Hello from Silty Slough. The sun got up at 10:18 this morning and will go back to bed at 3:38. That’s 5 hours 20 minutes for those of you that aren’t good at math. We should dip below 5 hours of daylight by the 21st unless a big meteorite hits the earth and changes the 23 degree tilt of its axis. After all it is 2020 so expect anything.
22 degrees when the boys and I went out this morning. Forecast for tonight is 3. I guess I’m going to have to start wearing more than underwear and slippers pretty soon. Kari didn’t sleep much last night so she is taking a nap. The boys and I have to be quiet so it is a good time for the view.
Our plans on Sunday were to go to the post office on Tuesday afternoon and then get everything ready to make a quick trip to town Wednesday. Al Gore didn’t cooperate with us and warmed everything up. The river trail got some overflow and was too mushy to ride on. Looks like we are missing the window for a trip to town so we can be back to quarantine before the neighborhood Christmas party. If I were getting windows for the addition this trip, I would be missing the window for the windows. The big reason for the trip was a box or two of Christmas cards, we are pretty good on everything else in Kari’s warehouse. Our sweet potatoes molded so we had to pitch them. (10 pounds) Next time we will store them differently. I guess no fried sweet potatoes for a while. Kari has canned from the store but they don’t fry very well. If you have never had fried sweet potatoes you must try some, it’s an Appalachian thing.
So if you don’t get a Christmas card or a sweet potato pie you can blame it on Al Gore. It is very important now to have someone to blame other than yourself. Just trying to make a start to get along with the Trump haters.
Actually it is still a bit early to run the river. This is the first year we have been out here for the big freeze up. In the past we didn’t make it out until the first of January. This is still the best place to be. We heard that the Chinese virus has moved into the neighborhood at Wolf Lake.
Our big activity each day is taking the boys on a run. No we don’t run. The boys run, we ride the snow machines pulling tub sleds to pack the trails. We are seeing some animal tracks along the trails. Some moose and at least one coyote has been here. We marked the runway a couple days ago and I tracked the coyote from around our cabin, along the trail to Steve’s cabin then down the ramp onto the airstrip. Hopefully he was just passing through.
Time to fill both of my weekly pill boxes. 14 days worth. Blood pressure pill, vitamins, and supplements. I try not to take any medicine unless I absolutely have to. When I do take something the minimum dosage usually works. Doctor Kari keeps asking about the gout in my toe. She just wants to give me some more of that witches brew to see the awful look on my face. I told her my toe is just fine now. Like I was saying the one and only dose worked. Really it only hurts when I walk. I’m filling my pill boxes for the fourth time I think. I’m only one day behind, today I took Wednesdays pills. I’ve been up here a little over 8 weeks now. Plan is to go to town in 3 or 4 more weeks. How’s that for social distancing?
I didn’t wake up during the night to check on the Northern Lights. They are supposed to be visible from the northern US for a couple nights. Be sure to look for the Christmas star on the 21st when I think Saturn and Jupiter align. Now I have to go outside to get a view of the northern sky. It will be nice to have north facing windows when we get the addition on Spruce Manor.
The last of the leftover turkey made it into a pot pie. Now what are we going to do with half of a leftover turkey pot pie?
I think I’m going to go out to the river today and cut a hole in the ice along the bank to get some snow clams. I really have a taste for some snow clam chowder. I think smoked oyster crackers would be good with it. I’ll have to get the smoker going. What do you think?
Not much else is happening here at the slough. May go to the post office tomorrow. Never any ducks in condo #45 just bills.
Stay safe and healthy my friends.
Thank you Lord for looking after us.
I’ll be in touch.
Blue skies!!!
The View from the Outhouse 