that while CSD isn’t considered common, it does occur and there doesn’t seem to be a cure. If I have contracted a case of CSD, then it should run its course in six months and leave no after affect. There are case studies of it causing additional medical problems, but the possibility is slim. I will share the information I downloaded with my doctor, at tomorrow’s appointment, and see if she is even aware of CSD.
The sun has broken through the clouds and in the clear spots I can see beautiful Cumulus clouds rising to 30 or 40 thousand feet. Zack is out on the deck enjoying the sunshine and dreaming about chasing something. His feet are moving and he is woofing under his breath. He seems to be enjoying the chase, and it may be a reenactment of him chasing Jackrabbits at Salton Sea.
I am going to conclude my research on Healing Through Humor, as I have ordered and had three books sent to my friend Bruce in Wisconsin. His prognosis is only months, if not less, and I remembered reading about Dr. Norman Cousins healing himself through humor (his book is, Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient). His resulting research, concluded by doctors and scientist, indicates that laughter releases chemicals that help manage pain and boosts the immune system. Most of my research concludes that indeed laughter can cure many human maladies.
Hughes has slowed down my download speed again, so I am going to quit for the day and after playing with Zack again, I’ll feed him and them myself. A nice shower and some relaxing television should finish off my day.

Monday, June 15, 2009 -
It is cooler this morning and the sky is full of rain filled clouds. I decided to start a small fire to take the chill off the sunroom and then started the generator so I could go online to work on my blogs and do some research.
NWS is predicting a 60% chance of thunderstorms today and by 11:45, the sky opened up and it rained hard for about 15 minutes, and then quit. The sky has that eerie glow of gray-green and the forest is dark green with freshly washed needles. I love a good storm as it washes and cleans everything, helping to keep the dust down and Mother Nature at her best.
Like other areas in the north, I have suffered the devastation of the Bark Beetle, which has moved down from Canada, killing off fir trees by the thousands. It is nature’s way of thinning out the weak trees as the beetles don’t attack healthy ones, but the next natural step is a forest fire to clear out the dead debris. Living in the middle of an almost million acre national forest is wonderful, until you realize that it can all be taken away in a moment. I know that fires can affect everyone and people lose their homes to it on a regular basis, but homes can be rebuilt, forests take years and years to grow to their beauty.
The day passed with two more downpours, depositing almost half an inch of water, but by late afternoon, the clouds started to break up and the some sunshine started to shine through. It never did warm up, but I did have to finally let the fire die down and open the sliding doors for some fresh air.
After doing research most of the day, and writing, I finally stopped at 7:30 PM, took a shower, fixed myself some dinner and then relaxed in front of the television.

Sunday, June 14, 2009 - New Web Site - Notes From The Cabin
It looks pretty threatening outside and NWS is indicating a 50% chance of a thunderstorm today, so I have decided that if I did do any road work, and it rains, then I’d probably be back to square one, so I’ll work indoors today.
It wasn’t cold enough to build a fire, and when the sun did shine through, it made the sunroom hot enough to open the sliding doors. I have the backup generator running on the economy mode so I can work online, and have spent the morning finishing all the postings to the travel log web site, adding photos as necessary, and then set up a new daily blog web site at http://mountainmanalbert.blogspot.com/
I will attempt to maintain this blog site and keep it current as I write my daily logs. I’ll keep the travel web site for when I take trips, and use Notes From The Cabin to keep readers updated on my daily activities and adventures around my cabin.
After spending ALL DAY on updating the travel site and then setting up the new blog site, I have a new admiration for those people, like my friend Kathy that authors her web site, Legends of America, and respect how much time it takes to operate a full-time site. I just hope I can keep up with these writings and still work on my books, and get things done around the cabin.
The afternoon did produce a little rain, but more thunder than storm. Zack enjoys being able to go outside and play, even in the rain, so we did more than usual today. I continued working on the blog until almost 9 O’clock before quitting for the day. I had some dinner, showered, watched some television and then went to bed at about 11:30.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009 -
Sunny and clear this morning, but by noon, the cloud cover started moving in and looks like the NWS prediction of a thunderstorm is possible.
