Peace And Quiet:

 The renowned Samual Clemments (Mark Twain) had a habit of going fishing with his pole but no hook on the end of his line. That was the only way he could get any uninterrupted time to himself. It is a long-standing tradition that when you are fishing that it is impolite to disturb the fisherman. Sitting along a riverbank with a fishing pole is not only calming but restful.  The famous Mark Twain did not put a hook on his fishing line to not catch any fish and not to be disturbed. 

Sometimes just being out in the fresh air and sitting along a riverbank or a lake or stream without the matter of catching fish is just pure relaxing. 

It's a Puzzle:

 

Some things just do not make sense to me. One such incident happened recently.  I ordered some tarter cleaner for the dog's teeth, and I got an acknowledgement promptly from the manufacturer which I found out came from China. I was able to track my order as it left the factory, went to a distribution center, where it was put on a transport and arrived in California. Then I was able to track it across the U.S., and we received it promptly and in good condition.  

At the same time, I ordered a hose from the local Walmart store to replace our leaky one. It took a few days to get my order acknowledged and a tracking number. The tracking indicated we should receive the hose tomorrow and now it says maybe by Friday. 

It is all here in the U.S., and it has been at the same location for several days. So, my puzzle is how can I order two items - one from the U.S., and one from China and the one from China comes halfway around the world in half the time and the one in the U.S., comes from within our country and the vast difference between the two. The one from Walmart takes twice as long and we still do not have it. 

Remote Homesteading:

As I have posted before, we moved to N. Carolina from 9,800' elevation in S. Colorado. We received (according to HUD) 264" of snow each year, fortunately not all at the same time. Our winters were sometimes 6-7 months long. Our nearest neighbor was one mile down the road. We lived there for over 26 years full time and heated our cabin with a woodstove. We burned anywhere between 9-12 cords of firewood each winter. 

That being said we worked hard all year long and while it was stuck in the back of our mind that someday we might have to move somewhere else, that was less strenuous. It always remained hidden in the back of our minds none the less. We had seen others move to our community and not be able to handle the weather conditions or the strain of that type of life. Few made it as long as we did. 

Two and a half years ago we came to the conclusion that we couldn't continue with that type of lifestyle any longer. It was necessitated by medical reasons. Prior knee injuries made it so mobility was more and more severe coupled with other unrelated issues. It was hard to leave our homestead that we had put so much labor into, but it was also evident that medical treatment was over a one-hour drive away and we were not getting any younger. 

One had to be self-sufficient to live our chosen lifestyle and there were not adequate services around to take over the responsibility of things we were used to doing ourselves. So now we need to sit by, and watch others do what we are used to doing ourselves.  It was hard to leave our mountain homestead, but I think it is even harder to have others do what we were used to doing ourselves. 

Klaus - 11 Yrs Old:

 Klauss is 11 years old and still gets around well but his back legs tend to tire sometimes, and this was one of those times. Usually when he gets tired, he just sits down but this time he was exploring in the back yard and sat down in a depression and was up against the fence. When that happens, he needs help getting back up. If he had been headed in the other direction, he could have gotten himself up. It is his right rear leg that sometimes gives him trouble like in this case.

Thankful Times - Sad Times:

 This photo was taken after the Spring wildfire of 2018. We were thankful that our property and us survived the horrible wildfire, but it was sad to the snow full of ash. When the sun hit the grey infused snow it would get so hard that you could walk across it without leaving a footprint. The wind would blow the ash off trees that were dead and turn the snow grey. 

We were thankful that no human lives were lost and ours was one a very few homes survived. A total of 124 structures in our community were not so fortunate. Friends and acquaintances moved and left the ashes of their dream behind and those of us remaining had to deal with the mud slides, ashes on everything and a subtle loneliness coupled with many dead trees and the hazard they presented.  

Spring In The Smokey Mountains:

 Dogwoods are in bloom along with the redbud trees. 

Ants:

 I ran across this on Facebook and thought it was very interesting.  I have known of humans that were not this smart. 

What an amazing discovery! Scientists have discovered that ants, after collecting the grains and seeds that they need for winter break those seeds down into halves before storing in their nests because breaking them in half keeps them from germinating even through rain and the most perfect germinating conditions. But scientists were stunned when they discovered that coriander seeds stored in the ant nest were broken down into 4 pieces instead of 2 pieces. After lab research, scientists discovered that a coriander seed will still germinate after being divided into two, but it won’t germinate after it’s divided into four parts. So how do these tiny creatures know all this? Humans know very little, there's a lot to learn from other creatures.

Water Pipe Fixed:

 Water pipe fixed and ready for use in 24 hours. It was not much of a job once I got the box out.  CPVC pipe is pretty easy to work with. Once you have the new pipe, glue and something to measure and cut it with it is just a matter of putting some glue on the joint and put it together with a couple twists to make sure the glue is evenly distributed. It is much easier than sweating copper pipe. 24 hours and it should be solidly glued together and ready for use.

I even bought a section of insulation that should protect it from freezing again unless the temperature gets really cold. Job done!

