Weekend Results

I spent the weekend trying not to bend down (dripping blood from my nose would immediately commence if I did), lift heavy objects, and generally follow the rules set forth by my doc so that I might recover as soon as possible.  I broke a rule and planted some broccoli and cabbage just before a big storm blew through.  They got set well with the rain that followed.

I also baked an amazing - if I might say so myself - loaf of bread.  I've bake bread all my life.  I get bread.  I get how to knead it, how to let it rest so the yeast grows, how to shape it, and how to bake it.  But this loaf!  Well, I've hit my bread-baking high with this loaf!  It was inspired from my latest book, Cooked , which has been a wonderful wonderful read on cooking all kinds of things! 

I then set forth to taking the five yards of French fabric, which was scored at a second hand store for a whopping $8 investment, and turning into a table cloth.  This fabric has a cool coating which makes brushing off spills and food easy peasy on your table.  Done and not bad for an amateur!  Love those sunflowers!

Back to work today.  Maybe not for the entire day, but for a bit.  The headache has been my chief complaint - Advil to the rescue.  I spied some blooming daffodils today!!  Woot!  Woot!

30-Plus Procrastination

In my 20s, I had a doctor who smoked.  Although I did not know this when I first start seeing him, I did find it somewhat disturbing, although sincerely human, once I found out.  Anyway, he was the first one to tell me I had polyps in my nose.  And what caused these polyps, asked I.  Allergies, he replied.  We can surgically remove them, but they will just grow back until you manage your allergies.

So, after 3 bouts of bronchitis this year, two visits to the ENT doc and one visit to a pulmonologist, all concurred it was time to take care of the polyps.

The surgery was scheduled for two hours.  I showed up at the hospital yesterday morning at 0800 and began the prepping for this surgery.  A friend and a Jackson Hole Fire/EMS paramedic dropped my tube - which was nice. (I had to be put under for this surgery which requires a breathing tube).

Another friend described the pain I would feel when I awoke to be similar to a bunch of bee stings in my nose.  It wasn’t quite like that for me; more of a headache and raw feeling.  I accepted the Percoset from the nurse and enjoyed a nice afternoon nap after Mike delivered me home.

One no longer gets one’s nose packed in gauze, which I must confess, was one of the reasons for procrastination!  A gauze pad was placed beneath my nostrils to catch the draining liquids.  And drain they are draining

Earlier this spring, when I wrote about my ice hematoma, a dear friend - who will be very interested in this surgical procedure, wondered if I was “attention seeking” with all of my injury writing.  I kind of took this personally.  This blog is a place for me to write.  They say if you want to be a better writer, you should write.  I think my skills have improved.  One writes about the things one knows.  I am just telling my story.  Up close and personal sometimes.  Very human - like the doctor from Illinois.

After my long nap, Mike and I delivered ourselves to our place of refuge in Freedom.  The snow is off the fields!  We watched a pair of sandhill cranes amble across the alfalfa field as we at dinner late last night.  Slowly, ever so slowly, the season is changing.

Mike’s mule Cosmo is lame.  After a long session with Doc Griggs, he will get an X-ray next week to determine his fate.  We are hoping for the best, but it could be bad.  Leg issues are rarely something that can be fixed.  He is our youngest mule.  He is Mike’s mule.  It will be a very big and sad loss to have to say goodbye to Cosmo.  More on this as we learn his issue.

When I was a new fire inspector, my boss - the then-Fire Marshal - told me I should look into some writing classes.  I took that personally too.  Funny how some things just stab a bit deep.  I enjoy writing and thank you Readers for your time and attention.  Your interest, your kind words, and your critiques.  Often, we are inspired by others, even when it stings a bit.

Now. What to do about the allergies......

Seriously????!!!

I do not believe anyone can jinx themselves. 

But......the day after the article came up, the tones dropped for a confirmed structure fire this morning around 3:30am.  Crap.  Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!! 

It was an exterior fire.  I investigated and have a cause, but if you want to know the cause, you will need to call me direct.

Here is a picture of the damage.  Did I jinx myself? 

Today's News

This has been a long and often frightening winter.  There have been many many things that could have gone terribly wrong; a crawl space filled with natural gas and firefighters walking around the first floor, a horrific car vs snowmobile touring company van filled with guests crash, etc, etc.  Many of us have really been on guard for the very real potential of a big event with the potential for injury or worse. 

So, I committed that should we make it to spring (which is hard to grasp this morning as the snow capes are muddy open spots into a white blanket covering, once again) without a significant incident, I would write a piece for the paper.  So, last week I did.  After it was written and submitted, there was one very bad crash and one more gas leak; the worry of jinxing myself was intense!!  But, today it is published and still rings true.  We did good, we got lucky this year.  Phew
. 

Thank you Jackson Hole News & Guide.  Thanks for getting the word out! 

Odious Spring

I know this is an across-the-nation complaint.  This has been a long winter and well, a miserable spring.  Some of you enjoyed 70 degree temperatures yesterday and have snow on the ground this morning.  Yuck.