After my morning routine, I will go out and see if there is any way I can straighten the upright bracket for the top track roller on the dozer. I think I may be able to use the jack and a short length of chain to pull it out enough so the track will ride correctly on the roller. If not, I’ll have to order the entire roller and brackets to correct it.
I managed to correct the roller problem, but it will never be the same, as it doesn’t roll any more, but then I don’t think the other ones roll either. It doesn’t seem to affect the wear on the track, so I’ll just keep checking it carefully for any signs of a problem. I tried to use the jack and a chain to pull the roller back in alignment, but I just didn’t have enough clearance to make it work, so I had to remove the track and then the damaged roller to repair the bent upright brackets. Once that was accomplished, which took most of the afternoon, I was able to reassemble everything and reattach the track and adjust it.
I think the repair will hold, but I think I’ll order a complete bracket and roller assembly in case it doesn’t fare well. If only the roller is affected and not the track, then it can’t do any more damage than it has already. I tired as quickly as yesterday and wonder if my blood sugar is the problem. I’ll ask my doctor about it when I go in on Thursday for a blood draw. I have no stamina at all and it isn’t even hot outside. I rested, playing with Zack more often than usual, and drank lots of fluids, both water and a soda, but still feel wiped out.
I finished and put my tools away, cleaned up, and started the generator by 6 PM. I need to switch from the portable generator to the big one so I can draw water for a shower. The small generator won’t delivery enough amps to get the water pump running, so I have to rewire the other generator to have the necessary power. Once I have built up enough pressure, there will be enough water to last me until tomorrow afternoon.
I discovered that I can run the small generator on the economy mode and one gallon of gas will last me three days, and I only need to run the big generator to run the water pump. When the batteries are installed, they will provide the power to run the water pump and I should be able to charge the batteries with the small generator on the economy mode, which will allow me to take the large generator to Great Falls for the repairs it needs, and use the small one as necessary.
I played with Zack until his tongue almost fell out, but even so, he is staring at me for more playtime. I fed him and Zoey asked for some wet, so I gave it to her. I will switch generators and shower, fix something to eat and relax for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, I hope to do some roadwork, making my passage to and from town a little more comfortable.

Friday, June 12, 2009 -
It was sunny this morning, but feels cooler than the past couple of mornings. NWS is now predicting 50% chance of thunderstorms for Sunday, with a 40% chance between now and then.
I feel lazy this morning and have taken my time reading a magazine and then starting the generator so I could collect my emails and send yesterday’s update. Zack and I have played and took a short walk and he is now napping while I do some research online.
After playing with Zack again, I changed into my old work clothes and went out to get something done. I am split between having so many tasks on my list, that I hardly know where to start. I unloaded the gas, 2 x 4s, insulation board, and propane tanks from the truck and then parked it in the garage. I got the trail mower out and then backed the Argo out of the garage, hooking the trail mower up to it. If you remember correctly, I had attempted to start the unused trail mower to circulate the Sta-Bil in the gas tank, and the pull start cord wouldn’t retract, well, for whatever reason, it was retracted and with several pulls I was able to get it started. I mowed the front half of the property before parking both of them back in the garage. I really just wanted to see if the damn thing worked, and it does. Because it is a “trail mower” and not a lawn mower, it doesn’t cut close to the ground and my grass isn’t really high enough to make much difference, but I was able to cover the same area in about 30 minutes that took me a day with the push mower, so I am happy.
I then decided to use the bulldozer to smooth out my driveway, so started it up and moved it out of the garage. The right track seemed way too tight, so I got out my wrenches to adjust it. Because I’ve had the tracks come off of the gears so often, I try to keep them adjusted and lubed on a regular basis, but this track was so tight that if I didn’t know better, I’d say it shrank in the rain. There was absolutely no play in it at all. I loosened the lock bolt and attempted to turn the adjusting bolt, but it was frozen in place. I can’t believe that it must have rusted fast in just the few months of non-use, but nothing I did could get it to move. I sprayed it liberally with Wrench Free and let it soak.
