Month: October 2023

As I type this, snowflakes are falling. We are expecting some accumulation on the grass but not on the streets. I am not ready for winter!

There is not much going on right now. It is the height of “leaf season” and I am cleaning parts of the lawn almost every day. Pam continues to cut back hostas and other plants as they reach the end of their life cycle.

The forecast has several below-freezing nights ahead which will kill off the remaining geraniums and still-green flower plants. I had hoped the fall would be mild and extended, but those hopes are now dashed.

Cold weather preparations are moving ahead. Pam put out a pair of heated water dishes and we set up the outside cat feeding station for the winter. I had been putting out cobs of corn for the last couple weeks and it may be time to set up the suet feeder as well. The large bird feeder is still in storage, however. I won’t be putting it up for a couple weeks yet.

Locally, most of the crops have been harvested. The crops are mostly corn and soybeans, with an oat field here and there. While a few fields remain unpicked, they are getting fewer and fewer. It is kind of sad to see them go as they replace once green vistas with dull brown acres.

The biggest excitement has been the decision to upgrade from the 2004 RAV-4 to something newer. A Kia Soul (used) may be in our future. Re-designed in 2020, we are looking for a 2020 or 2021 with a higher-level trim package that adds heated seats, remote entry, and some other comfort options. Our local used car dealer is checking the auction lots for something suitable and when the right unit comes along we will purchase it.

I had not considered this car before, but Pam was doing some research and found the reviews to be quite positive. Definitely not a luxury car, but much nicer than our RAV-4 and still utilitarian enough to haul groceries, cats, and dogs as the need arises. This is a “developing story” and I will provide updates as a purchase moves forward.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Pam does not have a comment this week, other than it is depressing to look out at the falling snow.

Happy trails.

Our oak and maple trees are turning color and the long-range forecast indicates NE Iowa will have below freezing temps about 10 days from now. Fall weather is definitely approaching! Heart House greets the change of seasons with numerous pumpkins from Becky’s garden.

This week’s projects consisted mostly of maintenance tasks. Screen inserts were removed from the doors and the glass inserts were installed. The furnace filter was replaced. An oil and filter change, plus thorough inside cleaning, was the order of the day for the F-150 after my Colorado trip. Pam cut back many of the hostas and other flower bed plants, with more to do. The lawn was mowed, picking up quite a few fallen leaves. A trip to the compost dump was in order to dispose of the grass clippings, leaves, and other yard debris. I made a trip to the Walmart in Decorah to pick up prescription refills and do some miscellaneous shopping. Pam visited the life insurance agent in Cresco to update her policy. I had a health check-up, with a blood draw, here in Elma and met my new primary physician. (My first primary had left the practice.) The week was full of small tasks with both inside and outside work, but nothing particularly newsworthy.

We had an episode where our LG washer would not turn on. Thanks to the internet, I was able to do some basic troubleshooting of the electrical system. After removing the “noise filter” and cleaning the contacts the washer came back to life. (Good thing as I was running low on socks.)

If you wander through my web site you may notice I have begun to remove various Galleries and Videos, a project I had mentioned in an earlier post. Updating the remaining collections will continue as a fall / winter task. The Cats videos page remained unchanged, however.

Speaking of cats, here are a few photos taken this week.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Item One — If we’re going to survive the winter with any furniture remaining, it appears I must break down and order one of those monolithic cat entertainment centers. Maybe my brother Craigie would like to build one; he’s said [more than once] if he housed cats he’d build them a climbing structure that would take up an entire wall. An entire wall is a bit much, but five young cats would certainly benefit from a “substantial interactive diversion.”

Item Two — It’s become clear to me that looking for this proposed replacement transport vehicle requires exposure to both an auto repair shop and used car sales facility. That combination is my idea of hell on earth.

Happy Trails.

Did you miss me? I recently returned from my fall trip to The Lot in Colorado. I have some video and several “fall color” photos to share this time around, plus a few “incident tales” to relate. Let’s get started!

