Sunset over the Canadian River

December 29, 2007

H&E Visit Riverland

Hans and Elisabeth expressed interest in visiting Riverland while we were partying Friday night so I told them to be ready at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon. At first it seemed Chris and Abigail were going to join us but it wound up being just the three of us, all wedged into my pickup. Fortunately they are not large people. I had just been out there the weekend before and collected some firewood. Several years ago when H&E were here we went out there and they helped collect firewood. They enjoyed that and expressed interest in doing it again so I took the chain saw.

It didn't take long for the three of to collect all we needed. We selected one fairly substantial tree and trimmed it nicely, collecting in the process some good, albeit green, firewood. The policy is to carry out all you cut so we also collected the non-firewood-standard trimmings and loaded that in the pickup. We also collected some dead, dry stuff so now I have plenty of mesquite to mix with the other firewood I have.

After bagging our limit of firewood, we set out to walk the perimeter of Riverland, starting at the post on the northeast corner. We've never located the marker on the northwest so I brought my metal detector in the hopes it could help locate it, if it even exists. We set out along the east side of Riverland headed for the southeast marker. As we approached it I realized once we reached

it and turned 90 degrees toward the southwest corner we would pass through a nest of bulls. I don't know what their response would have been to three people on foot. Likely they would have let us pass but discretion is the better part of valor so we headed diagonally across Riverland and wound up in the area we searched in before for the missing northwest corner marker. Again, we didn't find it, but we had a nice walk. Except for the occasional light breeze the afternoon was dead calm, a rarity at Riverland, but it made for a very nice afternoon for doing exactly what we were doing.

Clay Schnell and his son, Robert drove up on us when we had just finished collecting our wood. He didn't recognize me and was questioning our presence on their ranch. I didn't quite recognize him either but guessed that it must be him and called him by name, then reintroduced myself.

Before heading home we drove down through McBride Canyon. It was late afternoon and the sun low in the sky made the canyon and surrounding areas especially pretty (see last weeks pictures). Driving back out along Cas Johnson Road we saw nine deer ranging from a fawn (yearling?) to a buck with a respectable rack. So we had a very nice outting and a good time was had by all.

Top

December 23, 2007

Meanwhile out at the ranch...

About 19 degrees when I got up this morning. Cold enough. During the night there was a full moon shining on the snow we got yesterday morning. Very pretty and very cold. With the skies clear the temperature shot up to 30 degrees by noon and I was inspired to go out to the ranch to gather some mesquite for our Christmas Eve fire. I took my chainsaw and cherry-picked the dead wood, some of which was already on the ground. I believe there is enough dead mesquite wood out there to last me the rest of my life, or a least till I can't get out there and gather it anymore.

It was really quiet out there, except when I had the chainsaw going. There was a little breeze which was welcome since I was exerting myself gathering the wood. I thought I had the place to myself since I didn't see any cattle but later as I was leaving I saw a bull.

Big black son-of-a-gun. There was probably another one somewhere. I think they let them winter in that section and move the cows to another section to give the bulls some peace and quiet and so they can rest up after their exertions. Also, they rotate around the grazing by moving the cattle but they don't try to move the big boys since they don't much want to move.

I also drove down to McBride Canyon. Nice down there during the winter, not so overgrown. I could see, though, that night comes early down in the canyon this time of year. The sun dips below the canyon rim by 4:30. It is interesting to imagine the quiet, the solitude and the cold the McBrides endured. I guess it's all what you are used to but I believe a prefer out modern day amenities.

Top

November 4, 2007

Arboretum and Halloween

We arrived home safe and sound from our visit to the Dallas area, something that couldn't be taken for granted. It was Halloween after all.

We had our usual trick-or-treating clientele, which is to say just Abigail and Rebecca followed by Parker and Riley. Pretty cute, don't you think?

Yesterday I planted another Austrian pine along the southeast lane. That gives me five since last spring. Now I'm down to the stumps along that section. I had thought I would have a go at removing the stumps myself but trying to plant that tree yesterday where the stump of an elm had been ground made me rethink that. Could be I'll hire someone to remove the five stumps (three along that section and one each on the south and north ends). Then I'll continue planting the pines. Along the southwest there are another five stumps, I believe. I guess I'll eventually get them ground out to.

Grady Howard offered me a couple of pecans I would like to plant along there. Otherwise I think I'll plant pistache, red oak and possibly bald cypress.

Besides planting the tree I worked a little on cleaning up the garden. Chris pitched in and helped Joyce and I some. There is still a ways to go. I also completed mowing the south end and also mowed the lane along the street. That just leaves the pasture. That "golden spread" is pretty in the late afternoon sun so I'm in no hurry.

Despite the inch of rain we got just two or three weeks ago we are really dry. So dry that I've begun to water established trees for the first time in over a year. That is I've begun to water those that aren't drought tolerant which would be your spruce for one. I hope we get snow this winter.