I checked the opposite side, and it adjusted without a problem, so I had to figure some way to free up the right side. I finally ended up using a pipe wrench and 6-ton hydraulic jack to make it move a fraction of an inch. After about 8 times of jacking the wrench, it loosened enough that I was able to move it without the jack. I guess it was just the rust, but then I noticed that the track was not riding on the top roller, but actually the outside was riding on the outer edge of the roller.
Closer examination leads me to believe that the upright holding the roller is bent inward and it caused the roller to move enough that I can’t get the track to ride in the roller. I worked on it until 7:30 and became exhausted, so I quit and played with Zack. I can’t believe how fast I got tired, and I mean like I had been working hard all day long, not just a few hours. I am drinking lots of water and resting often, remembering how high my blood pressure has been. No need to have a stroke over something I can finish tomorrow.
I fed Zack and Zoey came to ask for some canned food, so I gave her a little. She only eats about a quarter of one of the small cans and that satisfies her. I sat down to cool off and relax before taking my shower. After my shower, I fixed myself a couple of frozen French bead pizzas and sat down to watch television before going to bed at midnight.

Thursday, June 11, 2009 -
It is a bright sunny morning, but there are numerous clouds on the horizon and NWS is still predicting 40% chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon.
I had my usual morning and then got ready to head into town to have additional work done on my teeth. I loaded all the gas cans; two propane tanks and a bag of trash, planning on going to the transfer station to dump the old water heater.
I wasn’t sure if they still had traffic control in effect for the Marysville Road, so I left the cabin with enough time to allow me to get to the check point at the usual 15 past the hour departure time. As we got to Belmont, which is the road going to the ski resort, the sign was out to wait for the follow me vehicle and they were working on the road, spreading gravel and rolling it for a large parking area for recreational users. At about five after the hour, they waved me through and I drove into Marysville and got in line behind the three cars waiting for the follow me truck.
Aside from painting the lines and finishing the guardrail installation, they appear to be finished, having paved all of the aprons and side road approaches. I really see no reason for continued road control, but it provides work for the people that do it. We made it to town and went right to the transfer station, dumping the trash bag and putting the old water heater in the metal reclamation area. We then drove to Montana Propane and had the two empty tanks filled. On the way back into town, I stopped and grabbed a burger for lunch and after eating, I called Fred’s cabin to say hi to all the guys. This is the week that they met for the annual get together.
Jack answered the phone and we talked for a while, bring each other up on current events. Fred and some others were out on one of Fred’s “walks,” which usually takes an hour or two. As it approached my appointment time, I said goodbye and drove to the dentist office.
They took me right in and John explained that he needed to clean up the tooth before taking a mold to cast my new crown. I thought he had done all of the work during the last visit and wasn’t prepared for another shot to numb the left side of my face. The work took about an hour and he filled my broken wisdom tooth to help it last longer. He didn’t charge me for the filling, saying I was such a good patient and was already paying a lot for the root canal and crown. I paid for today’s work and scheduled an appointment for putting the crown on.
We drove over to Safeway where I got a few items and filled the gas cans, and stopped at Home Depot to get some treated 2 x 4s for the cattle guard I will build, and then headed for home. We arrived at Marysville Road at about 20 after 6 PM, so waited with the other vehicles. I expected to wait until 6:45, but she brought cars down at 6:30 and then stopped to tell me, no one else, just me, that next week the times would change and leaving Marysville would be on the hour and returning would be on the half-hour. She then turned around and took us up the road.
The road already had the right side fog line and center lines painted, and I thought they may have done them all of the way to Marysville, but we soon came upon the truck in the center of the road. It had broken down and was waiting for someone to come repair it.
