Today's Story

This blog was originally a tool to promote BrownStone Chinooks and communicate with family and close friends. At one time my followers grew close to 1,000. I was flattered but declined when advertisers came knocking. My writing is a gift to myself and others. Over that past year, as Dave was getting more and more frail, dying, and after his death, several people asked me for daily updates. Being private, I used e-mail for that purpose. The overwhelming burden of grief is easing. I made it through the holidays. I feel I can be more public even though it is not my inclination. I'm afraid not that much interesting is happening with the dogs to post about - me either for that matter - but, I am still getting numerous requests for updates. Please excuse me if you were looking to read about the joys and antics of living with a pack of Chinooks. I do not have any more litters planned beyond putting Trask up for stud. The dogs are an enormous part of my life and I do plan to pass on isms about them, but general life updates will also creep into the content. 

I am trying to communicate more but then I am not sure a lifetime of being reclusive will alter that much. I was sent this quote today. I would title it: 

ME

This morning the 70 something year-old, delivery driver brought my serviced tractor back and the new rear window for my Kubota. The directions for the window installation said to ”allow 30 minutes for installation”. That is a skilled mechanic, in a tractor factory, with power tools, who has done it before. We knew we were in trouble before we started. Three hours later, after we had removed the roof and rear  frame of the Kubota cab then, put everything back together with only a few spare bolts, we decided that I should charge the tractor store: mechanic work wages; for use of my ladders and bigger hammer; plus extra for all the laughs (employee entertainment) the two of us had putting the heavy, bulky thing on. There was absolutely no way he could have physically installed it alone. The directions said nothing about the brackets we had to remove and use again, upside-down in another place or, the fact that we had to take off the cab top. I guess whoever wrote the instructions assumed that the window was going on a bare roll-bar frame, not a retrofit. I haven’t called the tractor store yet to voice my pay suggestion. They did charge me $300 for three hours labor for servicing the tractor, so I may have reasonable grounds to invoice them or can write it off to an enjoyable, blind-leading-blind, problem-solving project.

The delivery guy is great. We have known him for a long time due to all the tractors, quads, ATVs and mowers we bought from them over the years. Now that I am widowed, he comes by every once in a while to say “hi” and see how I am doing. Today he was full of tales of widows that had immediately sold their tractors and got a great laugh that I need two. But to my credit, I did get rid of the Audi and trade in DB’s fancy, but useless ATV for my new, hardworking, basic one that now has a rear window. I didn’t originally order my Bota with a window because my old one had the expanded metal guard right against the window. Not being able to clean the window really impacted my vision. (I've been known to take my ATV places that I had to awkwardly, and sometimes dangerously, back out of.) I figured that if I got cold or it rained, I could just put on a hat. However after using my Bota without a rear window and tossing loads of dirt, weeds and branches in the dump bed than having a large portion land on my seat, I decided that maybe a window would be a good option. The new one no longer has the expanded metal guard right up against it - actually the way we installed it, it doesn't even have the metal guard at all. Maybe that's where the extra bolts and nuts came from. 

The dogs did get their pedicure today but no dog pictures were taken. Because it was raining, the weather station remains in the shop. I went out to lunch with a good friend and discovered, to my surprise, that left-over Canadian bacon, cheese, spinach, pineapple, artichoke, jalapeno pizza makes a "high value" reward during nail trims. 

So, that's today's story. 

All in a Days Work

I just spent the afternoon trying to put up the new weather station. I had bought top-of-the-line since I was tired of weather stations dying at one year. Top-of-the-line comes with a 70+ page manual. You have to read the whole thing just to put the station together and make sure everything is in sync. I even had to google the longitude, latitude and altitude so I could type them into the base station and contact NOAA. 
Then I had to make a new stanchion. The old one on the roof is a smaller diameter. So down to the barn pipe bone pile to find the right size pipe and back to the shop to cut it to length. 
I ended up looking for the right size bolts, nuts and washers to hold the stanchion to the station. I went up on the roof but the board holding the old bracket/pipe would not work for the new one. Back to the nuts and bolts stash to find u-brackets and bolts… I couldn’t find what I wanted (anyone who has seen my stash of nuts and bolts will be amazed) so rather than go to the town for 50 cents worth of parts, I went to plan B - drill through the new stanchion and bolt it directly to the board. 
That led to needing to make a new board (to the lumber bone pile) for everything to attach to. I decided to start from scratch with the mounting board and brackets since it would be easier to use the drill press on land than drill while hanging upside-down from the roof. 
At that point it started raining. So, I called the person who was concerned that I was on a slick metal roof to let him know I hadn’t gone up again; made a margarita; and declared it a project-to-be-continued. Tomorrow I will drill all the holes and mount to weather station to a board. Then if it is not raining, I will call my concerned friend and return to the roof peak to take off the old board and station mount and put the new one on.  

