Archive for the ‘Chronicle’ Category
Got Away
Made it to the lake place yesterday afternoon for a few days of solo holiday. Without doing much in the way of additional cleanup of snow from Wednesday, in the morning I walked Asher with Cyndie, and we did horse chores together. The scenery was pretty striking, with the bright morning sunshine bouncing off the oodles of snow that had fallen.
The horses didn’t seem as fixated on their grain as usual, and Light even left her food to seek some hands-on attention from Cyndie. After obliging Light with lots of robust scratching, Cyndie ended up covered in shedded horse hair. When she got back to the house, Cyndie changed her shirt but moments later reported she was soon covered in dog hair.
After breakfast, Cyndie assembled enough home-cooked meals from our freezer to feed me for more than a week and sent me on my way for the drive to the lake. Before I left, I drove my car around the hay shed a couple of times to convince myself the crude job I did of clearing the heavy, wet snow would be adequate for traffic while I was away. We are expecting the farrier today.
I texted a message to Cyndie to let her know the tire tracks were mine and not some unexpected visitor. When we were walking Asher first thing in the morning, I spotted footprints in the deep snow of the north loop trail, so we trudged over to check them out. Cyndie asked if they were mine from the day before when I brought Asher back from the neighbors’, but I said no. We wondered who would have been walking on our trail.
Then, when we came upon a pile of branches under the snow, I realized it was me who had made those tracks. I remembered noticing the branches and had thought it was a limb that had fallen in the storm before figuring out it was the pile I had created when cutting up the downed tree a couple of days before.
Memory problems much, John?
When I had been pulling Asher down the middle of the unplowed road after his escape, I spotted a truck coming toward us and diverted to the ditch to give the driver the full width of the road to navigate his way against the drifts. We then made our way along that short section of our trail to reach our driveway. I blame the temper tantrum I was having at the time for completely forgetting we’d made those tracks less than 24 hours before. [shaking my head in embarrassment]
There is a lot less snow in Hayward. The short leg of the driveway to our place hadn’t even been plowed.
I am going to see how long I can keep myself from shoveling the front steps as an exercise in letting one of my compulsions go unaddressed for once.
While puzzling in the afternoon, I listened to a couple of 1960s recordings of Bill Cosby’s standup routines. I have no idea what caused me to think of choosing that.
I think my mind really needs to get away for a while.
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Delayed Escape
I’m still at home this morning. The snowstorm that the weather service named “Lola” created more work than I could complete in a day. And it was miserable work, indeed. On most occasions, I actually enjoy clearing snow. Yesterday was not one of those days.
First of all, we awoke to more than 8 inches of heavy, windblown snow plastering everything. Beneath that coating of white was a layer of slush left from the gradual transition from rain to sleet to snow. All of that rain had nowhere to go since the ground is frozen and once again, hydrostatic pressure pushed water up through the concrete floor in the basement or along the block walls and soaked all the area rugs.
Cyndie said she would tend to the horses so I could get a start on plowing. It would have been easier to stay with her. The wind was ferocious and new snow was still falling. My goal was to try just breaking through with a couple of passes to make it a bit easier to do when it stopped snowing. It was barely possible. The machine and I got coated with a complete layer of sticky snow as I tried blasting my way through the deep drifts with the blade only lowered part of the way down.
After breakfast, I was using a roof rake to pull down the giant drift overhanging our front door and letting Asher play with his favorite ball while dragging his 30’ leash behind him. I noticed he had stepped away from the ball and I called to him to command his return. He gave me that look of mischief, turned, and ran full speed the length of the driveway.
I knew right where he was headed, to the neighbors across the road, where he started barking ferociously at their cat. I needed to trudge through the deep snow on the unplowed road to climb the rise to their driveway and was completely exhausted when I finally reached him. The ONLY redeeming aspect of this angering situation was that I got to visit briefly with our neighbor, Eileen.
Walking the equally arduous distance back in my seething frustration left me too tired to finish shoveling away the snow I’d pulled off the roof. I went in for lunch and waited for it to stop snowing while Cyndie took up the task of clearing the mess of snow in front of the garage doors. Every scoop of the shovel would end up sticking.
It’s hard to plow by the house because there’s nowhere to push the snow, so hand shoveling is usually easier. When there is almost a foot of snow, nothing is easier.
I made reasonable progress cleaning up the rest of the driveway with the plow in the late afternoon. The township plow on the road left quite a thick mess I needed to hand shovel because it was too much for the Grizzly to push. At least the driver was nice enough to be cautious around our mailbox this time.
Looking back toward the barn, you can see by the snow line in the trees how that hill protects from the north wind. The whipping wind had cleaned all of the upper branches, but the lower half of all the trees still held snow.
