Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009
When I awoke at 6 AM and looked out my bedroom window, it was foggy to the point most of the trees were obscured on the mountainside. When I got up at 8:30, it had cleared and the sun was shining through a broken cloud cover. By 10 O’clock, the sky became black and by noon it was raining. It looks like I got the front 40 mowed just in time. I am glad for the rain, as the mountainside near me is turning brown.
NWS is predicting heavy thunderstorms for the next several days, and there is a Hazardous Weather Outlook warning for heavy rain and strong winds for today and tomorrow. The predicted high temperatures are in the mid to low 50s, with lows in the high 40s to low 50s, and by Sunday, warming back into the 70s. This should help the fire danger if the lightning strikes don’t set off any fires.
I spent the morning on the computer and doing three loads of wash. I was going to finish spraying and maybe work on the road today, but due to the rain, I think I’ll busy myself with working indoors for the day.
At one O’clock, the rain stopped long enough to give Zack some exercise. On the first throw of his disc, he picked it up with some grass and began shaking it, which is something he enjoys doing but ruins the $22.00 disc, so I yelled at him and in doing so scared one of the largest bull moose I’ve ever seen from the creek bed. Zack had alert to something in the creek bed earlier, but due to all the willow brush I couldn’t see anything. It may have been the moose grazing and I just couldn’t see it.
The moose took off at a full run and up the mountain into the forest, so I didn’t have time to grab my camera and get a shot. He had a huge rack and long dewlap, which is the loose skin that hangs from their chin. I believe that he may be the resident male that I spot every year, but he is usually seen with his mate, unless she stayed hidden I didn’t see her. I hope that he will remain in the area as I really enjoy seeing such a massive animal in the wild. I have had deer at my mineral licks almost every morning and afternoon, but haven’t seen any elk yet this summer. When Zack and I came off the mountain from our hike to the peak, I saw droppings of elk, but that is all.
Computer work, cleaning, and research, with Zack’s playtime inbetween, consumed most of the day. I finished the evening with a shower and nice dinner before going to bed at 11 PM.