The Nooks - they followed me about as I searched for parts; enjoyed chasing rodents disturbed from their nests in different bone piles but; generally decided it was a day for the couch. 
To be continued when sober and in the sunshine. Until then, the dogs are going to have to share the couch. 

Stormy Night-Melancholy Day

This is my dream of what to expect this morning.

This was the reality. The winds did howl last night frequently waking us. The rains hammered a rousing tenor on the metal roof. But, alas no snow.

The road is clear of all but fur branches. The power is on. I have heat and water. No where near the day I was expecting after yesterday's forecast.
Today was a melancholy day - dark and wet with fog rolling in and out. I cleared the road of branches and dug out thick cattail roots blocking the outflow from the pond. It is hard to believe that just 1 week ago the pond was so low. Now I am concerned about overflow.

Last year's weather station puked. Going through hordes of junk I found 6 successive years of no longer functioning weather stations. I added last years to the electronic recycle pile and ordered a new one. The brand is different and maybe the attrition will be longer than a year.

My new weather station was delivered last night. It fits a post on the highest roof peak. I need to climb up one metal roof and then the next to place the station. I do not have a fear of heights so made reason win out on putting the new station up today in a 36 degree, torrential downpour. I would love to know what the wind speed is and the amount of rain that has fallen but will have to wait for the next storm. 
With pre and post-storm chores done, I plan to spend my time in a cozy chair, by the fire, reading a book with the occasional nudging from soaking-wet dogs.

Pre-storm Assistance

A huge storm with very high winds, rain and maybe even snow at my elevation is predicted to hit late this afternoon. Around here that usually means no power, thus no heat or water and a tree or two across the drive. So, this morning I went into prepare-to-camp mode:
water stores by all sinks - check
bathtub full for toilet water - check
power boxes charged - check
chain saw gassed and oiled - check
tractor fueled - check
snow shovel by door - check
wood stove cleaned - check
kennel power washed and bleached - check
candles and lanterns at hand - check
and in-house wood storage refilled. I was ably assisted with this task by all three Chinooks who escorted me each and every trip from the wood pile to the house.
The dogs came running when they saw me with the wheelbarrow.

Trask at the rapidly depleting wood pile.

 Wood gathering crew - check.

Hopefully the next post will be the dogs playing in the snow - even better pulling the sled. (I can always dream).

Not a Couch Potato

Ullr has been staying with me for the past several days. During that time he developed a fascination with the TV - especially nature programs.

Whenever the TV was on, Ullr would position himself to get the best view and watch with rapt attention. Unless a dog is barking, the other dogs remain couch potatoes and completely ignore the screen. (note: Koyuk on couch and Trask on dog bed.)
Ullr's family did not have a TV so I gave them one for Christmas. The kids were ecstatic. The parents not so much. But, now Ullr can have company when the family is away at school and work. All they need is to find a wall to hang it on and lots of programs about squirrels and wolfs.

Happy New Year

2019 was ushered in with four dogs, one cat and me all sharing the bed and being startled awake by the neighbor's fireworks. Trask immediately took up a howling chorus echoed by all the other dogs and coyotes for miles around.
Koyuk, Ullr and Trask. At this point Cedar was still asleep by the fire.

BrownStone CNK Century Wind (Ullr)

The day is cold and frosty. The pond is once again frozen. The hoarfrost is heavy enough to appear as snow. Lots of treats were needed for photo sits.

Trask, Ullr, Koyuk and Cedar

This morning the dogs gleefully chased around and played rousing games of Chinook tag only to crash in my office while I typed this blog.
Trask not wanting to miss out on anything, in his usual spot blocking the exit.

Koyuk and Cedar on the dog couch.

It took several days but Ullr and Jake have drawn a truce.

 Jake was even treated to a full bath.

"And now we welcome a new year with filled with things that have never been".

BrownStone Year End Post

Another year is almost over. What a year it has been. I want to thank the special people in my life who have listened without judgement, helped without conditions, understood with empathy and loved me no matter what. I also need to thank my Chinooks. They stood watch over Dave as he laid dying. They smother me with love throughout the night. They know when I am grieving and make sure they are always within ear-scritch length away. They bring me such joy and laughter.

Unlike the dogs, my camera has not always been by my side. Along with the usual "loose weight and get in shape" New Years resolutions, I resolve to learn more about photography and make more frequent posts in 2019.

Tomorrow and the future will be much brighter. I feel as if I am climbing the last steps up a mountain. On the way down I will be able to look back and at the same time move on. 2019 will bring new challenges, new victories and new adventures. I will coddiwomple.