We are ready for Spring!!!

Looks like it is going to be another long drawn out wet spring... I know after a long grey and wet winter the northwest is anxious to start seeing some less cloudy skies and some warmer temperatures. This year the sun is even slower in arriving! At least I can say it has been warmer and grey and rainy. The days are getting longer and the spring bloomers are still blooming. It is nice to see the splashes of color on the cherry trees to break up the grey of the skies.

A winter get away

I needed to get out so I made plans to go camping. Russ had mentioned wanting to try camping in a Yurt. So we found a pet friendly camp grounds that had yurt rentals. I booked a few days over the weekend and started making plans. I thought for sure late Feb would yield at least some slightly warmer temps especially since were going south into Oregon. Well Somehow I missed the fact we were also going somewhat east and up in elevation.

We packed warm things and planned for the cold weather but not snow! We pulled up to our yurt in a quiet setting in the cold, damp late afternoon.

We got unpacked and settled and went out for a walk.. just in time for the

wet air to turn over to snow!! It was beautiful but cold! We noticed the paintball field across the road from our campsite but it looked shut down for the season. We got back to the yurt and got a fire started in the stove and made sure we had plenty of dry wood on stand by to keep it warm through the night.

The doggies were cold too. Everyone wanted to sleep as close together as possible! It was not easy getting out of bed to stock the stove to keep the fire going through the night...

The snow stopped falling through

the night and the temperatures must have staved hovering just above freezing. The next morning brought clear skies and by afternoon the snow was melted around camp.

We took a drive to state land further down the road for some hiking. The further we went, the more snow had fallen but not yet melted. Max and Phoenix enjoyed the snow! Russ enjoyed monitoring the temperatures.

We got back to the yurt to find the nice quietpaintball field in full swing with several teams stalking each other trying to get to the goal post without getting splatted with paint. Russ and I were able to safely observe the activity on the other side of the screens. It was fun tow watch the families strategize how to get around their brothers/Dads/ Sisters on the opposing team. It was clear they were having fun. I was happy to be on the other side of the screen and not a part of that game. By late afternoon, the field had quieted down again and all was peaceful at camp again. Russ and I ate dinner and enjoyed a quiet clear night and bundled up knowing the temperatures were going to be colder that night. We kept the fire going and managed to stay a little warmer through the night. We woke up early, packed up and headed home. It was a fun winter adventure with some real winter weather thrown in. We were tired but had a great time!

A Need

When I was visiting out at the farm in late January, to get some horse connection,
I noticed the horse trailer parked down by the barn. When I saw Lester, he asked if I had taken a look in it. With his question, I figured they had picked up a new cow or something. I peaked in the trailer on my way out and was greeted by a soft little white nose, a gentle sniff and a bright white face. There was a young colt in the trailer! I felt the spark as soon as he touched my hand. This little guy had a need as badly as I did.

Lester said he needed a place to go and he figured he had the space and knew someone who might be willing to work with him. Later, he said, he's your's if it seems right.

I have been working with the little fella, teaching him about standing still, wearing a halter and being led. He came with the name of Two Feathers, I was calling him Charlie but I think his name is settled on Flash.

Warren's spirit

Warren lived on a friend's farm with a herd of cattle and several draft horses and a couple ponies. He was very happy to have 40 acres to romp on. I still frequent the farm to get my horse fix and visit with my friends. We took the old draft and one of the ponies for a ride in the back field the other day. I saw Warren's hoof prints in an area we had ridden the week before. Part of me wanted to preserve that place and never let those tracks be disturbed. Then I realized that I am clinging to everything physical I have of Warren, knowing that this is is all there will be. The physical does not matter. It is Warren's huge heart and spirit that I truly connected with and spirit is eternal. His body could not sustain him any longer and it was time for him to let it go. Warren's spirit lives on everywhere. I can feel him in the field, hanging out in the trees.. watching me wander all over the field. He is with me.

Warren

You know me and therefore you know the big blonde Belgian draft horse, Warren.