I arrived at The Lot in the very late hours of a Tuesday. Wednesday was set-up day as I went to get water from the local hand pump (40 gallons) and drove to Fairplay to get groceries. The weather was sunny and mild.

Thursday and Friday were ATV days. Thursday saw me riding some new trails near Lake George. Part of this area is along the South Platte River.

Unfortunately, this trip was cut a bit short as I picked up a screw in one tire and had to find a repair shop before heading home.

Friday found me near Buena Vista, west of Fairplay, riding a number of trails. Some of these are width-restricted, with fenced openings which do not allow larger vehicles such as Jeeps and other 4×4 vehicles onto the trail.

Very colorful ground cover and some still-blooming flowers highlighted this area.

It was during this trip that I saw my first big animals, a group of juvenile mountain sheep. With their horns just beginning to grow, this group was taking it easy along a trail.

The video below is very shaky as I did not have time to set up the tripod and was shooting at almost full zoom. I hope you can still enjoy the images. Run time is 1:21.

Saturday and Sunday were work days at The Lot. (I really did not want to be on the roads and trails contending with weekend “leaf-peepers.”) I cut a few dead trees and started a new brush pile.

I had run into another problem in that my [recently-purchased used] portable generator turned out to be not powerful enough to run the pump I use to empty The Box’s holding tanks. Luckily, I was able to place the waste water tank lower on the driveway and let gravity empty the holding tanks through an extension of the drain hose. However, that left the problem of loading the waste water tank into the back of the truck. I was able to load the tank using my ATV ramps and the winch on the ATV.

The Elkhorn Ranches Owners Association maintains a waste water dump station a few miles from The Lot, and I have used it many times over the years to dispose of waste water.

The weather began to turn colder and some rain moved in, so for a few days I stayed pretty close to The Box. A few mornings saw frost on the truck and ATV, and one morning I had a few flakes of snow in the air. Surrounding mountain tops displayed a new coat of fresh white snow. The furnace ran frequently enough this trip to alert me to the need to replace the batteries for The Box’s heating system. That will be in the plans for next year.

One of my last ATV rides was near Black Mountain, west and a bit north of Fairplay. I had ridden this trail before and knew it would have some gorgeous fall color views and scenery. The trail did not disappoint!

While heading back to the truck I saw a bull moose. He was some distance away and I was not able to get videos of him, but did get a couple still (not sharp) shots.

On my final Saturday I closed down The Box and drove over the Divide to my old stomping grounds of Rifle, to attend an appreciation dinner (as a retired employee, I had been invited). Put on by the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office (my previous employer), this is an annual event. I enjoyed the evening, and the rib-eye steak, then stayed with a friend in Rifle that night. Sunday I headed back to NE Iowa, a trip of 1,015 miles which took 16.5 hours of drive time.

I am going to close with a few random fall color photos from around The Lot and along trails I rode.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Since Himself was away (and out of the way), I had set myself painting tasks during his absence, like touching up the exterior steps. G-a-a-h-h! The Universe had other ideas. First the temps were close to 90 degrees, then the wind blew oak leaves into/onto freshly-painted areas, then it rained, and finally there was a gnat re-hatch (making painting miserable). Finally, just before Himself arrived back in NE Iowa, I was able to accomplish some of the painting I’d planned.

Mostly, my “vacation” was care of kittens, cats, and dogs. Heart House currently resembles a combination of animal nursery and doggie old age home. All the animals establish their own routines and I, as “concierge,” adapt to them.

The RAV also started leaking fluid while I was here solo. Anyone who knows me knows car maintenance/repair is NOT in my wheelhouse. I basically just stopped driving, relying on the local “Elma Locker” store for grocery items as needed. Turns out the thermostat gasket needed replacement. We will begin looking for a different used car shortly – it’s time.

Happy Trails.