We were wakened by a downpour on our little cabin's metal roof.  A gray and very wet day.  Two pictures; the view looking up from the lower house to our little cabin taken last Thursday and a view looking down from our little cabin taken this morning. 

Lows expected in the 20s for the next couple of nights. 

April 9, 2019

April 4, 2019

Pinterest Worthy

A couple of weeks ago, my staff member Butch, learned of a giant house that was to be torn down.  There were many valuable things left in the house; refrigerators, cabinetry, granite counters, huge solid wood doors.  It was really quite remarkable so many valuable items were left for the ripping ball.  Butch got permission to salvage things before the wrecking ball arrived.  I was lucky to be invited and spent a few Saturday hours salvaging a couple of  rusted iron window planters, garage vacuums, some wooden blinds, and thinking of my need for curtain rods, two pieces of copper pipe.  Butch salvaged pounds and pounds of copper; can't wait to hear how much he gets for his work!

Anyway, thinking about my copper pipe curtain rod made me ponder a curtain rod holder.  Ran across a brand new box of flexible copper tubing at our local Re-Store ($5), did some research on how to coil the stuff and came up with some pretty darn unique curtain rod/hanger assemblies!!  I think this is Pinterest stuff here!!  Just need to figure out how to get something posted on that site!!

The beautiful fabric is another great find!  Two panels of French fabric found at a local second hand store for $4.00 each.  This fabric goes for $58/yard.  I snagged it fast and the five yards of beautiful red print raw fabric.  I turned the edge over, added some grommets and now have the most perfect curtains for the sunflower room!! This fabric even has sunflowers on it!!  Woot!  Woot!!

And the bedroom project is complete!  Master Carpenter Mike is quite happy to be finished and pleased with the result, as am I.  The bedroom is beautiful!!  We just love how the corrugated metal wainscoting turned out!!

Isn't it wonderful?  The picture above the bed is a real find and a great story about a local program called "Art from the Heart".  The local Whole Foods and Re-Store have a program where you can donate your art and they put the money toward local affordable housing.  There were 3 of these pictures by Howard Behens (check this artist out at Info of Artist Behens ) hanging in the grocery store the other day.  I sought out my art adviser, Victoria Trumbower, who coached me to snag them, even if they were not originals!  They are limited edition giclee creations which have the 3-D oils effects he was famous for creating.  You'd never know the difference looking at them.  Troweled-on globs of oil create these beautiful images.  Quite lovely.  I like them, and I got them for a steal!  Thanks for your nudging Victoria.  Mike likes them too!! 

Now we wait for the snow to melt so we can get farming!!  There is still at least 18" of snow.  It did get warm enough for me to flip-flop my bee hive and I was thrilled to see how many bees remain after one of Wyoming's longest and coldest winters!!  There is hope for honey and comb this season!! The big bonus for me is the bees were calm and happy.  It was great to light up the smoker and crawl into the suit again; knowing so much more than I did a couple of weeks ago!!  

How To Classify A Bee

                    OR

In the spirit of simple curiosity, I inquired about the Town of Jackson rules on raising bees within city limits.  Here, a letter to the Town Attorney, requesting clarity of terms.  This is rather amusing, I'd say.   It will be interesting to hear the reply. 

Art

 Who thought there would be art in a beehive? Today I found it! These are the most beautiful beehives I have ever seen. They’re too pretty to actually put to work! I have purchased my first box to make come honey.  Very excited. The whole idea of spinning honey and having one big sticky mess does not appeal to me. If I am successful, you can count on comb honey for your gifts! If I am not successful, I have a beautiful piece of woodwork. Aren't they pretty? He is also a great instructor and from Salt Lake City. I anticipate seeing Albert again. Take a look at his website; it's not nearly as interesting though as looking at his beehives.  Albert's Site

 Before I show you these beautiful boxes, I have to show you the prettiest picture of the day. After all this learning, I have come to realize how little I know! Not too much of a surprise but what does surprise me is that I have any bees left alive at this point. So in somewhat of a panic and nervous ninny moment, I had Michael go out and take a look at the hive today. It was warm, around 40° or maybe even 45. He sent me this picture. If you look close you can see bees are flying around the hive! That is like the happiest thing a beekeeper could see at this time of the year. See all the black dots of the hive? That is where they have taken flights to poop! That’s their poop That is another great side of the hive I have come to learn because it means there are live bees.   So to have bees that are alive under the watch of a beekeeper who knows very little, well it’s just a really great thing. 

 And now, feast your eyes on some really really beautiful beehives. 

Woefully Ignorant

Bee College, Day 1.

That there are bees still alive in my hive is a miracle!!  Today I got a glimpse of how little I know about bee keeping!  A full day of great teaching from The Bee Squad team. They are here from northern Minnesota. Their cold winters not that much unlike ours.

Staying in a wonderful Air BnB outside of Cheyenne. I was drawn to the rural setting. The wind whistles around the window frames. It was snowing horizontally when I got here tonight. Check out my very comfy space at Cara's Place. There is a smoke and CO alarm in my room. Very good, Cara!

