Mt_Rider

Well.....we're ready. Spring snow storms with huge impacts are fairly common in the high country. No one likes them. And DH and I both dealing with back issues at the moment. His is permanent. Mine is from slinging mud/grit/Decomposing Granite (DG) across the ice of our driveway, etc. days ago! Hmph. However...the result of that action (other than slightly pulled back muscles) is that we're starting THIS monster snow with a totally melted-clear driveway. My old truck is stationed down in the barnyard....at.the.ready. Parked facing out! If we had to get out to the road before S can come with his snowplow, it's not too far to shovel a path for the 4-wheel drive truck. Hmm I have snow treads somewhere. Not chains, just those cords. Anyway, we'll never forget getting stranded at the top the first winter. Besides, it's outta the way for our snowplow guy. Only have to move the car when he comes. IN CASE OF POWER OUTAGE due to overloaded branches breaking and bringing down power lines: --down comforters ready + warm dog --shower-wash/dry hair done --power station/battery charged 100% --pellet stove working; lots of bags of pellets...some up on the porch --lots of water in juice bottles...all over everywhere (drinking, cooking, toilet flush - pour into small bucket to pour fast - all at once. Not glug * glug out of bottles, btw ) --DH delivered a bill that would be due during storm; library to turn in and take out new movies for him; bring our mail in from communal box; grab last a few minute stuff from the market (apples, cold meat for sandwiches, etc). --trying to imagine ways to cook on top of pellet stove. Can bring water to slow boil. Can heat a cast iron griddle -grilled cheese and ham. Certainly soup/stew is viable. Hot cocoa or camp coffee. --dog food containers up here filled. --basic laundry done --both BIG flashlites charged up --if WIND kicks up - bubble wrap for windows at.the.ready Now if I could just not over tax my back; or DH's back with a lot of snow removal. Hmph! Don't know how to arrange that with the snow totals they're predicting. Ours went UP to 3' potential. I HOPE THIS STORM IS AN UNDER-ACHIEVER in our county. It's been snowing off and on most of the day. Only about 3" fell today off and on. Besides moving my truck down by the road at 4pm tonite, I had to prep the duckhouse. Put down heavy layer of straw. Brought another bushel basket of straw from shed to duckhouse. So two bushels are inside. The food buckets are inside to scoop from. Warm water is brought down by Reliance jug. On a sled if I'm walking. By car if DH thinks he can make it back up the hill. At least we don't have horses at this age. $$ at the riding stables seems well spent right about now! DH came home in time to drive dog and I back up to the house. My walking was way better than last nite. The minor cold kinda knocked me down. ....but then, adrenaline from a WEATHER event might be part of the energy. Doesn't help my sleeping tho. 3am this morning. Remembering to take the Flexeril would help. How you doing for sleep with your Ambien, Jeepers? ....are you still sleeping? Catching up? Anyone else in the path of this snow storm or the heavy rain that's preceding it eastward? Hope to get enough sleep to DEAL with this tomorrow. Good chance of losing power so I'd be off Internet if that happens. Unless we plug router into the Power Station but that takes away power for HEAT! Will check back in as I can. Might not even be noteworthy but ... OH my! Just checked thru the window. 5" more already and it's just turning midnight. And the lights have blinked out once. MtRider

With all the feet of snow coming into the Northern Rockies....my area may go POOF for a while if this spring HEAVY snow brings down tree branches with power lines entangled. MtRider

So sorry, Euphrasyne. Great aunts were my favorite too. Grmas not as much. Saw my dad's aunts so much more often. Just who is NICE and who is 'emotionally impaired'. Unfortunately, we lost them much earlier than the Grmas. I was 15 when AuntP passed away....and I still remember vividly. Hurts. One of the anchors I had. That's when life afterwards can really be rough for a while. Miki....awwww! Whoever created that trait in Oreo should pay greatly. But no, I can understand about bites. Dog bites are hard to heal up sometimes....risk and pain for your dh. Everyone is so busy/productive. Jeepers carrying on with her head dizzy/blacking out.... Hope the doc might have guessed right to help that. Glad you got your Ambien back. Hope that will work on your sleep issues. With all the hooha going on this past year....it's a wonder you know where you are when you wake up! So pretty, Necie! Not gonna be seeing any of THAT around here for a while. 'Nother big snow heading into CO high country. We're estimated at "over a foot...but possibly TWO FEET!" First thing I did was check the Power Station. Battery holding at 100%. Part of me would like to test it out.......bigger part of me does not want snow-laden limbs of a gazillion trees to break and take the power lines with it. But with the pellet stove repaired...we've got a lot more insurance of heat. Plenty of pellets. We won't be recharging the battery in the snowstorm with the solar panels. This storm is widespread. Up and down the Rockies of CO...probably further. DH has a "new" client now. Praying for H....she went with Adult Protection worker to a neurology appt. DH got the Adult Protection started. We'll eventually find out how that went....from H's nice neighbor friends. It's clear she has dementia but it doesn't have to be this bad. Anyway, he'll be gone 5 hrs tomorrow with new client, but it's a LOT closer and no highway driving to get to him. DH has already been his caregiver before. "Just happened" that client's current caregiver left this week....so DH is back close to home again. Considering tomorrow's weather coming in....good! He can run around and exchange library movies, grab a couple things from the market, and drop off a check that's due. All on his way home. This storm isn't SUPPOSED to get wild until later tomorrow but there is a dusting of snow on my truck already. We're ready.....stay ready. And the driveway is very close to completely melted from the last couple snows. That will help to melt this one ....fill up the lakes and reservoirs!!!! Always need that in this era of CO history. We're over the mild 'colds' we had. Thankful for the non-pharmaceutical stuff we take. Got replenishment of same today...while UPS could still get up the driveway. MtRider ... here we go again....