Top

October 7, 2007

Rebecca's first birthday

We celebrated Rebecca's first birthday (October 3) Saturday evening at K,C,A&R's. Terry, Nicole, Parker, Riley and Janice joined our usual group. I think everybody had a good time. I know I did.

Last week I spent a couple of days in the Dallas area working at a customer site. Then I drove back home with Jill and Kaylee. Yesterday Jill helped me clean out the lily pool. We got rid of the buckets we had been using to hold the lilies. The idea behind those was that it would make it easier to get them out when it came time to clean the pool again. However we had trouble with the lilies floating and I'm not sure a bucket was the best environment for them anyway. So, we went back to Dad's original design where he created receptacles in each of the three lobes. We drained most of the water out, transferring the fish to a wash tub during the process.

Then we filled each receptacle with dirt to within about two inches of the top. After planting the lily, we filled the receptacle the rest of the way with some rocks I'd purchased at the Rock Ranch. We, of course, divided the lilies before replanting them. We filled the pond with water and put seven of the biggest fish back in it. We didn't clean it as thoroughly as we'd done the last time or two. We decided we needed to keep the culture in tact so we left some of the water and muck to keep things rolling. This morning we inspected our work and decided it looked pretty good. The water had cleared up nicely. The lilies will need to grow some which they may not do until next spring but the fish showed up nicely. The process wasn't really too laborious, which is important because it needs to be done about once a year and the more work and time it requires, the easier it is to put it off.

Top

September 16, 2007

Redwood Coast

My two-week vacation is over. I return to the office tomorrow. Two weeks was sort of an experiment. It seems so often when we take a vacation we leave for wherever we're going immediately and return to work as soon as we return. I thought it might be nice to take enough time off so that there were days that could be applied to something other than going and coming. We started out by staying a few days in Red River with the Shewberts. That was a nice way to kick off the vacation. We returned home the Tuesday after Labor Day and had from then until the following Tuesday before we left for the Redwood Coast. I used that time to reorganize the shed to make better use of the space and to clean out the cellar. As it turned out I got rid of very little of the stuff involved but still wound up with a significant space gain in the shed. There is now space to turn around and do some things. Most of what was in the cellar was empty boxes and old paint. It is empty now so maybe it could be used in case of an emergency such as a tornado.

After getting all that done we were ready to go off on another trip. Tuesday (9/11) we flew to Reno where we picked up a rental car and drove to Redding, CA. That was a little over half way to Eureka where we would stay in a B&B. The drive to Redding took us up into the mountains on a twisty road. That twisty road continued the next day most of the way to Eureka. It was beautiful driving through the mountains but Joyce got a little queasy and it took a long time to cover the miles to Highway 101 even though it wasn't that far as the crow flies.

Highway 101 through northern California is a spectacular drive. We took several walks through the

redwood groves. The trees did not disappoint. The Ship's Inn where we stayed Wednesday and Thursday night was a pleasant place and Genie the proprietor was a genial host. Old Town Eureka was within walking distance and we had a couple of pleasant dinners there. We went as far north as Crescent City, which is getting pretty close to Oregon, on Thursday. There was an English couple staying at the Ship's Inn that flew to San Francisco where they rented a Harley-Davidson and toured up and down the coast.

Friday we drove to Reno, this time over less mountainess roads. Even still it took a long time because of the distance (about 380 miles) and road work. That seems to be the primary occupation in California and we came to dread the "Road Work Ahead" signs. We turned in the rental car and took a taxi to the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino where we spent the night. We hadn't been able to make reservations because the hotel/casinos required a two-night stay. Jill helped us out on Friday by making a reservation at the Silver Legacy. We suspected the hotels weren't so picky when it came down to the day of. After dinner we gambled a little bit. I parlayed $10 into $38 and back down to $10 before cashing out and calling it a day. Joyce did much better and managed to clip the casino pretty good before returning to our room in the wee hours.

Joyce's childhood friend Linda Dalton was on the same flight both directions. She spent some time with a cousin at Lake Tahoe. She sat with us on the flights and she and Joyce got caught up while I read. I was a pleasant trip and we were ready to get home.

Top

August 26, 2007

Of Ants and Tarantulas

Joyce is in her garden picking. She didn't want to, it being about 1 o'clock and pretty warm, lots of sunshine, but she felt she had to. If our plans hold up we'll wake up next Sunday morning in Red River and there won't be any picking going on. Just rest and relaxation. We're going with the Shewberts Saturday to their cabin in Red River and returning the following Tuesday. I plan to take the rest of the week off work and get some things done around the place. Specifically I want to reorganize the west shed to make better use of the space. That will involve getting rid of some things. I also want to clean out the cellar so we can use it as a hidy hole in case of tornado or terrorist attack. The following week we plan to go see the red woods in Northern California.

