Winter Storm

Winter storms last week remind us that Colorado’s variable weather is a fact of life.

This is what my commute looked like on Tuesday, May 21st:

Jumping ahead in the time line a bit, my Sunday trip to The Lot (to begin opening the RV trailer for the season) had a mix of good and bad weather. On the way home it was raining in Fairplay but snowing in Alma and on Hoosier Pass. I made it home without incident.

The Box

Up in the high country at Sanderling, the RV trailer (The Box) was in pretty good shape. No mice had made their way in over the winter, quite a relief! I reinstalled the batteries and LP tanks, put my chain saw and fuel in the storage shed, dispersed some chipmunk food (odds and ends of bread products we save for this purpose) and walked The Lot to determine this year’s cleaning strategy.

It’s still early spring at The Lot. Aspen are just beginning to show a blush of green. It will be a few weeks yet — late for us — to really get this year’s activities under way. Still, I was glad to be back on the Sanderling property and enjoyed my walk about and time spent there.

Hoosier Pass

I’ve mentioned Hoosier Pass a few times, as we cross it to get from Breckenridge to Fairplay on driving trips to The Lot. Here are a couple photos taken at the top of the pass:

Cats

Pam has been taking cat photos and I thought I would share a few of them here.

Sunny (long hair Marmalade cat) and London (part Siamese) take in some sun on a bright afternoon.

Sunny (background) and Mr. Bibbs (curled up on his towel under the fire pit) enjoy a mild afternoon outside this past week.

ATV Ride

Last week I took a short ride west of De Beque on Wild Horse Mesa. I have ridden this area many times as it is so close to home; I enjoy getting out.

A few wildflowers are starting to bloom, probably due to the wetter-than-average spring we have been having on the high desert. Here’s a flower I had not seen before, white with bottoms of the petals in gold.

A type of paint brush was also blooming in many places:

Since the high country trails are still closed, lower elevation trails (like Wild Hose Mesa) are the only places open to ride at present.

Motorcycle Registration

I had to take a photo of the registration fees the County charges to register my motorcycle. I wonder who is in charge of making up ways to charge more for license plate renewals? 13 separate line entries!

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

Pam’s Penny

Finished the embroidery project. Now starting a few yard cleanups before the temps soar. Still monitoring houses for sale in the Midwest. I think we’ll end up with a “quirky” one; I seem to be attracted to those. Next house hunting trip will likely be later this year, possibly via Amtrak.

Happy Trails.

Yard

Spring is well along now. The lilacs are on their way out and tulips and daffodils are done for the year. On the other hand, iris are starting to bloom and we had a few yellow columbine open this past week. The blue flax is putting on more flowers, making a nice show of blue in the flower bed. The lawn has been mowed a couple times and, due to rain, is looking nice and green. While we had a couple days near 80 degrees, a front has moved in that will give us 60s and 70s for the next week, which is about perfect for us. 

High Country

The one drawback to a wet spring is that it is still snowing in the high country. Normally we “open” The Lot and begin our summer trips to continue the clean up effort about this time. This year it looks like it will be a late start.

I had planned to go up to Sanderling this weekend and set up The Box, which includes reinstalling the batteries, propane tanks, and getting water. (The batteries are in my garage on a maintenance charger and the propane tanks are kept in The Lot’s storage shed over the winter.) A couple nights this upcoming week will hit below freezing temperatures up there, so I decided the “opening day” will not be until Memorial Day weekend. I’ve taken an extra day and a half off over the holiday to get The Box set up for the season. Hope the weather cooperates!

Spring Cleaning

Big Boy Toys

This weekend I did some maintenance on a couple of my “big boy” toys. The chipper received an oil and filter change and the Ford 8n tractor had the air cleaner system rebuilt.

The 8n uses an oil bath air filtration system, quite common on tractors, construction equipment, semi trucks, and older farm equipment. This filtering system is considered to be more efficient than systems using paper filters but requires more service and maintenance.