I have been staring at the screen trying to find the right words. Warren had a very sudden and severe colic Sunday afternoon. We took him to Oregon State University veterinary hospital and he went in for surgery. There were no twists, but a great deal of gas in his colon. We still don't know what caused it or why. His 24 hours of post op were very slow for recovery. Tuesday night was promising; he was looking and feeling better. While we were visiting, his heart rate came down and he was more like his normal curious and social self. Wednesday morning he hit a wall. On our Wednesday evening visit he let us know it was time to say good bye.

Warren, the giver, prankster and strong, gentle soul.

12 and a half years he has been a wonderful part of my life.

I am sad; I will miss his physical presence, our rides through the woods, his mighty shoulder, his big, warm eyes, his "talkative" lip. His spirit will always surround me and all the other lives that he has touched in his 14 years.

I share this with you because directly or indirectly he has touched all of your lives.

Warren, you have given so much. You are a tremendous horse with an amazing spirit and so much loved. I am thankful for every moment we shared together. Your physical presence will be missed, my dear friend, but your spirit remains with me always.

Out in the woods

Did I mention that I love my job!? Today I went out to the remote town of Packwood to review some practices done on forestland. Today's task was to verify that the 10 year old, densely planted timber stand had been pre commercially thinned down to the target density. The trees were packed in at over 1000 trees per acre and after thinning, the stand was at 375 trees per acre. That means there were lots of little trees cut down so the remaini trees could have light and space to grow healthier and taller. My co-worker and I hngiked around over slash from the thinning and counted trees in 1/50th acre plots we averaged out plot data and determined the stand density for the property. This is only a small piece of the many unique requirements of my job, but I really enjoy it.

Good bye 2010; hello 2011!!

The last few days of December always generate a time of reflection and a sense of hope and anticipation for the new year. What will 2011 hold??
Only time will tell but I am looking forward to it!

Winding down the year already!? Reflecting on 2010.

I can't believe it is November already! Its slightly embarrassing that this is my first post for 2010. But that is just the way of it.

Headlines for the year include:

• Family, Fashion and Fun: A trip to New York for a fashion show, family reunion and an expedition.
• Feeling Effects of A Crippled Economy- we both faced major changes in our jobs as a result of the economic times.
• Eastcoast comes West: Mom and Dad venture out to Washington to check out Seattle, visit with us and explore the Oregon coast.
• Yard Produce and Putting food By: Our front yard garden produced enough for canning; we have beets, green beans, potatoes and carrots put up for the winter!
• Big Birthday Catch: A birthday fishing trip yields 2 Steelhead for the freezer and a commitment to fishing the local rivers
• Baby boom: There is a new baby boy in the family and another cousin and a nephew are arriving in early 2011.
• 200,000 mile club: Acquisition of a "new" car and I come to the realization that all of our vehicles have over 200,000 miles and run strong and reliably thanks to the skill, care and diligence of the man in our house
• West goes to the Southeast: A visit back to Georgia to be with family and and cheer on friend at a huge horse event
• Searching for Caches: We discovered the adventures of Geo caching - great fun and it requires gadgets, a sense of adventure and being outside!! Does it get any better?
• Your how old? CARDED on 30th Birthday!
• Star sighting! Rainbow Brite and her Sprite, Twink, appear at a doggie costume contest at a local restaurant on Halloween
• Burly Blondie Relocates: Warren moves to a pasture in the country and befriends a herd of cows, other draft horses and ponies and thrives in his new farm!
• Fruit loopy: A determination for growing a lemons in the balmy pacific northwest! A lemon tree makes a a new home in our quaint little house.

Phew, it has been a busy year thus far! I wonder what 2011 has in store...

Go Capri!

A winter Project for Russ was going to be to get his 1974 Mercury Capri up to driving status again. Mostly it was tires and a tune up that it needed. He figured it would be a slow winter project. Well.. the lugs were hardly snugged down before he was ready to tune it up and drive it to work again. Needless to say, the Capri is alive and breathing and going strong these days and Russ couldn't be having more fun zipping around town in the little cruiser.

Girlfriend's Half Marathon

The day before the race, I decided if there was an opening, I would sign myself up and run it. The weather was promising to be pretty decent, cool but not rainy. It turns out there was one opening, so I got my number and I was signed up to run. The entire time, I am thinking what in the world am I doing!? Ah well. 13.1 miles around Vancover, it will be a nice stroll through the city....