Broken Water Pipe:

 The photo is hard to understand without some explanation. During the last cold spell, we had this pipe that was our outdoor spigot freeze up. The pipe cracked and when I turned the water on it shot out. I have the repair parts but I am waiting for the CPCV glue to put it back together the right way. 

I don't know who installed this pipe, but the faucet wobbled back and forth, and I was afraid when someone would turn it to hard it would break off at the pipe. The spigot was not attached to anything and was just floating free at the end of the pipe. It was boxed in, but when I took the box out (as seen by the photo - where it is cut out from the deck- it was just a hollow box with zero insulation. 

Not only was it void of any insulation but there were numerous couplings where it had been repaired several times in the past. The small white pipe down below the deck is where the water feed comes out for the outside fixture. I can't believe that someone thought just putting the pipe in a wooden box and not securing the spigot would keep the pipe from freezing or breaking. 

In addition to that there was a drain valve below the box that when you would open the water from inside the basement it would spray all over you when you closed the outside valve. If you could actually reach it to open it. I will extend the drain lower where it is more reachable and put a diverter on it where the water will be directed away from the person who is draining the system and not on them. 

I shouldn't be surprised at the poorly installed plumbing as when we first moved here the pipes froze and when I checked the outdoor shut off valve it was just lying on the ground when normally they are buried below the freeze line. Someone had just piled rocks on top of it to protect it. I made a box of closed cell 2" foam insulation to enclose it and ran a brood lamp to it with a temperature control, and it has not frozen again. 

We are discovering defects one by one and making necessary repairs as needed.  

Fickle Seasons:

 

This may be the shortest time between spring and summer seasons I have ever seen. Yesterday it was the first day of spring and today it is summer. Yesterday was a very pleasant day with temperatures in the low 70's and today it is 84 degrees and getting hotter as I write this. The next two weeks appear to be the same. Thursday, we had the wood stove going for warmth, Friday, was the first day of spring, and today it is full summer. 

Fickle Weather:

 

When Carol ordered the Forsythia bushes the weather was in the 80's during the day and 50's at night.  The local store was out of them, so they had to be mailed to us. When they arrived, we dug the holes and soaked them over night as directed. Now they are under the buckets as it has been going down into the mid to low 20's at night and the 30's during the day. We did not want the fickle weather to kill them before they had a chance to live. 

It is not only this weather in the Carolina's that has turned bad, but I ordered my seeds from Wisconsin, and they have been having record wind and snow, so they have not shipped yet. It may be a while before I see them and I have everything ready to go here. 

The trees were starting to flower, and the grass was green and then this sudden cold weather. It sure can mess up plans for gardening. 

Forsythia Bushes:

 Carol bought two forsythia bushes to go with the other three along the end of the house. We have two holes dug to the right size and the bushes are now soaking in water to put into the holes tomorrow. The hardest part is getting up and down on a hill for me. I forgot the well-established saying that when you get older be sure you can get up before you get down on the ground. 

The three bushes we have are in the red clay native to this area so I expect these will do just as well but digging in red clay mixed with rock is pretty tough to do. The holes are dug and tomorrow we will put them in the ground.  We had to be careful digging as the water feed comes in on that side of the house. Fortunately, we missed it and didn't dig deep enough to hit it. Between weed roots and rocks that was hard digging. 

Never Underestimate A Wildfire or God:

 The above photo was taken by me right after the 2018, Spring wildfire that was started by a careless person just a few miles from us. It was June 2018; we were evacuated for 15 days. It was the third worst wildfire in Colorado history at that time. It has now moved down to 6th worst as there have been worst ones since. There were 140 structures destroyed and 123 of them were in our community alone. The photo was property across the road from us. 

Our home was one of the few that was spared mostly because we had God looking out for it. One of my friend who was a cartographer came by the motel where we were staying to show me a view of our home that she was able to access from a nearby cell tower she had access to. It was our house and it had a fire break bulldozed around our 11 acres. That gave me hope since we had spent a great deal of time doing wildfire mitigation. 

We had cleared and disposed brush and small trees for 50 feet around our house and structures. We cut tree limbs of the trees that were in that area up to 18' high as opposed to the 12' recommended. We had raked the pine needles and leaves out from the house, garage and woodshed. The wildfire burned down both sides of our house, garage and within one foot of our woodshed. That is where it stopped and went no further.

It burned all around our 11 acres, but we did not have any real damage except where embers carried on the air and burned small area's that were no larger that 10 square feet and there were only a handful of those. Everything around us burned to the ground and the U.S. weather service measured the temperature a quarter mile from us at 4,200 degrees. It melted glass and metal in a neighbor's house. It spawned a fire tornado that ripped trees off halfway up the trunk. 

There was no evidence of a water drop, or firefighters working on our home or buildings. We had people praying for us around the world as Carol was involved in missionaries from many countries and all across the USA, including ourselves praying for our home and property. When we were finally allowed to go back, I looked for that fire break and there was none or any evidence of any. It was burned on both sides, across the road (75') and behind our property. That is why I can say with certainty that our property was saved by God. With the intense heat and the flames and heat there is no explanation other than the one above. 