Chris helped me trim the next to last of the junipers in the line behind the barn. The last one will have to wait until first freeze because Joyce wants to keep the vines, watermelon, cantaloupe and cucumber, that have grown up volunteer out of the compost area. The cucumber vines are climbing the juniper. The juniper we trimmed yesterday was a spreading juniper. Because those don't grow very high I couldn't trim it so that an adult could get under it for the shade. Instead I tried to trim is so little people could get under there and play hideout if they wanted to. Maybe girls don't do that. Back in the day I think we would have found it ideal for hiding and spying on the enemy, real or imaginary.

There is a red (harvester) ant bed east of 2005 about on an east-west line with the driveway. It is relatively new, maybe only a few years.

The ants have worn a faint trail heading due west from the nest. The trail becomes imperceptible some 20 to 30 feet from the bed but the ants eventually wind up on the gravel portion of the driveway. From there they follow the driveway around toward the gate. I've seen them at least as far as the American elm just south of the driveway. I've stepped off the distance from there back around the driveway and then to the bed trying to trace the route the ants seem to be following and found it to be about 90 yards. I calculate that that would be the equivalent of me walking between eight and nine miles. Who knows how far they walk once they get off the driveway and start foraging in the grass. Once they find something edible, a grass seed usually, probably at least half their body weight, they turn around and lug it back to the bed. So, let's see, I walk eight or nine miles at least, pick up an object weighing at least 90 pounds and lug it back at least eight or nine miles across very rough country. Not sure I could do that. Do union rules limit them to one trip a day or do they make more than one trip?

One evening last week I saw a tarantula wandering around south of the barn. I wonder why they do that, head out across country. That has got to be very dangerous for them, what with the tarantula hawks and birds around. There are lots of tarantula burrows on SA but one very seldom, maybe once a year, sees one above ground. What prompts one to leave the safety of its burrow to head off across country in broad daylight? Obviously there has to be some above ground travel because we see fresh burrows dug. At some point in their life cycle each tarantula has to sally forth and find a place to dig their burrow.

Top

August 19, 2007

On the way to Brush, Colorado

Clear skies and hot today. We got a little rain Friday and had a good chance for more yesterday but it never materialized. Still yesterday was pleasantly cool. Not so today. No doublt the sun and heat today will take care of that little bit of rain we got Friday. I did take advantage of that to do a little spraying though. Broadleaf weed killer works better if the weeds have had a little moisture. Because of my previous spraying and the dryness lately I think I'm beginning to gain on the broadleaf weeds. The grassy weeds are another matter. Most places I have little choice but to dig them out. In some places I've been using big pieces of tin to burn them out and that works well where there is a concentration. The last few weeks I haven't had the weekday evenings to work around the place because I've been traveling. The next couple of weeks at least I'll be at home so I should be able to get a little extra time in.

Gary Shewbert and I played golf Thursday evening at the par three course we frequent. We hadn't played in several weeks and Thursday night was only our second time all summer it seems. Gary has been out of pocket quite a bit. Anyway, I struggled through the first few holes but then righted the ship and shot a one over par on the back nine. I freely acknowledge that that course isn't very demanding, but still. I'd never even broken 30 for nine holes before. Makes me want to go out and play again soon.

Last week I was at a customer site in De Soto, Missouri. The daytime temp there was well over 100. The week before I was in Brush, Colorado. That was a little more pleasant, somewhere in the 80s. On the drive to

Brush I encountered some road construction. It was a two-lane road so they would stop the traffic in one direction and let the traffic through from the other direction for a while. Then they would reverse the traffic flow. There were a couple of bridges they were working on and the construction zone was some 15 miles long so when they stopped traffic in one direction it was some time before the traffic coming from the other direction could pass. We were stopped 30 minutes or more. The driver of the truck in front of me got out with his driver, went down into the bar ditch and began hitting golfballs. I strolled over to watch and we struck up a conversation. Seems he usually manages to play a round of golf wherever he delivers a load. Consequently he has played courses all over the country.

The drive to Brush was long but I enjoyed it anyway. There wasn't much traffic once I got into Colorado and it was a route I'd never traveled so it was interesting to see the country. Most of it was not much different from here, grasslands mostly with the occasional river valley. I didn't see many pronghorn on the drive up but I saw several bands on the way back. North of Dumas I saw a pheasant hen cross the road ahead of me followed by her chicks. They were so small I could hardly see them.

We had our annual get together last weekend. There had been conflicts around the 4th of July. Even at the later date there were groups missing. We rented a tent again so we were comfortable in spite of the warm day. We set up the wading pool and slip and slide so the kids had a variety of things to play on or in. They pretty much stayed at it non-stop. They seemed to have a pretty good time and I don't think the adults suffered any.