Martian....yes! Any walking counts. I tend to pace when I talk on the phone too. I do "porch laps".... if the weather is reasonable. 25' one way and back. Dog thinks I'm nuts. We should play with her Tug A Rope. Littles Sister....I hope you can get someone to really examine that shoulder of yours! You've had that a long time already! New doctors.....until you find one that suits you....listens and acts on your behalf. { isn't THAT their job description?} Sheeesh, Necie. You're schedule makes me tired just reading it. But yeah....always have to factor in the UNexpected. Miki..... Oreo? Did I miss something. We've been having a LOT of communication with everyone involved with DH's home health aide - H. She's just caught on tonite that her favorite home aide (DH) has quit. Got a tearful phone call from her. He didn't have any choice. He cannot morally nor ethically give a med to someone that is reacting VERY badly to it. So...the battle lines are drawn. Some for H and some for taking H's stuff and stuffing her into some care home - locked. Battle is not over but DH has stepped out of it....sort of. H wants him back. He offered to meet her for lunch sometime. Then he's not under his employer nor anyone else. Doesn't have to give her wretched meds that string her up so badly. There really is a fond friendship between them. I'm involved enough to be losing sleep also. Two good neighbor/friends are with H. Calming her in evenings. Pray that the Adult Protective services lady will see things clearly for H tomorrow at neurologist appt. And she'll see that H's sister has selfish, evil intentions. And EVERYONE can see H should not be on that drug! Distinct behavior change ....and not better! We're still in the battle but indirectly now. And....we need better sleep! It's distressing when you see someone vulnerable that is being abused by anyone...let alone "family". But H still has supporters! And God KNOWS.... I've actually had pretty good indoor energy lately. Hawaiian every nite. Make meals. Clear a bit here and there. Small stuff that adds up. Haven't been getting out for walking dog tho. Cuz energy comes in spurts. Afraid the "spurt" will run out while I'm on the road with dog. And I'm still trying to get IN bed by midnight. Sleep .... hopefully follows. Right Miki?...Jeepers? Full time job trying to get a full night's sleep!! Didn't happen last nite. So tonite....muscle relaxant already taken. MtRider ...take care, all. (time shift isn't helping)

Thanks, Midnight!!!! The link worked. I love watching these crazy things. There was one that included the stairs to the basement of the house. Colorful - these dominoes now, making the choices even more time consuming. MtRider

Second floor drying porch....sounds like it WAS a nice set up, M.Chick. We have a second floor porch and yes, I hung a clothes line between posts. Only trouble is, the laundry is down the stairs, under the porch and inside the front side of the basement. So we're hauling too. DH and I share the laundry. If anyone is going up or down, we try to remember to catch the laundry while we're up/down. One does not do laundry on rain or snow days tho. Especially snow since we always must sweep/shovel the stairs before stepping on them. We don't have an inside access to the built-into-the-hill basement area. (cuz this cabin is too small!) Do have dryer with the washer but some things need to be hung! The dryer would eat them. So I have all sorts of creativity to hang stuff in the bathroom too for inclement weather at the clothes line. Like verticle clothes line for light weight stuff like sox/undies. Well, I'm feeling improved today....chasing away this mild (so far) cold. No fever. DH is taking stuff to make sure I don't 'share'. So far; so good. I took a nap today. I felt much better after that. Working on getting at least IN bed by midnight....tho tonite is: DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME SWITCH. Everyone remember we lose an hour tonite. { does that mean it's midnight-thirty already? } MtRider