Being Ready:

 

Having lived for 26+ years, remotely in the mountains of S. Colorado we learned how to be self-reliant.  Mostly the hard way. We had a garden and I tried growing different vegetables and soon found out that some vegetables were not to be grown at high elevation (9,800').  The growing season is short and while some vegetables grew well, others did not. We had cauliflower about the size of a golf ball. Carrots and underground veggies were very stunted. 

Lettuce, spinach and rhubarb grew best and occasionally vegetables started inside before the snow melted. Hot houses would collapse under the winter snow which averaged around 264" per year. I tried in ground hot house but after the first heavy snow I had to dig it out.  that proved more work than useful. Beets grew well but we had more beet greens than beets.

Wild strawberries grew well but the delicious berry was about the size of a pea. Raspberries grew well and we enjoyed suitable crops. It took a lot of work and disappointment to be able to produce good vegetables at that elevation, and I did not even mention the difficulty of keeping the critters away. To be self-reliant it is important to be very determined and patient. 

It is helpful also if you know how to fish and are good at it. Where we lived there was a lot of competition in catching fish. I found most of my fishing success came from streams and rivers. There were a couple lakes also that produced good results. 

Being able to build things, repair things and use what you have on hand is quite helpful. We took a small engine repair course plus the advanced course before we moved to the mountains which came in very handy more than a few times. Gas engines break down and if you can't fix it yourself it could be a long wait to get it fixed by anyone else. That was especially useful when it came to our chainsaws.

I did not mention hunting because we lived in harmony with the many wild animals and to me it would be like shooting my neighbor which I simply could not do. Being self-sufficient is labor intensive and must be done with serious dedication. All this comes to mind because I just started my garden for this year. Happy Homesteading!

Pre Occupied:

With all that is going on in the world nowadays I have been preoccupied with the current events and have neglected keeping up with this blog.  I don't want to anger or upset any of our readers because we get people who read this blog site from many different countries. Therefore, I will not post any blogs, politics, opinions or the current events. The purpose of this blog is being self-sufficient and our life in the mountains - both the Rocky Mountains and the Smokey Mountains. Being more self-sufficient may be more needed now than before.

In the midst of all that is going on I have been planning my garden as seeds can be planted between March 15 and the first week of April. I have started six cauliflower plants under a grow light in the basement. I also have plans for beets, wax beans, lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and rhubarb. 

I am going to try my hand with rhubarb once again, as last year I planted three rhubarb plants, and something ate all three and killed the root. This year I plan to grow the plant in a container where it will not be available for the critter who ate them last year. Once it is established, I can transplant it and enclose it with hardware fence so they can't get to it again.  

I am going to try my hand at wax beans as we went to buy a can at the grocery store and one can was over $4.00, which is a ridiculous amount in my opinion. If I can grow them, I will save us quite a bit of money as one of the favorite salads that Carol makes calls for wax beans. 

The Value Of Dog/s: Part three

 

This is the third and final part of the value of dogs: 

Strong sense of hearing and smell: Dog's can smell over 100,000 to one million times better that humans and they can hear far beyond the capability of humans. Hence they can detect things far outside human capacities. For example, when we lived in the mountains of S. Colorado, at 9,800' feet elevation our dogs would alert us to threats from wildlife outside before we would see or hear them. 

When their superior hearing and smell senses are combined with their protective nature for their family it is a protection system that is second to none other. This leads into the next topic that is intelligence.

Intelligence: We tend to favor the German Shepherd Dog breed who are noted for their intelligence. When we have neighbors' friends, workmen or family come to visit our dogs instinctively know friend or foe. When they are friend, they will check them out and go lay down after greetings. When they don't trust the person, they will stay in the room with the people often laying at our feet or in near proximity to us. 

We pay close attention to our fur family for nuances we may not recognize ourselves. They are usually spot on when it comes to evaluating people and it would be totally negligent to not pay attention to them and their instinct. I can't emphasize their intelligence enough. 

Trainability: Dogs are easily trained but only if trained in a proper manner. There are many methods available but over the years and 13 dogs we have developed a method that I have used over the years. Dogs want to please us and we use that trait to train them. Sometimes a  non-threating word administered in love is better than a physical rebuke. I have taught one of our dogs to look right and left before crossing a street or alley. 

I have taught our dogs to tell time by looking at a wall clock. Some dogs can learn up to 250 words or symbols. We talk to our dogs all the time and they have a rather large understanding.  Our neighbors in Colorado referred to our German Shepherd Ben as Dr. Ben. We are very much in tune with our dogs. 

Happiness and Sense of Adventure: Dogs are generally happy and love to play and go on adventures with their family. they love hikes, camping, car trips, boating trips and adventures. When dogs are happy it is easy to see as they not only smile but their entire body reflects their happiness'. In turn they make us happy too. 

The Value Of Dog/s Part 2:

 

Dogs have so many traits and abilities that many of us humans wish for or try to achieve but fall short in. Part two addresses three more of these traits.

Unconditional Forgiveness:  Dogs seem to have the ability to forgive without judgement, or conditions and just want to be our friend again and let the offense go without holding a grudge. They tend to live in the present and not yesterday or tomorrow. They simply just move on from the infraction whatever it may be and not dwell on the past. That ties in with  the first of their values as pointed out in loyalty in the first part of this topic.