In the case of the 8n, it looks like the air cleaner had not been serviced in decades. The cup, located at the bottom of the air cleaner, had almost no oil in it as it had filled with dirt and crud over the years. I had to scape out the junk with a putty knife then clean the cup with solvent.

I had expected the filtering media to be in bad shape, and it was. I had ordered replacement media (which is woven stainless steel) to have on hand before I started this job.

I removed the old filter material, installed the new filter material, and put the unit back on the 8n. I filled the oil cup with oil and put it back on the filter, installed the battery (which had been in the garage on a maintainer) and started the tractor. It seems to run much better now that it can get a good supply of air!

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

Pam’s Penny

Due to the still-winter conditions in the high country, Fields will be opening The Box solo over Memorial Day weekend. After our snowy visit to Rice Lake (WI) in April, the dogs and I are “so over” doggie coats and leashes.

Happy Trails.

Our white lilac has attracted a variety of flying critters to its blossoms. While this is expected, this year the numbers and variety of flying critters is above average.

Increased insect activity may be due to the wetter-than-normal spring we are having — almost 50% more rain than usual for the year so far. Lawns are nice and green and more flowers (including iris, blue flax, and peony) are blooming a bit earlier.

Here are a few photos of some of the critters visiting our lilac:

It’s safe to say that dozens of these critters visited the lilac bushes this spring, far more than I’m used to seeing. One critter that I didn’t get a photo of is a “hummingbird moth” which is smaller than a true hummingbird but is similarly shaped and with similar flight movements.

Pam spent a few hours Saturday weeding flowerbeds while I weed-wacked and mowed our yard and the neighbor’s yard. Pretty typical for a spring weekend. I also began a project to improve our back deck, which is not in the best of shape. I removed some pickets (that Pam never really liked) and rebuilt a weak section. Needs paint and other work yet so this is a work-in-progress. At least a start has been made.

The weather report for The Lot looks promising; for the upcoming week night time temperatures are above freezing. I would like to get up there before Memorial Day weekend if possible and start this year’s clean-up. I have quite a bit of brush to chip from last year, plus a small corner of the aspen grove area still needs attention. It will take a few trips to get everything in place and I’m eager to get started. If my healing elbow will cooperate!

Thats it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

While cleaning closets late last year, I happened upon a box of my old craft projects. One such project I had started 34 years ago — a 12 Days of Christmas embroidery project — and it was about a third completed. I almost threw the whole thing out. But, in homage to my previous self, I decided to complete the embroidery and make the ornaments. I began [again] in March. It’s been awhile since I’ve done this type of handwork, but I kept at it and recently completed all the panels. Now to put them into the ornament format and finish the project.

Happy Trails.

Well. There’s not a lot of “new news” to report on this week so I thought I would mention a few miscellaneous items.

My Commute

This time of year is generally good for commuting. The weather has improved and western Colorado is as green as it ever gets. However, occasional snow flurries remind us that full spring is still a few weeks away.

Here are a couple photos taken this last Friday on my way home from work. Note the bare trees and snow – that white stuff on the peaks – has high country trails still closed.

The later sunsets give rise to “purple mountain” effects on the way home as well.

Lilacs

Closer to home, our white and dark purple lilacs are having a banner year. Most years a spring frost nips the buds but this year we made it through without any freezes. The scent from these on the cool and still evening air is great.

It is also time to start thinking about getting The Lot set up for the year. I try to have everything in place by Memorial Day weekend but late high country snows may delay me this season. (Breckenridge ski area, for example, is staying open through Memorial Day weekend. I drive right through Breckenridge on the way to The Lot.) We’ll have to wait and see what the weather holds in store.

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

Pam’s Penny

Nothing new here. A little yard work, a lotta elder cat care — the usual.

Happy Trails.