Tomorrow, another full day of learning. Here are the instructors f I’m today; two of which are PhDs!

Spring is in the Air!!

......But we've got some melting to do!!

This is our wildland fire truck!

Some More Comparisons

"You know, if you hired someone to do this, you could not afford it," noted the craftsman, laboring hard over the bedroom renovation project.

Pangs of guilt stab away when I hear my Master Carpenter shouting profanities at the corrugated metal, seeing blood run down his hand from a metal cut, and knowing this has not been an easy project.   Corrugated metal wainscoting in the bedroom.  Mike works hours to get small sections of the wall covered.  Measuring holes for outlets, cutting pieces around windows; it time-taking, back-breaking, meticulous work.

Here is a picture of the installation of the new laminate floor - an easy project, comparatively!  Note the wall above the wood trim.  There was wall paper there; vertical gray stripes with a pink flower woven through on a white background.  The walls below the trim, painted bubble gum pink.  The dark color, one I played with and decided against (good decision, me thinks!).  A blue shag carpet (complete with an abundant amount of dog pee stains) was removed prior to the floor installation.  This bedroom needed a renovation!

And here, a couple of pictures of the project.  I love how the outlets turned out.  This was one of the bigger conundrums - how to make the outlets work with a metal, corrugated finish.  The trim below the wood is super slick too.  With the new steel gray paint, the room is really going to shine when it all is finished!  There are four more outlets and less than half the room left.

I should post these on Pinterest!!  And here is what I did this weekend.  The dark green wall has always been a bit much for me.  So, I painted the green wall.  Before.  After.  What do you think?

Too funny!  Smoke is in both pictures!! 

Comparisons

This is always fun. I should do it more often!

Feb 27, 2017

March 17, 2019

Waiting For Gravity

We have been waiting all day for the crash. Mike got on the roof this morning and precariously knocked snow down, hoping to reduce the inevitable impact. Blue sky, temperatures in the 40s. The bees are getting some fresh air today. Some wander too far, their chilled bodies dot the melting snow. Live bees still remain. Will the hive survive this long, cold winter?

Off to College

After years and years of study in fire, I have enrolled in Bee College!  Thanks to Carol Cawley's tip and Mike's support, I have signed up to attend Bee College in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Hoping there are no late-March winter storms.  That is a long drive from Jackson...time will tell.,

Check out the classes.  I hope to get there for the Friday class as well.  As there are three classes offered during the same time frames, it is going to be very difficult to chose which class to attend!  I do believe this will increase the chance that some of you may see honey gifts in the future!!

Take a look here Bee College

The Sun Came Out Today!!

It was very exciting for all to see blue sky this morning!!  Here is the report for the ski hill.  I imagine the skiing is very very good!!  Want to see what is going on at the ski resort live?  Check out the web cam at A View of Teton Village and then look at the web cams up at Togwotee Mountain Look at all the Snow!

They Say We Are Getting A Break

Soooo, here are the snow totals for Epic Snow Storm III.  They say we will have a break....

At Least We Aren't Traveling!

And the snow keeps coming.  Today 8-12".  Tomorrow 8-9".   Wednesday 3-5".  Thursday 3-8".  A short break and then more for the weekend.  What are we to do with all this snow??

This picture is taken from our drive. 

The Sun Appears

Rain. That is what we will remember from this trip to wine country. Drizzle, mist, downpours. As we leave today, the sun is shining, temperatures climb, and the greenness amps up another notch.

We had a big day yesterday driving,tasting, talking, listening. Finished with a “porch picnic” dinner, readjusted for the weather and moved inside the Beltane dining room. Scoot and Stephanie headed toward San Fran for their flight home and we made it with plenty of time to the Sacramento airport.

It was a wonderful trip despite the weather!

Rainy, dark California Day

 It has been a rainy, dark California winter day. We jumped in the car and headed to taste wine. Our morning adventure at Hanzell wines Delicious Wine  got us trying some new blends. It is a beautiful vineyard with wonderful overlooks, quail in the vines, all the old Chardonnay vines, and pigs and chickens are keeping the ground worked up. Or guide to the Vineyard history for the place was amazingly talented and educated. We enjoyed her very much.  Off then to Napa for a quick stop at our favorite store, Oakville Grocery. We stocked up for a patio picnic, if it ever quits raining! Then a couple of hours at the lovely Round Pond Vineyard.  Check out Round Pond. Off  tonight  for dinner to a very special place, the Glen Ellen Star.  Glen Ellen Star.  There is a Chardonnay in the refrigerator chilling!

Terrifying traverses!

Mike and I did a big tour of some of California yesterday. This place is huge. The north-south roads are easy. It’s the east west ones that get you. No shoulder at all.  Narrow, narrow little roads. Winding you up and down mountain sides. With huge drop offs. I mean, huge drop offs! It is not good to look over the edge when you are driving down a very narrow road.  It is however a beautiful country when you have the courage to look up off the highway! Things are really green,  it’s been really wet and it’s going to get wet or today.We found new wines,  vineyards raising goats, and new country and we made it back alive! A successful day.