This snow will stick

Now I know

If anyone was wondering, coyotes do bark. One was calling Polly out this morning, no doubt in retaliation from the good barking at they received yesterday.

First the Bigfoot, now the coyotes. Polly is making an enemies list fast.

The coyotes know where we live though. I may have to invest in some coyote be gone (some shotgun shells for my rifle-don't want to kill them).

tough guys

4 of them, looked like teen thugs from Westside story.

Rain.Rain.Rain

Raining and the power was out this morning. We decided it was a good morning to dine out. Breakfast at the Rainier Overland (formerly Moore's) and a long conversation with Ed Iverson, an 83 year old long time resident of the valley.

More rain scheduled.

heading up

Heading up the mountain again. Going above the 7,300 ft from two days ago. This trip, Sharon Farber is bringing a few Hallelujah acres folk that are training for Mt St Helens. John F is off doing something else.

coyotes

Mom brought the two yearling coyotes with her today. They are less gray, more reddish/tannish than her. Couldn't get to the camera fast enough to get all three in the same shot.

snowing this morning

It's snow, then snow mixed with rain, then snow, then................

My new dirt is getting wet :(

Tomorrow, back to Pebble Creek, only 20% chance of rain.

dirt

The 30 yards of topsoil arrived today, oof da!!

The rain arrived with it.

beautiful day, but

First we hiked up to Pebble Creek or actually 100 ft above it at 7,300 ft elevation from the parking lot at Paradise (Mt Rainier), elevation 5,400 ft.

Then we too Polly for a 3 mile walk up the Westside Road in the park.

We had been run out of the park in Ashford. The Sasquatches were holding a grudge from the good barking Polly gave them.

We were hoping for a Bigfoot free zone in the park. Polly, however picked up on something on our walk. Time will tell.

bigfoot

Did I mention the 7,000 bigfoot sightings in the Upper Nisqually area. A lot of them where we hike.

I didn't want to alarm anyone BUT, they are getting pesky and really bugging Polly.

We started the morning off with a coyote and went for a walk later in the day. A nice simple walk, until the sasquatch started in on Polly and she went off on them with a good barking.

You know how those bigfoot hold a grudge though. Now we have payback to anticipate around every bush and tree. While some are looking for Easter eggs, we have to look for Sasquatches.

weather

Mountain weather, sheesh. In the 60's Saturday, rain cats and dogs Sunday, snow this morning turning to rain turning to sun.

sore

Sore and tired after yesterday's snowshoe trip, now I remember why I hate snowshoeing. Beautiful day though, no wind, clear enough to see Mt Hood past Mt Adams and Mt St Helens and sunny enough to get a little color (pink right now).

snow shoeing

Rose is taking me snow shoeing with her and Bronca today. 1st time in 4+ years, should be interesting. Supposed to get up in the high 40s in Ashford, so mid 40s at Longmire and low 40s in Paradise (our destination-Reflection Lakes).

Polly will be home alone:(

Spring

Saturday it is supposed to get up to 60 here in Ashford (elev. 2,000 ft). Rose and I will be indoors at a retreat with the Upper Nisqually River Council, sponsered by the Wa state Dept of Ecology, indoors. Interesting timing.

6 hr event. It's how we will see who is after what for our area. They are on year 5 of aa 50 year plan.

back

Long day.. Met the Upper Nisqually Community Forum chair (the guy who tried to pass the gavel to me) for breakfast in Eatonville at 8:00.

Then dropped Polly off at daycare.

Then dropped off the Dyson vacuum at UPS for shipment to Colorado for repair.

Then:

Bank
Hair cuts
Foot doc
Lunch
Costco
Got Diesel
picked up Polly

home again, home again, jiggidy jig

raining now

So far we have had coyotes (yesterday afternoon), elk, deer and an assortmant of birds visiting today and no people. Yup, we are out in the country.

There have been cougars sighted East a couple hundred yards, North a couple of hundred yards and South a couple hundred yards (two fighting). West, our property goes for a quarter of a mile.

