2014
This spring the brothers turn 9; Chloe & Annie, 6; Maukie & Flynn, 3
Flynn down 1/20 (29), 2/10 (21), 3/22 (40), 5/10 (49)
Jan 4: Frozen pond. Pond heater under a piece of plywood keeps it from completely freezing over and suffocating the fish.
Jan 5: No heat loss through the roof!!
It warmed up to 40° today—washed the car.
Flynn, 22 Feb
Maukie, March 5th
11 March: Helping Ed with the tapping. I drilled and tapped my three maples in the back.
15 March: Today I discovered that Teddy died on March 24, 2011. He was homeless and no one claimed his ashes. His container of ashes and those of 153 other indigents were buried in a mass grave on June 13, 2012 at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Renton, WA. There is a commemorative tombstone that reads, "Gone but not forgotten these people of Seattle June 2012." I took it pretty hard.
22 March: I found this poor possum in my burn barrel. It might have been there for days. When I picked it up it didn't react at all, as endangered possums are wont to do. I put it on the floor of the outhouse and covered it with a folded towel and left a bowl of water and another with rice and cat kibbles in it. It continued to play dead in my presence, although, it may well have actually been close to dead. It stayed in the outhouse for a day, then went on its way.
Flynn went down tonight—his longest run so far—40 days. Recovery time is quicker too and each episode less severe. Maybe some day he will be free of his affliction but he will probably always have a head tilt.
March 26: My new job
26 May: Chloe & Annie
May: This spring the pond was a breeding ground for frogs, toads and at least 1 pair of newts. The frog tadpoles were aleady developed when the toads laid their eggs and the tadpoles ate all the toad eggs. The fish didn't make it.
15 July: FD burned down the neighbor's old house. New one coming.
11 July: Rosy molted, miraculously. She must be about 20. This molt went to David.
Found this black swallowtail on the porch
10 July: Steve, Sammy and I on the Kill
27 July: Finished staining the north side
3 August: Rockwork in progress
7/11: Taking off the metal roof--this is a view I will never see again. I finished putting on that roof on my birthday, 3 Oct 2001.
I removed the metal and Sammy is going to do the decking.
At the end of the day, this was how far we got.
08/02: After cutting through the top plate and removing all trim boards, pulling 1/2 of the wall out with my car.
08/02: Off to the burn pile. I burned the whole south and north wall today
Beautiful Marbled Orb Weaver on porch door
09/12: Nate moved all my boulders to the back side for the bridge work
09/12: And the excavator made a big mess as usual--the price of progress.
09/12: Removing the utility pole stringers. I had removed the decking the day before.
09/12: Nate and Sammy pared off one side of the stringers so the decking would have a flat surface. 09/12: Nate finished the demolition of the old shed, breaking up the floor and pulling the cement piers.
09/14: Something new from my baby--the sleeping headstand.
09/28: Painted the gas tank
09/29: First coat of paint on bridge