Protective Instincts:  Dogs have an ingrained protective instinct that they will protect those who they love. Sometimes some that they don't know as well depending on the risk factor. I don't want to get ahead of myself on this subject, but they are intelligent and can assess dangers ahead of most humans. They will put themselves in harm's way to protect their family or those they love. Sometimes to the point of their own death. It has been said and I believe it that only two people will die for you: Jesus or your dog. 

Intelligence:  Many underestimate the intelligence of dogs. Dogs can learn up to 250 words or symbols. I have always taught our dogs with both words and hand signals. When they get older, they tend (like us humans) to lose some or all of their hearing. That is when the hand signals come in very handy. It all tends to be what you want them to learn. We talk to our dogs all the time and it pays off. 

I have taught one of our dogs his right from his left and to tell basic time. in a very rudimentary way. I would point to a time on the clock to tell him when I would be back and he would be looking for me as Carol would watch to see what he would do. He would be waiting at the door. Not all breeds are of high intelligence but most would surprise people if they would be paying attention. 

Dogs are the consummate friend of their family.  

Klaus:

 Yesterday Klaus had his teeth cleaned and ended up having 10 pulled. He also had a growth near his rectum, and it was removed as well, along with stiches. It was heartbreaking to hear him whine in pain and we stayed up with him last night. He is getting pain meds but they don't seem to handle all his pain.

He is 11 years old and it has been hard on him at that age. It is like having a tooth ache and hemorrhoids all at the same time. Neither of us or Lucy and Rex got over a couple hours sleep last night but his comfort and welfare is more important to us than sleep. Klaus could certainly use prayers now as he struggles with the residual anesthesia and pain.

Not having those bad teeth removed could cause infection go get into his blood system and that could kill him. We want to give him every bit of life possible and while it is tough on him now, but he will at least be healthy in his old age. Soft food and pain pills for a couple of weeks and he should be his normal self once again.

The Value Of Dogs:

 

Unconditional Love: Dogs love without conditions, demands or judgement. They love us just as we are. They love us without expecting anything in return. They like to be with us all the time even when we go into the bathroom. They demonstrate their love by constantly pleasing us which some people fail to recognize. If God so loved us, so we should love one another. 1 John 4:11. Could it be that we see in dogs what we try to do in our lives but often fail to accomplish. 

Loyalty: In a world that is and often uncertain when it comes to loyalty, dogs offer a level of loyalty in a form of true faithfulness that is second to none other. Their loyalty should inspire us to stand by those whom we love by observing our dog's example. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17. Dog's remain loyal regardless of our circumstances whether good or bad. They do not make judgements when it comes to being loyal and their loyalty transcends circumstances. They often are loyal when no one else comes to our side. We have much to learn from our dogs.  

Compassion and Empathy: Dogs are able to tell when we are stressed or anxious and they come to us not to fix our problem but to just be there to give us comfort and reassurance by a gentle paw, leaning against us, laying their head in our lap or just a nuzzle. They let us know that we are not alone and by their presence offer support. We would do well to cultivate as similar method of empathy and compassion toward other. Just being there for others is a way to support them and not trying to solve their problems unless they ask.

Look for further blogs on this topic in the future. 

Alamosa, Colorado

Alamosa, CO was a little over an hours drive from our mountain home...where we did shopping, visited doctors, etc. This is a great article and can give you an idea of why we loved it there so much!

https://familydestinationsguide.com/peaceful-town-colorado-rent/

Manufacturing:

It used to be that items manufactured in China were lacking quality but I have noted over past several years that is no longer the case. Items I have purchased that were made in China have been good quality. While our governments posture back and forth and they try to work out relationships with each other the quality of items I buy as a consumer seem to be pretty good quality.

While our government and the government of China consider each other enemies the people of both countries are probably very much the same. We care about those we love and work with to give ourselves a better life. Carol has a good friend in China and they seem to get along just fine and I don't see much difference other than the control their government has over them.

As I watch the Olympics the participants from all countries seem to be getting along with each other and enjoying themselves and most of all having fun with each other. Therefore it seems to me if we put the governments aside people have more in common than not. Unfortunately we can't put governments aside so they will have to continue to push and pull in the power struggle as there is no real common ground - only compromise and peaceful co-existence. 

Back to my original thought - I think products that we buy from China have improved greatly and I have found out purchases to be of good quality nowadays. Made in China no longer has the stigma that it once had.

 

New Doors:

 

The top photo depicts our old sliding glass door that has been with the house for 45 years. The new doors that are manufactured nowadays are so much more energy efficient and the bottom photo shows our newly installed door. The sliding glass doors were wearing out (at least the handles and locks) and they were heavy and we really had to struggle to open and close them. The new doors are much easier to open and close. The repairman will finish the outside trim and installation today. 

It also makes it harder for people to see inside, plus we will not have to put up with annoying drafts coming in anymore. 

Window Crashes In Our Past Home:

Two mountain chickadees in two days - wow.. We usually only get two a year. I think it may be the same bird who just craves attention. This little guy managed to fly off too. I brought him inside to keep him warm by the wood stove and then took him back out to the railing and he just kept looking inside like in the photo which told me he wanted to come back inside where it was warm. He looked me over real good when I was stroking his head and holding him by the wood stove so he could warm up. I think I now have a friend for life as he flew off just moments ago... We have some birds that will fly right up to me - as close as a foot away. I assume that it is ones I have helped over the years but I can't be certain.

