Another Day: Travels of 2024 Part Two

 Now where was I.... Oh yeah, we had a very quiet Thanksgiving with just the two of us and the cats. 

Hunting season was a bust as the cold drove me crazy--as did the two doe that snuck up behind me on my off side on opening day. I spent most of the remainder of the day shivering and hoping to hear shots nearby. The same was true for day two. No activity within a mile I would guess. 

Terry mentioned my getting skunked and discouraged to one of her sewing friends who happens to live on a 250 acre farm where her husband, son and son-in-law have special permits to take as many deer as they want/need to remove. I got number 11 for this year. All I had to do was haul it to the processor in Cherry Flats and pay to have it butchered. Which I did the day before we were to hit the road to go west.

This trip was to visit Brian, Vicky and George: Terry's nephew, his wife and son. They live in Whitefish Bay just on the northern edge of Milwaukee. Normally they come to the Aerie for Thanksgiving but we were going to switch things around so we could see their newly renovated and expanded home--until I mentioned deer season starting the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So we were going to do an early Christmas. 

Terry and I were in the same vehicle this time but the first stage of our trip was the same. On the 18th of December west we went to stop in Elkland, Indiana and dinner at the Chubby Trout.

On Day 2, we traveled west of Chicago before turning north on I-355 toward Milwaukee. Best way to avoid the real heavy traffic of Chicago but still not of my liking as far as number of vehicles on the road. I like to tell Terry--or anyone that will listen--that I'm not just driving MY vehicle, I'm also trying to anticipate what the drivers around me might do. That gets more difficult as the number of drivers increases. That's why I really, really hate driving through cities and will go miles and miles out of my way to avoid doing so. And why I break out in a sweat when I must. 

We survived the ordeal that only got worse when snow started falling when we crosse the Illinois border into Wisconsin. Not much--yet--but enough to cause a few slips and slides and a few cars in the ditch. We got to Whitefish Bay with little no difficulty--except when I got off I-355 one exit too soon and we wandered around the backroads for a while before we got on a highway east bound toward Milwaukee.

We spent Days 3 and 4 (December 20th and 21st) just hanging around the house, shoveling snow, cooking, drinking and watching football. 

Day 5 (Sunday, December 22nd) Would have been more of the same but Brian had managed to score some tickets at the arena where his company had a box to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Terry went nuts! She is a huge fan and watches them every time they are on PBS. (Brian wasn't aware of this and cautiously brought up the topic. Brian also scored tickets to see the Celtic Women a few years back. Needless to say, he is her favorite nephew!) What a show! Classical music meets heavy metal accented with lasers and pyrotechnics. WOW!

Day 6 (Monday) We bid farewell and started our journey home. Retracing our way down I-355 to I-80 and then east bound. This time we stopped in the town of Elyria, Ohio just west of Akron. 

Day 7 (Tuesday, Christmas Eve) We were traveling in the tail end of a dusting of snow that was slightly deeper in the hills of western PA. My onboard computer kept telling me it had a shorter route home than the I-80 trail I was following so I finally gave up and agreed to veer off onto a two lane road, PA-66 just west of Clarion, PA. We had never been in this area of PA before so it was virgin territory to us. This eventually took me up to US-6 in Kane. From there it was east bound and down to home.

Since then, things have been pretty quiet around the Aerie. Except for the little bit of snow on the ground when we got home and the accumulation at the end of the driveway from the plow, I've not had to shovel anything--yet. Mostly I've been doing puzzles and tending the fireplace, while Terry has been doing Zoom meetings--and a few face-to-face ones as well.

We were supposed to go to NJ last weekend for a grand-niece's birthday--and a belated exchange of Christmas gifts--but illness in NJ prevented that and snow may prevent it this weekend. 

That's all for now. I'll try to be back sooner.

Two Months?

 Wow, I can't believe it's been two months since I wrote about going to Jess and Jack's wedding out in Lisle, IL. Time to make up for that, I guess.

TO Lisle, Illinois and Overland Park, Kansas in mid-November, 2024

On Monday, November 11th, Terry and I (driving different vehicles, remember?) headed west and met in Elkhart, Indiana the first night of our journey because it was fall and night comes too early for us old folks! And we were familiar with the area. We drove a couple of miles into the center of town and found a motel and a beautifully named restaurant, The Chubby Trout. Excellent food and beer in what is a sports bar/restaurant setting. A little loud and very crowded. Twas a good thing we were there early!

Next day we continued our journey to Lisle and the hotel Terry had reservations for. We were again a little early but had time to call the kids and see what was happening. Unfortunately, with both of them having tested positive for Covid (Jack's test came on that morning, Tuesday the 12th) they didn't want to take the chance of getting us sick too, so our interactions were going to be limited. 

Terry and I had dinner at The Bavarian Lodge in Lisle. It was Schnitzel for me and Sauer Braten for Terry who also had liver dumpling soup. Beer selection was eclectic, but I can never remember what I order.