My dad was an exception to that rule and he also drove the work guys crazy. But he'd go in and fix whatever when they left for the day. They'd come back and see his work. We've wondered what they thot. Ooooo.... LIKE the camper, Necie. Yeah, might be an idea for LittleSister ....but, nature hates a vacuum. If DGS had his own place at your place, would he get too comfortable? He might vape/smoke/etc and you'd never get the smell out. Maybe if you begged the Coast Guard to take him..... He does seem quite good at shooting himself in the foot, so to speak. But as you say, he also seems to be making progress in finally maturing a bit at a time. DH seems to be warding off my 'cold'. I seem to be stuck in place. Not getting real miserable; not getting any better. We take a lot of herbal/supplements and I think that's what makes the difference. Had to sort thru various odd stashes of those pills cuz we're running out of the immune types. DH is taking them ahead of time to prevent catching my cold. So he had to order more this morning. I have an unfortunate assortment of little bags that I'd take with me to town or wherever and most were not labeled. Some just mineral or vitamins. Some for digestion/sinus/etc. So I sorted them out today. Some I could I.D. as what we're running out of. If I couldn't get a positive I.D......they got dumped. I've been labeling things better recently to prevent that loss. I just keep the label-side of the box and stick that in the Ziplocks I use when I travel. All data available and no more mysteries. At least I'm not coughing ..heading for bronchitis!!! Clearing throat a bit. Thanks for your well-wishes! AND I'm getting in bed earlier. Asleep....not quite but improving. DH's situation with his client ..... ....some people are so selfish, it's evil. Second day wasn't too bad for DH. But it's so hard to watch relatives harm others in their family. Not that it's a new thing. Began with Cain and Able. Still Prayers for that appreciated. Jeepers, as much as this whole past year has been a horrible hassle, do you think it's raised the price you'll get for the house? Seems like it should with all new kitchen and such redone. That's if the dratted insurance company pays what it ought!!! Can't believe that turned into a year long project. Two homes and you live at the hotel. Hmph. Take care, all MtRider sniffles

Still in the middle of Family Feud but a calmer day for DH. We're both trying hard not to fully go down with a common cold. We've got a lot of herbal formulas that are fairly good at shooooo ing them away. Not even trying for a ride tomorrow. Not that they've indicated there was a ride to be had anyway. Gloomy with low cloud cover but we only got 2-3" of snow. No snow plow guy then. Hope GS gets into Coast Guard sooner!! for Jeeper's while the workmen are coming and going to finish off the details. Few men are into details! Hmph! MtRider ...Hawaiian then bed!

Right?!

I still have no link visible to me? No small pic of the vid either. Nada. Nothing. MtRider ...what causes that?

Glad you and yours are ok....and the fires are almost done! MtRider for the fire mop-up and new job challenges.

...as I take a bite of a fajita with cheese. We just really don't know, do we? MtRider

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sargento-recalls-11-brands-shredded-181909863.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00 Yet ANOTHER recall..... MtRider

Me too! Ugh....fire in the community is so taxing on everyone. Even those not EVACed. MtRider

You're being blessed, Necie. And you need it after the past few months. But it's a bit distressing when you're sure something is one way and yet.....not! Don't worry. Your brain will settle back in place as your heart begins to heal. for Jeepers' son! Sounds like he'll be okay but is that a wake-up call? for Jeepers to get sleep on the right side of the clock...{not that I should talk but I KNOW how hard it is to wrench is back into the right schedule!!} Becca Anne....you're house must seem like an airB&B with so many folks there. How's your mom and friend doing? So good the house is big enough for the hospitality that you offer. You're wanting to start seeds and we're..... .........We're getting more snow....possibly lots of it. Weather folks are not sure yet. In this season, always a chance for breaking overloaded branches - downed power lines - loss of electricity. This year we've got the battery back up and the pellet stove is repaired! Yay! We'll have some heat. Temperatures in this part of winter are usually not below-zero-dangerous. Tho in my life, it seems that ANYTHING can happen. So far the entire driveway has melted. Only the flat top/parking/maneuvering has "glacier-packed snow". LOL As the UPS driver discovered. He's ok...knows this driveway. I told him to run his chains back and forth to chop up this glacier! Please pray for a situation DH is in the middle of right now. He's protecting the older woman he does Home Health Care for twice a week. A relative of her's that lives close by and the other Health Care Aide seem to be running a racket to get her put into a locked care unit somewhere instead of living at her home with 8 hrs / 7 days a week assistance. She doesn't wander. There is money involved. Isn't there always? Thankfully, adult protective services is now involved and she'll soon have a guardian ad litem. Meanwhile, DH is trying to ensure that she's safe from the shenanigans ....including being put on a dementia drug that agitated her terribly. (proving she "needs" a locked unite) NOT! DH's keeping Adult Protective Service worker updated. But this is a strain because he has no real authority. It helps that he's a retired Dr. of Chiropractic. Give him some status in this affair. A kind neighbor friend is also trying to watch out for her too. Real drama and ....we're too old for a part on The Family Feud!! MtRider ....mebbe.