We stopped at Mary and Guy’s to drop off some magazines I share with them, but they weren’t home, so he headed up the mountain, arriving home at a little after 7 PM. I unloaded the truck and played with Zack before starting the generator and sitting down to relax.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 -
It is partially cloudy this morning, with the sun shining through as much as being hidden. It is warmer by several degrees, so the cold front is gone. NWS is predicting 30 and 40% chances of thunderstorms for the entire week, and because we need the moisture, I would welcome it.
My chipmunks have been entertaining me with their antics all morning and I have named another one. He is “Itchy” because he either has a nerve disorder, mites, or lice, because he constantly stops to scratch himself. Another one I have named is “Humper”, as he has tried to mate with ever other chipmunk that will hold still. I attached the empty peanut butter jar to the top of the 2 x 4 that holds the end of the firewood rack, and filled it with sunflower seeds. I have watched several of the little guys try to figure out how to get to them, but so far haven’t witnessed any of them achieving success. I know one of them will figure out how to get to them and will keep me entertained.
I spend most of the morning doing additional research and trying to communicate with the battery place to purchase the batteries, but Hughes slowed me down again, saying I exceeded my usage. When I am in town tomorrow, I will call them and talk to someone. If they can guaranty that Hughes won’t slow me down, I’ll pay another $20.00 a month to upgrade.
I drove to the Divide and called my dentist to confirm my appointment for tomorrow at 2:30, came back, changed the oil in the small generator and wired it to the cabin. It uses less gas and I am almost out of gas for the big generator. Zack and I played for a bit and then I fixed him his dinner, and then showered and will think about my dinner. I’ll fix something and then relax for the rest of the night.
I just witnessed one of my little friends get into the sunflower seed jar. He stretched his little body between the closest pieces of wood and pulled himself to the rim of the plastic jar. He is now sitting INSIDE the jar, filling his cheeks with as many seeds as he can. Those that he is eating, drops the shells back into the jar and I am not sure how I’ll dump them out to refill it. Watching them are better than a Saturday Matinee with cartoons.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 -
As soon as the temperature dropped to 36 degrees last night (7 PM), it started to snow heavily again. The scene could have been from this past falls first snowstorms, and I imagine I’ll awake to find everything white once again.
It is still overcast this morning, but warmer than the past few days. I believe the cold front is passing and it will be more like June than January. It got down to 25 degrees last night after a high of 57, while it is already 47 degrees at 11:00 this morning. I am seeing some breaks in the clouds, but it did just sleet a little about an hour ago.
Having replaced the water heater and waiting for the new batteries, I am taking it easy today and have no real plans to do much. I didn’t do the wash last night, so that will take up some of today.
I managed to do exactly what I said I’d do, some wash and nothing else. I spent the day researching this and that, mainly if another satellite internet provider could offer me consistent speeds without this bullshit slow down for Fair Access Policy. It seems all of them have the same thing, to one degree or another. I found out that if I pay for the step or two up in service, I could avoid the damn thing. It is like being held for ransom to pay them to NOT slow down my service, but it is happening so frequently, other than bringing a class action lawsuit against them, I don’t have much choice. I’ll do some additional investigation before deciding what I’ll do, but I am definitely sending a letter to the CEO of Hughes Net and a few others.
After playing with Zack and feeding him and Zoey (she is back to eating mainly dry and only asking for canned every four or five days), I showered, had dinner and then relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

Yes, it's June, but up here that doesn't mean much

Monday, June 8, 2009 - Snow & More Snow
I guess it was a good thing that I ended up having to go to town yesterday as there is about a foot of snow covering everything this morning. I awoke at 5:30 and again at 8:00 to see the trees and maybe a hint of frost on the grass, but when I finally got up at 10:00, there was almost a foot of snow on everything.
In about two hours, almost twelve inches of snow has fallen and continues to fall heavily at noon. The low temperature last night was 25 degrees, but it was 37 degrees when I got up and is now 39 at noon. I have had it snow here when the temperature was as high as 47, so this isn’t anything new, but the amount in a short time is. Anytime you want to see what my weather is, go to: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=tfx&smap=1&textField1=46.699583333333&textField2=-112.33125
I can’t get online as the snow has completely covered the receiving dish and I’ll have to get out the ladder and climb up to brush it off. I am still planning on replacing the water heater today, and am thankful for an indoor task. I will complete this later and let you know how it goes.