Top

July 29, 2007

We've celebrated birthdays this week. I took the 25th off and took the gang out to breakfast. Afterward Abigail and I ran errands. We had dinner at Kari's. Chris was out of town so we celebrated his birthday last night, again with dinner at their house. We're having dinner there again tonight. Kari says that since her mom grows it, her contribution is to cook it. Fine with us.

Monday evening I flew to LA and drove to Santa Maria, California to meet with a potential client the next morning. Hertz gave me a Crossfire. That's a two-seater sports car by Chrysler. It was long on performance and short on creature comfort. The seat was so hard and the ride so stiff I felt like I was rollerskating over a washboard. By the time I returned it I was somewhat used to it but initially rolling down the 405 to 101 I was afraid some fillings might jar loose.

Chris helped me do some tree trimming yesterday. We also raked and hauled off a load of twigs from the lane as well as the last of the downed tree limbs from last winter's ice storms. We trimmed up the eastern most tree in the line of junipers behind the barn. I think we can trim those trees up enough to create some shady seating area, needed when there is activity in the play area. It may take a while but I figure if I do a tree every Saturday it will only take a few weeks. Anyway, the first one turned out pretty good, I think.

Joyce reported that we received 3/8ths of inch of rain the night I was out of town. We're pretty dry

but the grass responded to that little dab of moisture. Unfortunately that green up is already fading. There is rain in the forecast so maybe there is hope. This morning I worked on the new system I'm installing to handle runoff from the roof. A couple of weeks ago I moved the Rubbermaid tool cabinet to the west side of the garage and cleaned out the wood mulch along the back of the garage. This morning I took some bricks left over from the building of 1911, turned them on their side and run them along the back of the garage far enough out to be just beyond the drip line. I cut some landscape fabric and covered the ground from the brick line to the garage wall. Sometime next week I'll go to the Rock Ranch and get pea gravel to cover it. On the 25th Abigail went with me there to scope out a suitable rock or gravel and I decided the pea gravel would work best. The idea is that the gravel will keep the run off from washing out the dirt. The bricks will hold the gravel in place and turned on their sides will allow the rain water to run out their holes and away from the house. If I like this arrangement, I'll extend it to rest of the drip line around the house.

While at the Rock Ranch Abigail picked up a small rock she wanted to keep. I explained to her that since they sell rocks there, we couldn't just take one so we sought out the proprietor to make the purchase. He at first quoted $100. I told Abigail to counter offer but he changed his mind and said she could have it for nothing. Then he asked her what her favorite color was. She said pink so he took her to a pile of pink rock and gave her one about the size of a grapefruit to take to her mother.

Top

July 22, 2007

SA in July

I've been remiss in adding new items to this page, don't you think? It has been a very busy late spring/early summer. I've logged quite a few hours on the mower this year, much more than in the four previous summers we've been here combined. We're beginning to dry out now, though, so the mowing will slow down considerably unless it rains again.

Joyce has been working hard on the garden and it is beginning to produce. Last week she had a girl's party while I was out of town. She fixed a vegetable dinner, some from the garden and some from the farmers market, and had Janice, Genna, and Phyllis over. The grapevines have made a lot of progress this year. A couple did not survive but the rest benefitted from the moisture through the winter and early spring. I may not have watered them enough last year. It is still hard for me to adjust quickly enough when it begins to dry out. I planted a number of bare-root seedlings I ordered from the Arbor Day society in early spring. Only a few survived because I let them get too dry. It seems to happen so fast. One day things are in pretty good shape moisture-wise. Then the sun comes out, the wind kicks up out of the southwest and the blow dryer affect culls the young and tender.

One evening several weeks ago Abbigail and I went tarantula fishing. We used her pole with just a bobber

on the end of the line. I showed her how to cast the bobber past a tarantula hole, then reel it slowly past the hole. Sure enough, old tarantula took the bait and wrapped up the bobber in its deadly embrace. It was impressive that the spider took on something nearly as big as it was.

With the arrival of Kaylee on Jill's birthday we now are just two shy of a girl's basketball team. I'm told Kaylee and her momma will be with us soon to spend a little time. It will be nice to get to know her a little, although at her age she won't be able to do much. Rebecca is just beginning to become mobile, the first step in being able to play with Grandpa.

Last week I split time between California and Kansas. I prefer California, although that may have had something to do with my accommodations. In California I stayed in a Hyatt Regency while in Kansas I stayed in a La Quinta. Some of the newer La Quintas are OK but this one was what is known euphemistically in the trade as an older property. I got on and off six airplanes on the trip with considerable wait times in various airports. While making a pit stop in one of the airports I heard some poor soul in one of the stalls trying to hurl up his spleen. Someone asked if he needed help but all he said was rrrRRRROOOYYYyyyy. I'm headed back to California tomorrow and I'm thrilled.

