Forever Summer

The ten day forecast is for hot and dry, with temperatures in the 90s and 100s.  We've had little to no rain since May 20th.  This is what Robinson Reservoir looks like right now.  This week, the city cut our outdoor irrigation schedule from two days per week to one day.  While the aspen forests remain beautiful, what I have noticed is that the fall colors during a drought tend towards brown and away from golden.

Late Summer

It was a gorgeous late summer day at the Twisted Forest.  We walked to the rim, and then up to the little peak to the east.  We came down through the wooded ridge above the trailhead.  It is covered with old Douglas fir and five-needle pines.  It has been a couple of years since we've done that loop, but it is a good one.

Fire on the Whole

In the past few days, friends and family have checked in at a higher rate than usual.  Along with wanting to know that I am safe (which I am), they want to know "what is going on?"  Well.  From what I can see, it isn't hard-right (or hard-left) politics, sabotage, al-anon, arson, militia activity, antifodder, or any other conspiracy.  (Though it seems like everything in the world has to be about one of them these days.)  It isn't even good management, bad management, or no management.  From what I can tell, the whole story has three components:  No rain for 120 days, high winds, and dry lighting.

Hawk Heaven

I was out in the Parowan Valley when I noticed this pair of hawks guarding the entrance to an alfalfa field.  They didn't fly away when I drove up, so I stopped to see what they were doing.  Taking a shower?  We've not had a wetting rain in more than 100 days, so I guess it makes sense to sit in the sprinklers.

One Eighth

With two houses needing fuel for the wood stove, my preseason calculation is 16 loads.  Sixteen truck loads of wood:  Eight for The Homestead and eight for 420 Grand.  Actually, I didn't burn all my 2019/2020 wood at 420, so I probably don't need as much this year.  In any case, I got started on the Utah portion of the task this weekend.  I had located a large, dead and down, ponderosa between town and Yankee, so I went there and began cutting.  What I soon realized (something I should have known) was that the wood had not cured and that each round weighed 200 lbs.  I could not lift the pieces into the truck.  So, I cut a load of branch wood (above) and took that to town.  I returned with a maul and a momma.  Which is to say that I broke the rounds into five or six pieces, and then VSO helped me load it (below).  It was back breaking work, but she did much of it.  She is stronger than she looks.