I won’t be surprised today to find blowing snow has drifted into the driveway again. I’d like to head up north before dark, so I intend to do the absolute minimum of additional plowing or shoveling with that in mind. Best laid plans, and all that… Wish me luck.
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Pretty Colors
Have I written much about the weather lately? When I’m trying to pretend my country isn’t spiraling ridiculously down the proverbial drain, the weather provides a convenient distraction. One thing I appreciate about weather is that the conditions I experience right outside our door are the pure truth. It is hard to gaslight me and tell me that the snow falling isn’t actually falling when I can see it absolutely is.
In the dark of night last evening, we could hear the pelting rain on the roof, but the radar image of the storm revealed the full gamut of what was swirling our way.
So many pretty colors! I am curious what we will find when dawn breaks. The ground was completely covered in white when we headed for bed last night.
We have been warned about the probability of heavy, wet snow in the amounts of 4-8 inches. I’m not looking forward to the effort of pushing wet snow off the driveway with the ATV plow. At least I have the benefit of sun and melting temperatures expected to follow this batch of precipitation. I can get away with doing a rudimentary job of exposing pavement. Solar energy will clean up the asphalt in short order.
My plan at the beginning of this week was to head out today for a solo mini-vacation to the lake for a few days. Cyndie just returned from California for the second visit in several weeks and will be leaving for Florida next week, so my getaway is a chance to balance the workload of taking care of the ranch alone.
I will relish the time free from dog walking and horse care since they become my exclusive priorities whenever Cyndie is away. I love the job, I really do, but I also love the opportunity to stay in bed for as long as my brain and body desire and then do whatever I want for the rest of a day without worrying about any other tasks that need to happen.
Sometimes, the best adventure is no adventure at all. Or, the adventure is in following whatever whim shows up and letting it play out for as long as it holds interest before dashing off after whatever shiny thing grabs one’s attention next.
I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit how often the adventure I long to experience involves lounging in bed well past a decent hour and falling back to sleep whenever sleep beckons. Some of the best dreams come to me in the morning hours. My mind is most creative in the morning. I have found that most of the time when I have mentally conjured up solutions to the world’s problems, it has been before dawn. Like a dream, I tend to forget those solutions by breakfast time.
Maybe tomorrow, I will wake up at the lake and take a crack at the long, slow effort to get out of bed. It all depends on when snow stops falling and how long it takes me to plow and shovel pathways for Cyndie to navigate while I’m gone.
That is today’s adventure.
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Firewood Down
With a nod to Steve, who taught me that standing dead trees are simply verticle firewood storage, the latest high wind day we experienced brought two trees down across our trails on opposite ends of our property, and one of them was prime for cutting and splitting to burn.
The other tree was small enough that I was able to dispatch the limbs with our electric hand chainsaw pruner and stack the branches for removal to the north border of our property, where we are building a natural barrier along the fence line.
Wandering around in the woods in the vicinity of where I sawed logs from the larger tree, I started taking updated pictures of the multiple other trees that have succumbed to wind events. I think these have been shown in previous posts, so you may recognize several. None of them are across a trail, so I haven’t needed to do anything about them.
A couple of large poplars are hung up in adjacent trees and will present a significant challenge to bring down if we ever decide that needs to happen.
Unless a future big wind day succeeds in finishing the job, I intend to let the green growth of spring and summer cover up views of these trees. Out of sight, out of mind. Luckily, none of the “leaners” threaten to fall across a trail.
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Ice Out
When we arrived to feed the horses yesterday afternoon, I spotted Mia covered in soaking wet black slop. It appears she had just been swimming in Paddock Lake. The ice hadn’t even completely melted yet! Just two mornings ago, I spotted a couple of pigeons skating on the frozen surface.
Maybe the weight of the birds started cracking the ice up in advance of Mia’s arrival.
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On another topic, on Saturday night, Cyndie and I dipped our toes back into the real world by viewing a current live episode of SNL, despite knowing it would likely involve mention of he whom I wish to avoid at all times. Besides the cold open skit mocking the behaviors in the disrespectful meeting with President Zelenskyy, the Weekend Update news section included a short clip of the real meeting.
The only reason I am bringing this up is because I was alerted to a petition collecting signatures on an open letter of apology to the Ukrainian President expressing the embarrassment of American citizens for (my words:) [the actions of the weaklings who behave like schoolboy bullies]. If you are embarrassed as well, I invite you to join me and add your name to the tens of thousands of others who already have signed:
To President Zelenskyy, From Embarrassed Americans
I want nothing as much as I want to be recognized as an American who has no association whatsoever with the current (so-called) leaders of our country.
