Tuesday

Good morning, friends!

(Okay, so it won't be morning by the time this is posted, but it was morning when I began my blogging today.  Add in the RIDICULOUS length of time this still-stupid laptop takes to warm up and the various times its frozen up, and we're well into the afternoon.)

Anyway . . . .  I'd hoped to blog yesterday, but I started my day's tasks right when I got up, and I was wiped out come 8:30 PM, so it didn't happen.  My at-home tasks are still directly related to my New Me thinking, so I'm staying true to that . . . which feels good.

Looking at what made me late getting into town & the office on Saturday, it was the time it took me to iron clothes that morning for the day.  So, added to the growing list of Weekend Tasks was ironing 5 tops and 5 bottoms for the coming week.  I got part of that done yesterday, but my time was limited to the period between which I realized the generator was running* and the time it shut down.  When I hear the generator go on today, I'll get the job finished.

* The iron takes SO much electrical energy that, in the winter when the reserves are always low due to the lack of sun to charge the batteries via the solar panels, I try to iron ONLY when the generator is running.

Also on the Weekend Tasks list is going through the week's accumulation of mail and carrying-through with each item.  Yesterday, that took a lot of time.  Because I hadn't had a chance to pick up my mail yet in 2011 (!), there were a lot of Christmas cards.  So, I:

• Entered the reception of each Christmas card (something I like to do each year so that I can look, the following holiday season, to see if so-and-so hasn't sent me a card in the past 5 years . . . in which case, I can probably skip THEM, too!).
• Entered any new (return) addresses in my address book.
• Paid all the bills and then put each of the paid receipts in their proper file.
• Sorted through (not read through!) all of the catalogs and put them away.
• Entered the corresponding information for vehicle work and eye doctor receipts in their appropriate computer file and then put the paper copy into its paper file.

It's amazing how "keeping up on things" like that takes TIME!  But, it also explains the INCHES deep paperwork on my desk:  because I've just been piling all that above-mentioned previous-to-now paperwork on my desk to be taken care of one of these days.  And, as I'm learning, "one of these days is NONE of these days"!!!

It was well into the afternoon by the time all of that was done, and then I headed out to work in the garage's generator room.

I drained the oil from the generator and replaced the oil filter and put in fresh oil.  I replaced the air filter, too.  While the oil was draining, I set to work on the 24 batteries.  I checked and added distilled water to each of the 72 compartments (24 batteries with 3 cells each = 72).  That job takes, literally, a couple of HOURS.  And, as I've mentioned before, it's not pleasant.  First off, I have to wear a full face protector from acid splashes or exploding batteries.  And, that thing HURTS my head!!!  Then, getting to each of the 72 compartments requires bending and stretching into unnatural and uncomfortable positions.  And, you have to stand up and refill the little bottle used to do the filling about 1258 times.  Ugh.  No wonder my knees are feeling it today.

But, that job was overdue and it feels good to have it done!  I ran out of distilled water (as usual) and so need to go back to top-off a few of the cells, but they're all filled to a safe level in the meanwhile.

I was back inside around 7:30 or 8:00 last night but feeling pretty wiped out.  I had a bowl of Grape Nuts for dinner and then some corn chips and salsa once I toddled upstairs around 8:30 to watch 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'.  When I came back downstairs to put away the bag of chips and close up for the night, I realized The New Me was starting to take effect.  I took one look at the still-open box of Grape Nuts on the counter next to the still-open box of crackers I'd snacked on earlier in the day and that The Old Me had left out to be cleaned up "another day" . . . and shook my head in disgust as if to say, "Uhh!  WHO left these sitting out on the counter, cluttering things up?!"  ;)  See, I think it might just be working!

In closing, a few pictures from Alaska.  The Ex got Explorer Guy off and on his way once the weather finally cleared last Friday.  Here's a picture of him leaving (they had to fly in and land on a glacier to begin the trek to summit Denali).  I thought Explorer Guy looked like hell in this shot, but The Ex said that he was feeling good and in good spirits.  Skiing while strapped to a ladder looks super comfy, don't it?!  (But, hopefully the ladder will do its job and keep him from falling into any invisible crevices.)

Yesterday (or was it the day before?), new friends that The Ex had made the previous night in a local pub decided that they should make a lunch drop to Explorer Guy!  One of the two fellows owns a plane, and the other is the owner of the pub.  So, plane running and warmed up, they grabbed a steak sandwich piping hot off the grill and wrapped it, along with some chips and red wine (in a plastic bag), in a bright red drop bag and headed out!

Here they are, approaching the saddle necessary to pass through in order to access Denali.

