El Niño

The weather forecasters predict an El Niño Dec-Feb.   I am looking forward to it.    This will be good for the old dog...those cold days are hard on him.  And, we found out neither dog is house broken, so looking to have them stay inside with me was not a welcome alternative.

Since it is suppose to rain on Sun/Mon, I am thinking of getting together with Kathleen to decide what kind of flower beds she wants on the side of the house.  We can get it in right after the rain or during the rain, if it is not too heavy.   A neighbor down the road just gave us some Medallion Cross Lilies, which are suppose to be big red lilies.  I am anxious to see them bloom.  A search on the internet turned up nothing on them.

I see my sister is blogging again.   That is great!!!   She has a good strong writing style and it is very enjoyable reading of her adventures.  

Sunny Days from the Past

Yesterday was a nice sunny day out.  A perfect day for a visit from an old friend.  Marcia and her mother came up and we went out to Rikki's for lunch.  (Kathleen had taken me here before for a very enjoyable lunch.)  Marcia, her Mom, and I enjoyed our meal there yesterday, also, and were glad to have gotten a heads-up about this place from Kathleen.

After Marcia left, I reminisced of memories of our teenage days.  We were about 18 or 19 and each on our own and looking for adventure.  Marcia had a car, so we each bought one of those little one-man "boats" that you use to sit and sun yourself in while in the water, and then we prepared to go to the lake.   We loaded up a little tent and camping gear and took off for Holter Lake.  In those days there were not houses on the lake, as there are now.  We went to the far end and pitched the tent in one of the little valleys between the hills, near the road and the lake.  We got our swim suits on, got the little boats out and enjoyed a HOT, SUNNY DAY in the sun and on the water.   It was such fun. In the morning Marcia made coffee with a flavor that can't be forgotten as the ashes from campfire drifted in with the coffee grounds and gave it that campfire taste.  We enjoyed our coffee with a hot breakfast (eggs and bacon...campfire flavored).   My brother joined us one time and the younger brother of one of Marcia's friends also came another time.  We loved being the great adventurers!

A time or two we just went down for the day to sun.  Taking our towels and finding a comfortable spot along side the water.   One particular time, we went down to sun bath and there were a lot of campers out.  So we went a little farther around the bend, closer to the more wooded area.   We found a nice spot to lay down on and enjoy the sun.  I can't recall at this time why, but I either was sitting or standing and I looked over at Marcia, a ways away, and I watched as she silently, quickly and with a cautious, calculated move, came to her feet.  She was eying something to her left on the ground.   Shortly afterwards she picked up her towel and moved away from there.  I asked her "what was it?" and she said that a snake was slithering past her towel on the ground as she lay there.    I have thought about that move many times...she didn't jump or scream, but reacted in a way to both avoid confrontation with the snake and to not cause it to feel threatened.  It was probably the Native American Heritage  in her that gave her those cool nerves.

Of course, there was also the time she borrowed her brother's 10-man raft.  Now we were able to go out on the water instead of staying close to the shore with the little rafts!   We got quite a ways out and Marcia stops the raft and notices that it has a leak.  Its a rubber raft.  Now I don't know how to swim, so I am intent on getting the raft back to shore.  Marcia wasn't ready to go back, so she leaned out the other side of the raft and paddled in sync with me and there we were -- going in circles.   Of course, the hole wasn't big enough to sink us, and we did have fun with the adventure in spite of the threat of a sinking raft.

Good memories.  I am fortunate, that after all these years, and all the different directions our lives have taken, that we are still friends and both still young at heart.   God is good.

Record cold for Oct 10th

The temperature got down to 4 degrees last night.  Judith Basin County recorded a low of -16 F., so we were warm compared to them. 

The hoses were put away before the cold hit, the snow shovel is now out and last year's ice melt is ready to be chipped (!!!).   Got the old dog a coat this year.   Had a heck of a time trying to catch him to put it on....he must not like red.   Since he didn't get his coat on, I took him inside that night and wouldn't let him out in the morning til he put it on.  He seemed quite happy with it after he got it on. 

Now, when it is single digits, both dogs get to come in at night.  I am concerned about them going out into the cold in the morning when they have been in a warm house.   We will have to see if there is another way we can perhaps just heat up their dog houses a little.

This cold weather is perfect for "chili time."   It is simmering as we speak.  Looking forward to the warm temps coming back.  Soon, I hope.