Top

June 24, 2007

The Granddaughters

Top

June 10, 2007

Young Flicker

It has been nearly a month since I updated this page, a month of mowing, trimming, spraying and weed pulling seemingly without end. I feel sometimes like the itsy bitsy spider crawling up the drain. As I begin to make progress cleaning up from the winter's ice storms, we get a blow and the supply of fallen limbs is replenished. Yesterday I worked my crew cleaning up the poor old cottonwood that suffered a major crackup during last Wednesdays's blow. What's left of the tree is still standing and we will probably leave it that way for the time being if for no other reason than it would be quite a bit of time and work to take it the rest of the way down. Besides, a certain amount of dead wood is needed around the place for the woodpeckers to nest in.

Speaking of woodpeckers, Joyce was joined one day

last week in the garden by this little guy. I don't know why he was so tame. The adult flickers are among the shyer birds. Joyce said they got close enough for it to peck at her sleeve and her shoe. At some point she turned away from it and when she turned back it had transformed into a cottontail. Joyce's garden is a magical place.

As I mowed yesterday, Joyce and Janice pitted the cherries Joyce and Abigail picked yesterday morning. Joyce reports she harvested 17 cups of pitted cherries, enough for five pies with a little left over. There are cherries left but the impending arrival of Baby Wylie probably means their harvest will be left to the critters.

Top

May 13, 2007

Weiner Roast

Top

April 22, 2007

Clouds

Interesting weather yesterday evening. We managed to get some rain with just a little pea-sized hail but other areas to the north and the south were not so fortunate. There were tornadoes prowling the Texas Panhandle's crepuscular gloom seeking victims among the righteous and evil alike.

Yesterday, Chris helped me plant another Austrian pine along the northeast lane to replace elms long since gone. That's two. In a year or so we should have the gaps filled. Then we can consider replacing some of the weaker elms still standing. There are several that despite being over 50 years old are little more than

trunks due to the ravages of wind and ice.

Jill's shower was the big event of the weekend. There was much activity and consternation prior but I'm told it came off well. Jill said she made out all right. Baby Wyley is due in just nine weeks.

All the mowing stock has been serviced and is ready for the season. Just in time, too, I think. With the moisture we've gotten and continue to get, as soon as it stays warm for a week or so the grass should really crank up. The weeds already have.

Top

April 15, 2007

April Snow

Looks like our crumby Easter Sunday will be bookended by a couple of really nice Sunday's. Friday night's snow was a memory by late morning Saturday and the afternoon was decent. We cleaned up and made temporary repairs from the high winds Thursday night that managed to peel off most of the roofing material from the shed on the east side of the barn and scatter it all they way to the fence along the street. It also blew down a section of the dermatology clinic fence. Someone from there stopped by Friday to tell Joyce it was down and they would get it fixed as soon as they could. Chris and I propped it up so the dogs wouldn't get out when taken for a walk. Friday evening was cold and wet and we enjoyed a cheerful fire at our weekly pizza gathering. Joyce and I cleaned the fireplace out yesterday, thinking perhaps there would be no more fires till next fall. Of course, we thought that back in March, too.

I don't mean to complain, but the weather is making it very difficult to get the place spruced up. About the time the ground starts to dry out enough to drive the pickup down the lane and continue the clean up it rains again. We've had at least a half inch in the last two or three days. Not much but enough to muddy things up, especially considering the moisture already in the soil. Last year I was scrambling trying to water trees since we hadn't had any moisture since the previous August. I feel even more fortunate that the weather cooperated the weekend we rented the chipper and cleaned up the branches in the lane. Saturdays before and after that would not have worked. I plan to do some spraying this afternoon. The weather hasn't been suitable for that for a couple of weeks and the weeds have taken advantage. So its clear debris, pull and spray weeds. Life is good.

Top

March 25, 2007

At the Andrews'

Over three inches in 48 hours, two inches Friday night alone. Sometimes the weather does just right. Last weekend I needed it to be dry and preferably a nice day so we could clean up the downed tree limbs in the lane. Sure enough, Saturday was a beautiful day and we hadn't had any moisture since the last snow of mid-February so the lane was dry as a bone. Jimmy Lucero showed up about 9 o'clock with the chipper I rented and once we got squared away (To keep from having to back the chipper all the way down the lane, we unhooked it in the southeast corner, backed Jimmy's truck out and back in, rehooked the trailer and backed it up the south side.) we turned to. At first I raked up the small stuff and collected the piles I had previously made on the inside of the tree line. It became apparent, though, that we would have to move faster to get it done in one day, a prerequisite owing to the expense. We also had to overcome a couple of significant mechanical glitches. First, after about 45 minutes, the engine on the chipper quit. We determined that the engine overheated and that the cause was that the radiator was clogged with dirt and debris. We cleaned it out with a water hose and we had no more of that problem. With all the time spent getting set up and handling the overheating, by noon we were only at the southeast corner having only completed the south lane. Shortly after starting in again after lunch the chipper started spitting out large pieces instead of the smaller chips it had been throwing out. We decided the chipper blades were dull and called the rental place to see if they could come sharpen them. They couldn't (wouldn't?) so we did it ourselves. Luckily, between the two of us we had the tools to take the blades off and it was only a work of 10 minutes with my high speed grinder to put an edge on them. After that, the chipper worked better than when we started and we put it in high gear, finishing up about 4:30, plenty of time for Jimmy to get the chipper back to Rabern Rental.