The race was geared towards women, pink shirts to wear, and chocolate to eat and firemen handing out water at the finish line, what fun is that!?

Saturday morning I met up with my co-workers, stretched out and lined up for the race. The announcer said go and away we went. I stayed with my competitive co workers for the first 2.5 miles but then decided if I was going to last another 11 miles, I needed to knock the pace back a little bit. So down the Columbia River I shuffled with a mass of women all ages and builds. It was actually pretty fun being in the group. There were refueling station every 2 miles so you could pace yourself that way: just get to the next tent, there is water and energy gels (yuck - but they do provide a boost if you can choke them down) I met up with a lady that had all sorts of timers and watches going off that was going about the same pace as me so I stayed wit her and chatted for about 5 miles and then again had to slow up the pace for myself. By mile 10, I was starting to feel the muscles tighten and it became a push to keep going but the end was insight. Just go around the fort, back up the hill, through town and you are over the finish line! Becky and Denise were already across the time by the time I got to my last mile. They were doubled back and cheering me on, I sprinted the last 1/2 mile and I had done it! 13.1 miles!

June, July, August....

We were out having so much fun over the summer, I did not make it in to sit down and blog much. It is difficult when the sun is out and the days are long, to come indoors. Especially when you know the summer is so short lived and the sun will disappear for months on end. So a run down of the highlights of the summer:

Golfing - I learned to hit a golf ball and play golf- real golf on a golf course with a cart and clubs and everything! Lucky, Jade, Russ and I entered in a golfing competition - we even took home a first prize trophy. woo hoo!

Running - My co-workers got inspired early this year to run a 1/2 Marathon in August.

(that is 13.1 miles)! I have been wanting to build up my endurance so I decided to join them in their afternoon runs. We took a trip to the shoe store to get the right fit and got on a training plan. We even got skirts to run in (they are way cooler than shorts!) So we became the running skirts! We have run in a few shorter races, a few 10Ks. a few 5 Ks but the big push is the 1/2 marathon. I don't know if I can do that many miles. 6 is pretty long for me!

Clean out- Russ and I cleaned out the storage container and the garage - a MAJOR accomplishment -not only do we have less stuff - we have more have more room to put the boat in the garge for the winter instead of the chore every fall of deflating and storing it - now it can remain inflated and parked in the garage!

Man Island - Russ has this great tent hammock that sets up perfectly in between 2 tress in the back yard. He got the idea to make a rock area underneath the trees to put his feet. It evovled into what we now call man Island.. complete with rocks, a fire pit umbrella and a tiki man. Soon there will be bamboo and lights. A nice backyard island get away.

Lake - Of course we spent many hot afternooons out on the lake -

it was even hot enough for me to want to get in chilly waters of the glacial fed lake a few times. Jade and I found a log to play on one afternoon while we were paddling around!

Manteo, NC - Russ and I went to the Geidel family reunion at Granna and Pa's house. It was a lovely trip, we stayed wit Mom and Dad in a condo they rented right on the water. Russ though Nags Head was a neat beach town and loved the scenery and all the ocean going boats.

Canon Envirothon and Visit to GA - I had the opportunity to spend the week in Asheville, NC to represent Washington state at the Canon Envirothon meetings. Since I was so close to home, I spent an extra few days visiting family in Georgia. We had a lovely summer picnic at the lake and even got in some gardening.

Memorial Day Weekend

This is perhaps the most summery, warmest, non-rainy Memorial Day weekend the Northwest has ever had. What better way to celebrate the weekend than to have a backyard cook out!? Lucky and Jade came over Sunday for an afternoon cookout. We had a tasty meal on the patio of steak, baked beans, hot dogs, hamburgers, cantaloupe, and brownies! (I made deviled eggs but forgot to get them out of the fridge - that's okay, they were good the next day on the boat!)

On Monday we headed out to the lake for a day of fishing and puttering on the water. The lake hasn't warmed up enough for swimming yet (of course, I never think it is warm enough for swimming!), but it sure was relaxing and a beautiful sunny day on the water. The big fish weren't biting much but Jade did mange to hook a few little guys worth keeping.

Spring Cleaning!

