If you've followed this blog for very long, you know that I hate pack rats. For some background read eRATication.

Upon arrival at the cabin last Sunday, we were thrilled to see that no rodent had invaded the cabin interior. However, we were equally disgusted to find a huge pack rat nest on the front deck under our stacks of firewood.

You can see the edges of the nest poking out from under the wood racks in this photo.

There was nothing to do but laboriously move the wood and the racks and clean up underneath. It was unpleasant work, especially with the smell.

A nice warm, but smelly nest.

The pack rat had used some peppers from a ristra we had hanging on the deck to decorate his nest. There was also a cozy sleeping area made out of some kind of insulation--I have not figured out where it came from yet. And, the critter had eaten away at some of the log chinking and got to the foam core between the logs. That made nice bedding, too.

We used shovels and pick axes, along with brooms and mops to clean up. Lynne even took a scaper to the mess to get up what she could. I'll need to rent a power washer to clean up any further.

RIP RAT

At one point we were startled by the rat itself making an appearance. Don't let his cuteness fool you. Pack rats are evil creatures.  I'll let the story end there.

Up at 5:45 a.m. this morning. I opened the front curtains and saw something brown down by the salt lick. At first I thought it was just a tree, but then I saw it licking. Finally – a moose! I tried a few shots through the screen on the front porch but they weren't good, so I snuck up on him outside, sticking close to the side of the cabin. He wasn't bothered by me at all.

I think it might be the young moose we had last year since he's so raggedy. Maybe he has scabies? Or maybe it's an injury.

He was in no hurry to leave and we had just fed the girls and they needed to have their morning pee. We waited. And we waited. Finally I knew Hailey was crossing her legs so we put them on leads and took them out the back of the cabin away from Mr. Moose. 

He's gone now, on to whatever moose do with their days. If he becomes a frequent visitor we might just have to name him.

The furnace rumbles to life and the new day begins. Awake and out of bed by 5:30 a.m. Our internal clocks have not adjusted yet. Hailey and Bella were ready to get up too. Above is the view out our dining room window. (Note those slight blue blurs that you can see are Stellar Jays.) More rain is expected today. I don't mind really, although it feels kind of like New Jersey-colored sky, but if it helps the fire danger I am all for it. It's very wet!

Our first rule of order was to get the snow removed so we could drive the trucks down to the cabin and get them unloaded. My poor plants! Oscar came with his wonderful machine and got the job done in no time.

Without the kindness and helpfulness of neighbors, life up here would not be as pleasant. It's nice that we can all count on each other to lend a hand when needed.

Now the trucks are unloaded and "stuff" is piled everywhere. We need to figure out a place for it before tomorrow because our goods arrive at the storage facility at 9:00 a.m. sharp! We'll have to decide what to bring home first. Somehow it seems like we just did this, only in reverse!

Looks like rain is moving in.

We need to do one more really vital chore today and that is clean up the packrat nest on the screened-in porch. Not a pleasant job, very stinky.

Over the years, we've accumulated a lot of moose-themed stuff at the cabin. After all, that is one of the special things about it -- moose. In 2009, Lynne took photos of much of the moose stuff. And, I've just posted some of those photos to the photo gallery on this site. 

Looking at all this moose stuff makes us think that the cabin may need to "grow up" some. After all, it is no longer going to be a weekend getaway, but our full-time residence. We may want to get rid of some of the kitchy stuff and decorate with a bit more taste. We'll see...

You can find the OtG Photo Gallery by clicking on it's link on the right side of this page. (Toward the bottom. It says "Photo Gallery Entries"). Then select the Moose Stuff gallery. Or just follow this link directly to it.

Let us know what we should keep and what must go!

At first, it may seem to you that this post is about getting mail at the cabin. It is, but it is also about establishing legal residency in Colorado, and having a way to prove it. This is likely to be the first post in a series on this topic.

Here is the story (as we currently understand it): while we have a legal address in Colorado (it is 100 Hidden Meadows Lane, Red Feather Lakes, CO, 80545), there is no mail service to this address. 

Truth is, Red Feather Lakes is only a few miles away "as the crow flies", but anywhere from two hours to four hours to drive there depending upon the season and which roads are open. 

So, mail sent to our legal address will be returned. Or, so the story goes.

Most residents of the area establish an alternate mailing address using the Laramie, WY post office. The process is simple, although we have yet to test it: plant a mail box next to others located at the Wooden Shoe Ranch (which is about 5 miles into Wyoming). Place a letter in that mail box addressed to the Post Master of the Laramie, Wyoming post office. In that letter, ask that mail addressed to "100 Hidden Meadows Ln, Sand Creek Park CO, Laramie, WY, 87020" be delivered to this mail box. And, according to the story from neighbors, junk mail will start arriving within days.

This seems like a reasonable solution. We only have to drive 10 or 11 miles to send and get mail. (By the way, when the roads are open UPS will deliver to our door!)

There are serious problems with this strategy though, and to learn what they are, click through to "More ..."

More...