With no major (or even minor) projects going on right now, this post will be a collection of updates and short notes about what happened this week. Family news will be front and center.

One of my aunts, Aunt Helen, died last Saturday, the 14th. I could not get back to her funeral but have great memories of her and my Uncle Al. (Uncle Al passed away years ago.) Many years ago, Al and Helen hosted our wedding shower. In my youth, I attended many family parties at their farm. Aunt Helen was a gentle soul who liked to cook and bake. She was a huge help in the family dairy operation.

Uncle Al was my mother’s brother and Aunt Helen my father’s sister; a brother and sister from one family married a brother and sister from another family. This double-bond meant my 4 cousins, myself and my 3 siblings had an unusual situation — all of us had the same family tree. One of the cousins, Sue, and I are the same age and we became good friends during high school.

In other family news, niece Caitlin’s Cake Plus Size Boutique earned a mention on a Minneapolis Reader’s Choice TV show. Caitlin is working hard to make this store a success and we wish her the best of luck in “year one” as a small businesswoman!

Daughter Felicity cut her hair short, the first time in a decade or more. She performs with the Northwest Harmony Sweet Adeline singing group and they are getting ready for the spring competition. The costuming calls for hair “off the neck.” In past years Felicity had put her hair up in a bun but this year decided it would be a lot easier to have the hair short and not have to fool with it. Felicity sent a photo; she is getting into her performance costume with the help of one of her friends:

Felicity (left) with short hair cut

Son Toby has been promoted to a Team Leader position at the casino loading dock. This means he had a bump up in income but has to commute to a new worksite. He recently bought a newer used car and seems to be happy with the new wheels. We plan to visit him during our swing into the Midwest next month.

Closer to home, my mother  and brother Jon are making arrangements to sell  a large parcel of land my mother owns, almost 40 acres. Proceeds from this sale should take care of some bills, cover the cost of a few home updates, and provide funds to help cover the cost of Mom’s in-house care. So far a verbal agreement has been reached but the paperwork still needs to be drawn up and processed.

Spring has arrived on the high desert, although we did see snow flurries last Friday. Temps today are in the low 70s. I mowed the lawn yesterday, and the cherry tree is humming with honeybees, more than I have ever seen before.

Cherry tree flowering out

I recently took my ATV for a spin and came across an old-style pumping rig, now out of operation.

Old pumping rig, Wild Horse Mesa, CO.

These old rigs were powered by natural gas driven engines; the engines ran off the natural gas coming out of the well. A few of these rigs (none in operation) can be found here and there on Wild Horse Mesa. However, at least one that I used to visit has been removed and one wonders how long these others will survive. Not far from this old well was a spot where a well had been capped and all equipment removed.

I’m going to include an odd-ball photo; this appears to be the way well output was measured in the past. The chart paper in this instrument recorded the output of a well on a 2-week graph:

Chart recorder kept track of well output

I had never seen one of these so thought I would take a photo of it. I don’t know which is odder (more odd?) — the device itself or my wanting to take a picture of it. (?)

Both the water dispenser and new vacuum, both mentioned in a previous post, are working out well. The amount of gallon water jug plastic we recycle has dropped dramatically and it is convenient to have the water available. We purchased a 2nd 5-gallon jug so we can always have a full one on hand.

That about sums up the news I have for this week.

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I interrupted a birth-in-progress in the garage on Wednesday.  Another one of the feral cats [who overwintered in the garage] decided to come “home” to have her litter.  This cat is a first-time mom and fairly clueless; I actually had to trap her, using her two newborn kittens as “bait,” to get her to stay with her babies. I was NOT about to hand feed kittens (every four hours for two weeks, then less frequently until six weeks). My neighbor agreed to take care of the now two feral litters — in addition to the other cats and the house — while we are on vacation.  Here’s hoping another pregnant feral does not show up.

Next week I assemble house listings in the Midwest and chart a course for the upcoming road trip vacation, a zig-zag course that includes family-and-friend visits plus house drive-bys. A few recently-listed homes/locations to consider:   601 South Main Street, Fairfield, Iowa (currently for sale by owner)   and  104 Main Street, Horton, Michigan.  I am more than a little bummed by the high price of property taxes on homes in or near small towns.  Rural area taxes seem a bit easier to take.

Happy Trails.