The weather suddenly made its shift from damp dreary cold winter to warm, dry spring to near summer feeling temperatures in the matter of a few days! The weather inspired us to get out and do some cleaning. Russ weeded out a pile of clutter from his storage container and then decided it was time to scale down the lawnmower collection that was taking up part of the backyard. He had 2 riding mowers cleaned up and sold in just one weekend! While Russ had all the machienry up and running, we even hauled all the rugs out to the yard for a good pressure washing! It sure does feel good to have everything cleaned up and some clutter gone!

A new coop for the flock

Having a flock in the backyard has certainly been a learning experience for us! The coop that we built last year has been wonderful; it is light weight, easy to move around the yard and it keeps the Ladies pretty well contained..... for the most part......Fern has figured out how to get out coop if the house is not lined up just right and the dogs have figured out how to get in if the sides are sitting cattywhumpus. (it is not the birds they are after, it is the alluring chicken scratch that inspires them to break in) The birds flying the coop would not be such a big deal either except for the fact that they jump the fence to the neighbor's yard and while I can mostly appease the neighbors with eggs on occasion, I rather not have birds running around the neighborhood all willy nilly. Then the "Arctic Blast" hit Vancouver in December with more than a foot of snow and it became obvious that the coop was not designed for snow loads either!

So with the rough winter behind us and hens that are flying the coop in the afternoons, I decided it was time to re-vamp the ladies living arrangements.

It all began with a vision of PVC.... With a few joints, some cuts and a bit of glue I could easily build a lightweight, sturdy and secure chicken coop, right!? A pretty straight forward weekend project. No problem!

Gee, if it were only that easy!! The more I thought about it (and had Russ's guidance) the more I realised what I needed for a roof, supports and joints, I came to the realization I had a full blown engineering, design and construction project on my hands. So I hunkered down to get it done!

The first step was to figure out what parts I'd need so I had to draw it all out. Fortunately, Russ had all the tools I needed to make it to scale. There was much sketching, erasing, figuring, re sketching, crossing out and revising in the initial phases. This quickly became more than a weekend project! As I quickly realised, the complicated part of PVC comes when you want to make something 3 dimensional. Plumbing wasn't exactly designed to go 3 or 4 different ways so finding the parts for a corner of a cube isn't always easy. Fortunately, the Internet will find you just about anything you want, and I did find a supplier in Oregon that carried exactly the joints I needed for the roof and corners.

The next step was to lay the whole mess out and figure out what lengths to cut the PVC.

So far it sounds pretty easy and straight forward, but I assure you, this was quite a brain teaser to figure out how to make all the corners work, how much PVC to get, and still have an angled roof with braces to hold up to wind, snow and whatever other weather we might get in the next few years. And on top of all that to make sure all the joints are square, you really have to think hard in what order to assemble the pieces to have it all come out square.

So I measured, calculated, measured, scribbled, cut, measured and repeat a hundred times over until I had a bucket of pieces and a list of measurements ready to assemble. It was sort of like a huge Lego's project. I made a diagram and labeled everything as I cut and measured so I ended up with a bunch of different lengths of PVC with letters on each end... A-L with letter on each joint telling me where to fit everything together. I must say, it was pretty clever the way I kept myself organized.

Then it was time to start putting the frame together....

Then came the next task of calculating how to get it to the backyard before the final gluing and chicken wire installation. So more configuring and calculating, and careful maneuvering through the canopy (storage area) and I got it all in the back yard in 3 or 4 pieces. Phoenix was pretty happy to have me move the project to the backyard, as she wanted to oversee the progress too. She approved of the design.

After a few more days of attaching chicken wire and then configuring the roof tarp, the coop is complete.

It took the ladies a bit of coaxing to get in the new coop, but they seem to have settled into their new abode rather well. It is much roomier than their old pad and it even has an out door roosting option. (they have a perch inside their hen house, however this new pen has an outdoor roost as well. The roof provides ample protection form the rain and sun while the sides can be pulled up when the days get drier and warmer to allow more for more air flow. It is quite the elaborate chicken hut, that is for sure!

Even though there is still snow on Star Mountain...

