Mountain Living - A compilation of thoughts:

 

Birds: The photo is Hairy the hairy woodpecker who is one of our friendly birds who will come within a few feet of me to make sure I'm putting their feed out right. This photo was taken a few minutes ago. We are currently in a blizzard with wind chill of -6 and actual temperature's of 3 degrees. We feed the birds suet, sunflower seeds and unsalted peanuts. It is important to make sure on days like today that they have enough food to eat. They are all fluffed up for protection against the cold and brutal wind. 

Weather: Weather is very unpredictable in the mountains especially at our elevation of 9,800'. This time they got it right and right down to the hourly prediction. So far we have a foot of snow and wind 7-10 MPH which is causing serious drifting. The storm is suppose to abate later tonight but what is so hard for the forecasters is the depth of snow we will get. It could be from 18" to 2-3 feet or more. If you live in the mountains you wait for it to end and then start to clear it which is what I am doing presently. The worst storm we have received in 25+ years was 72", but storms of 3-5' are not that uncommon. 

Barometer: We have a weather station and we watch it closely. Especially the barometer - which when it is low like yesterday indicates a change in the weather. It went from 2984 to 2925 which is a very low pressure system and we are seeing the change today. Much colder temperatures and snow accompanied by wind.  It is currently at 2947 which means the low system is still in control but it is moving up, so the system is slowly moving off. 

Echo Dot: We have an echo dot also known as 'Alexa'; actually we have three of them in different places in the cabin. They are a plethora of information and sometimes will on their own without being asked just jump in a conversation.  We use ours to track packages, timers for cooking and other things, alarms and to entertain us. Like the time we asked Alexia to make fart sounds. What a hoot that was - had us laughing till the tears flowed and we finally told her to stop. 

I like the music of the 50's and if I am working on my laptop and think of a song I would like to hear all I need to do is ask Alexa and she will play it. She also warns us about storms - like the one today - and often she is spot on. When we go into town (50 miles one way) we ask her what the conditions are in Alamosa and she is always right. It could be 180 degrees different that where we are located and that is helpful. 

Insects: You would not think insects would be a problem when the temperatures are well below freezing but mountain insects are a hearty breed. They are inactive in the wood shed but once the firewood is brought into the house where it is warm they come alive again. It is not unusual to find moths, flies or spiders inside brought with the firewood. Fortunately the mosquitoes are not among those pests that can survive the cold and be revived. 

Security System: We have been compelled to have a security system installed. In the past we have been mostly insulated from property crimes and it was rare to have anything stolen or broken into. That is no longer the case and I have seen individuals stop and check out the implements  for our tractor. It was evident they were not admiring them and had bad intentions. We bought a shed to store them in and keep them locked up and safe. After several break-ins we felt it safer to have security system installed. 

Post wildfire we have had a lot of new construction and hence non residents have brought some crime with them. We caught some 'contractors' just 400 yards down the road from us poaching trees on other members property. They only stole the prime firewood and carried out many cords of prime firewood that sells for $185 - 225.00,  per cord. They were run out of the Park but since found a way back as I saw them with more loads of firewood. Probably 10's of thousands of dollars worth of firewood. 

Toothpaste: "Just for laughs" When we go to the dentist we are generally rewarded with a small tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. They had accumulated in our cabinet and Carol cleaned the cabinet and put them on the counter to use. I tried one yesterday and the content had separated and when I brushed my teeth my mouth was overwhelmed. I suddenly started drooling for a few minutes. I tried rinsing with mouthwash but that only made it worse. I squished the tube around to mix it back up and now it works fine again. Gotta watch that expiration date though in the future. Incidentally dentists do not appreciate it when you yell ouch loudly. Just a hint in case you want a small tube of toothpaste and a brush when you are done.