We had plans for Wednesday but with the kids being ill, we just lounged around the hotel all day. (Should have packed my bathing suit!) Dinner that night was at Cooper's Hawk Winery just a short drive around the corner in Naperville. Excellent wine selection and food! (Shrimp and scallop risotto, and pretzel encrusted pork chop)

Finally, the big day arrived and we all drove over to the county courthouse for the nuptials. It turned out that there were about eight or so couples doing the same thing and it was like watching an episode of Night Court. Nearly all the brides were in wedding gowns of a variety of styles. Jess' was, perhaps, the most traditional minus the train and veil. And she wore purple sneakers to match her purple flowers. We four were the only ones wearing masks. Couples and their witnesses were called into chambers one at a time to exchange vows in front of the judge and his clerk. Jess and Jack were the last to be called because many of the others required a Spanish translator, and rather than having to call him for each couple, they did all of those one after the other. There was one Polish couple, but they needed no translator. 

One couple--yeah, the Polish couple--hadn't picked up their license the day before and the bride and groom had to hustle their butts downstairs to do so while the bridesmaid took care of the little one waiting to see his parents do the right thing.

Neither the judge nor his clerk were masked up but Terry and I played along with the kids and kept ours on. The ceremony was brief and without a sealing kiss. And the judge even took our picture afterwards.

We drove back to the kids' apartment, handed over to keys and title of the RAV4 to Jess. Terry and Jess (still in her wedding gown) then drove to the DMV to transfer the title. Jack and I stood around in the parking lot of the apartments chatting for half an hour. When Terry and Jess returned, we hugged and fist bumped, and bid adieu. Covid prevented them from enjoying a celebratory dinner at Fogo de Choa, a fantastic Brazilian style steakhouse. 

On the 15th, Terry and I departed for Lucille and Doug's home in Overland Park, Kansas. Lou had recently had brain surgery to remove a growth that impinging on her pituitary gland and Terry was naturally concerned. Laura and Joe (Lucille's daughter and husband) live nearby so we could visit everybody at once.

I had not been to either house, just as I had not seen Jess since she moved to Lisle. I think the last time I saw Laura and her kids was over eight years ago when her youngest boy, Matthew was still in a carry seat and Julia had yet to be born. That visit took place when I was on a solo journey around the country and they were still in the Napa Valley area. 

We arrived late in the afternoon at Lou's home and were given the grand tour. And "grand" it was! I thought our Aerie was more house than two people need, but Lou and Doug have double the size. Of course, they also have the three grandkids just a couple of blocks away and they can occupy lots of space when present as we found out at dinner and breakfast. 

After a very brief but happy visit, we were on our way home travelling I-70 north to I-71 north until we could get on I-80 east. Then it was PA Route 220 to Route 15 north and home with one overnight stop in Cloverdale just west of Terra Haute, Indiana

We retraced a good portion of this trip in late December but that's a tale for another day. 

On the Road Again!

Terry and I are on our way to our daughter's wedding out in Illinois. We're traveling in two separate vehicles because

A) we are giving the 2017 RAV4 to Jess to replace(?) her 2006 Yaris, Bob. Bob has done yoemen's work hauling Jess and her belongings from New Jersey to California and then to Illinois. He's been showing his age lately, however and it's just a matter of time before something major goes wrong and, lets face it, Toyota hasn't made a Yaris in years. Parts might be a bit scarce.

B) the RAV4 is jam packed with some of Jess' "stuff" that she left in our basement and attic. Although the tuba and some of the other instruments are still in PA awaiting her directions. And I'm holding on to some books because I want to read them.

We left PA around 6 am and agreed to meet at the RV Museum and Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana. We did run into one another twice along the way speaking only when we both pulled into one of the rest areas in Ohio. Even so, we got to the museum only about 15 minutes apart (around 2:30 pm) before going on to a nearby motel.

 

I can't remember the last time i drove out this way. Must be at least 6-7 years ago. (Justin was able to walk and was climbing all over the logs and rocks on the Pacific Ocean's Oregon beach when Terry and I visited. Before that it was my solo cross-country journey a year or so before that.)

It's a much shorter ride from here so we'll get to sleep in, shower and breakfast at our leisure before hitting the road.

About That 2024 RAV4 vs Deer Thing

 Okay, I should have written about this earlier, but Terry's car got repaired in what I would have to consider record time. One week after the car accident, the folks at Gerber Collision & Glass called to say it was ready for pickup. The next day we were up in Horseheads to retrieve the beast and had to pay...nothing. No deductible or anything because AllState has a forgiveness policy. And because we were with them--home and auto--for 50+ years with no real claims (18 with the agency here in PA) we got TWO forgiveness awards. I can only home we do not have to use the second anytime soon!

And the car looked like it was right off the showroom floor. Which it was back in the spring.

I can highly recommend Rennie Renaldo (AllState) and Gerber Collision & Glass enough!

 

Now, About another INTERESTING Weekend

 Friday night, Terry and I were sitting down to dinner at approximately 5:30 pm. The winds were howling as they are wont to do during November when there was a loud POP! and a flash of light down the hill and our electricity went out.

I called the outage in to the offices at Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative using their automated system and (my mistake!) told them I didn't need to be called back when power was restored. I figured it would be, at most, two hours or so. When Power wasn't back on at 7:30, Terry and I went to bed. 

I woke up at 12:30 am to find power still had not come back on so I called Tri-Co again and this time spoke to a real person who told me they had 44 folks on the initial power outage and that they had all gotten their power back. I told her we had not and that there was no one else on our little spur except for some hunters from New Jersey who were not at their cabin this weekend. She asked if I had checked the main breaker because if it was on our end we might get a charge on our bill. I told her to send a crew to investigate and I would pay the charge if need be. Then I went to check the breaker which was NOT the problem.