 

Cowbirds:

 My past posts about Henrietta and also the posts about Chickadee's and nuthatches reveal the good qualities of birds. As with any species there are also birds of lessor qualities like the cowbird. Consider that the cowbird during nesting time will look for a nest, wait until the host leaves for a few minutes and then will lay its egg in the nest and let the host bird hatch it. The cowbird will take out one of the host birds eggs to replace it with her own.

The unsuspecting host then raises the chick along with its own. Sometimes the cowbird chick because it is larger will force the host birds chick out of the nest to make more room for itself.

Now consider human nature as it exists today see if any comparisons can be made between the cowbird characteristics and human characteristics.

Superfund Cleanup:

 

It was 16 years ago when a friend of mine and myself decided to drive over to a ghost town where a creek ran through it and do a little prospecting for gold. When we got there we found the creek was being cleaned up by the EPA as a superfund site. We walked up and down the creek for a long way and there was -0- signs of life in the creek. 

Another time Carol and I went to check out another ghost town (Bonanza) and there was this nice little creek that ran through part of the ghost town. I stopped to check out the creek and I could actually see the heavy metals in the creek covering the rocks. Actually there were quite a few creeks around including one very near us that was polluted. The fact is there were so many I personally found that were polluted.

These creeks had no signs of life in them, even when rocks were turned over, no visible life was in evidence, birds would not go near them, no insects, and the same shiny layer that coats everything. Colorado had in the past many mines where heavy metals were used as well as arsenic and mercury. Where  EPA were cleaning up these creeks they were doing a good job but the progress takes years not weeks or months. 

From what I have witnessed  there are more creeks than availability to restore them. When we see these creeks it is a sad thing to witness and very costly and time consuming to clean up. We need to do a better job of taking care of our resources. 

 

Daisy:

When we first moved to southern Colorado at 9,800' elevation our land was a jumble of brush, downed trees and limbs.  One day I was out cleaning up the brush and a mule deer doe with twins was a few yards away from me and I started to talk to her telling her how beautiful her twins were and how pretty she was. 

She stayed with me for several hours and that started a human/wild animal relationship that rewarded me over the years. We ended up naming her Daisy and she taught me more about mule deer in the many years we were together than I would have ever expected. 

 

After one of those two fawns grew up he came around and would actually eat out of my hand and allow me to pick ice balls off his head. He adopted me into the deer family and there are many stories I have shared and can continue to share. He was a good companion over the years and in fact would bring other deer around to meet and greet with me. Even more stories there with his friends. 

One of the does in Daisy's family had a fawn who had somehow broken its leg. The fawn's mother would drive it out of the family of deer. I watched Daisy strongly chastise the fawn's mother and Daisy took the little fawn herself to raise. She cared for that fawn and protected it until its leg healed and became its mother. 

Daisy or one of her offspring made friends with one of our dogs - Sarah, a black German Shepherd - and they would sniff each other through the fence and run along the fence together. Sarah died of heart failure and I had established a memorial area where I had cap stones with her name and a photo of her sealed in clear epoxy. It was a memorial garden for our past dogs and there were several headstones in it. 

For a few years after Sarah passed away I would be going down the tractor trail to the memorial area and often find Sarah's friend  standing over her marker looking down at her headstone photo. Not the others but her headstone only. This happened many times to just be a coincidence or happen chance. 

Sarah's friend did that for several years and I would stop on my tractor and talk to Sarah's friend for several minutes and she would look at me and then down at Sarah's marker. I call that true friendship.

Major Storm Coming:

 

Please be careful and check with your neighbors who may need help. Ice storms can  be dangerous so be careful and use good practices to stay safe. Trees and tree limbs can break off and fall without notice and footing can he slippery. 

Prima Facia:

My opinion only: I don't understand what is going on with all the investigations both with congress and the DOJ. They seem to be investigating all the alleged law breakers but nothing seems to be happening. The recent case where a group of protestors charge into a church where people are worshiping and disrupt the service seems to go against our constitution and law.  They were protesting ICE agents in a church. 

 It was all caught on camera and seems pretty clear to me. It has been the same with other incidents that have been documented by video and audio. After we hear about the incident the authorities, whether they are DOJ or congress,  announce they will  'investigate' and then the incident just drops from sight. It just falls into an empty pit and we hear no more. 

There is a term in law that is as old as our laws are that is called, prima facie,  - the evidence is sufficient to prove the case..  In short it simply means that the thing speaks for itself - the facts are in plain sight. Here we have incidents that are documented both visually and verbally and now they "investigate", and then we won't hear anything further. It has been a year now and all I have seen are many investigations. 

Misappropriations, mortgage fraud, outright  of money, breaking into vehicles, vandalization of vehicles, assaulting law enforcement officers, spouting sedition and a host of other illegal activity. 