I was in Connecticut for our annual meeting week before

last. The previous week it had been very cold there but by the time I got there the weather was mild, even pleasant. The day after I left, a storm moved in and dumped snow and ice on the area. This weekend I needed to finish filing my taxes and we were beginning to need rain. The weather cooperated nicely. In fact, it cleared off and warmed up yesterday so I was able to get out and engage the weeds which are beginning to grow rapidly. Roundup for the grassy weeds needs bright sunlight to be effective and Weed-B-Gone needs the temperature to be over 55 degrees. Yesterday satisfied both requirements and I joined the battle that will last until the first freeze next fall.

With Mom and Grandma gone to see Jill and Dad on the road, it was up to Abigail and me to hold down the fort. She spent the night here Friday night. Genna joined us for pizza. After that the two of us watched movies and ate candy till bedtime. Saturday morning we went to the Donut Stop where Abigail selected a variety of donuts for our dining pleasure. Despite our best effort we couldn't finish them all so we took what was left to Chris who had gotten home sometime in the night before. I went with Chris and Abigail to Abigail's soccer game. I got to see Abigail take the ball, drive the length of the field and score. She looked like a woman among boys doing it. Later she said she didn't want to score, she wanted her teammates to score. That attitude may explain a somewhat passive approach to the game. She's bigger and faster than all but a few of the kids (boys) she plays against and if she changes her attitude a little bit she'll be hard to stop.

I spent the first of this past week in Las Vegas at a trade show. I was by myself and there was a lot of dead time. However, I didn't feel like donating to the casinos, watching any shows or dining at expensive restaurants so there wasn't much to do. I was glad when it was time to leave.

Top

March 4, 2007

Misc

Chris and I defied the cold north wind yesterday to hit a pretty good lick on the tree limb cleanup. Earlier in the week I talked to a man who had done some tree work for us a couple of years ago. I had found a place in town that rents a chipper. Most rental places don't, it seems. I told him I wanted to rent a chipper and get him to chip up all the downed limbs. He came by yesterday morning to take a look at the situation. Although it won't take any particular expertise to chip up the brush, we do need someone who can pick up the chipper since it requires a vehicle with a trailer hitch. Also, more than one hand is probably needed to get the job done in one day. The chipper costs $225 per day so we'll one to get it done within that time. We reached an agreement on his price and set a date of Saturday, March 17, providing the lane is dry. There were several large piles inside the tree line so Chris and I moved them out to the lane, saving that time on chipping day. I raked up the small stuff left after we moved each pile and will probably take my pickup around to collect them and haul them off. It probably isn't worth trying to chip them but I may wait and see if that is the case. Chris and I also spent some time trimming elms on the east. That was something I hoped to do this winter but the weather has conspired against

me. However, I'll get another shot at them next Saturday, and who knows, maybe if this chipping deal works out, I'll get Jimmy, his name is Jimmy Lucero, to help me get those elms cleaned up and thus maybe expedite the job. I spent a couple of evenings last week raking the lane, pulling everything to the side next to the tree line so, other than the tree limbs and rakings piled up to the side, it looks pretty good and those folks who use it for walking have less treacherous footing. Beside getting rid of the downed limbs, it is my hope the wood chips which we will discharge right on the ground in the lane will go a long way toward providing the mulch groundcover I've been putting down by hauling wood chips in from the city chipping site. Certainly what we create ourselves will be cleaner.

Rebecca spent Friday evening with us while her sister and parents attended the school carnival. It was chilly and cloudy so we built a fire and enjoyed a nice evening basking in its warmth. Rebecca has gotten to a pretty sweet stage in her life. She interacts some but hasn't developed a mind of her own, just right for a couple of old fogies to enjoy.

Top

February 24, 2007

We're having a regular old Panhandle blow today. When we got out for bagels this morning, the wind was out of the west, and pretty breezy, but the sun came up and, though the forecast wasn't good, I thought I might get out and get some work done. By the time we got back, the wind had begun to rise and it was apparent something was moving in from northwest, as was predicted. Pretty soon it was overcast and spitting snowflakes. Needless to say I didn't try to get anything done outside. Instead I went to Home Depot and poked around some. I also went to the lawnmower shop and bought a heavy-duty lopper. It is staying light enough late enough to get out for an hour or so after dinner, which I did one evening last week. Abigail and I used the loppers I already had to trim up some of the downed limbs so the smaller stuff could easily be loaded in the pickup and the larger stuff could be cut up with the chainsaw. I think that might be a good approach: use the evenings to get the stuff ready and Saturday to haul it off. Anyway I realized I really needed loppers that could handle larger stuff. The ones I have are good for about one inch. I occasionally try bigger stuff but I run the risk of breaking the loppers. The new ones I got are supposed to cut up to two inches in diameter. They also have 32 inch handles to give one a lot of leverage. We'll see.