The truck showed up around 1:00 am and two guys started to look over the line. First, they found a fuse box with its door open and they went about checking the line between there and the Jersey guys' cabin to see if a tree or branch lay on the wires. Around 1:30 am the lights came back on. Too late for me to go back to sleep.

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Saturday I was in the basement groggily working on a jigsaw puzzle and watching Rutgers football when I noticed the shallow water pump we have to move water from our 500 gallon cistern to all the faucets in the house just would not stop running. I checked it out and concluded there was something wrong with the pressure switch so I tried fiddling with it to no avail. (Turns out nothing I did would have done any good anyway and might have done even more harm.) 

Deciding the switch was defective, I hauled Terry down to Lowes to get a replacement. (Misery loves company!)

I installed wired the new switch only to have it behave just like the old one. Rather than try to fiddle with this one, I told Terry to find a plumber. She went on line and found one guy who said they could    n't get to us for TWO WEEKS! She must have sounded desperate because he then recommended she call another guy who specializes in well drilling and Gould's Water Pumps. A shallow water pump just like the one we have.

Terry called and this guy said he would be right over. He showed up around 7 pm with his wife and while he started trouble-shooting I asked if she was his helper and her reply was, "No. I'm his boss." Well, they worked for three hours before showing me what was wrong: Clay deposits in the pipe leading to the switch and in the main outlet (plenum?) were constricting water flow. The pressure switch wasn't getting enough ummph behind it to shut sown and the waster coming out of the pump wasn't getting to the faucets with the correct pressure. He spent two more hours chipping out the build-up and replacing the small pipe leading to the pressure switch before he said they couldn't finish because they had to go home and make a gasket for two pieces to be put back together. "What time are you going to be up tomorrow [Sunday] morning?" "What time can you get here?"

They were back at 8 am Sunday morning. Everything was put back together and checked out several times before Bob Burrows said he was satisfied and, most importantly, his wife Sissy was satisfied too. 

While he worked we talked about Alaska, New Orleans, Nova Scotia, Montana, and RVing around the country. Ice shops old and new in the area. Lots of other stuff too. I learned his son usually does the repair work while he does the well drilling. But the younger Burrows spends the weekend with his kids while Bob covers as repairman.

He had, essentially, rebuilt the pump and water was flowing like it was new. All of Saturday night and part of Sunday morning. When I asked, "How much?" I was ready to pay whatever it was. Then he said,  "$400." and I couldn't write the check fast enough. More good people. And an answer to a prayer.

Interesting Day

 

Yesterday (Tuesday, October 15^th) was one of those “interesting” days you hear about.

Terry planned to go to Hampton, VA for a stitching convention and I wanted to go to Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA  to use my accumulated points to “purchase” a late birthday present for myself.

She got up at 4am and, having loaded her stuff into the new RAV4 the previous night, was off soon after.

I got up at 5am and went downstairs to make a cup of coffee for my trip.

That’s when things got “interesting.”

Terry walked in the door and I was all set to make fun of her for forgetting something when she said, “I got an 8-point buck.”

Three questions popped out: “Are you okay? Where? How bad is the damage to the car?”

She’s fine and only wanted to transfer her stuff to the older RAV4 so she could get on her way ASAP.  She hadn’t even gotten to the entrance to the new I-99 (Route 15) in Bloss when the deer jumped out in front of her. She managed to turn around and come home but didn’t see the deer on the side of the road on her return. (I didn't see it on my way down to Loganton but spotted a carcass on the side of the road later in the day when I passed through that section of roadway on my way home. It didn’t have a head when I saw it.) Damage to the car was significant. The left front corner was all busted up and the driver’s door couldn’t be opened (I used a prybar to get the door open this morning when the tow driver got her to pick it up.) Terry had climbed over the console to get out the passenger's door.

 

I called Allstate when I got home and they were very helpful in filing a claim and contacting a Good Hands repair shop in West Elmira, NY for me. In fact, they were so efficient, I got a call from the repair shop BEFORE I was finished talking to the claims agent. The repair shop arranged to have a tow company come first thing this morning to pick up the vehicle—a process that went smoother than expected once I pried the door open.

Terry called while I was still on the road home from Hamburg to report she had no further “adventures” and had arrived safely at the hotel in Hampton.

As for my day… I picked up buddy Joe in Loganton, PA (just outside of Jersey Shore). I was a tad early what with the nerves running on edge after Terry’s little escapade and had to wait for him to finish dressing. The map system in my truck (Siri) wouldn’t give us directions to Cabela’s so I pulled out my phone and let Google maps do the job. It took us on a route we had never used before but we got there despite the several construction sites we had to go through.

At Cabela’s we went right to the gun desk and, after signing in to be #1 on the waiting que, finally got to look at the three lever action rifles I had in mind: S&W1854, Marlin 1895 and Henry Golden Boy. I liked all three but had a special feeling for the Henry. That’s when the clerk said he would hate to have to keep all that brass clean and brought out a Henry Big Boy X. Blued steel, fiber optic sights, tapped for a Picatinny rail, M-Lok accessory slots if I so choose, and an easy to keep clean synthetic stock--what’s not to like? Especially since it was one to two hundred less than the others. That difference allowed me to purchase a sling, hard-shell gun case and a couple of boxes of ammunition. And I’ve still got unused points on my account! The only real money I spent ws for the gas my truck used to travel down and back.

