27 March …

 

You’ve heard of terrible days?  Well …

We have been having snow and rain every day.  Yesterday started no different.

Then family left without letting me know.

Then I opened my browser to find there was no browser and I struggled, without success, to get it back.  As a result I couldn’t access the blog maker page, so no blog.  Posted an email (it was still usable) saying …

Not the best week ever and no browser … so blog will be late!

My morning volunteer session scheduled for 1000 was moved to noon so I had to cancel since I had a 1330 appointment too far away.

Then something went wrong with the power and when I checked the computer time (after rebooting without the browser), I reset the clocks to the computer time. (House clocks are all but one electric. Keep this in mind, it becomes important later.)

Then the clocks all said it was nearly 1300 (where did the time go?) and I was due at the church for the food share program at 1330, so I hightailed it out. 

It took more than five minutes to get the old Mitsu to start. She hates cold weather.  The clock in the Mitsu said 1217, not 1317!  I turned on the radio and sure enough … it was just after noon.  My computer time was off!   I thought the computer was in automatic touch with a central time keeper (like Greenwich or some government site), but something had gone wrong.  Oh well … I was nearly into town so I decided to drop in on a friend for half an hour or so.

The food sharing was scheduled to begin at 1400, but I try to arrive half an hour early to help set up.  I got there just before 1330 and there was a line out the door with folks walking away already having received their food.  Seems the time had been posted wrong in the newspaper so the Great Northern folks started early because of the weather (no sense making folks stand out in the snow and rain waiting).

When I left for home, I got on the radio announcing “KD6WZC mobile” as I often do and heard from Mark that he had a surprise medical appointment so would be late getting home, and that Kamille was running taxi to the Medford airport for a friend.  No reason to rush to make a meal.

By then … ,lb rwekjvsdcy88-o1rb XChihc5r3kbv!!!

 

 

In addition, remember me telling you I was the only one here who wasn’t sick with the school cold?

Should have kept my mouth shut.

But I got an email note from a cousin (Blessing on her!) saying

Don’t stress over it.  We’ll all be here when you find the time and energy.

The day ended with the computer doing everything expected (including the return of the browser complete with bookmarks) and a grilled cheese sandwich.

I read a couple of chapters in my current book and was asleep by 2100.

And I’m still here …

~~~

Several days of warmer temperatures and light rain mixed with snow meant the accumulated snow has been melting.  I can get to the chicken coop without the aid of a ski pole (my balance is a little wonky on icy snow). 

We continue to have rain and snow followed by melt every day.  Strange weather.  There are currently small snow flakes in the air with a bit of wind.

The hens are appreciating the increase in warmth as well, in spite of the soggy range area.  We are getting 12 or 14 eggs a day. Not bad for 14 laying hens.

Mark brought home some chicks last thursday.  They won’t leave the brooder for a couple of weeks and by then the new range fence should be in place.  Still, we’ll be watching for bears and other predators.

The new chicks are a breed I’ve never seen.  They are supposed to be large when full-grown with a 75% lay rate, and lay extra large eggs.  We shall see.  They are interesting since they are soft yellow (soon to be white) with black spots on their backs.  Mark says they are a Plymouth Rock cross breed.

~~~

Thinking of bears … As Kamille and I were on our way into town last Wednesday evening, we saw a black shape down the road a ways.  At first I thought it was a dog (several roam free around here).  Then it moved and we saw it was a small black bear.  It was near where a neighbor has been losing chickens although it looked too small to get over a chicken fence.  Maybe there was a sow nearby and this was her cub.  Of course, neither of us had a camera with us.

~~~

I returned to a radio club meeting last week.  I had not been going since last fall.  It seemed strange to go without George, but it was time to go back.

Several folks seemed glad to see me.  That was nice.

Planning for the summer events will start next month.  First up … Science Festival.

~~~

I almost didn’t vote last Tuesday. It was a special election for our state Assembly person (the elected one moved up to the state Senate).  

For more years than I can remember, George and I have voted by mail.  So I had expected to receive a mail-in ballot and hadn’t thought any more about it.  I had not received one and so blanked on the election.

Fortunately, Mark mentioned voting and as a result I went out to vote.

Our polling place was listed as the Sons of Italy Hall in Weed (there are a lot of Italians in this area because they had been “imported” to work in the lumber mill … so much for “immigrants”).  But when I got there a sign said I had to go to the Weed Community Center in order to vote. 

The Community Center is brand new and I had no idea where it was.  With the help of a clerk in the City Hall, I found it (on the north side of the mill).  But when I went in, they said I was listed as voting by mail rather than in person.

It took a few minutes, and the help of a poll overseer who knows me, before I was allowed to vote.  But I did.

So the thought for this week …

“Casting a ballot is just one of our civic duties, but it is a vital one. It is an act of speech, a demand that your voice be heard, that you are included in the republic.”

~~~

Nothing more for now …

May we all have a good start to April.

So … ‘til next week …

 

P.S.  I still can’t access the blog through this browser.  I’ll be asking help to correct that.  So just make corrections as you go … or overlook them.