Mother Nature Mourns

Well, I will be darned. Look what time of the year it is already. Where has the time gone? One moment I am peacefully hibernating in the igloo here at Peaceful Pines, the next moment, poof, spring arrives.

I hope no one missed all that sarcasm. Here we are at the end of April and the last vestiges of snow are melting away.

I think Mother Nature is having a difficult time letting go of her winter child and letting it become the spring toddler it wants to be. So far we are ranging about 20 degrees below normal for temperatures and a few inches above for rainfall. Her sadness is pervasive.

On the brighter side, Joyce and I have accomplished quite a bit in anticipation of warmer weather. We have piles and piles and piles of branches stacked as evidence of Joyce's pruning adventure. 

 

I was able to boil off some sap for maple syrup. We decided to add two more trees to the collection process. It turned out to be a good decision. The sap only ran for about ten days. It was slow to start but quick to end. I have mentioned in another post the process. I really do enjoy the time outside.

The fact that I can use the gifts of the land to produce our year's supply of syrup is very satisfying.

I also decided that this was the year that I would try to design an implement to smooth the dirt area of the driveway. And, while my initial drawing looked hopeful,

 

it was not until my brother-in-law, John, with his welding expertise, brought my vision to reality. 

Thank you, John.

Remember the bricks? You know, the auction bricks. It seems not all of them were as sturdy as when they were first manufactured. We had plenty of broken pieces. Leave it to Joyce and her creative mind to make lemonade from broken bricks.

 

She can now proudly announce the names of all her growing plants on the reused broken bits.

So, we will continue to let Mother Nature wallow in her sorrow.

 

 In the meantime, there will be projects to finish in anticipation of the the fury of the temperature tantrums of her summer child. At which point, Joyce will be praising the wonders of the air source heat pump. Ah, the circle of life.

Okay, now we are done...

a short stay at Izaty's, 

followed by a longer stay camping near Isabella, brings our summer/fall adventures to an end. 

It was really quite pleasant. We were able to stay in the site we had scouted last year. It is at the end of the cul de sac and not visited by many.

behind our site ran the Little Isabella River.

It is a river that a friend of mine and I walked up, in the water, to fish for bass. It is also the area where my first, and last, bear hunting experience took place.

Now, it is all about seeing the changing of the colors 

 

and listening to the crackle of a warm fire.

There is just something liberating about being able to start, maintain, and cook over a fire in the "wilderness."

Next year already beckons us north. Or it could be Betty's Pies. Sometimes my beckoning signals get mixed up.

On the Road, er Rrail, Again

Have I mentioned that we, Joyce and I are “R”etired? I hate to rub it in, but we are.

So, what does a couple of “R”etired people do with their time when they are not tending gardens or building projects to check off the “to do” list? Perhaps check an item off Gary’s want to do list? Yes, that’s it. Check an item off Gary’s want to do list.

A train trip across half the US seems reasonable, I’d say. Combine that with a Schnoor family reunion, An Oregon Ducks football game, a trip to the ocean and a test drive of the newer electric car models, I’d say that is a way to spend time enjoying the fruits of the labors past.

Taking the train means one should not rely on an iron clad schedule. By the time we arrived in Minot, ND, we were a bit more than an hour behind the posted schedule. Since Joyce and I were not expecting to be met by anyone, it did not matter to us.

We were a bit wary of the choice of train to get us to the coast. When we last took a train, Joyce had an issue with the swaying of the train. Our seats were in the upper level and the movement seemed amplified up there. This time we purchased lower level reserve seats and we could tell a marked difference. It felt more like being at road level.

Yes, North Dakota is flat, even from the view of a train window.

But, once the flat gives way to the rolling hills and eventually the majestic mountains, I always remember the reason this train trip is high on my repeat adventure list.

Of course, it is nice when the train passes through the majestic landscape when it is light enough to appreciate nature in all its glory.

The reunion? It is always a treat to visit with Joyce’s family. Good food, fun conversation and visiting with relatives who haven’t been seen in a long time, is always special.

The game? I must say, the ducks do know how to throw a football party. The duck mascot was being "moshed" UP the section across from us. Can you see it in the vid?

I love the ocean. It doesn’t matter which one it is. I love the expanse. I love the power of the crashing surf. I love the sand under my feet. I love the smell of the salt spray.

And then there was the test drive. Well, actually, there was no test drive. We had plenty of things to do, so that remains something for a later date. But, a drive up into the Cascades is a wonderful alternative. Where else in the U.S. can one find lush forest and a treeless lava field all within about 60 miles?

And, yes, a great adventure also brings me to the realization that Peaceful Pines, emphasis on Peaceful, is the place to hang my hat at the end of the day.

Hmmmm, Wait a minute, is that Puerto Rico calling?

Done, done and done

Replace the lean to beside the shed, check.