Joe didn’t buy anything but was shocked at the price of brass and powder for reloading. He figures he made a wise investment when he purchased in bulk a few years back. We also picked the brains of, and offered sympathy to, the people behind the counter who processed my paperwork for my background check. We learned that in the state of Pennsylvania alone there were 640,000 background checks performed this year. Sure, 40,000 were rejected or put on hold for one reason or another, but still, that’s at least 600,000 guns sold in less than ten months! This particular Cabela’s processes, on average, 100 background checks a day.

All in all, I had an enjoyable day. Terry? Not so much. But after a rocky start she managed to salvage the day and is having a good time with friends old and new down in Hampton. VA.

 

The Best Laid Plans

 After several years of plague induced closure, health concerns (mine), and then fire, our buddies at Caesar's North Camps finally had us booked for a week at Hanotaux camp on the Goin Reservoir. Joe and I have been going up there since our youngest sons were 10 years old. (That would be 30 years ago!) We missed a few years for the reasons mentioned above. One year I took the family (without Joe) and Joe went once with his wife and another time with his eldest son and his daughter, but between us only fire and pandemic kept us away.

To alleviate some of my concerns about possible blood clots in my legs, etc., we arranged to rent a satellite phone from Ollie to be used in case of an emergency. 

We left the Aerie around 6 am Wednesday morning after Joe drove up from just outside of Jersey Shore, PA. The new Tundra (Tilly) behaved like a dream and the GPS app scooted us through Ottawa via a route we had never take before but, considering the amount of new construction going on, was very efficient.The GPS unit must have been feeling either puckish or impish, however. Once we got past Mont-Laurier--our usual final fueling stop--the ole GPS had us go off on a new route it considered shorter than our usual . We were game so we listened and went exploring. We were sent off on some narrow, dusty roads we hadn't seen before and which seemed very sparsely traveled but er persevered. Until we got to one recommended turn where the road was a mere track and the scrub trees were making it narrower than Tilly was wide. Nope we weren't taking that turn! Luckily our current road and some re-calibration by the GPS imps, got us back on tract and we were kicking up a huge cloud of dust behind us as we progressed to Clova and the offices of Caesar's. (When a vehicle came the other way, the dust made visibility impossible!)

We arrived at the new offices around 7 pm after traveling approximately 600 miles in 13 hours. Oliver greeted us sold us our fishing licenses, worms and lures, and collected the rent for the sat phone. Then we went over to get a pizza at the only restaurant in town--which was also the hotel. Actually our room was a block away in what had been Caesar's old office and Ollie's home in Clova. 

 

We returned to the new office/air base at 7 am Thursday, weighed and loaded our gear in the Cessna that was to be our ride. We had a new pilot, Peter, who spoke seldom and in halting English--not unexpected -- this is Quebec after all. We pushed off around 7:10 and were in the air 5 minutes later. 

Peter had to do some contour flying to keep below the very low ceiling and even then he passed through the lower edge of the clouds on occasion.We were in the air for about 30 minutes when Peter banked sharply and set us down in front of the Hanotaux cabin. 

 

There a group of four were readying to go out. The oldest of the group (a Dad?) told us they were from Wellsville which is just a stones throw northwest of the Aerie in the Southern Tier of NY. Asked about fishing, they reported fishing was slow but they had managed to find walleye in a couple of spots which they showed to us on the maps. They also helped us get our gear up to the cabin and we helped them get their down to the dock for loading on the plane. Since three of them looked to be fine strapping farm boys we asked for help in launching the boat they said was the better of the two with motors attached (Good thing we did, too. They had hauled the boat so far out of the water I doubt Joe and I--two oldish guys with four fake knees--would have gotten it into the water.)

We made the mistake of telling Peter we knew about all there was to know about changing out a propane tank and relighting the propane refrigerators, hot water heater, and stove pilots. And Peter believed us and hurried on his way with the Wellsville folks.

Joe and I packed our food away, chose our bunks and spread out our sleeping bags. Then we unlimbered our fishing gear and headed out to try our luck. That morning, afternoon and evening we had sparse luck but managed a few keepers which would be saved for dinner on Friday. The wind kept shifting and was producing 3-5 inch rollers with the occasional whitecap. Combination made jigging difficult. But we know we were holding on or close to the bottom. We lost more jigs in one day than we have on some entire trips.

The water was calmer and the winds light when we went out Saturday morning heading off in a southerly direction. There was a haze in the air which we learned later was due to fires miles to the north. Again we struggled to find the walleye under the direction/scorn of a pair of loons who thought we were trespassing. 

 

On the way back to the cabin for lunch, I managed to hit a couple of submerged rocks that were a good 15 meters off the shoreline. The motor ceased up and stopped--in forward gear. The winds, which had kicked up again blew us to the shore about 400 yards for camp.On the opposite side of the water. I put the oars (thankfully they were in pretty good shape!) in the oar locks and put my back into it.

