The skunk??? No, just Bear in the tall grass…a bit ironic that his tail looks very skunk-like.
But we stayed clear of Skunk-ville today: work, a run to Whitefish, more work and a beautiful couple of hours outside this evening.
Bear had a much better day today and recovered his smile and his usual sang froid!
It was a glorious first day of Summer in Northwest Montana! Hope it was wherever you are – Happy Solstice (yesterday evening) and may your Summer be beautiful.
The last two weeks, it has been one thing after another…on the fritz!
Yesterday, Monday, started with no hot water. I checked the breakers and the water heater’s breaker was broke…there had been thunderstorms…I reset the breaker, heard the water heater fire up – yea!
But, then…the water, it was scalding hot. It hadn’t been scalding hot prior…blech. A call to the plumber, a discussion…he will be here tomorrow…
Meantime, I usually have VERY hot, as in TOO HOT!, water. Occasionally I have to reset the water heater’s reset but the breaker is holding.
The good – well, kind of good – news is that as I pulled things out of the closet where the water heater lives, in preparation for the visitation from the plumber…I discovered that water was rising from the crawl space …just a wee bit of water, but enough to necessitate a massive closet cleanup.
…that explains all the mice in the house of late…kind of good news #2 = the explanation being the “good” news.
Work went on the fritz as well. I spent most of the day with the rest of the team chasing an elusive bug. Shortly after 6:00 p.m. we had a conversation along the line of “what we should have done at the beginning was…” – yep, it was that kind of day.
Despite an inclination to abstain from wine this work week…I didn’t.
I poured.
I sat.
I looked on the scene.
So…some things fritzed. But…my dog is happy, the grass is green, the air is crisp and clear. Not everything is on the fritz.
Actually, it has been one of those weeks :) !
The work days were very long: combination of a short week and the first week post install of new software so lots of minor tweaks that we strive to take care of ASAP. Change is hard and frustrating for most, so the faster we are at accomodating requests, the easier it is for all to accept that which they cannot change…new software.
In a burst of optomism last week – optomism that this week would be normally paced work-wise, I made an appointment for the motorhome for service. At any rate, the week was rather full and except for the mad dash to take the motorhome to the shop, Bear and I had not been off the property for any variety of smells and experience the entire week.
So…Saturday morning: overcast and raining – even though going back to bed with a book sounded wonderful, I loaded Bear in the Jeep and off we went to town.
I should have listened to that voice about going back to bed…
It is not unusual to get a rock thrown from passing cars and trucks. Most “highways” are two lane. They are very good two lane roads with normal width lanes and good shoulders, but no dividers. And the speed limit is generally 70 mph.
Two objects in opposing directions going 70 mph and colliding….WHAMMMM!! I never saw the object but it had to have been fairly large. The impact shook the Jeep and made my teeth rattle. I’d had a good grip on the steering wheel as there was enough water on the road for the occasional hydroplaning action. The vibration and jerk gave me a good jerk as well. AND, although whatever the object was, it had not come through the windshield, the glass was broken clear through and the front passenger seat was covered with small bits of glass.
I pulled over to check on Bear and collect myself. Bear was a bit wide-eyed but no glass went to his area. He’d slid a bit into the front seat but was none the worse for anything. No glass came my way but I felt the afteraffect of the collision in my arms and chest and that disconcerting feeling of trying to run through in my mind exactly what had happened.
An auto glass place that I’d gone to 5 years ago – the last time I took a rock – was near. I stopped there and ordered a new windshield. Then I drove home, took an aspirin and went to bed … call me in the morning :)!
The remainder of the day was spent in laziness. It poured as hard as I have ever seen it pour here – a good day to be lazy and inside. By evening, the sun came out and there was a breeze in the trees that made it feel like Fall: clear, crisp and cool.
I walked around the woods with a comforting cup of hot tea, watching Bear enjoy the cool and being grateful that the worst thing from the day was a broken windshield…minor. Bear obviously had no lingering effects as when I opened the Jeep to really make sure there were no glass shards in the back, he hopped right in, ready to go again.
Writing this on Sunday morning…I had no lingering effects either – no soreness, bumps or bruises. Still, I think we will spend the day at home and I do not expect we’ll be doing much – one of those days!
Motorhome mileage at oil change 5/30: 44709
Motorhome gen hours at gen oil change 5/30: 538
Morning sun…
…after a hard freeze! But I covered rhubarb and lily-of-the-valley and all look fine. It was 21F on the valley floor this morning, though and I dearly hope all things survived.
Bob and I started in coziness, in the sunroom, with the heat ON.
And sunshine!
Bob in the sunroom, Bear on Beardog Point. Coffee for me with my boys in view – perfect.
And by 5:00…more perfection as Bear and I enjoyed the late afternoon.
End of the week.
A beautiful sunrise started our Easter Sunday.
Bear kept me company in the kitchen…
And Easter breakfast was had before a small fire: Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal pancakes, egg in a hashbrown nest and sausage. Both breakfast and the woodstove warmed up a morning that started cool at 28F.
But before noon, it felt warm and eventually the thermometer hit 54F.
Bob partook of sunshine in the front yard…
And kept an eye on a small butterfly. (Butterflies are one of his favorite things :)! )
Wishing all a happy and Blessed Easter, from Bob, Bear and me.