..my garden is planted! I couldn't resist. We had a few days straight of sunshine and warm temperatures, not to mention the Home and Garden Idea Fair (a big plant fair and sale for local vendors and Clark County residents) I did some plant shopping and decided they all needed to get in the ground while the weather is good. I have 5 tomato plants; Brandywines (a tasty heirloom variety), Early Girls, Romas and Sungolds. I also have 4 pepper plants(bell peppers and one chili pepper for salsa), spinach, beets, lettuce, carrots, basil, beans, cilantro, broccoli, onions, peas, radishes, cucumbers and cantaloupe. The peas and carrots I planted early, they are coming up and doing very well. I think I might get a squash or two going in the next few days too. I am also trying my hand at asparagus, but I know I have to leave that one alone for a year at least. I have little sprout on it already though! I must have done something right.

I am trying to keep the garden a little more orderly this year, so I have more substantial tomato cages (some of my tomatoes exploded out of the cages and all over the ground last year) and I am going to try to teach my cantaloupe and cucumber to grow up instead of out... we'll see how that works out.

In addition to tomato cages, I also put "Kozy Koats" around the tomatoes. They are a cylinder of water you put around your plants to help them stay warm and better absorb the sun's rays on cool spring days. I have heard many gardeners rant and rave about the wonders of these protectors, so I thought I'd give them a try this year too.

More Spring!!!

First it was cherries now it is apple, redbuds and pink dogwoods showing thier tribute to the warmer weaither and londer days! The color is out and spring is here!!! I even have a bloom on my little redbud I planted after moving here from Georgia. I LOVE the redbud color its like a big lavender tree when in bloom. That and a pink dogwood; my favorites! There are several on our street that I have been enjoying this past week .

1 year and many more to go!!!

Russ and I have been married one year today!! In celebration of our first year of marriage we took a trip out to the Gorge for a hike and to look at wildflowers. We went to Catherine Creek, a park in Washington, just off HWY 14, out past White Salmon. (about an hour from Vancouver and just east of Mt. Hood and Cascade mountain range) We found beautiful views of the river, the bright purple Camas, in full bloom, a drier ecosystem and a welcomed sunnier- than-western- Washington sky.

A meeting of bright lights

Russ and I loaded up the doggies and a case full of flashlights and struck out for Seattle Saturday afternoon. Our goal was to meet a group of Northwestern flashlight enthusiasts from the Candle Power Forum (an online information sharing group to which Russ belongs) We arrived at the icnic site at dusk, a good size group of light flashers had already gathered, but Russ figured the best time to be at the scene would be after the sun went down so everyone could get a better idea of shining lights. There were a number of followers there with tables full of their best and most intriguing lights to share. Russ brought a case full as well. As the sun went down, more and more lights came out and there was much shining, spotting and flashing going on. Good thing we were in a remote picnic area along a large lake where we wouldn't disturb anyone too badly. There were one or two HD lamps and a laser or two (that ran on car batteries) that had some serious throw to them. Those operators had to be careful to only aim the beam at a solid surface in the water and not up or across the lake as they would indeed attract potentially unwanted attention from across the way.

It was a friendly and fun gathering. Everyone brought some sort of food and there were all sorts of sharing of ideas and lights. I have a suspicion there will be more flashlight gathering planned for the future....

Construction Project: Phase II

Last summer, Russ took on a construction/design project for a friend. He added extensions and a roof an existing deck... it came out so well that the home owners wanted him to come back and build an addition to the other side of the deck. So Russ has been working diligently on building a pergola over the other side of the deck. He managed to find some beautifully lumbered wood from a mill in Oregon and has been designing and joining the wood with groves and notches. It is an impressive structure and it is coming together well.

Spring in the air? well... it is starting to look like it anway

The days are getting longer, the grass is starting turn green, the ladies are laying more regularly and the rain is.... well it is still falling and it is still cold, but it is starting to look like spring around here so maybe it will start feeling more like it sometime soon!! I can hardly wait for a bit warmer temperatures to get the garden planted. Actually, I did put some broccoli in the ground along with some carrot seeds and peas. I figure they can brave the colder temperatures just fine. I have added 2 more beds in the front yard for more growing room. I will put raspberries in one and tomatoes in the other...