In my renewable energy class last week someone mentioned the importance of cleaning the coils of your refrigerator. The dust builds up and reduces their effectiveness.

I had already been thinking about the dryer exhaust and wondering if the lent was building up dangerously. The vent runs into the wall and up through the roof so it would seem likely there could be a lent buildup at the bottom of the vertical portion. So after I got back from Home Depot I got out the vacuum cleaner and had at it. I moved the dryer and the washer out and cleaned under them. As it turned out, there wasn't much of a lent build up in the dryer vent, which was good. Then Joyce and I tackled the frig. It was a fairly significant operation. The buildup around the coils was extensive and it wasn't easy to get to. We finally used a brush from a gun cleaning kit to get in between the coils and were able to drag out a lot of stuff. I can't imagine that that won't help the frig operate more efficiently, maybe even a lot more.

Wednesday last week was as nice as today is nasty. Nothing was going on at work so I decided to take advantage of the calm and spread some preemergent. I bought 10 bags at Coulter Gardens and started hitting the trouble spots. I didn't plan to spread all 10 bags but I found it took less than two hours to do so, so now it's done. Joyce and Genna helped me out by lightly sprinkling the areas I covered as the directions recommend. I'm not trying to treat the whole place, of course, but I think I could go through another 10 bags just on the trouble spots so I'll look for an opportunity between now and mid-April to finish the job. Here's hoping it helps. The moisture we've had this winter will really encourage the weeds.

Top

February 11, 2007

The sun is peeping out. We haven't seen much of it for several days. Fog has blanketed the land. And cold. Not the extremes we were seeing a couple of weeks ago but cold enough, somewhere between 30 and 40 for low and high. Yesterday the wind got up out of the south so I sought indoor activities. Genna, Kathy and I spent some time discussing weighty matters and reviewing files with an eye to reducing them. We found, however, that most of what there was needed to be kept, at least a while longer so we didn't accomplish much. I enjoyed hanging out with them anyway.

Last weekend we made our haj to Beavers Bend. It was just us and the Wylie's. Rebecca is too small to make the trip and, of course, Abigail has school. The weather was cold there but we had that nice new cabin, plenty of wood for the fire, books to read, games to play and food to eat, so no one suffered.

Chris was home last week but Wednesday he had surgery on his knee. Since then he has been convalescing but is beginning to get around some now, even without crutches. Kathy came for a visit and just returned home this morning. Last night we congregated here for food and conversation. Friday evening we did the same at K,C,A&R's.

We have been seeing quite a bit of a fox lately. Friday morning when I came back from my jog it was sitting next to the sand pile. We often see it out in the pasture, maybe just sitting or gamboling about. There is also a rabbit that occupies the same area at about the same time of day. I suppose the fox isn't a threat to the rabbit or can't catch it or they have some other arrangement. But for its possible rabbit depredations I welcome the fox(s) as an interesting part of the local fauna.

Top

January 28, 2007

There is snow on the ground, still, from last weekend (Saturday). Now, there are large patches of snowless grass, but there is still plenty of snow. I always think of snows here melting off in a day or two but not this winter. Snow is the norm this year. So is cold. It was unpleasant outside yesterday because it was chilly, around 32 degrees, and because it was breezy. Today so far is calm and this afternoon might be decent if it remains so. But, enough about the weather.

Did you catch the state of the union address last week. I flipped to it occasionally but found other channels much more interesting. SOTU addresses are a little too much pie-in-the-sky for my taste. It seems strange to me that a criminal enterprise, even if elected, would stand up and with a straight face tell you how they are going to rob you blind. There is little consolation in the knowledge that while they sound like a pack of voracious wolves they are really just nibbling rodents. Over time, the effect is the same.

Joyce and I got out yesterday afternoon to run a few errands. One of those was to deposit a check. I thought the drive-through windows were open on Saturday but I was mistaken. They are closed, at least in the afternoon. So we went to the grocery store where I stood in a long line with others of the great unwashed for my 45 second transaction. I was almost overwhelmed by the intellectual back and forth going on around me. A man and a woman behind me in particular seemed especially learned. They made the most ordinary observations and responses sound Socratic.

I was sorry when, at some length, it was my turn at the window and I had to move along. Seldom ever able to think of something to say myself, intelligent or otherwise, I'm ever grateful for those willing to state the obvious to no one in particular and to those willing to take up the conversation with an equally mundane response.

