Cats Feeling Guilty?

I was just out at the woodshed resupplying the porch and look what I found on my chopping block. It's a freshly killed mole left behind by one or both of our two worthless cats.

I think it's a peace offering.

Why worthless? Well, the first thing you see when you drive up to our place is a multitude of molehills. And no, I am not making a mountain out of this. The place is a mess! The moles are taking over and that's the cats' job. That's the only reason we keep them around. They used to do a good job, but not lately.

I'd love to get rid of these two freeloaders but Joyce would have a fit. And leaving me this measly little varmint won't put them back in my good graces. Maybe ten more and I'll think about it.

A Resemblance?

Earlier today I posted a picture of our two granddaughters. It was an iPhone shot their mother sent me. They have such great smiles. But our youngest granddaughter, Kali seems to ALWAYS smile. But as I got to looking at it I was reminded of something. Couldn't quite remember what until my sister commented that Kali looks like an Orchard. Then I remembered.

On the wall in our bedroom is a print of a picture I took back in 1980. The image on the left is Kali, now six months old. The image on the right is our son, Jesse taken in 1980 when he was about the same age.

Any resemblance? Sort of.

Kali And Kira

Why yes, we do have the two cutest granddaughters in the world. Thanks for noticing.

Both have such great smiles and laughs. But Kali, our youngest seems to ALWAYS smile. It's kinda weird, frankly. She has to be the happiest person we know.

Hope it's infectious.

No More Antlers

A sure sign that spring is almost here. The bull elk that have been hanging around the past couple of weeks showed up again this morning. But something was missing from this big guy. His antlers have dropped. Happens around this time every year.

Now I have to get out there and see if I can find them before the grass and weeds start growing and cover them up.

Wonderous Weather

All morning long it hailed like crazy. Then it snowed all afternoon. Now the sun is out just before sunset. Gotta love the weather around here.

We have a couple of inches of snow on the ground and another storm front looks like it's headed this way. It's right at freezing here on The Orchard Compound in Hobart at 900 feet.

Frankly, I'll be happy to see spring arrive.

A Bargain In A Can

This is a picture of a can of roofing cement. Nothing earth shattering about that except that I've been using this exact same can of black tar to patch our roofs for more than 26 years. Can't think of another product that has lasted that long around here.

After last night's downpour, we had some minor leaking around the chimney. So, I had to get up on the roof and patch the flashing. As I opened the can, it dawned on me that this can of goopy stuff was purchased when we still lived in Tacoma. I don't remember where I bought it, but it's the same can. It's called Fields Wet-Bond Roof Cement. Black tar is what I call it. It's made by the Fields Company in Tacoma (http://www.fieldscorp.com/).

I have a ton of old stuff in our barn. That oil can there on top of one of my tool chests was my dad's. I have no idea how old it is, but I remember it when I was a young boy, so…well, let's just say it's been around awhile. If you get good tools they should last a long time. But a can of tar? I just think it's cool that this gallon of goop has been helping me keep us dry for so long. If you need to patch your roof, give the Fields Company a try.

We don't need any more. I figure we have another 20 years of the stuff still in the can.

Fetching The Mail

Before Joyce had her strokes in 2009, one of our favorite things to do on The Orchard Compound was walk out to get the mail. Today we made the quarter mile trek for the first time since before The Dark Times.

She doesn't move very fast and needs me to help keep her on her feet, but she did great. We stopped along the way to examine some pussy willow and alder that are starting to bud out. Picked up a few fallen limbs that have been littering the road since the first storm of the season. Watched some deer wandering by the vacant lot next door.

She's sleeping now. That's a pretty good workout. For both of us. I sit on my butt all day hacking away at this little machine and can certainly use some exercise. So we'll try to make the little trek a regular part of our day.

It's not a long walk, but along with the occasional wildlife, many memories lurk on that little road.

Woodshed Skull

Every time I trundle down to the woodshed to freshen our supply on the porch, I always say hi to my little friend. That's all that remains of him or her. There were a few other bone fragments and some fur, but nothing else. The varmints had cleaned up.

So what was it? A small dog is my best guess. Seems too big for a cat. Could have been a young coyote. Most likely coyotes got it, whatever it was. They're thick around our place.

Whatever it was, it greets me every day on my firewood journey. Never says much. Just seems to smile a little. A silent little friend watching over our supply of wood.

I try to imagine what it sees out there when I'm not around.

Happy Baby

Our youngest grandchild, Kali has to be one of the happiest people we know. She always seems to be smiling, never cries, never fusses at all.

Perfect child?

Maybe.

OK. Maybe she cries just a little.

Her gorgeous smile more than makes up for it.

Cedar River Raging

Joyce and I stopped by Landsburg Park near our home to check the Cedar River. It's WAY high.

We're at the upper end of the river, at least up as far as the public can get. It's running six to eight feet higher than normal. That's a guess.