A Normal Weekend

This past weekend was the first of the year that was a “normal” at-home spring weekend. Chores included weed-wacking, lawn mowing, flower bed maintenance, and enjoying the blooming flowers. The city turned on our irrigation water and Pam dragged the hose out to water part of the lawn.

The purple lilacs bloomed; you can smell their fragrance on the air. The cherry tree blossoms are almost done, but the white lilac is just beginning to flower. Late tulips are blooming but the early variety, which we enjoyed upon our return from the Midwest, are done for the year in the Mary Lynn Garden.

All pretty routine — so nice to be outdoors without a jacket and enjoy the 70 degree weather and partly sunny skies. Just to note, though, that areas higher and to the east of us, including Aspen and Denver, are going to get snow early this week. Winter still rules the high country.

Repairs

In my last post I noted the John Deere lawn tractor had died. I ordered repair parts which fixed the problem; the LX176 is now functioning. However, truth-in-advertising appears to have taken a shot as the part I ordered was not a direct replacement for the part that failed, a component of the electronic ignition system.

The original unit, left, has a wider terminal on it than the replacement, right. I had to build an adapter wire to go between the replacement unit and the tractor’s wiring harness. This worked and the tractor is running. I sent the vendor a note about this modification but suspect I won’t hear back from them or if I do it will be something like “Well, it is a universal fit and some modifications are to be expected.”

I can’t complain much; the replacement was about $19.00 with shipping where the John Deere part is around $70.00. At least the tractor is running again!

Medical update

My left arm is improving after the fall in Georgia – around 80 percent good. Still can’t pick up a tea mug with my left hand and lift it to my mouth to drink, but am getting back a bit more range of motion each day.

Pam continues to have problems with her right wrist and arm after a fall a few months back. Both of us are occasionally frustrated by not being able to do simple things that we should be quite capable of doing, such as unscrewing a bottle cap with our affected arm. Things are improving, though a bit slower than we would like.

Conclusion

It was my first week back at work after a three-week vacation; I had a lot of work to catch up on. I was looking forward to the weekend and was pleased when the John Deere came back to life. The yard looks good and I’m enjoying the lilac blossoms and decent weather. The animals also enjoy the outdoor time. A good weekend!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

It’s great to let the dogs outside without any concern about the temperature (not to mention no winter doggie coats to put on and take off). The indoor/outdoor cats are enjoying better temps too, while strictly indoor cats are finding pools of sunlight for their ever-lengthening naps.

My cat population is now into the “double digit ages” and at times I feel I’m running the Aging Cats Rest Home. A vet visit this past week involved two of my elder cats, one on maintenance for gingivitis plus a swelling sweat gland that needs to be lanced frequently, the other just diagnosed with diabetes and cataracts. A third cat (not visiting the vet this week) was diagnosed in December with a heart condition.

While at the vet I was delighted to cross paths with another vet patron who was bringing in purebred coal black Lab puppies for their first shots. Eight pups, six weeks of age, and my request to hold one was granted. Enjoyed the puppy smell and looking into those bright Lab eyes. An excellent antidote to aging cats.

Happy Trails.

Spring Sitings

It is full spring here in western Colorado. Grass has been cut, tulips are blooming, the cherry tree is in blossom, and trees are budding plus turning green.

In the last post Pam mentioned the Mary Lynn’s Memorial Garden was looking good. Here are a couple photos of it:

Pam counted over 80 open blossoms with another 40 or so still to bloom. The original planting was 100 bulbs so in one year the flowers are multiplying well.

Money laundering

During our recent trip Pam and Becky celebrated Becky’s birthday. Pam had wanted to give Becky a $1.00 bill for every birthday year (60!) but we could not find crisp, new $1.00 bills to use. Instead, Pam took the money, washed each bill, then ironed each individually. A clear case of money laundering!

Cherry tree blooming

Our cherry tree is just about fully bloomed out. Last year was the first time there was any real crop of cherries; perhaps this year will give a similar yield.