I spent the remainder of the morning finishing my research and making a decision on which batteries to buy. I decided to purchase four 12 volt, 8D sized AGM deep cycle batteries, but I am waiting for an email telling me what the shipping cost will be. One place online has free shipping, but the batteries are more expensive by about $75.00 each. Each battery weighs 165 pounds, so freight costs will be for a total of 660 + pounds. If the actual shipping costs are lower than the price difference, I’ll know who I will purchase them from. Both places say they ship in two to three days and depending on how they ship them, I am still looking at having to run the generator for all my power needs until the end of the week, or maybe longer.
I attempted to find out if Interstate Batteries, here in town, carries similar batteries, but their web site is terrible and I can’t locate any of the deep cycle AGM batteries that I know they have, so other than going into town and asking them, I’ll order online and wait for them.
The company that sells four at a discount charges shipping while the other one offers free delivery, but no discount for volume purchase. The difference between them, without figuring the cost of freight, is 472.80. I can’t imagine shipping costs equaling that amount, so am pretty sure I’ll just pay the freight and get the four batteries at discount. It pays to do some research and comparative shopping.
It is now 5:30 PM, and still snowing, but lightly. As the day warmed up, most of the snow on the ground melted, but it was sure pretty to see. I drained, disconnected, removed the old water heater and installed the new one in less than two hours and had no difficulties. It is taking a while to heat the cold mountain snow melt, but already the water is warm enough that I could use it to shower, but I’ll wait until it is really hot so I can bathe in the luxury of a long hot shower.
I just played with Zack and built up the fire, so he is napping in front of it while I finish this update. I will do a load of wash and then take a shower before eating some dinner and relaxing in front of the television.
I have been thoroughly enjoying the antics of my chipmunks and was happy to see Shorty show up for his fair share. In case you forgot, Shorty was the one with only half a tail, so I named him for it. I wasn’t sure if he survived the winter, as he didn’t come when all the others showed up, so I am happy that he did.

Sunday, June 7, 2009 - Snow*
At 11:00 AM this morning, it is 41 degrees and snowing heavily. When I got up at 9, it was a very fine corn snow and 35 degrees, so as the morning warms, the snow gets larger and heavier. The low temperature last night was 28.2, with the high yesterday of 42.9, with winds only reaching 11 mph for a short time at around 6 PM.
My barometer is showing sunshine and a raising pressure, while NWS is predicting a chance of showers, so only time will tell.
I finished my research on water heaters and made the decision to just replace the tank type with another. My research showed that all but a few of the tankless type water heaters require 120 volt plug in, or a standing pilot light, which means it is using electricity or burning all of the time, just like a tank type. It also showed that I would have to completely replace the venting with stainless steel of a different diameter than I currently have. The stainless steel kits for tankless can cost $300.00 or more, so add that to the cheapest one I found ($559.00) and by the time I bought all the correct fittings, it would cost over a thousand dollars to put one in. Some even required that I change all the black pipe for the propane feed, to ¾” verses the ½” I now have.
When all the research is in, it makes more sense to just replace it with the same type and size water heater that can simply be exchanged, without having to re-plumb everything. My research on the tank type showed that Rheems 30 gallon high altitude water heater was the cheapest, at $283.00 but none are available, locally or on the internet. They were back ordered online until the end of June, so the next best one was the Whirlpool 30 gallon high altitude at $429.00, which was in stock at my local Lowes store. I will plan a trip to town and buy one tomorrow. I hope the exchange with the old water heater is as easy as I anticipate.
I put the battery back in the truck and it started up immediately, and I hope it will hold its charge. It is still snowing lightly, but melting soon after it hits the ground. It isn’t causing any problems at the moment, but I know the road out will be slippery and the mud holes will be filled with water.
