“In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.” – John Churton Collins
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Cabin Day 1, 2013 - Morning
This morning was mostly "cleaning" time. We got up early--around 6:00 a.m.--because we'd had plenty of sleep and the dogs were antsy. It was still dark outside. The dogs went out to pee while I prepared coffee. We bought an antique coffee grinder and now we can grind whole beans for our coffee in the belief it makes a difference to the taste. It takes a while, but produces a nice fine grind. Since I'm stingy about electricity, we don't have an electric coffee grinder. Nor do we have an electric coffee maker. Instead, we use a 1950s-era percolator. I prepared it the night before so all I had to do while the dogs were outside was put it on the stove and light the burner.
When the dogs came in, I fed them. Then, Lynne and I had some cereal with our coffee and slowly started winding up for the day. After breakfast, we did a walk to the "bottom" with the dogs. This is a short hike down the road to the bottom of the canyon just east of the cabin. The canyon is filled with pines, spruce and aspen trees and smells wonderful. We also hiked some to the west where we had a huge slash pile of stuff left over from a logging operation on our land a few years ago. The pile of logs and sticks was ugly and we had it buried over the summer. It looks a lot better and the scarred land will recover with sage and wildflowers and grasses soon enough. Right now, it looks like a landing site for a helicopter.
When we got back, we started on the cleaning. I vacuumed while Lynne cleaned up the kitchen and the furniture (covered with dust) on the front screened-in porch. Then, I took the mop bucket and mop and washed down the exposed floors with some good smelling stuff from Mr. Clean. This got all the dust up and also left the cabin smelling a bit better. Lynne cleaned some windows, which made a huge difference to our view of the meadow west of the cabin--a view we often call "cabin TV" since we can sit and just stare out the window for hours.
Then, we cleaned ourselves with a quick shower. I rehung the broken clothes line.
And, that is about it for the morning. I'm feeling hungry although its only 10:45. (Well, it is 12:45 at home, can I use that as an excuse?)
Posted under: Cabin News • by Rick on 09/21/2013 at 10:33 AM
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Friday, September 20, 2013
Cabin Arrival - 2013
Well, we are here. 1826 miles, 2-1/2 days, an unabridged book on CD, two motels, multiple MacDonalds, dog walks every 4 hours or so, and we are here.
We made good time, arriving in Laramie ahead of schedule. Lynne had prepared a well-ordered shopping list, so our visit to WalMart for food was brief. We always shop for 3-4 days on our way through Laramie so we are provisioned for a few days at the beginning of the visit. Then, we have several days to prepare a plan for the rest of our stay. And, we'll go into town, probably on Monday, to do a more thorough shopping trip.
Already we have a few things on the list: 9V battery (the smoke detector was beeping at us); salt licks (those from last year are gone); a bulb for the flashlight; drill bits... We'll work on the food items this weekend.
My greatest fear upon arrival was an infestation of pack rats in the cabin. This happened last year, and it was a mess. A dear friend opened the cabin for us last year and cleaned up most of the mess. And several days were spent rat-proofing the place last year. I was a bit worried when I saw two piles of pack rat "stuff" -- one on either side of the door on the stoop. It was like they had created some kind of symetrical offering for us--preparing us for the magnificent nest inside.
But, when we opened the cabin, there were no pack-rat nests. They had NOT gotten back in the cabin! I was thrilled.
The usual infestation of cluster flies were everywhere. Thousands of dead flies. Since they are all dried up, they sweep up easily enough and Lynne went to work on cleaning them up.
I got the water on, the water heater running, and the propane refrigerator started. Next came the Internet connection which always requires an hour-long call to HughesNet technical support. And, once we have the satellite Internet working, I can reauthorize the DirecTV service. So, we now have electricity, propane for cooking and heat, Internet service (or I would not be able to post this), TV--all the comforts of home.
We did a walk to the bottom with Bella and Hailey (both of whom are acting weird, probably because Alex is not here to guide them). Then, cooked up some "trailer spaghetti", and old stand by for a quick meal.
Now, we have a fire in the fireplace and are sipping on a whiskey.
I don't think we'll last much longer. It is almost 8:00 here, but that is 10:00 back home and I don't think we've fully adjusted. Plus, we are both road weary.
That's it for tonight. More later, stay tuned for details of our two-week-long vacation.
Posted under: Cabin News • by Rick on 09/20/2013 at 07:26 PM
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Sunday, September 15, 2013
Final Swim - 2013
It is a nice day today. In the upper 60s with mostly sun. No wind.
Mostly, we've been getting ready for our annual trip to our cabin in Colorado. But, we took a couple of minutes mid-afternoon to get in our final swim of the season. We cranked up the heater while we went for a drive in Mia, put Robbie in the pool to clean it up as best as he can. Then, when we got home, we got in the 85° pool and swam. I did 30-something lengths, I think Lynne did too. It was nice, but it is time to give it up for the season. Leaves are starting to fall and nights are getting very cold. It would cost a fortune to keep it going any longer. So, goodbye for this year, we'll see you at Memorial Day next year.
Dennis comes to close the pool tomorrow.
Posted under: New Jersey • by Rick on 09/15/2013 at 01:05 PM
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Sunday, September 08, 2013
Rest in Peace - Alex; 10/24/2002 - 9/8/2013
Today, we had the sad task of letting Alex go. Just a few weeks before his 11th birthday, he was in too much pain and too weak to let him go on. In the end, the lymphoma got him, but he put up a very brave fight for a couple of months.
He was fine just a few days ago. Well, "fine" given that he was undergoing chemotherapy for the cancer. But, he was eating, running around, playing with his toys. Here is a video of Alex with his toys.
Sometimes it seems like it just isn't worth it having pets and losing them. But, I've come to believe that a few hours of crying, a few days of pain, and a lifetime of occasional sad reflections is really a small price to pay for the all of the companionship, joy, laughter and unconditional love they provide.
PS: Here is a cross link to Lynne's post: http://www.rickandlynne.com/rick/go/lynne/index/alex
Posted under: Dog Stuff • by Rick on 09/08/2013 at 10:06 AM
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Alex is in the Hospital
Last night, we could not witness Alex's continued suffering with frequent abdominal cramps, his moans of pain, the shivering and restlessness. So, after first thinking we'd sleep downstairs on the air mattress to try to comfort him and keep an eye on him overnight, we instead decided to take him to the animal emergency hospital about an hour away.
I'm glad we did since he just seemed to be getting worse and time went by. They treated his condition very seriously, calling for a Code One emergency, and immediately swept him away to do tests and to get him some fluids and pain medications. After initial examination, the doctor was happy with his glucose level and blood pressure, ruling out a couple of dire scenarios, but wanted to keep him hospitalized for at least a day, do more tests, and try to catch up on his hydration.
So, we left him there about midnight last night, came home to a restless night of broken sleep, and now await a call about his condition.
Posted under: Dog Stuff • by Rick on 09/08/2013 at 05:16 AM
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