Murphy’s Law

The potential retirement house we looked at last week in New Albin, Iowa already has a pending offer. The kitchen sink drain developed a leak, and my John Deere riding lawnmower (which I had just converted back to summer use) died and will not start. This was my “vacation week” at home. Life goes on…

Pam’s Penny

There was a vintage home listed in Davenport, Iowa recently that intrigued me. I was almost tempted to make an offer on it, sight unseen. Time for me to slowly back away from the retirement house hunt and take a breather.

Happy Trails.

This will be a long post, covering several topics including the house hunt, trip to the midwest, my Georgia motorcycle rally, weather, and a few health issues. I chose to post by topic rather than by chronological order as some topics covered different days and Pam was house-hunting while I was in Georgia, making timelines difficult to keep straight.

House Hunt

The main goal of the trip was to check out houses Pam had been monitoring online over the winter. Once we had arrived at Becky’s place (Pam’s sister’s house) Pam used Becky’s car to drive down to Northeastern Iowa to start checking out houses. Suffice to say most were a disappointment, but one was worth a second look.

The best features of this house are that it sits very close to the Mississippi River (overlooking the Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge), is bordered by farmland on one side and by a riverside park only a few yards away on the other side of the access road. The house itself is on the small side, on a small lot, but does have a first floor bed and bath along with a laundry room, all features we have been looking for. In addition, many of the systems have been upgraded, including central air.

Drawbacks include a very tight stairs (with a 90 degree bend) to access the upstairs bedrooms, no 2nd floor bath, and part of the attic had recently been cleared of a bat infestation. Most of the rooms were very small and lacking storage space. There is a full dry basement that could be used for storage and work areas, though, and the basement also has a rudimentary bath and shower.

The place includes a single car garage and a couple of buildings that could be used for storage or work shops, with the addition of larger doors to allow for getting equipment in and out.

One other house deserves mention; it was a Queen Ann/Victorian place in Elkader, Iowa. Nice house, but very small yard, no garage, very close neighbors, and covenants galore. Pam liked the house for its interior woodwork and charm, but the negatives of the lot and location pretty much removed the place from serious consideration.

So, while the New Albin place is under consideration, Pam will keep searching the on-line listings and we may be back for another house-hunt visit this fall. Watch this space.

Georgia motorcycle rally

While Pam was house-hunting in Iowa, I took the truck, trailer, and bike to Georgia to attend a motorcycle rally being held in Kingsland. I met up with a friend in Atlanta, where I parked the truck and trailer and joined with a couple other Atlanta area riders and we proceeded to ride our bikes to Kingsland, a distance of about 372 miles.

Unfortunately, in Atlanta I had tripped and hurt my left elbow and forearm, making riding somewhat painful. More on this later on the medical news topic.

Riding in southern Georgia was pleasant. I saw white egrets, cotton fields, pecan orchards, cypress trees, huge logging operations, old towns, and learned something of the geology of the area. Almost all homes had wide porches and many had no chimneys. Quite a few had ponds, as the water level is quite close to the surface. Palm trees further south mixed with a type of yucca plant; I knew I was in the south!

A couple of stops worth noting were Jekyll Island and the Okefenokee National Wildlife area.

Jekyll Island has a long history including some big money spent on vacation houses. I enjoyed getting out on the Atlantic ocean beach and viewing some of the historic homes.

The other stop was at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Area, part of the larger Okefenokee Swamp. The highlight of this stop was seeing a couple of gators.

All told I put just over 1,000 miles on the bike this trip. Then it was time to head back to Wisconsin and reconnect with Pam to hear her house-hunting news.

Weather and Medical

Both of us had some medical issues this trip. As I mentioned earlier, I had fallen and injured my left elbow and forearm, making riding somewhat painful. While better at this writing, I still have some pain and lack a normal range of motion – but – the arm is improving.