Um....no vid visible to me, Midnight. I love watching those but sheesh. How can anyone devote TIME to do all that? Hope they have a day job! MtRider ....hoping to see it

Really.....I'm going to bed! Not going to look at anything more in the Internet!!!!!!! But it's been fun reading what y'all are up to. BUSY...everyone! Stay safe...no exploding canning jars or anything else! MtRider

Sheeesh....y'all make me tired just reading all that you do. I'm envious of you all that do canning with ease/experience and Darlene and Necie for knowledge of making soaps/lotions/etc. I've done a bit of these things. Not enough to do it efficiently enough for my energy to hold up. Last canning I did ....I recruited DH to help finish it. Pickled beets from one of the last successful gardens. {dratted voles!} But at least if I had to, I do know the how and why to begin again. Team with DH tho. Between us, we have mostly a whole-and-able person. We have been severely WINDY. Sounded like it was trying to blow the cabin down. Old cabin. Sometimes you wonder. I think that system is heading east now. Snow later in the week. Don't think I reported that my horse ride on Sat morning was really good. Just the new hired guy and me. A chance to get me on the horse and chance for him to familiarize himself with the trails in snow/ice conditions. They had a big family group that afternoon. The two of us encountered a LOT of ice and had to go off trail several times. Almost turned back at one location - long uphill section. If it had ice, we probably couldn't have continued but it was just snow. Put a whole group on there tho, and it's probably ice now. The sun is melting but that's in the woods part. Anyway, the ride was fun - tiny adventure......riding a big 'ole horse that might lose footing at any moment on icy mountain terrain. BTDT before. The new wrangler was relieved that I was experienced as soon as he saw our icy trails. Asked me right away - how much have you ridden????? Lots...we're okay. But I asked: Are they barefoot? Yes! Cuz metal horse shoes are ice skates on these conditions. Whew! I was glad to hear that. The natural hoof is so much better. Today I'm I can walk but my stamina is used up. Yikes, my time is nearly up to complete a lesson in Hawaiian today...after 11pm already. (right, Jeepers!) MtRider .....run to get to bed after Hawaiian.....

ME TOO! To both of them! Jeepers, that's what I had 2 yrs ago with Mom's house after Dad passed (wow, it's been 2 yrs...tomorrow). Married 72 yrs....35yrs in that 3 story house. Lotta stair climbing. Yours too. LittleSister, I'm the one with the Great Depression point of view. All the relatives in childhood had gone thru it and I caught the bug. DH is the long-suffering one in our very tiny house. Well.......... ya gotta have the TOOLS (very broadly defined) to do the thing! ...Whatever the THING is, now and in a post-hooey hits fan situation. But......in this house/property....I really have to get clutter cleared. I'm slowly making some order. Creative storage helps. MtRider ....but I have a RIDE at the regular place tomorrow! cuz the legs is gone already!

Today was sunny and fairly warm. The extra snow from yesterday melted...not affecting the work we've done to clear ice from driveway. But it was challenging yesterday! Springtime in the Rockies! Winter....er, I mean Spring....um, wait: Bad Winter .....Hmmm.....? I'm already feeling like I need another horse ride. Still ok but not the ease of motion I should have. Still, I was able to walk the dog further tonite.... about 9/10ths of a mile. On the way back, I noticed HER right rear leg was slightly "catching". Told DH and he said dog and he had tangled feet and he stepped on one of her feet. Yeah, that's not hard to believe. She does shove her way into things. Likes to be the center of attention. Acts like a puppy ....but then, she's mostly a lab. MtRider ....labs coming back "normal range" .... hmmm...