It certainly is wider which makes me wonder what it's doing down at the mouth of the river in Renton.

iPad: Ultimate Cookbook

So, the Seahawks looked incredibly sloppy today as they lost to the Bears in the playoffs. How sloppy? So sloppy they inspired me to cook Sloppy Joes for dinner.

The first thing I did was grab my favorite cookbook: my wife's iPad! I got her this magical little device for our 35th anniversary last September and she uses it pretty much all the time. About the only time I get to use it these days is in the kitchen. It's awesome! THE best cookbook ever.

You can see it in the upper left. I slip it inside a ziplock bag and place it on this cast iron stand our kids gave us for Christmas. It holds a regular cookbook just fine, but it seems made for the iPad. Fits perfectly. I just zero in on the page in question, tap the video link and watch the video as I read the ingredients and instructions.

My favorite food blog these days is http://FoodWishes.com with Chef John. He's fun to watch and his recipes are easy and tasty. Highly recommended.

So is the iPad in the kitchen.

Hobart Sunrise

The moon and Venus put on quite a show at sunrise this morning. I would have stayed outside longer than one shot with my iPhone, but with the temp 16F, I ran back to my seat by the stove.

Kali's First Christmas

Our youngest grandchild, Kali is celebrating her first Christmas in 2010. She has an adorable outfit and adoring parents, siblings and grandparents. Sadly, her family is moving to a new home a few days before Christmas so things are...confused, to say the least.

When Kelton came along he was the only child Jesse and Jennifer had, and he was our only grandchild. So, his first Christmas was a big deal. When we celebrated Kira's first Christmas it was kinda the same, but different. Now, with a new home and their grandmother facing such serious health issues, things are just different for our entire family.

But there's no escaping Kali's great personality. This picture captures none of that, sad to say. But she is a smiling, giggling, happy baby with a great future ahead of her. And a great family supporting her. In 2011 she will start walking and talking and start making her mark on the world. Can't wait to see it happen!

Smile, Please

Women. They can be SO frustrating at times. Old. Young. In between. Ask any man, he'll tell you it's true.

Case in point: our oldest granddaughter, Kira. There she was all smiles and giggles showing off her new hat. Then, when I grabbed my iPhone to snap a picture of all this joy....she immediately clammed up and not only wouldn't smile, she was down right grumpy. Then, when I put the phone away, she was all smiles and giggles again. Go figure.

Do they teach this behavior in the womb?

Snow Moles! ARGH!

Ah, the first snow of the season. All the leaves are off the trees, the white fluffy stuff covers the ground, the road leading to our home winds through a white, wintry wonderland...ARGH!

Then there they are. The mole hills. Not to make a mountain out of this, but those damned little critters mess up the place even when you would think they'd be buried deep in the ground hibernating. We had about 5-6 inches of snow and the temps got down to single digits. The ground is frozen solid. So, go away you little devils! But, no.

Just as they do in spring and summer right after we mow and make the landscape look nice, they mess it up with their dirt.

The bigger question: where the heck are those cats of ours who are supposed to be killing those varmints?

Damned cats.

Deer Collared

Looked up just in time to see this deer wander by the window. Grabbed my iPhone and snapped this. She was walking quickly so didn't have time to do much. So, I dropped the image into ColorSplash and Camera+ to try to improve it.

I often wonder what the deer and elk and cougars and bears that have these collars think of them. Do they compare them? Are they a fashion statement? Do the best dressed critters wear them?

See Sockeye Run

You can't see them in this shot, but there are sockeye in the Cedar River at Landsburg right now. Joyce and I stopped by here on our way home from getting our truck fixed. Gorgeous day. If you've never been out to the Hobart area, this is the time to do it. Bring your bikes or hiking boots. Lots to see. The trail that starts here follows the old railroad line along the river all the way to Renton.

For those who don't know, Landsburg is where Seattle and surrounding areas get much of their drinking water. They take it out of the Cedar here and ship it down a huge pipeline to the Lake Youngs Reservoir near Kent.

Need directions? wikimapia.org/3080779/Summit-Landsburg-Park

Sunrise Arches

Joyce and I walked over to Starbucks at Seattle Center House this morning. On the way back the sun was just starting to tickle the arches of Pacific Science Center.

We really needed coffee this morning. For some reason there was hardly any traffic driving into town, so we got here earlier than normal and were feeling a bit sleepy.

Hope this gorgeous weather holds. I still need to mow one more time this fall.

Excuse Me, I'm Resting

Our son Jesse shot this today with his iPhone 3GS. His youngest, Kali was napping in her car seat while they were out and about and didn't really look like she wanted to be disturbed when he went to take her out of the car.

SO wish I could say that at times. Just leave me alone! I'm napping!

Mushroom Mystery

We've seen many mushrooms here on The Orchard Compound over the years. But today I found a bumper crop of the biggest bright orange fungi I've ever seen. Actually, I've never seen these before. Their color is so intense they seemed to glow in the woods on this warm, humid and gloomy day.

Anyone recognize this type of 'shroom? We would never try eating any fungi out here, but I would like to know what they're called.