Thinking some kind of sidearm for noise. But what if noise doesn't do it?

Just too much cougar food here.

Test 2

test

biker butt

Back. 30 minutes, 5.62 miles.

bicycle time

The bikes are out, we are going to start working on our bicycle butts today.

elk again

two this time

gravel

whew!!!! Up the animal escapement rd with Rose and Polly then moved about 6,000 lbs of gravel (the last of 18,000 lbs).

Well

Nominated to run/chair the Upper Nisqually Community Forum, an open forum of citizens and local government reps.

Well, after I see what it's about (still unclear on goals for the community), I can gain enthusiasm.

Or maybe I can rally the community for some purpose.

snow

brrr, supposed to stop @ 9:00 (a.m.)

stinkin rock

Well, I moved a bunch (3 hrs worth of shovel time) but there is still some to go. Polly (the doggie) got bored and cold and kept wanting in the house but I made her stay outside with me while I toiled.

Geez, I thought I'd have to get caught robbing a bank or something for this kind of stuff.

rocks

Well, back to the shovel, nice way to stay warm, only about 12 to 14k lbs to go, oof da!

I am looking to get a small loader/tractor as grandchildren bait. I'll have the shoveling done by then, winter when the prices are low.

Sunny

And cold, 24º and sunny, just like Bend OR.

snow

we've got about 3 inches now, brrr

snowing this morning

But now, the sun has broke out.

Going to move 4 yards of washed rock this morning and make a way for a transfer truck of three way top soil for our landscaping, fun.

Eggies

Eggies and waffles for breakfast, yeah.

We watched "Up". Downer for me, how sad to survive your spouse and have unfilled plans. Not a toon for kids IMHO.

blood letting

This morning was fast and bleed. Yes, blood test for cholesterol. We drove, they took, then breakfast after dropping the truck off for air, fuel and oil filters (and oil).

aha !!

I usually stick my hand in the loop at the end on the leash and Polly usually pulls. Putting pressure where?? Right on the ol ulner nerve at the heel of the hand where it joins the wrist.

So this is why I have numb fingers. Good hike though.

Rose did skiing with Judy, all others dropped out. They encountered a silver fox that shadowed them for a while. $200 fine for feeding foxes, he didn't get any.

and we are off

Opted to take Polly for a hike today.

the fingers

Foot doc says indeed, it is the ulner nerve (pinky and 1/2 ring finger. Doubts it's the back pack though, says it's the hiking poles. So, I'll drop the hiking poles when hiking then.

the plan

Going snowshoeing tomorrow. Our friends the Farbers )John and Sharon) are coming up. Also going is Bronka Sundstrom. Just what I needed, an 85 year old woman to kick snow in my face as I struggle to make a comeback. Judy Scavone and another local or two are going as well. Weather forecast is great, we will have fun.

numb fingers

Something new. About 4 days ago, my pinky finger and ring finger on my right hand started going numb. Now the pinky is indeed numb and the half of the ring finger next to it (lengthwise) is also numb. Ons side of a finger, weird, eh?

Seeing the podiatrist this afternoon, maybe he has some knowledge retained from school about the nerves in the fingers. This would be the ulner nerve, no carpel involvement.

My suspicion is the backpack across the shoulder is compressing the nerve.

It is supposed to be raining but the sun is shining in Ashford as we wait for the drywall contractor to recut the attic access door to allow egress for the electrical contractor to remedy the attic space fan that has decided it needs to run 24-7 rather than run off the timer or thermostat as it originally did.

March 1st

Getting spring fever, time to plant something BUT we are about 2,000 elevation so the last frost will be much later that in the flatlands.

Might just be better to go to Naches (Eastern Wa) and buy veggies and fruit.

Our water filter spews 350 gallons of water a night backwashing. It would be a shame not to use that in some kind of watering system. And we have acreage. It's just those deer and elk that are the vermin that would eat/trample whatever couldn't be fenced and fencing is hard to do with river rock to get through for fence post.