First I crossed the water to the shore that was a bit more protected from the breeze. Then I turned and rowed along the shoreline until we reached the camp. It took a little over an hour and my back and shoulders were feeling the workout's effect. 

We made a satellite phone call to report our problem, Asked if we could still fish, we said yes because there was another boat and motor. We were told Oliver would be there the next morning. Ours wasn't a medical emergency. We went and left the red board on the dock (a mistake we were told as every pilot flying over reported an emergency at Hanotaux which is what the red board means). 

We fished that afternoon and evening while fighting the wind the entire time. We did manage to boat a few keepers that went into the freezer to be taken home. Nothing was too big to throw back and none of the handful of pike we hooked were big enough to keep and filet. 

During the night the propane ran out. While I slept, Joe went and changed out the propane tank and start the process of relighting the  hot water heater and the pilot lights on the stove and refrigerators. He got the burners on the top of the stove (not the oven) going but was frustrated on all the others. I managed, some how to get the hot water heater going but the fridges didn't want to cooperate. I put a second note on the door (there was already one there for the motor) and we went fishing. 

 

We weren't out more than ten minutes before we heard a plane heading in so we pulled our lines and scooted back to listen to Oliver who was trying to his temper while showing us how to light the damn pilot lights. (I think he was just as mad at Peter for not insisting we listen to his instructions as he was with us for brushing Peter's spiel aside because we had been coming here for 30 years and seen everything. Well we've seen it, but we didn't remember it!)

Ollie went on his way and we went back to our poor fishing. 

Sunday morning Joe wakes me up with words I didn't care to hear, "Rich, I've got a problem." Joe has been dealing with an issue with his right eye (retinopathy?). Sunday morning he had a large, yellow circle in the middle of his left eye. His ophthalmologist had told him that if he experienced any change to his vision--either right or left eye--he should get into the office/emergency room ASAP. 

The sat phone came out again and Joe called headquarters to request immediate extraction. We were told someone would be flying out that was around 10 am which gave us time to have breakfast, clean the cabin, and get our gear stowed and stacked on the shore. 

 

10:15 Jean-Luc set down to fly us out. He had to stop at another camp to deal with a motor issue (leaking oil). That stop let us see the multitude of skills a bush pilot like these guys have. They can pretty much deal with everything and, while it may not be perfect when they finish, it will be serviceable. 

Back at headquarters we told Jean-Luc thank you and to let us know if we owe Caesar's for the motor. 

 

It was about 11 am when we hit the road south with a huge cloud of dust rising behind us. We made stops in Mont-Laurier for a fill-up for Tilly, at the border for some beer and booze for us, and finally in Troy, PA to refill Tilly's tank. It was just after midnight when I pulled into the Aerie's driveway. Appropriately enough it was raining cats and dogs.

Joe shifted his gear into his truck and he was on his way. He texted me when he got home. Then again this morning he texted to say he had an appointment with the doc on Tuesday.

Maybe Mother Nature is trying to tell us older guys with infirmities that we should rethink our recreational choices?

It's the End Of May!?

 Well, another month has gone by and as wet as it had been in April, we are super dry in May. On the positive side most farmers have gotten their first cut of hay baled and in storage. The trees are all green and everything looks alive! (Well, except for the ash that have been killed by the borer.) 

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Terry had surgery on her spine mid-month. A partial laminectamy where the surgeon took out a bit of bone and cartilage that was pinching a couple of nerves. She now feels much better except for the weakness she had developed in the months prior to surgery. She complains of muscle aches and pains in her thighs after walking around Wally World for a bit. I can empathize as I have had similar but more extensive back surgery (2015) and two by-passes in my legs 2019 and 2021 that have left me feeling anything but A-OK. But she's getting better!

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Planted our veggie garden the other day. Pretty much the same as previous years with zucchini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, Early Girl tomatoes, bell peppers, and string beans. I had planted lettuce and onions earlier in the month as they could tolerate cold better. Some of the lettuce didn't germinate so I reseeded those rows and a cut worm got one of our peppers so Terry bought a replacement. With the  dry weather we're having, I need to water every day.

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I mowed the lawn again today. Third time this year. Most of the lawn is either flat (horizontal) or I can follow the contour of the land (also horizontal). I switched the mower to mulch and that meant I didn't have to stop every 10 minutes to empty the bag.

When I got done, I decided to mow the trail. Some of that is horizontal but a goodly portion is sloped in such a way that I had to go up and down. The grade is approximately 20 degrees Thank goodness, the mower is motorized and I just had to hold on--sorta. I did about 150 yards of trail.

Finished with the mowing I decided to take the ATV and chainsaws up the trail to the place I stopped mowing. Not much sun and very little weeds or grass in that spot but I had spotted some tree tops that had come down and they were solid enough to cut into firewood lengths but first I had to go up the slope to get them down to the trail. Walking on shale/slate covered hillside that angles about 40-45 degrees is no picnic. Especially going downhill. My toes push into the metal of my boots and are soon hurting like hell.

But I got them down to where I could work on them. Luckily, the chainsaw started right up and I cut two 15 foot poles into 18 inch lengths. While retrieving the two poles from the slope, I noticed that they had come from the tops of trees that were still standing but which must be dead as they had no branches. I'll have to go back and fell them and cut them into firewood lengths--another day.