I decided to check the oil in the generator before starting it again for the evening, and it needed about half a quart, so I filled it up. I checked the gas tank and was surprised to find it empty, and was sure that if I had left the generator run another 15 minutes this morning, I would have run it completely out of gas. Not having any more gas available made my trip to town today imperative. I put all four of my 5-gallon gas cans in the back of the truck, got my wallet and headed to town. It was already 3:45, but the days are long, not getting dark until after 9 PM, and I knew Lowes is open until 9 at night.
We drove straight to Lowes and I had them load the water heater for me, paying and getting underway. I drove to Safeway to get a few items and fill the truck and gas cans, and then we headed for home. Arriving without a problem, I unloaded and filled the gas in the generator tank and started it up. I was going to unload the water heater, but Zack was anxious to play and it was drizzling, so I left it in the back of the truck.
After playing with Zack, I filled the bird feeders as they are going through the seed in a couple of hours, and that is all four of the feeders. Coming in, I built a fire, fed Zack, straightened out the kitchen, heated water for a shower and then relaxed before having my dinner.
My root canal hasn’t given me any problems but my jaw muscles are still a bit sore from holding my mouth wide open for 90 minutes. I also hate having to only chew on one side, as the temporary filling is too soft for any serious chewing, as in a steak or something really good. I ended up heating a frozen chicken enchilada dinner, which was quite good and filling.
Some television and a glance at the local Nichol Saver, which is the town paper with deals like the Penny Saver, Gold Panner, or other papers, and then to bed at eleven O’clock.

Saturday, June 6, 2009 - SNOW!
Zack woke me at 8:15 by whining for permission to come upstairs and get in bed with me. I told him okay and opened my eyes to see what time it was and noticed that it was snowing heavily outside. The local radio weather person mentioned a Canadian cold front moving down to our area, that might bring freezing temperatures to town, but I didn’t think that it would mean snow.
Thursday’s high temperature was 76.6, and a last night low was 26.2, so the cold front definitely has moved over my place. It is noon and still snowing, having deposited about ½ to ¾ of an inch, covering things with its white shroud. Just when I thought I had missed winter, it comes back to show how wrong I was. I don’t really mind as I am sitting in the sunroom with a nice warm fire, doing my research on which batteries to order.
As I sit here, watching the fire, snow, and birds, all of a sudden half a dozen Juncos showed up and are downing seed as fast as they can. I also spotted a robin on the lawn late yesterday afternoon, so my usual birds are all back now, and enjoying the seeds I have provided.
I am continuing to research the batteries and will order the best ones I can find, for the best price available. I will also do the research on the water heaters and make up my mind what I want to do. If I go with a tankless and the prices are close to what I found in town, I’ll go buy one. If I find that a LP tank is the way to go, and they are close in price to the ones in town, I’ll go buy one of them today.
Just when I think I have everything under control, Hughes pulls that bullshit about Fair Access Policy and slows my ability to surf the net to a snails pace. I wrote them a scathing email previously about this and the email NEVER WENT THROUGH. Do you think that they have a filter on their emails to customer service and it refuses any negative emails? I wouldn’t put it past them. I am sending another one and if it doesn’t go through, I’ll call and lodge a formal complaint and back it up with a registered letter to the top.
Now I can’t do all of the research I wanted to do, as it either won’t put the request through, or it takes up to 20 minutes to open a page.
It is now 8:30 and beginning to snow lightly again. I managed to do some of my research, but haven’t been able to get the final cost on the batteries or the water heater. It seems that none of the local stores carry the water heater I’d like to get and it would take until June 26 to get it, so I either wait for hot water or buy something else. I am still looking into the tankless water heater as I found one that can be mounted in the closet without all the special vent ducting. I’ll continue looking at the information tomorrow and make some decisions.
I’ve had some deer and a moose visit it me this afternoon, and enjoy being back in the mountains. I’ve enjoyed a fire all afternoon and have relaxed while trying to do my research and waiting for the internet to give me the information I seek. I’ve had dinner and played with Zack, feeding him and Zoey, and will watch some television before going to bed.