Pam had what appears to be a gall stone episode where a stone may have blocked the outlet port causing her intense abdominal pain. She had trouble sleeping and eating for a couple of days. Luckily this happened when she was at Becky’s place and could lie low for a few days.

I arrived back from Georgia just as winter storm Wesley was really gathering steam, dropping 5 – 7 inches of heavy, wet snow in central Wisconsin. So it was that we hunkered down and recuperated at Becky’s place for a few days until it was time to begin our trip home. By then both of us were feeling better (although neither one of us was at 100 %.)

The Trip

In general, we are really really tired of driving across Nebraska, although we did see a large flock of Sandhill Cranes on the return leg, something new for us. The truck logged over 5,000 miles and another 1,017 was put on the bike. Pam added a few hundred miles to Becky’s car, so both of us were on the move most of the time. The weather for the outbound and return legs was pretty good but that winter storm in the middle of the trip was nasty. Gasoline prices ranged for about $2.48 per gallon to a high of $2.95 (in Wisconsin) per gallon. I added 1 quart of oil to the truck for the trip.

The dogs – we had all 3 – took the trip in stride and settled into Becky’s place very well. Two of the dogs, Blondie and Bru, stayed with Becky while Pam was out and about with JoJo. One advantage of older dogs is they have a lower activity level and they slept a lot of the time. Of course, having their own mattress to sleep on made for pretty deluxe accommodations!

Home again

Once home we had a range of chores to be done, including picking up the accumulated mail, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, and the cats had to get used to having people in the house again. A grocery run was in order as we had “eaten down” much before we left so we needed milk, fruit, cat supplies, and a whole bunch of other food stuffs. Knowing this would be the situation at the end of the trip, I had taken extra days off to recuperate.

Conclusion

Some good and some bad came from this trip. We made contacts with another realtor and viewed a home with potential. I saw and rode in part of the country I had never visited. We had an excellent visit with Becky and I visited my mother. We saw the sandhill cranes for the first time. On the down side, there was endless Nebraska (It’s Not For Everyone). We both had some medical problems that reduced the comfort of the trip. All in all, it’s good to be home to enjoy the spring plants and weather.

Pam’s Two Cents Worth

The retirement house hunt will be re-evaluated. The houses I visited in our current price point are full of other people’s deferred maintenance. Questions I had about properties listed through the winter were answered, generally in the negative.

Ill health is never pleasant, during a trip less so. One of the inconveniences of aging, I suspect, and something that will need to be factored into the future travel dynamic.

My sister really put on a show of hospitality for both of us and the dogs. If only the Midwest weather had followed suit! In addition to spending time with my sister, I also was able to schedule lunch with a previous teacher from my high school days, and a classmate I’ve been monitoring for over a year on Facebook.

Back in the high desert of Colorado, spring has arrived and I was delighted to see the Mary Lynn Memorial tulip bed is producing extremely well. I sure could have used Mary on the house hunting expedition, though. Still miss her.

Happy Trails

Spring is here. We have our first flower blooming:

It isn’t much but enough to give our spirits a lift! With rising temperatures the lawn is starting to green up as well. I may have to mow soon to level out some of the tufts that seem to appear every spring.

There is little new news this week. These transition periods between seasons are pretty quiet. Once outside chores start to pick up and the gardening season begins I will have a bit more to talk about. It will soon be time to open Sanderling too.

I will be traveling to a cycle rally the next few weeks, so there will not be another post until near the end of April.

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

Pam’s Penny:

I love Spring.

Happy Trails.

After doing maintenance on the Kawasaki Concours, I went for my first motorcycle ride of 2019.

The maintenance had consisted of getting a new front tire, battery, and brake pads. In addition, oil and filter were changed to get the bike ready for the riding season. After checking tire pressure, and bringing the rear tire up to standard, I started the bike, put on my leather jacket, helmet, and gloves, and headed north out of De Beque for a short 25 mile cruise.

