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.
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