Early last week I had to scold a man running a little Bobcat-type machine clearing snow next door at the office building. Kari called me and told me someone was piling snow against our fence along the west. I put on my hat and coat and went to investigate and sure enough, there was a pile of snow from the office parking lot 30 feet long and several feet high up against the fence. I jumped up on the fence between SA and the offices and hailed the fellow, told him not to pile any more. He said he wouldn't and I guess he complied because I noticed there was a big pile of snow at one end of the parking lot underneath a tree that I don't think was there when I confronted him. A little snow piled against the fence doesn't hurt anything but we must have zero tolerance. Maybe next time someone gets a little careless and runs into the fence with their equipment, bending a post a little. It has always been the case that people seem to feel they can take liberties with SA that they wouldn't ordinarily take with a neighbor. Maybe they think we won't notice or we don't care. Usually it is a third-party hired to do a job and more concerned for making things easy for themselves than anything else. Constant vigilance is another price we pay for living where we do.

Top

January 21, 2007

Saturday Snow

Another weekend of confinement or another weekend of relaxation, depending on how you look at it. Last winter was so dry and mild I figured with a little luck this winter I could just about finish trimming the elms. Now I'm just hoping to have the fallen stuff cleaned up by the 4th of July. One thing about it, though, we've been treated to some really nice scenery.

Joyce invited the little people and their parents over today to play in the snow. Poor Abigail had to quit the field early because her boots, suitable for walking after a rain, tended to fill with snow. Her feet got pretty cold. Joyce had hot chocolate and something nice to eat when they all came in. I had been out earlier shoveling snow so I didn't join them. I had taken to my easy chair.

Last Wednesday I had the first of the classes on solar

energy for the homeowner I signed up for. It's an Amarillo College continuing ed course. Our teacher said the average American home uses 35 kilowatts of electricity daily. His home uses two. He's not connected to power grid, heats his water with passive solar and apparently relies on what falls from the sky for water. I calculated we used an average of 17 KW in 2006. Should be an interesting course.

Kari and I ran Friday morning, the only morning we ran all week. Too cold. It was cold Friday morning and we had decided not to run the night before but when Kari got up she heard on the radio that there was no wind so she called and suggested we take advantage. It was a nice morning, cold, but if it's still you can tolerate a lot of cold.

Top

January 14, 2007

More Snow and Ice

We're socked in again this weekend, more so even than last weekend where at least Saturday was decent. We've been making the best of it though. Joyce has been making soup so we are well fed. The only time we got out yesterday was when Joyce went to the barn to tend the livestock and I walked down to the office to get something. We also ran to the grocery store. Genna reported that it was cold out when she came for breakfast this morning. We had no reason to doubt her since the thermometer said 20 degrees.

Thursday evening the three of us went to a movie and dinner afterward. We saw Night at the Museum which was entertaining. We shared a pizza at Carolina's, a stone-fired Italian place we hadn't been to before. Everyone approved. Genna and I did get out for breakfast yesterday morning.

There was a thin layer of snow on the streets but they weren't slick.

Shortly after I got up yesterday morning, well before it was light, I stood at the kitchen window and watched a fox run around the yard, looking for something to eat, I guess. It was so light out because of the snow it was easy to see the critter. It finally jumped the fence and headed off into the pasture.

The cold is supposed to persist for several more days. Needless to say I haven't gotten any outside work done this weekend. Forced idleness has its attraction but there sure is a lot of clean up from the ice storms that isn't getting done. At the rate we're going it will take me till summer to finish that.

Top

January 1, 2007

Second Ice Storm

It got above freezing today but the wind still blew, this time out of the southeast. Still it wasn't too bad outside if one was dressed for it. Joyce helped me remove the outside Christmas lights and stow them away for next year. We had to knock off a little snow and ice here and there but got the job done in fairly good order. Joyce will take down the tree, etc. as the week progresses.

We celebrated New Year's Eve in our usual way, fondue at K,C,A&R's. Quite delicious. After fondue, some of us watched Ice Age 2. I was home in bed by 10 o'clock and apparently very much asleep. Joyce said there was quite a commotion in Quadrille just across the fence from us. There were several emergency vehicles, sirens, you name it but I slept right through it in spite of the fact it

took place about the time I went to bed.

Friday night we had dinner at K,C,A&R's. H&E were leaving the next day and we wanted to all get together one more time before they left. Significant snow was predicted which threw into question their being able to get out Saturday. Leaving Friday was briefly discussed but they didn't want to cut their visit short. Good thing, too, since thunderstorms in Dallas would have caused them misery if the had tried to travel Dallas Friday. We had a pleasant evening but Joyce and I had to walk home in bitter cold wind and sleet. The sleet had quite a sting to it when it encountered bare faces. I think we're going to have reasonably mild weather over the next few days, which will be a nice change.

Top

  Copyright © 2005 Robert Keeter