My Fitbit says I did 19,200 steps for a distance of 8.5 miles. Good thing I road the ATV out to play lumberjack! I think I earned a nice hot shower this evening.

 

Wet but Busy, Busy, Busy!

 It's been raining, raining, raining here at the Aerie. I barely had enough time to get out and mow the lawn on Thursday before the rains returned with a vengeance. The farmers who are growing pasture or hay must be ecstatic. The first mowing of hay will be exceptional and those cows turned out to pasture are certainly enjoying the new grass.

Don't worry. Cutting the grass only required my walking behind the self-propelled mower. Even the gas can was down to about a gallon so it wasn't a case of heavy lifting.

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Terry got to see a neurosurgeon on Wednesday and they discussed her MRI. It clearly showed two pinched nerves and one old herniated disc. His recommendation was surgery as soon as they could. She goes for presurgery tests on this Tuesday (May 2nd) and is scheduled to go under the knife the following Tuesday. The Doc seems to think she will only have to be in the hospital overnight. We shall see.

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I go for a follow-up with the vascular team on Thursday of this week--May 4th. I haven't noticed any complications from the angioplasty. I do wish Robert Packer Hospital was a tad closer.

Aah, Spring!

 We've gained over 10 minutes of daylight each day since the Solstice. Most of it has come in the afternoon which suits me fine. The grass has definitely enjoyed all the extra sunshine--and the rain. We had a quarter of an inch the beginning of the week and approximately half an inch Friday night and Saturday night. You might call those last two Camelot rains as they occurred at sunset. Anyway, the grass is really green and the dandelions, violets, and wild strawberries are blooming. The oaks and maples have followed the aspens in their flowering as well.

The forecasters say we may flirt with frost and/or freeze Monday and Tuesday mornings, but after that there are no low 30's in the future. 

I managed to plant some lettuce seed and onion sets last Saturday before my surgery. The onions seem to be doing okay and the lettuce should germinate sometime later this week.

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I had my angioplasm/angioplast performed on Monday. Everything went well and, except for the small opening on my right groin where the surgical tool entered my body, I would never have known that Dr. B. had done anything let alone push a tube across my groin and down my left leg past my knee and into my calf/shin where he inflated a tiny balloon just below the previously installed stent to widen the vein he used as a by-pass. Oh, and there's now a pretty strong pulse down there in the left foot which was the whole reason for this particular procedure. I go back the first week of May for a follow-up and to have the pressure tested. Until then I'm sworn to do know heavy lifting. I was told to do some walking, however, and being behind the self-propelled lawn mower might be considered walking, no? I'll leave that for later in the week, however.

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Terry got the results of an MRI she had the week before my surgery. Seems she has TWO pinched nerves in her spine which is why the shots she had been getting weren't exactly working. One shot managed to hit one of the pinched nerves and relieved pain in her hip but not her knee, then the next time the shot worked on the pain going to her knee but not the hip. She goes to meet with a neurologist/spinal surgeon this week to discuss her options.

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Currently, Terry is enjoying a weekend at Greek Peak with her stitching pals. I don't recall if this is a set of classes or just a sit-and-stitch weekend, but either way she's got a girls weekend to herself while I hold down the fort here at the Aerie.

Spring/Summer Is Here

 Or at least the temperatures so indicate. We are enjoying a burst of warm (80 degrees) temperatures this week. 

Our local garden store opened on Wednesday with some trepidation, "Last year, when we opened at this time we gt 3" of snow!" Not this year! 

The aspen trees have burst into leaf over night and the hillsides are covered with a mix of red and white haze as the red maples and oaks match them. The flowering trees won't be far behind. Hay fields and pastures are suddenly very, very green. 

That reminds me: I better check to make sure the lawn mower runs. Electric start and all, the battery may have run down over the winter.

I've added a layer of fresh garden soil to three of the vegetable beds and bought some white onion sets to put in the ground ASAP. Except for the lettuce, seeds will wait for Terry's birthday (May 3rd) or Mothers' Day (May 14th). The pepper and tomato plants won't get planted until the first week of June. 

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Paid a visit to Dr. B, my vascular surgeon yesterday. It was my six month check-up on the bypasses I've had in both legs. Testing showed the right leg to be A-OK but a reduction in flow on the left side from 96% to 87% and ultrasound showed a constriction downstream of the stent. This was sufficient for Dr. B to order another "angiogram with possible angioplasty/stenting" to be done on Monday morning. This will be the sixth (?) such procedure since TSHTF back on June 2, 2019. 

Dr. B, once again and with lots of eye rolls, said that I should limit my activities for a month after surgery. No heavy lifting, no strenuous work, yadda, yadda, yadda. Looking at the calendar, there's nothing I've got planned from April 17 to May 17 that might fit those categories. Heck, I usually let at least one generation of dandelions flower and got to seed before I mow the lawn so I should be able to obey this doctor order--this time.

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Terry had an MRI done to try and determine what has been causing the crippling pain she has been having in her back/hip/knee. She's had shots in her back that have produced mixed results. The first provided relief for nearly a year. The second lasted less than a month. She has also had shots in her knees as well as fluid removed from those areas. Those treatments have been good for about six months.

