Posts from the ‘Yard and Garden’ category

Let the dry land appear

I thought “let the dry land appear” was in the Noah/flood part, but actually, it is in the creation part: Genesis 1:9

Anyway…the waters have receded a bit and dry land is appearing!

Still messy, but unexpectedly better!

This week had its challenges…I’ve been dealing with a bit of “tennis elbow” and either a minor bug or just the ramifications of the elbow stuff so not feeling 100% and struggling with getting work done in consequence.

The mess…none of us getting normal exercise.

Just one of those times…nothing really of import in the whole scheme of things.

So today…

FRIDAY!!!

And the waters being a bit better and the elbow being a bit better and it being Friday…

I moved the chair and thought to take a photo of “end of the week”…

I moved the chair to dry land.

Auggie thought to investigate…

Bear investigated Auggie…

I guess all is ok.

Happy Friday!

Remember I said it would get messy ?

Monday morning the snow was beautiful and the temperature was 13F after an arctic weekend. By Monday afternoon the temperature was 27F. By Tuesday morning, the temperature was 34 and it has not been below freezing since. And it has rained several times.

Gah!

The garage is high and dry and I partly took this photo to help with some plans I’m considering to reroute the walkway and perhaps make it like a deck so that it is out of the water during meltdown.

Summers Lake.

The River Summers.

Bear crossed at the deepest part and he was looking carefully. I think maybe the reflection of ice and ground was confusing.

Auggie had been avoiding the water all day but finally decided to follow Bear. I took the photo but then got my boots on and retrieved him. He was up to his “knees” in ice water and also stopped seeming a bit confused. He didn’t complain when I picked him up. I took him inside, dried and rubbed his soaking wet feet and he didn’t ask to go out again.

Ice WATER!!

But, as messy as my driveway and walk look, it is nothing compared to some properties down the road. Bear and I took a jaunt to the dump and most of my neighbors on the lower part of the road have huge ponds. Several were working with tractors to get some draining going.

It is a mess!

Snow, cont’d.

When we last left our story, it had been snowing heavily most of the day (Sunday) and into the evening and the temperature was 8F.

This morning, the temperature was 13F…

…and we had about a foot of new snow on top of a settled foot of snow.

Auggie is sitting at the edge of where I’d shoveled at the time.

The un-shoveled snow is a bit above chest-height on Auggie.

We got snow!

Beautiful, but it was a bit of work. I went up on the roof yesterday afternoon and cleared vents.

This morning, I looked at the load on the front porch and raked a good bit off.

It is to be 40F by the weekend and the meltdown is likely to be VERY messy.

My neighbor to the rescue yet again. And really to the rescue.

The snow around that tree was piling up. When things start melting, it would contribute to the driveway lake and maybe to the garage floor. Neighbor, Mike, moved most of that snow out to an area that will drain to the woods.

It is going to be messy, but less so from this thoughtfulness.

This evening as I write this, it is still 27F at 6:30 p.m.! There is warm air above and rain, turning to freezing rain, is falling.

Messy.

I hope all stay safe this coming week. Avalanche danger is high and I know this snow calls to people looking to play in it.

Bear and I are staying home on our flattish land. And speaking of Bear. This is the most snow we’ve had since he’s lived in Montana and he has been enjoying it. He’s running and playing and having a great time on good, strong legs.

I am happy.

I got my wish

The snow started late afternoon yesterday (Friday), while the temperature was above freezing.

It continued and at a perfect temperature to mix with the icy puddles and make walking normal again.

We went from ugly to pretty and by this morning (Saturday) there was somewhere between 2 and 3 inches of new stuff.

Perfect…not so much that anything except the walk to the garage needs shoveling but enough to make walking around pleasant.

And overnight we had a visitor…

Mr. or Ms. Raccoon, but I think Mr. because of the size.

2 back feet and 1 forefoot print.

The forefoot print is about 4 inches long. Auggie has large feet but his print would barely cover the pad of this raccoon.

If it is the same raccoon that has been around since I’ve lived here, it is LARGE raccoon kind of resembling a small bear cub!

Lots of tracks through the yard, around the garage…

…and all around the house.

Sometimes, wishes come true.

Midweek catch up

Work + Auggie + Auggie & Bear + the other parts of life = a full schedule!

Bear and Auggie have touched noses…freely…with me close but not too close … 5 times.

Lots of walk bys.

Good progress!

Weather is gorgeous quintessential Fall in Montana.

Midweek catch up.

A week

Auggie has been with Bear and me for a week.

He is sweet and happy and curious and increasingly confident. It has been a week of watching him grow in all kinds of ways.

We went to our own vet on Tuesday and got a good report: negative for all of the kitten stuff they test for, booster vaccinations and a general “sound body and good disposition” report.

The paradox is that those first days and some of all of this week were also so hard. This has happened to me before, but I always forget and it catches me off guard. Getting a new pet after losing one is a strange combination of fun, distraction and joy in folding the new into the routine but the flip side is that it is also that absolute realization that the lost pet really is no longer here. A finality that I find very difficult while at the same time the new kid and new routine needs a lot of attention. There is no getting around the fact that all is very different and it is not going to be comfortable again for awhile.

Life.

Meanwhile, Fall progresses and we’ve had 2 hard freezes. But there are still pleasant temperatures in the daytime forecast so I’ve been covering the herbs at night with the lights down low and using the lights directly during the day for “helper” sunshine. So far, all looks good.

I’ve been finding yellow jacket nests, fallen out of trees, in the yard and the woods. I’m not sure if hibernating queens are in these but I’m spraying and getting them out of here just in case.

The aspens and birch are turning and the larch are lightening to chartreuse. By next weekend there should be a lot of gold in the woods.

Auggie is very interested in the outdoors, especially when Bear and I are out. By January – maybe even a little before, I’ll take him out on leash to explore if he wants to. My hope is that he would enjoy being outside with Bear and me but be, like Bob, a homebody. There is a lot of great hunting without going too far away.

And grass and sunshine and a beardog!

Inside, with a wire crate half way folded to add a kitten barrier to the gate, Bear and Auggie grow ever closer. So much fun to watch.

A week.