It seems to me that the church incident clearly speaks for itself. I wonder what is to investigate that isn't already clear. Why not arrest and charge those acting criminally right now. Or will this just die on the investigation vine too.  I don't think the bad people are much scared of investigations or it doesn't seem so. It is not a deterrent and they just laugh at the process and go on with further criminal activities. 

There won't be a more perfect case than the church one; they can arrest those responsible and still continue to investigate. This "investigate" is just making our upside down country even more so. We need accountability but more than that real action. 

Klaus

 

Klaus is our oldest dog. We just celebrated his 11th birthday in November. Of course we really don't know how old he is but that's the best guess. He is doing well...takes a Galliprant each day for back pain and that stuff has worked wonders for him. He usually is laying on one of the multiple dog beds we have in different places in the house or on the leather sofa. This morning though he got up on the loveseat for the first time! This is where Rex sleeps each night. Klaus has never shown any interest in jumping up there until today and we sure were surprised.

He is our "best boy". Not a single mean bone in his body although best we can tell he is a cross between a chow chow and akita. He missed his Mom April for quite some time after she passed on but seems to have recovered.

This sudden move to jump on the love seat was also intended as a message to Rex who has been with us just over 6 months. They both get along fine and Klaus is such a laid back boy and just gets along with everyone including Rex. He sent Rex a message that he is the senior fur family member and I watched Rex just look at him and walk over and lay down in the kitchen. He (Rex) clearly got the message. Having more than one fur family member is just so entertaining if you know what to look for. 

Rex has taken over the love seat and Klaus did not even look at Rex when he got on the love seat; just got up there, got comfortable and then got down in about 10 minutes. He sent Rex a very clear message which was received. The pecking order is still well established as Rex recognizes Klaus as the senior family member and respects him and gives him room. 

What Is A Woman:

 

"Relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs."  Meridian Webster

I watched the senate hearing yesterday where a female OBGYN physician could not and and did not say that a man could not get pregnant. She did what is now known as a word salad. 

Earlier I watched the two hour US Supreme Court address the same basic question. Nine of our most learned and best law minds were dealing with some ridiculous presentations and various machinations about what a woman is and should men play in women's sports.

In fact one of the female justices during her confirmation was asked what a woman is and she refused to answer because she was not a biologist. Since when do you need to be a biologist to know what a woman is. I find it incredible that supposedly intelligent people can't figure out what a woman is and stumble over themselves in trying to figure it out. 

I have encountered some very stupid people in my life but now days it seems to be some type of challenge to see who is more stupid. Males are different and have different sports abilities, muscles and bone structure. Keeping men out of women's sports should be a no brainer. 

I personally have only had one possible exception in women.  When I was in Bermuda for two years we would occasionally see a Russian ship dock in Bermuda. They would have both men and women working on these trawlers and when I would see the Russian women on the beach any man who would challenge those muscular women would be out of their mind. 

Those Russian trawler women were clearly not someone to mess with. They would dominate any sport if they had the talent but this issue today is totally different. The women in sports are very clearly female and men who claim to be women are not. If this opinion of mine offends anyone's feelings - get over it as it seems pretty apparent to me what a woman is. My mother was, my sister was, my brother was not. My wife is and I am not. Seems simple to me..

Beauty:

 

There is beauty here in N. Carolina but I don't think there has ever been a more beautiful place that when we were living at 9,800' elevation in southern Colorado. We would wake up every day to scenes just like this. Cold crisp air and the sun coming up through the mist is just one of the scenes. The shadows or streaks of sunlight on the fresh snow. It was every day a new and different look  that was beautiful.

Blue sky so blue that it was almost to brilliant to look at very long. We never had to go looking for beauty, it was right there in front of us every day. I miss scenes like this one.

Environment Change:

 

I hear much about changing weather patterns and I recall when we lived in the mountains of southern Colorado I was able to check a fact with growth rings on a tree.. Trees grow much slower there due to the elevation and short growing season. I cut a tree down that was very old and  best I could tell around 125+ years old. I  cut a slab off it and counted the growth rings. 

They told a story about growth and there would be some very close together for a few years and then some were spaced further apart. All together they told the growth history of the tree. There was a period in the rings where they were so close together there was very little or no growth for several years. Then there were years of very good spacing or growth. 

It changed from time to time depending on the weather. So when I hear these doomsday prognosticators I pay little attention to them. It is laughable when they say that cow farts or cow burps are destroying the ozone layer. I took environmental biology courses in college and was the speaking director of a very large environmental group in central Florida. Our position was based on actual facts that I personally witnessed and could speak on. I did not speculate or suggest what the future would hold. 

That was nearly 50 years ago and speculation back then would be proven very wrong today. We  don't know what the next year or fifty years will hold as the earth has a remarkable ability to heal itself.  When hiking in our community I found a limber pine that was over two thousand years old as best I could calculate. 

That tree could have told a story but sadly it was destroyed in the 2018 wildfire that ravaged our community. It was a huge tree growing on a protected slope and if it would have survived the wildfire it could have been a window into weather patterns.  It would have been far more accurate than speculation of what cow farts and burps do to the atmosphere. 