Heck, as long as I’m on the subject, I would like to apologize to Canada for anything and everything related to the same thuggish buffoons aforementioned.
It is a really great time to be on an expedition into the wilderness without constant contact with the real world.
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Fascinating Results
My exercise of mulling ideas over in my head for days on end brought me to a lightbulb moment when contemplating how a shade sail might work for our horses in the small paddock. How might I simulate what it will look like in order to figure out an optimal size and location? In my head, I’ve been troubling over the lack of a single defined parameter. Too many moving parts.
To figure out the size of the sail needed, measure precisely between the posts. There are no posts yet.
To figure out where the posts should be, calculate it from the size of the sail. I don’t have a sail size determined.
Lightbulb moment: My son, Julian, has done some 3D simulations of spaces. What if…?
He knew right away I would be surprised by the possibilities available in the supercomputer I carry around in my pocket. He pointed me to an app that collects LiDAR scans via the camera in my iPhone.
Having zero familiarity with the operation of the app features, I clumsily made a first attempt at collecting a scan Julian could use to then add a simulated sail canopy. I collected a 3D image of the paddock and sent it to him.
That didn’t work for what we were trying to do.
He was able to point me to the preferred settings to scan the environment with LiDAR. With no experience, I walked back and forth to collect enough of the small paddock to encompass the area I hope to shade. Mia was at the waterer, so I tried including her in the scan, but she kept turning to see what I was doing. It barely picked up the vague shape of a horse.
Far from perfect, it worked well enough for our purposes. I shared the image to Julian’s email, and he was able to take the file and add the rough geometry of a shade structure with controls to move the orientation of the virtual sun and see where the shadow would end up.
Brilliant! And fascinating! Since we got this far after such a short time, I asked if he could twist the position of the shade structure to align better with my current thinking about location. Julian asked if there were any other changes to include while he was at it. Well, as long as he asked…
I sent him several images of the types of shade sails I’m considering to see if he could more closely match the shape. He asked about color, and I chose a green like the barn and hay shed roofs.
In less than 24 hours, we had a mockup that blows my mind. There are keyboard controls that allow movement of the size and position of the sail, adjustment of the viewing angle, and moving the direction of the sunlight.
From the phone in my pocket and his experience with 3D software, we have a visual of what was in my head.
That wasn’t just a lightbulb moment I had. It was a lightning bolt!
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Boot Salvage
In April of 2023, I posted about new work boots I found on clearance that ended up working out pretty slick for my purposes. One thing that no boot seems to be able to do for me is last very long under my heavy use. These were a pair from Georgia Boot that were waterproof and had a steel toe, which helps reduce risk when I’m wandering around in close contact with the horses.
Much sooner than I was happy with, threads gave out on the side seams. I kept wearing them anyway, and soon, the waterproof feature was lost. I really don’t like leaky boots causing wet socks. I stopped wearing them after buying a pull-on waterproof alternative that has already lasted longer than I imagined possible. It’s got me starting to think about what I should do next.
The old Georgia Boot pair seemed to have a lot of life left in them if it weren’t for the sewed seams blowing out. I’ve decided to look into repair. First, I checked to see what a new pair would cost to help me decide if the expense of repair made sense.
I found a place just a half-hour away in Stillwater that had an online presence and invited requests for quotes. After filling out their form and attaching photos, I explained my situation and pointed out that the cost of a new pair was $99.99. In today’s economy, I have no idea how a pair of these boots can be made for less than a hundred bucks.
The response came back in only a couple of hours, “We should be able to sew them up.”
It’s kind of a vague quote, but I think I’m going to go for it. They did ask that I give them a quick scrub before bringing them in because the dirt gets into their sewing machine. I didn’t point out it was probably more manure than dirt.
The repairs won’t be able to reclaim the waterproof feature, but for now, I’ve still got the cheap ones for wet conditions. I’m thinking I can extend the life of both pairs if I alternate between the two depending on conditions. There is also a large dose of satisfaction for delaying the old boots entering the waste stream. I’ll have to decide what the dollar value of that benefit is worth to me.
I just hope the cost of repairs doesn’t approach $90. I’ll be seeking a more precise estimate when dropping the boots off and talking to someone in person. Of course, I will also feel good about contributing to a local small business, so that weighs in their favor in making my final decision.
When I checked on the cost of a new pair at the Georgia Boot website, I did notice my exact size wasn’t available, but a half-size larger was. I’m thinking I could make that work if I end up needing to resort to that.
Stay tuned. The resolution of this boot salvage drama will not be reached until the next time I’m headed toward the vicinity of Stillwater. Until then, the freshly scrubbed old boots are being stored in my car, awaiting the day.
