Monday April 26
The view from the outhouse
Good morning all from Silty Slough. I hope life is treating you well.
The mayor woke me up at 5:15 to go outside. I’m not sure if he needs to go out, wants to go on patrol of his territory, or just knows I’ll get cold and tired of waiting outside in my underwear and will lure him back in with a chewbie. The boys enjoy their freedom to explore off the trails in the morning when the snow is crusted over from the overnight freeze, something they can’t do in the afternoon. It seemed extra cold this morning while I was waiting in my t shirt and underwear. The official sunrise wasn’t for a few more minutes and the sky was beautiful. I had to go back upstairs for the camera and the thermometer showed 30 degrees. The moon was hurrying to hide below the horizon to the west, the eastern sky was being painted by the sun and the mountains were watching it all. I need to take more pictures, I get a lot more likes from them than my writing.
In yesterday’s view I made the mistake of mentioning the food supply and sorting out what needed to be eaten first. After breakfast Kari suggested that We clean out the freezers, organize, and inventory everything. Everything out, revise the list, no way all of this will fit back in there. Moose, bear, salmon, halibut, frozen orange juice, butter, cheese, and all the toast I’ve been making to capture the extra solar electricity. After 2 small chest freezers and 2 refrigerators freezers we came to the conclusion that we can hold out here until after the 2022 election when it may be safe again and not be hungry. The only thing we will need is fresh fruit, vegetables, ice cream, and beer. We found a container of ice cream in a freezer with one serving left. I took a hit for the team and ate it to make more room for toast. One small bucket of freezer burned food for bear bait and we were finished. What’s for lunch? Leftover lemon chicken and rice soup, we also need to clean out the refrigerator.
I needed to thaw out my hands from handling all that frozen food so I went outside and pushed some snow around with the Kubota while Kari directed the performance from the deck. She had me move one of the big rocks along the path to the outhouse. Said she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight knowing it wasn’t in line. I showed her later. When she went outside, the boys and I turned the comforter around on her bed so the white tag is at the head. That will get her crazy.
The river is getting softer every afternoon then it freezes back overnight. The global warming is gaining on it though. I really don’t mind not being able to go anywhere, I just want the snow to melt and dry up so we can get started on the building projects. I had my first mosquito kill yesterday. They must be burrowing under the snow. When I plowed it disturbed them. I have this theory, the earlier you can kill a mosquito the better. They are in a pyramid scheme. If you kill one early you wipe out thousands of its descendants. If you kill one late in the season you only eliminate one.
That’s enough wisdom for one day. I need to have a nap and wake back up while the snow is still firm. The big switch from skis to wheels was delayed a day due to the big freezer project. The boys will spend the day chasing ravens, eagles, and airplanes. Today is the day for the mail plane but we can’t get to the post office right now anyway. All those cards and letters will just have to wait.
Take care everyone. Stay safe and healthy. And like my friend Carl Schuyler says, “Go out and have some fun.”
Thank you Lord for another beautiful day!
I’ll be in touch.
Blue skies!!!
The View from the Outhouse 