A New Year With Promise:

 

Dog Relaxation:

 

While I was looking for football games this morning I found a channel on DISH TV that might come in handy tonight as people will be shooting off guns and fireworks as the year changes. It is designed to relax dogs with visual and soothing sounds  It is DOGTV and it is channel 285. Our dogs go nuts during loud noises like there will be tonight. 

Not much has helped our fur family but we will turn the volume up and see if this will help them tonight as all the nuts and drunks show off with loud gun shots and fireworks. We received  an emergency alert yesterday that with the wind and super dry conditions that outdoor fires of any kind are prohibited. 

That won't stop the crazy people who will have their fireworks tonight. I wish they would just stop and think about all the animals that this affects, not to mention our vets who suffer from ptsd.  

Efficient Limb Chipper:

When I saw this on sale at Lowe's I knew it would fit our lifestyle  here. It is a WEN limb chipper that will handle limbs up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Most all of our limbs are that size or less and I have been burning them up until now. In order to burn them we needed a State burn permit which we can get on line. With all the leaf mass on the ground it is a concern to burn anything outdoors. 

We tried this a few days ago and it grinds up limbs easily and swiftly. I have never bought a WEN product that wasn't quality and well made. This unit is light enough to move around easily and it doesn't take up much space. These units only cost  $125.00, and are simple to put together. Well suited for our needs as anything with a size more than 1.75 inches we burn in the wood stove. 

The mulch from the machine can go around trees or plants so everything is used. Good investment.

Lyme Disease:

When we were living in the high country of Colorado I was out helping a group we allowed to cut firewood off our property, when I got a tick bite that left a bull's eye circle on my arm. I didn't notice it for several days and when I went to get treatment the doctor advised me that there was no Lyme Disease in Colorado. I finally got a doctor who at least acknowledged it did exist and prescribed antibiotics for it. 

When I went to the pharmacy to get the Rx filled a man who was also waiting struck up a conversation with me. He asked what I was there for - I explained I got a tick bite and it looked like Lyme Disease.  He went on to say his neighbor got a tick bite too and had Lyme Disease. Now she now has arthritis so bad she can't walk to her mailbox at the end of her driveway.  Like me she was told there was no Lyme Disease in Colorado. The first problem as I see it is getting medical staff to even acknowledge the disease exists in some areas. 

If you think you have encountered an infected tick I suggest you get medical help as soon as possible and not accept any comments that it isn't in your area. Next I suggest you Google Lyme Disease, as there is abundant information available regarding the disease. 

When we first moved to Colorado we had a grey wolf come up and look into our house through the storm door.  Others in our neighborhood had seen wolves as well. When I called the game warden to report it I was told there were no wolves in Colorado.  I knew what I saw and found out years later that if a state employee acknowledged there were wolves in Colorado that the state would be required to adopt a plan to manage them. Maybe it was the same with Lyme Disease. 

Dogs On The Loose - Maybe Something You would Not Expect:

When you see dogs on the loose this time of year during deer hunting season those dogs may be dogs used for hunting that have strayed from their owner who was using them to hunt. OR they may be stolen as I have witnessed several times in the past where low life bottom dwelling people will steal dogs and use them  to chase deer during dear hunting season. When it is hunting season they steal dogs to chase deer where they will wait and  ambush them when the dogs chase the the deer to them.  When they are done they just drive away with their illegal deer and leave the dogs to fend for themselves. 

I rescued a dog once off  an island in the St. John's River in Florida where I was fishing. The poor dog was so emaciated I could count its ribs and pelvis outline. Another time four dogs were found running loose and fortunately those were reunited with their owner.  They were stolen right out of his front fenced in yard and were in pretty bad shape when found. I have heard of other incidents as well all far too often. 

Keep your dogs close during deer hunting season and make sure they are safe from bottom dwelling low life scum that would use them and then discard them to fend for themselves. Yes there are people like this in the world and they need to be dealt with and punished.  Also, be sure to have your dogs chipped so if they are found that there is a chance they might be returned to you. 

Strong letter to follow!

Most Significant Day In History:

If you believe in the bible this blog may be important to you; if you do not believe in the bible it probably won't.  In the second chapter of Luke is the story of Jesus birth. This ties in with my last blog regarding the absolute silence and peace in our past mountain home. 

Shepherds were tending their sheep in the fields and they according to history were on the outer fringe of society. When an angel appeared to them they were afraid. Out in the fields by themselves and an angel suddenly appears with a heavenly glow would scare me too. They were told not to be afraid that there was good news, a child was born that will bring great joy to all people.  Then the sky opens up further and there are more angels all praising God. 

It would have been quiet except for the sounds of the sheep and suddenly there is this strange apparition out of no where which would scare the bejeebers out of anyone. Then a host of these apparitions appear all praising God.  

When we lived in the mountains I would go outside to just be in total silence and be alone. It would allow my mind to think of matters like this. The quiet was absolute and there were zero distractions. Most people never in their lifetime are privileged to experience such silence and the chance to reflect on the more important issues of life. City or suburban life has its noise which most come to accept. Absolute silence is very rare if ever.  

Such noises such as vehicles, talking that carries to you, animal noise or a host of other interruptions makes quiet hard to find;  hence that peace that comes from total silence is never fully experienced. Noise restricts people thinking about the more weighty matters by disrupting their thought process. In fact total silence makes many people uncomfortable. Looking up in silence at the snow flakes or stars, made me realize how great a God we have if we just take a moment to thank him for his amazing creation. 