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Not Spending
Since I have been avoiding news, it was only a few days ago I learned of the call to U.S. residents for an economic resistance to occur today in protest of “the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations, and both major political parties” in America. I will have no problem spending absolutely nothing today, but I don’t think it will have much impact. I spend nothing most days. I don’t think anyone notices. Marketers still bombard me with advertisements.
“BOGO!” (Buy one, get one for a reduced amount [used to be: get one free]).
“Last Chance to get this offer!” It’s funny that I keep getting that email over and over.
“Buy Now, Pay Later!” Everybody loves to offer me credit
I’ve read some debate on the logic of this 24-hour economic boycott. Won’t this have a bigger negative effect on the small businesses? Won’t people just make their purchases the day before or the day after?
I don’t know the answers, but I like the idea of enough people in the country adjusting their behavior at the same time to achieve a measurable result that could be noticeable to those in power. I hope it works. If collective action by masses of ordinary citizens (while we still legally can) reveals a significant level of dissatisfaction, maybe it would inspire those with power and influence to take more meaningful and visible action to interrupt the dismantling of all that was sacred in our formerly great nation.
I’m curious how soon the folks who voted for this current mess and the folks who chose not to vote at all will notice the undoing of our democracy does them no favors. Will those same people be spending feverishly today to counter the protest? I suspect the majority of the people who chose not to vote would likely choose not to participate in a boycott, either. Apathy tends to reflect “the body at rest remains at rest.” The mind that doesn’t care continues to not care until the consequences finally bite into its tender backside.
Personally, I feel it’s a crying shame that organizational frameworks seeking to promote fair treatment and full participation of all people are seen as so threatening to some people. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion does not seem scary to me. I guess what’s scary to the big corporations is that the new administration in Washington, D.C., doesn’t want fair treatment for all people.
Let’s rally our like-minded friends and relatives to save their money today and join those sending an economic message to the big money machine that we don’t appreciate the direction things are going.
I’m going to go talk with the horses and see what they think about the state of the world today.
The only thing I will be spending is time.
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B’bye Snow
After two days of 50°F temperatures during this final week of February, the snow has performed a quick disappearing act. Just four days ago, the American Birkebeiner ski race was held for the full distance in Hayward, WI. They lucked out with a couple of periods of snow falling in the nick of time so they didn’t need to shorten the race. Then, on the day after the main races, the warm weather moved in.
Our hay field at home now looks like it did back in November. Afternoons are becoming a muddy mess in the paddocks. At least I won’t get my quilt-lined Carhartt overalls dirty. No need to climb into our space suits this week. Heck, I haven’t even needed a coat in the middle of the last two days.
I watched a broadcast of the Minnesota Wild hockey game last night, and the commercials for Northland Ford and Toyota all-wheel drive vehicles to combat the snowy winter conditions looked rather comical, given the reality outside now. They could have been selling more motorcycles than trucks and SUVs.
Even the natural world is looking confused by this warm spell.
This furry little woolly bear caterpillar was slowly making its way across the driveway. I guess hibernation ended early this year.
It’s almost like the climate is undergoing a change or something. Ya think?
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More Trimming
Before the ground in the small paddock turns into a swampy mess with this February thaw, I took advantage of the warm afternoon to use the pole chainsaw on the mostly dead willow tree to get another level of limbs removed.
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By the time I finished, we were picking up branches from pools of standing water at the base of the tree.
I had considered removing all of the large stump at the center of the tree, but Cyndie talked me into leaving it for the time being with a comment wondering how that might affect the center of balance of what remained.
Most noteworthy for the afternoon was the fact that the chainsaw started easily after just a couple of pulls, and none of the branches I cut fell on my head.
It went so well that I immediately made my way to a maple tree beside the hay shed that had several dead limbs I’d been wanting to cut out for some time. It won’t surprise me if those are an indication the rest of the tree may not be far behind. We’ll be watching to see what the coming growing season reveals.
Last night, we watched the Screen Actors Guild Awards Show on Netflix. Jane Fonda was given a Life Achievement Award and gave an impassioned acceptance speech that media responses labeled “fiery” and “politically charged.” Would we expect anything less from Jane Fonda?
She tossed in, “Woke just means you give a damn about other people.”
It was mentioned that, in addition to many awards she has won for her accomplishments, she made it onto Nixon’s enemies list for her anti-war activism. I won’t be surprised if she just made it onto the current administration’s enemies list, as well.
I wonder if you can volunteer to be added to such a list. That’s an honor I’ll gladly accept if it ever comes my way.
Maybe I should join SAG-AFTRA.
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Relative Something 