Keeping the home fires burning ~or~ coming out of the fog.

Last Sunday was beautiful, we enjoyed our horseback riding time so much that downriver Robert, and I scheduled two other days this week to saddle-up and ride. Last Sunday the cats were happy to be standing in their window jungle and soaking in the sunshine. This past week was full of promise that we would get to spend time outdoors and in the sunshine. That didn’t happen.

It was Wednesday morning I got out of bed to grab a cup of coffee for Kittee and I at 5:15. The moon was shining bright and the sky was full of stars. Under those conditions I had not slept well during the night, but it was time to have a cup of coffee and prepare for my morning’s school bus route. Kittee and I lay in bed sipping coffee until time for me to hit the deck, get ready for the road. I looked outside and saw that the red light beacons on the wind turbines to our west, now pumping electricity to California were not visible. That seemed strange with all else being clear, but by the time I went out to get in my school bus everything was shrouded in fog. That morning it took an extra five minutes to get to my first stop, due to plowing through the fog bank that was rolling in for the day. Later that morning I called out on our school bus radio/communication system and asked if anyone had seen my school bus anywhere that morning, and if they could tell me where I might be found. The fog was really thick.

Getting home it was time to feed the herds and by the time I got the mare herd’s hay spread, they almost had disappeared in the fog bank.

Robert and I were hoping to go riding this day since the forecast was for sunshine. That didn’t happen. That morning after feeding, Robert and I did make a quick trip downriver looking at the river for some slots to do some Walla Walla River steelhead fishing during the balance of these winter months.
Since I had a short night’s rest, when I got back home the cats and I took a short nap before I went back out on my p.m. school bus route. Wednesday evening our Walla² Fly Fishers club had our first winter fly tying workshop and fortunately I was well rested and able stay out past my 9:00 p.m. bedtime. We had a good evening of fly tying with 13 people showing up for this first session.

Thursday, the weather forecast showed that there was to be a break in the weather and a good chance of sunshine. Again Robert and I made our plans to get in some riding time on Thursday morning before I had to make a sports trip to Pendleton on Thursday afternoon. I got home from my a.m. bus route, feed the horses ASAP, in a small rain shower and fog. Again our riding time was cancelled. On my trip to Pendleton, about halfway there the sun came out, the temperature when we got there was 50° under clear skies, but not at home. So this week was a washout with some hope of sunshine and warmer weather for the weekend.

Friday, Kittee had court duty in Milton-Freewater, so we were hoping that maybe we would get a weather break in the afternoon for some riding time. The weather stayed cool and cloudy all day Friday so our chance for afternoon riding didn’t happen. After Kittee's court time, she dropped by the M-F library and picked up the DVD set of Alex Haley's ROOTS, so we have watched these episodse for the past several night's entertainment.

Yesterday while preparing breakfast I learned it is Doppelganger Week on the Facebook channel, so I am playing along
this week using John Lennon as my celeb look alike from days gone by. Have had some folks tell me I have some resemblance to John, with short hair and longer hair.
Give Peace a change

Yesterday there was an afternoon break in the rain and dense fog, so Kittee and I went out and petted the horses for awhile.

Kittee spent her time petting mares; I spent mine petting Rusty. I had the chance to bring Misty, Goldie and Summer out of pasture earlier in the day while I was dropping hay, and I had a chance to pet them at that time. After we finished petting everyone, I grabbed a couple more sticks of wood and we heading back for the fireplace and listened one again to – A Prairie Home Companion coming from Tucson, AZ. and this week’s news from Lake Wobegon, MN. This week's show gave me a chance to reminisce about the winter of '72, when I parked my Mach-1 Mustang and hitchhiked across the USA setting up camp in the middle of the desert just west of Tucson in late January and part of February of that year... it was a neat place to winter. That was my first experience of living in the wild with coyotes, sidewinder rattlesnakes, scorpions, and Gila Monsters of the southwest. Anyway back to PHC, this week it sounded like the folks in Lake Wobegon are now in the very depths of their winter with cold, cold, snowy weather hitting those folks hard this past week.
see video attached

Sitting around the fire, listening to NPR

While listening to PHC, Kittee almost finished reading the Journals of Lewis and Clark - the Corps of Discovery, and I was doing some Internet surfing on the laptop computer via our full house WiFi system. Amazing what modern technology has done to the ole ranch house.

Today, we woke up with rain falling on everything. Kittee went out and fed the herd, I prepared breakfast and re-kindled the fire, for us to sit near for the rest of this day. This afternoon our living room has once again reached 70° as we sit by the fire, outside thermometer is reading 42°, and we are about to have a sun break for the afternoon as I look out our office window.

With the sun coming out, I think I shall go throw another log on the fire and go out and enjoy the sun and horse until the weather changes again.

Late this afternoon everyone enjoyed standing broadside to the sun...

and we had a real sunset this evening.

♫ Home, home on the range, where the skies
are not cloudy all day ♫

Happy Trails until we meet again,
Dale