Archive | August 2021

Yeah, still summer.

Aug14

 

Local fires. Coffee Creek is the yellow oval on the right. It’s about 14 miles mostly bad dirt road. 

https://zoom.earth/#view=41.058244,-122.847436,12z/layers=fires

But while the fires aren’t all that near, the smoke is! It was really bad yesterday. We were closed up and it got hot and muggy in here but we could breath at least. Today the smoke is higher and I have the house open to get some new air in here. I can’t smell it today at least. Not a good ‘aroma’.

I took these pictures this morning. The smoke is starting to settle now so I’ll be closing up soon.

Where we can’t see Bonanza King Mt.

Where we can’t see Morrison gulch.

I think we’ll be safe, at least for some time yet, You really can’t predict where these things will go and until we get a good rain they won’t be out. They are usually pretty good at protecting small towns, tho we’ve seen examples where there is just nothing anyone can do. I’m looking on the bright side. but if it happens and we burnt, I seriously doubt I could bring myself to come back. That would be a issue I hope we don’t have to face.

On the more cheerful side, I’ve finished with the peaches. We have a bowl of sliced in the fridge for dinner and then we’re done for another year. I’m knitting a “meet dress” for my new used American Girl Kirsten. That’s been interesting making up the pattern as I go along. As you can see from the pro photo, I have a way to go! I’m thinking I may embroider one row of little red flowers on her bodice but no way are they going to be all over!

 

The long view of the garden that’s my potato bed ther in the front. his corn, cucumbers on the trellis and really giant sunflower out in the middle. it planted itself, likely with the help of the jays last year!

 

The kale and green beans make a nice back drop for some pretty zinnias in the garden.

Hope your August is going well!

If you smell smoke it must be summer….

Aug12

It’s another hot summer in California. No- in the western US! So far we’ve been lucky in our part but it’s getting closer and we’re not having fun. The Summer Fire, part of the River Complex, is now on our side of the mountain. There are towns on both sides of us being evacuated or burnt so we’re still luckier than some, but it’s getting hard to breath and we are starting to pack up the important stuff we need to have if/when we also have to go elsewhere. We, at least, have the 5th wheel so will have a place to live in that case, again luckier than some.

Western US

Coffee Creek is in the square, the little hand points to the area where the fire is edging down toward the Coffee Creek drainage and our way. Just now it’s about 14 road miles and moving, they tell us, slowly downhill.

Meantime, life goes on as well as we can manage. I’ve closed up the house now, the smoke is starting to settle in & they are predicting thunder storms this afternoon, not what any of us want to hear. This time of year it rarely comes with rain. 

He’s about got a handle on the water system so we do now have water for domestic use. We water the garden with a pump in the creek, being lucky enough to live near that resource. And the garden is producing. We didn’t plant a lot this spring, not being sure if we would be able to water it. But I have been canning beans and drying various veggies as they ripen for my winter soup mix: peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, whatever crosses my path really! And yesterday I made peach jam, have more of that to do, maybe later today. Meantime, I wanted to post here and then I have to get out to the shop and finish looms. 

Blackberry puree via the Squeezo! Love that machine!

Where’s the weaving content? Well, the only weaving I’ve gotten done this month has gone off the Little Looms magazine and I can’t show you that yet! But when I catch up on my chores I’ll find some to  share!