The MRI was a precursor to a visit to a spine specialist (neurosurgeon) and possible surgery for her. All this is reminiscent of my experiences culminating in 10 hours on the table back in 2015. (I still have pain in my lower back despite the scraping out of bone spurs, stenosis, and fusion performed back then.)

*sigh* 

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Fishing trip to Caesar's is once again on the calendar. June 20 is the departure date for Joe and I. We got Ollie to agree to rent us a satellite phone for emergency usage so I would feel better about being out in the back of nowhere for a week. Looking forward to it since my last trip was back in 2018. 

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Terry and I booked a five day visit to Disney World for November. She's been wanting to go to EPCOT for a long, long time and I finally caved. We will also be visiting the Animal Kingdom while we are there. 

Hopefully, what ever medical problems we are experiencing now will be cleared up by then. If not, we may be renting either a wheelchair or a motorized cart--or two.

******

That is all for now! 

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Forgot to mention:

I started on next winter's firewood. Dropped a big ash tree and cut it up into firewood lengths. Still have a couple more to drop but they will have to wait until mid-May per doctor's orders. They are clearly standing dead, however, since the bark is peeling off. As a result they won't need much seasoning.

 

Is It Spring Yet?

 So Joe and I got down to Harrisburg yesterday for the Great American Outdoor Show. Our primary goal was to book a fishing trip with Caesars North Camps. We've been going there almost every year since 1994. Missed a few because of health or other commitments or the border being closed but we've been to nearly ever one of the lake/cabins surrounding Gouin Reservoir. 

After an uneventful drive down and a near perfect timing for arrival, we managed to locate Oliver and the rest of the crew at the same place Caesars has occupied for a number of years. We'll be going back to Hanotaux on June 22 for seven days of fishing for walleye and pike. 

Our business concluded, we than strolled around for an hour or two. (Well, Joe strolled. I kind of hobbled. Totally different walking a hard floor than shoveling snow or cutting grass. Even with the cane, my feet were killing me!) I picked up some summer sausage (wild boar and elk), some jerky sticks, two hundred feet of paracord, and a new pocket knife. Thinking back, that was my usual shopping at the show although I think I got rope and a canvas duffel bag last time.

Joe got some paracord, too, but that was the end of his shopping.He said his wife would skin him alive if he bought another knife. Neither of us wanted anything from the archery or firearms areas. (Though, I did look to see if they had an across the chest holster for my Redhawk. Just in case I should run into any bears while walking out back. I'm getting too old to stand up and scare 'em away.) Nor did either of us want to drool over the ATVs, boats, or trucks.

We departed the show after going back to Caesars' table to say hi to Jean Luc, Ollie's partner who had to shuttle his wife to the airport earlier. It was only a little after two in the afternoon when I headed back to the Aerie from Joe's home and around 3:30 pm when I pulled into the driveway. 

In all a fairly productive day. And a reminder that I need to do some serious walking on hard surfaces to harden the nerves in my toes so they don't interfere with my mobility.

Spring Is Right around the Corner

*tap* *tap* Is this thing still working? Yes? Okay then. Where to begin... 

Ground Hog's day has passed with Phil forecasting six more weeks of winter. That's actually a pretty safe bet for Ground Hog's Day--or Candlemas as it is also known--is half way between Winter Solstice--the first day of Winter--and Vernal Equinox--the first day of Spring or the last day of Winter. 

We had a second blast of super cold air last week (minus 8 F) to match the not quite as cold air we got around Christmas time, but things are warming up! The day after the low of minus 8 things got up to the low 40s and then the 50s for a day. We won't see the 60s anytime soon, but there's no snow in the forecast for the next twn days so there's that. We still have a scattering of snow on the ground around the Aerie, but if we go down the hill to Route 6 there's nary a flake to be found. 

With the warmer temps, I'm getting itchy feet. I've spent the last three (?!) years sitting around the house doing not much except mowing grass, cutting firewood, shoveling snow, and assembling jigsaw puzzles. To say I've got a touch of cabin fever is an understatement. Some of my reluctance to get-up-and-go has been due to my peripheral vascular disease (PVD) that has seen me get a bypass in each leg so there's only one artery feeding blood to each foot. Should either get blocked, I could lose a foot. 

But now, my vascular surgeon has given the okay to take some chances to get out and about. With that in mind, I'll be attending the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg on Thursday. Joe and I will be looking to book a fly-in fishing trip with Caesar's North Camps in northern Quebec Provence. We've been fishing with them since 1994 and have missed very few years. In fact, while I've not been fishing for four years, Joe has gone with his son and granddaughter, and his wife. (I think he wants me back because the ladies out fished him!) 

In addition, Terry and I have been thinking of doing some traveling together also. The travel trailer has been woefully underused. But Florida may be calling too. 

More to come.

Wood Heats Three Times

The saying is that wood heats you three time: Once when you cut the tree down and into fireplace lengths; once when you split and stack it; and a third time when you burn it. After taking a couple of days off after completing Step One, it was time to get back to working on the wood pile. I took advantage of the coole temperatures and went to work splitting the cut ash and stacking it for use this winter. Having been a standing dead tree, it ws already pretty dry and, being ash, it split easily along the straight grain of the wood. There were only one or two pieces that had significant branches that needed to be split just so. The splitting took only two hours and the stacking another hour, I didn't even break a sweat. Two or three dead ash trees becon me as they stand either on the edge of the trail or a few yards into the woods. There's one giant that is a significant distance off the trail but on the edge of the field. I don't think I can get either the tractor or the ATV into it should I fell that tree. I'll have to check it out though, It's too damn inviting. I don't need any of that wood for burning this year. I think I've got enough to keep us warm and significantly reduce our use of propane. Still, I could fell it, cut it to length and stack it along the side of the trail for next spring.