CO was having sporatic but furious "blizzards" today. Just as I needed to get into the hospital - "Vampire Department". 8 vials! Fasting! So it's snowing like crazy the whole drive to town. I didn't use wheelchair to go inside in that mess. Sometimes, tho not for quite a while now, I get bad reaction to needles. Not the blood. But I took the chance and just used cane and ...I don't even feel them insert the needle. I tell them they're good! But 8 vials? Oye. This is the last ditch effort to figure out the mystery. I'm done after this. Gave docs a year to figure it out. Then we drove thru more white-out conditions...maneuvered around a fender-bender...and got me something to eat! Hands trembling badly by that time and the burger kept going sideways. Stacked too high but ...ate thankfully. Stopped at thrift store to spend time before my other appt. I found NOTHING ....at a thrift store! I ALWAYS find something! Not even tempted. They must have drained too much blood! Finished 2nd appt and went home...in sunshine. MtRider ...winter in CO

Hmmm.... DH will be going into town soon... He can check prices here. I would love to get some varied root crops. Potatoes are already on his list...and not yellow. Not knowing they turn green/vile/toxic. No place to keep them cool/dark ....without forgetting I have them. So red or brown. And we get carrots. Dog loves them but she'll eat anything but lettuce and celery (which might be too stringy for her gulps anyway). But those other roots are making my mouth water. Maybe we'll try raised beds inside the chain link enclosure. We'd still fight squirrels, birds (Stellar Jays are robbers!!! They stole my mullein I had drying on the porch. ALL of it! Hmmph! ) We had good luck with turnips, beets, kohlrabi.... Not quite a long enough season for rutabaga, rutabagas, parsnips, and sweet potatoes. I'd love to grow those. Also, there is not full day sun there. Eastern ridge is too high behind us until it gets above that each morning. Then the setting sun is blocked by the other ridge. Then there is fierce hail some summers....but close to the house, I could run out and cover with plastic sheeting. MtRider ....hmmmm..... mebbe?

Nanny....I can relate, Jeepers. Sounds exactly like something I would do. I canNOT keep from hitting that volume button. Ackward place to put it. May be handy. I say it's in the way. But....at least you caught it before it hit the floor and you had to start over with yet another phone! {perish the thot!!!} After all the pellet stove excitement yesterday, I did get to the women's Bible study today. Was short on sleep...as is often the case when the alarm goes off at 7:15 AM And it is NOT that warm in the house at that hour! But I did get ready and out the door on time. Good time with the ladies. Lots of laughs. Sometimes tears. One had a birthday today so there was cake and cookies. Then when DH picked me up, we stopped by the storage place to drop off the check. An older lady (hmph...probably our age ) asked for help. She was trying to get some papers out of her storage unit for doing her taxes and the door was iced shut. Took us a while but when I got the mini sledge to break some of the ice and the 3-part emergency shovel to chip the rope loose (the one to pull the door back down - should be inside, not sticking outside) it finally came loose. She was very appreciative. Then DH took me to lunch for Valentine's Day. There's only place still open in this small region. Surprisingly it had improved. Originally a good place. Sold to new owners - twice. Now it's a quaint little place with low mainenence. Simple menu and good pastries. (which I didn't have cuz of Birthday cake/cookies) You order food/drink at the counter and they bring it to the table. But you bus your own plate/etc to the corner. Saves on staffing costs. Anyway it was nice and on the route home. So it's been a quiet day except for some laundry. Walked dog a bit further than I've been getting but......I NEED A HORSE RIDE. It keeps snowing on the wrong days. If we get a few inches, we'll call for plowing again cuz the couple inches we got, isn't disappearing much. My friend in MN hasn't had to call her snowplow guy yet this winter - and she paid a flat rate for the whole winter. What can you do? MtRider ....trying for EARLIER! (oh hush...I'm trying!!!!!)

Not too afraid of wildlife but moose....... BIG and CRANKY beasts. Near sighted too. Step behind a tree and hold still! MtRider ...Course that doesn't apply in this situation.

for BeccaAnne's trip home with her mom. Glad she's doing so well after her medical incident. Yay for the job that fits your needs, Mommato3! Nice to get a bit extra to get some of the things that are usually out of reach. Had that myself recently. Hope you don't catch anything from any of your relatives, Little Sister. Tis the season! {that smilie still looks like a golfer with a pipe in his mouth instead of ice pack and thermometer!} Well, since our pellet stove quit, we're back to square one for heating if the power goes out. But J/B came over today to ...well, B was able to finally get the non-functioning blower out of the pellet stove. With a lot of help from J and me and DH. Got him tools and light and the right socket and a magnet to pick up that dropped screw..... There is a label on the part so that will help. I couldn't see it from the angle I was at a couple days ago. J is tired of OLDE pellet stove repair and nation-wide parts search! She spent a whole day ...successfully, getting a part for another rental. Then I called. So they're moving on that issue. After assuring me that he won't forget to come plow snow for us...he didn't come. But DH called him today and said we'll see if this just melts. Mild week ahead....maybe it will? Hopefully. Even 3" makes a mess up here at the top. Take care, everyone! MtRider morning Bible Study tomorrow.