Taking some time in a quiet moment gives us time to ponder all He has done for us and is doing every moment of every day. Finding total silence is hard but we can still look around and find things to thank Him for. I am thankful for those many times I was given to see and appreciate His might wonders.  We really should take time to reflect on the weightier matters like the bible reflects in so many areas. 

Total Quiet:

 I can't remember if there was a Christmas that we didn't have snow in our 26 years in the high country of Colorado. One of my most favorite memories was to go outside Christmas eve - especially if it was snowing or had just snowed. I would go outside and just stand and look up at the sky and either see the snow flakes floating down or on a clear night I would marvel at all the stars.  

The quiet was so powerful that it would just take my breath away. The silence was so powerful that I would feel I could be the only person for miles. Gazing at the millions of stars across the sky made me feel very small on our planet. To me it was a solid confirmation that there was a God and he and his Son were in total charge. It was a most humbling time for me.

No matter how many times I did that over the years, the sense of peace and calm never changed. It was always one of those very special moments that I will never forget. I have never been in another place where I could experience that. I always thanked God for that time it was so  overwhelming and special. When I stop and think about it now I get that same peaceful feeling of being close to our heavenly Father. It is totally humbling and such a powerful memory that it is burned in my mind. 

Mixed Emotions:

 It is with mixed emotions that news for us that I write this blog. We took Rex to the vet for his 6 month checkup to see how his heart worm treatment is doing. The vet had bad news for us.  I am angry and sad at the same time. 

When we adopted him from the shelter we were told that he had been treated for heartworm and the records we were provided indicated such. We followed the protocols for his treatment and kept him calm for 6 weeks (not an easy task). When he was tested for heartworm yesterday he tested positive and our vet called the shelter we adopted him from to find out he had not been treated for heartworm at all. 

Because of the stage he is in with heartworm he no longer can take the slow cure and only can take the three month cure which is major dangerous and very risky. 

I am angry because of the deception of the shelter where he was on death row and we were told he had been treated. I am sad for him because he does not deserve this. Keeping him calm now with the other two dogs is impossible as they like to play and he even gets excited when he gets fed. 

The vet put him on Iverheart Plus Max, which will kill the heartworms over time but is not as certain as the three month cure. 

Rex is such a well behaved and happy boy who does not deserve this.  We thought he was treated when it was all wrong and the records were wrong. The vet was sorry for us but we are sorry for Rex as he has been through being surrendered to the shelter two times, was on the short list to be euthanized, transported across the country to be here where he is deeply loved, and previously an outdoor dog. 

He is in a good place now but my heart is sad for him as up until now his life has not been good. He doesn't deserve this for sure. 

a long long time ago - Carol

 

My sister kept this Christmas card from us. It was probably created back in 1990 or so when we had the cabin built and dried in. We drove out to CO from Ohio or PA every vacation to work on the inside...ran electric, plumbing, put up sheet rock and paneling....and moved there permanently in 1997. It will always be "home". 

Couldn't be safer:

 It is a very nice day here in N. Carolina and we were sitting on the deck enjoying the sunshine and 62 degree weather. It is also gun season for deer and we heard several shots - probably 15/20 shots spaced out from different weapons. I have been around guns and hunting for so long I can almost recognize the caliber by the sound of the shot. 

Oddly enough it brought a smile to my face as the spacing of the shots reminded me of a time long ago when we were taken to Moses Lake, Washington to qualify for the next year.  As the first line was about ready to fire this deer walked out as they were given the order to fire. 

The deer walked calmly down the line in front of the targets without a worry in the world. It must have been collective 'buck fever' as when they came  off the line several said they aimed for the deer but not one came close enough to cause the least bit of alarm for the deer. 

That tells me the safest place to be is between the target and the shooter.  I can't believe it yet that the deer walked the  entire length of the firing range and those that shot at it never even came close. 

Lesson learned: Sight in your weapon before you start to shoot - not while you are trying to qualify. 

5BX Plan

When I was in the US Air Force back in the early 1960's they had a requirement that we all had to be physically fit and could preform certain exercises. One of my flight team did not fit the "image" of what the USAF wanted. He was short and stocky but very strong. They apparently thought they could get him out of the Air Force because they didn't think he could pass the physical requirements.

Before he enlisted he was a sheep rancher in Idaho and he used to come up behind me and put his hands under my arms and lift my 165 pounds straight up. When it came time to test him they first had him do 20 chin ups on the chin up bar. He respectfully asked which hand he could use. The officer gruffly told him he didn't care which hand he used, assuming he couldn't do it with both hands.  My flight member did 20 pull ups with one hand. 

Then it was time to do the push ups. Again the same question and the officer was really annoyed by now so he did 20 push ups with one hand. The officer was so angry by now that he passed him and abruptly walked away. That is a memory that will remain with me for a long time. The rest of us had to use two hands to pass the test. 

I understand that the military in again requiring members to maintain a certain level of physical fitness which in my opinion is a very good requirement. They should never have stopped requiring this part of service.