The day was a perfect spring day. Blue skies, very few clouds, temperature in the low 50 degree range. I kept the speeds low, 45 – 50 mph, to let the bike warm up and make sure all systems were working OK after the winter of non-use.

It felt good to be back on the road again. The only thing to watch out for is gravel on the road, particularly on corners, left over from winter sanding or spring washes. Thankfully the road had very little debris on it.

After I returned home I started on another project, re-painting the bed of the utility trailer. I had to scrape off the old paint and put down a new layer.   I also plan to repaint one wheel which has developed a few rust spots.

The trailer had not seen a lot of maintenance for the last two years, other than new tail lights. The wear and tear of hauling firewood, and the fact that the plywood bed is old, had left the trailer looking a little sad. Now is a good time to freshen it up a bit.

Today’s chores include changing the oil and filter on the Honda. It promises to be another good day and maybe I’ll take the ATV out for a spin later on.

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

Pam’s Penny:

I’ve been checking on the National Weather Service’s map that monitors water levels – above is the Midwest area. Nebraska – Iowa – Wisconsin all experiencing flooding from minor to major. We’re due for a return trip in April, guess we’ll see what potential retirement properties are in flood zones.

Happy (and dry) Trails.

It’s essentially early spring here in western Colorado. Tulips are starting to poke greenery above ground, some grass is starting to grow, and tree buds are beginning to expand. Daytime temperatures, still below normal due to recent storms, are reaching upwards of 50 degrees and nights are beginning to stay above freezing. Not every day, of course, but more and more of them are fitting this pattern.

We had quite a bit of rain last week. This has erased all the local snow, except for a few small and stubborn spots of ice that lay in deep north-facing shadows. Even they’ve shrunk significantly. The dogs are going outside a bit more, especially Jo.  Jo doesn’t mind a bit of mist in the air, unlike the divas Blondie and Bru.

The High Country, generally above 8,000 foot elevation, received snow while we saw rain. Several avalanches, mostly unplanned, closed I-70 through the mountains several times. A couple of slides made national news when they buried the interstate under more than 15 feet of snow.

CBS News Clip

The only direct effect this has on us is delays for mail and goods heading east or coming from the east. When the interstate shuts down, there are no good alternative routes for heavy traffic to use. Semi-trucks just park until the road is open again. This includes food and fuel trucks as well as delivery services such as UPS and FedEx. Luckily road crews are used to this and generally manage to get the road open in a few hours, although one larger slide closed the road for more than 7 hours.

I’m gearing up the Kawasaki motorcycle for another year of riding. This year the bike needs a new front tire, battery, and rear-wheel brake pads. These items have been ordered and should arrive next week. I hope to attend a motorcycle rally being held in Kingsland, Georgia, near the Florida state line line, in early April. Plans are to trailer the bike to Atlanta, stay with a friend there, and ride the rest of the way to Kingsland. This will be my “big trip” for the year.

The new dishwasher is working well. We just need to get used to new loading patterns and figure out where the larger pots and pans fit without blocking water flow to the upper rack. Amusing how quickly we get set in our ways, even with dishwasher loading.

Our daily routine is work, internet house hunt, some packing. I did get out to rake the lawn yesterday and Pam is removing layers of mulch in the flower beds. Dogs are outside looking for sunny patches grass. Heavy winter jackets have been replaced by lighter gear. I open the garage door from time to time to get some fresh air circulating through. Vernal Equinox is this month!

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

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

I’ve recently been enjoying from afar the house hunting activities of my high school friend Julie “Nick” Nickles as she retires from the State Department and settles in Sarasota, Florida. Florida is a different housing market compared to the Midwest, but the process is the same. For the first time in decades, Nick will have all her “stuff” in one place. She traveled the world with State representing the USA, working numerous hardship postings – India, countries in Africa, Romania, Bangladesh. I’ll miss all those exotic postcards from across the globe. Welcome home, Nick.

Happy Trails.