Add to and redo the retaining wall down the driveway, check.

Finish the fire ring area, which was started before the others, check, finally check.

While the other two were satisfying and look nice, the fire pit area really is the favorite finished project of the three.

It started out, more or less, as a blank canvas. I kind of had an idea of what I would like to have the finished area look. But, at times I was not sure I was going to be able to realize the vision.

The brick pattern needed to be adjusted a few times. The number of bricks from the auction, I talked about those in a different blog, were not enough to complete the project without adding a few of the type that had been used in the lean to area.

First there was the bringing in of the fill,

then the laying of the brick,
















 and finally the building of the rear step exit area. 

What actually brought it to life, so to speak, was Joyce’s designer touch. When she added the geraniums in the planters I had constructed, I knew it was a finished project.

So, I spent the Labor Day holiday just tending the fire.

And tomorrow the preparation for our whirlwind three-week adventure begins.  There are clothes to pack, campfire wood to load, golfing gear to put in place and camping gear to get into the back of the pickup.

And that does not even count the trip we are going to take before we use all that other stuff!

Progress has been sighted at PeacefulPines

My to do list turned out a bit more than I had originally planned for this summer. With the  shed leanto collapsing this winter there has been quite a bit of building going on.

 

 And, since I was upgrading that side of the shed, I thought I'd go ahead and upgrade the wall that leads down the driveway. Sometimes I am surprised that what my mind sees actually makes it out of my head and looks the same in real life as it did through my mind's eye.

The down side of the block installation is that each block weighs 70 pounds. And, yes, Gary laid each block himself. Did I mention I smashed my thumb? And, yes, Gary's back is really sore. And, yes, Gary was not the smartest person making that decision.

But, it is done and we are off to the next project. 

That would be the fire ring. I am using the bricks that I got last year at an auction. We planned a long time ago that I would eventually level the area. Actually, when my sister, Linda, did a back flip while trying to eat breakfast one morning, and after we stopped laughing, we thought it should be leveled out. So there is that. 

And then, perhaps, if my body holds out I will tackle the canoe landing area.

But, for now, it is time to get ready for our tee time. After all, all work and no play.......

FORE........

I know it's in the trees somewhere, hmmm, is that poison ivy?

The Phoenix Leanto

When a leanto goes bad the results can be ruinous, heartbreaking, disastrous, overwhelming, or any of a number of other emotion inducing adjectives. Luckily, insurance helps calm choppy waters. And when the proverbial dust settles, it helps one realize that property is only property. No one was harmed. Nothing that couldn't be replaced was destroyed.

The winter was not kind to our leanto beside the shed. Even after removing a large amount of snow during the winter, Mother Nature decided to show us who was in charge. It turns out it was not us.

Our house insurance covered our leanto. Our car insurance covered our trailer. So, all we had to do was wait for winter to end, which it did in May. Deconstruction started when enough of the snow melted. Construction started when the weather was warm. Gary does not build well in cold weather. Actually, there is nothing Gary does well in cold weather.

Extra reinforcement was the order of the day for the inside of the shed.

The outside is getting bulked up as well. I had replicated the shed specs for the original leanto, but this one will be quite a bit heftier.

The smell of greasepaint, the lights, the lines, oh, the lines....

I saw an article in the Morrison County Recorder that mentioned there was going to be auditions for a play in Staples. The play looked like it would be funny. And after doing a bit of research on the Internet, I told Joyce I might go to the auditions if it fit our schedule.

 I suppose those of you who don't really know me all that well might need to be caught up on why I am even bringing this subject up in the first place. I was bitten by the acting bug when I was in the 7th grade (1962). For those of you who are not math majors that would have 51 years ago. "You Can't Take it With You" was the name of the play. I remember my parts as though they were yesterday. In truth there were only two times I was seen by the audience. Okay, the complete truth is that I was never ACTUALLY physically on stage. But the show would not have been able to start without me. I'll bet you never thought a curtain puller could wield so much power. But, in reality the curtain puller sets the mood for the entire play.

Ah, but I digress. I have always found reading for an audition fun. Fun in the sense that I can spend twenty or so minutes reading out loud in a character that I make up on the spot then go away with no obligations. Talk about free interactive entertainment. It is kind of like Karaoke without the music. This one seemed like it would be a hoot to be in. So, when I got offered a part, I said sure. Practices were low key and well managed.

Costuming was pretty straight forward. Being an old guy and being cast as an old guy has its costume advantages. I just go to the closet and pick out an old guy suit.



 All in all it was good fun. I was the guy on trial who had to convince a jury selected from the audience that I was innocent. I was able to do that three out of three performances. Although, in the last performance I was found guilty due to the director's license. The person who was really guilty had her kids in the audience and he did not want them to feel bad. Those meddling kids!