A Busy Week at the Aerie.

 

Last Friday I felled a third ash tree. This one didn’t go as planned and I needed the help of a second chainsaw (the first got caught in the tree when it insisted on going the wrong way!) and the tractor when that second saw also got caught. I managed to get the tree on the ground and got clipped by some of the upper-most branches in the process when my rope was five feet too short for the task at hand. (My son, Rick—the urban forester who once worked in felling trees—then told me of the 1-1/2 rule. Always pull from a distance 1 and ½ times the height of the tree to make sure you are clear of those upper branches.) Anyway—as the Black Knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail said—it was only a scratch.

Friday afternoon I trimmed off all the branches and cut most of the main trunk into 18-inch lengths. On Saturday morning I got the rest of the main log and nearly all the branches over 2-inches in diameter cut. Unfortunately, one of the chainsaws quit on me and I couldn’t get it started again. Luckily, I had a second ready to go. I spent a goodly amount of time picking up the smaller slash and using it to line the path. I figure if I can build up the downhill side of the trail, I won’t feel like I’m about to roll over in that direction when I take the tractor out that way.

Sunday was a day off for the local Audubon Society’s picnic. Funny how we all ended up talking about our ailments!

Monday, I took the errant chainsaw down to AJ’s Power Equipment in Mansfield. The guy at the service desk said he wanted to try a couple of simple things before he put a tag on the machine which could have taken it out of commission for a week or more. While he went into the workshop, I picked up a hardhat, face screen and earmuff combo used to protect your noggin while tree felling. (My earmuffs are better at cutting the noise, but the scabs on the top of my head were begging for a hard hat.) I heard that magical roar of a chainsaw revving up in the workshop and started feeling hopeful. Sure enough, the service dude came out and handed me my saw.

“She’s good to go,” he told me. “Just flooded badly enough that pulling the starter and letting it sit overnight weren’t going to help. We used an air line to blow the fuel out and that’s all it took.”

“What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

The head gear, however, cost me ninety bucks. Eh. Better than a cracked skull or another visit to the ER.

On the way home I picked up a half bushel of Zestar apples and another of Honey Crisp apples. More about them later.

Back at the Aerie, it was back to pick-up sticks and cutting to length.

Tuesday, I was again engaged in pick-up sticks and dealing with the slash. I finally set that aside and started hauling all the cut wood up to be stacked for either burning this winter or to be split and later stacked. The Yamaha Prohauler did most of the heavy transport. I just had to lift it up and put it on the flat bed. That was enough! I got a real workout from that. 

Wood waiting to be split.

 

 

 (Did I mention it is raining? No? Well it is. Buckets worth at times. Sorry for the screen.)

Wednesday, the weathermen promised rain—and they were right for a change! So I stayed inside and converted the apples into apple sauce. I took 48 apples (24 of each variety) washed, cored and sliced them; cooked ‘em until the were soft; and ran them through the food mill to produce a delicious sauce. Terry insisted they needed a little sweetening so I let her add about ¼ cup of sugar to each eight-pints. Ladled them into pint jars and submerged them in a boiling water bath. 

Apples got a bath  first. Then they got cored and sliced. Cooked until soft.

Soft apples went through the mill to become

Applesauce!

 

I got sixteen pints this way. And an extra quart for immediate consumption. I love it with roast pork and potatoes cooked in the pork’s grease. Heck, goes well with venison or beef roasts, too! 

Eight of the sixteen pints of applesauce I canned today.

 

While I was doing all this, Terry was busy, too. Granted some of her “busy” involved Embroiderer’s Guild meetings, but they count. I seem to remember two during the time I was felling trees and cleaning up the branches--in 85 degree heat.

In the times between meetings, she converted Early Girl, Roma and even some grape tomatoes into spaghetti sauce. She then canned that sauce in 10 one-half pint jars for later use. (She estimates that half the time she's using spaghetti sauce out of a pint or quart jar, she has plenty left over. Using half pints she figures she'll be right on the mark for most meals.)

She also converted zucchini into breads. She added six more loaves to our collection. By her calculations she has baked some 30 loaves this year and we have eaten/given away four leaving 26 in the freezer. A slice or two with a cup of coffee makes a fine breakfast. Unfortunately, once opened and the first slice is taken, there is a tendency to take another, and another, and…until it’s gone. A single loaf might , I say might, make it to lunchtime. 

Zucchini bread remnant. This one has only lasted so long (two days) because of all the canning going on. (And the cornbread made to go with yesterday's chili.) It got shoved into a corner of the counter and was ignored. But now it's out in the open. It will be tomorrow's breakfast for sure.

 

Since we just finished one from two years ago (They hide themselves well in our freezer!), Terry said she will bake no more this year even though the plants are still producing zucchini.

As I said we’ve been busy, busy busy!