And, here they are coming in to drop the package.  Where's Waldo?  Can you find Explorer Guy?  I've uploaded the image in its full size, so, once you click on it to enlarge it, you'll be able to spot him.

The Ex said that the drop was spot-on, directly in front of Explorer Guy who stopped to eat his unexpected snack on the spot!

And, with that, it's back to the last afternoon of my weekend, and there are THINGS TO DO!  

My Wednesday

I'm so in love with the new look of the blog & the header that it's not even funny!  Maybe this will help me blog more!  Truth be told, blogging more was one of my New Year's resolutions.  I enjoy doing it, and I love the idea that I'm doing the modern equivalent of journaling.  Kinda.  And, being able to blog wherever, whenever I want (now) really makes a difference, too.  For example, these last couple of nights I've taken the laptop to bed with me, and right now I'm snuggled underneath my heating pad (it's part of the family) in complete darkness (save the glow of this screen) with the window open just inches behind my head (listening to the breeze through the pines).  Granted, I'd rather have a happy hubby in bed next to me, but, for now, I'm taking advantage of being able to do this.  If life hands you lemons . . . get out the tequila, right?  ;)

Whew, hot flash.  Heating pad . . . OFF!

So, today.  It was a GORGEOUS one!

As I wrote this AM, I'd heard the loggers working, so I made a batch of Jam Dandy Muffins with strawberry jam.  Then, as soon as they were out of the oven & cool enough to pack in a tin (the muffins, not the loggers), I threw the dogs into the truck and away we went.  

Here's a picture of the road they (the loggers, not the muffins) cut thru the trees to their current logging site.  When I got back there (the road's about 1/2 a mile long), one of the guys (they're identical twins, so I had no idea which one I was talking to) was loading / unloading in the staging area while the other could be heard cutting in the woods.

As he climbed down from the rig and pulled off his ear protection, I said, "I brought treats!"  He smiled and said, "It's a good day for treats!"  (I'm sure ANY day would be a good day for treats for them!)  


Anyway, I asked about the chances of getting a load of birch from them this winter yet.  And, whether it was coincidental or not (i.e. if "the word's out" about Tom and me), he said, "Yah, we were just talkin' about that - like, a week ago!  We been lookin', and we got some birch over there at that other cut.  How much?"  I said I wanted 8-10 cords (that's about a year's worth), and we talked price.  It seemed a little higher than last year, but I haven't looked that up yet to compare (last year's price).  Still, it was a decent price for 8' lengths delivered right into the yard.  And, I'd much rather give the money to them, who are working right here, than to someone who would haul it in from farther away.  Plus, they're good guys.

When I was leaving, brother #1 asked if I'd "plowed in".  I was surprised that he would ask:  usually, loggers don't care much about the shape of their logging roads as long as they can navigate them.  I collected myself and said, "Uhhh, no, but I will on the way out" . . . just thinking I'd help them out.  He continued on to say that they'd just gotten a pickup this past weekend but that it didn't have a plow on it yet, and he'd "opened up one side of the road with the cat but that was it".

It wasn't until I was halfway back out to the road when I realized, "He was talking about the ROAD road, you dummy, not the logging road!"  Duhhhh.  So, instead of heading directly home once I got out of the woods, I took a right and continued plowing.  I only had to plow about 2 miles because it's there (midway in on the road) that the other loggers are working, and they've kept those first 2 miles of the 4-mile long wintertime driveway as wide as an airport runway!  (Beautiful!)  

When I drove out last week and saw the impact their (big!) operation had made, I was surrrrprised!  I'll have to take a peek at the plat map to see how many acres this job was, but it's HUGE (relatively speaking, of course)!  Here's a shot taken out the passenger window while I was out plowing today.  It sure has made that part of the drive look COMPLETELY different!

When I came to the river on my way back home, I stopped & got out to take a couple of pictures.  I haven't posted any images of the river in quite some time (stay tuned tomorrow).  What was funny was that at that point in the road, there wasn't much snow and I figured I was just doing what I call "clean-up plowing" . . . and I wouldn't have much snow in front of the blade.  HA!  Look what I saw when I turned back to the truck!  (The blade's 9' wide and about 30 - 36" high.)  And, yep, I still gotta get that headlight fixed.

Finally, I thought I'd show you the little you can see of Swamp River Ridge at this time of year (in the summertime, it's completely hidden).  This is just as you come down a little hill to cross the bridge over the river.

Finally, here's an aerial shot I took in September of 2005 while we were building.  It's basically the same layout as the above picture (although taken from a more southerly direction).  From left to right:  the house (pad), the solar panels, and the garage.

Oh, and last but not least, my new work gloves.

I got them for Christmas.

I dunno:  do you think I'm working hard enough?