This morning, EDO took the American College Testing (ACT) college admissions test. When she was finished, she sent me a text and I met her at the local mountain biking trailhead. We rode together up Liken-it, and then down the Iron Giant Trail (IGT). I was finished at that point, but EDO wanted one more lap, so she spent another 45 minutes on the bike while I went to Home Depot.
420 Grand had been semi-abandoned before I moved in. As a result, it had become a haven for wildlife—skunks and racoons—as well as feral cats. Little by little I have reclaimed my one tenth acre from small animals. It's not that I dislike them in theory, but in practice I don't prefer skunks under the house and racoons under the wood shed. The latest effort has closed the space under the wood shed. Putting up boards is one thing, but many of my friends are good diggers, so there needs to be a tunnel-proof border to discourage burrowing.
I said earlier that I might need 16 loads of fuelwood for two houses. If so, I'm halfway there. This picture is of load number eight. It is the first one that I cut with a shirt on. That is, the work has been so warm that I have been cutting in a t-shirt, which is not usually a good idea. On this day, though, it was in the high-50s, a relief, and, yes, there were clouds. Clouds without rain, unfortunately, but it was the first break we've had from the sun since August.
This (above) is the flood gate (or stop gate) for the Hog Flat Reservoir. This (below) is the reservoir itself. After 140 days without rain, is there anything missing? I think the reservoir should be re-named: It should revert to the name it had when hogs roamed the flat.
VSO's favorite Wilco song (at least so far) is Passenger Side. She has done a great job learning it and playing it solo. But, EDO came up with an electric guitar part for it that rings like a bell—it sounds just like the way the Edge would play it. (EDO covers a lot of U2, so I guess it is no surprise.) The two of them sound really good. Listen HERE.
