Sunday, November 30, 2008

Journal: Sunday, 11/30/08

►  Keep seeing stars overhead although it's supposed to be cloudy.  A chance of snow in our forecast for later today.  (40ºF/4ºC @ 2 AM)

►  Time to call it a day.  (38ºF/3ºC @ 4 AM)


►  Awoke around eight o'clock.  38ºF/3ºC and sleeting.  Went back to bed.  It was too early for me to get up anyway.

►  Still 38ºF/3ºC and a mixture of drizzle and snow is falling from the sky. The weather is not improving after my returns to sleep, so I decided to go ahead and start my Sunday. Coffee consumption underway.

►  Alternating between drizzle, sleet and snow.  The temperature is still 38ºF/3ºC @ 1 PM.

►  Afternoon walk: Not very pleasant in wet snow shower, but we made the regular trip to the gate and back. One of those times when Jo and I would not have been motivated to get the exercise were it not for the dogs. (36ºF/2ºC @ 4:45 PM)



►  I don't care if the thermometer does say it's 35ºF/1ºC; there's ice on the porch steps. (Methinks, the pick up bulb for the thermometer is too close to the house.)

►  The temperature fell into the upper twenties overnight.  Skies remained cloudy but the precipitation stopped around sunset.  We ended up with a light dusting of snow here and there by day's end.  I guess this event qualities as our first snow of the season, but just barely.

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Journal: Saturday, 11/29/08

► Overcast, calm and 43ºF/6ºC @ midnight.

► A very brief, very light rain shower earlier. 42ºF/5ºC @ 4:30 AM.

► The tops of our sweet gum trees are full of cedar waxwings scarfing down the seeds in the recently opened sweet gum balls. (Overcast, calm and 45ºF/7ºC @ 10 AM)


► Blogger is moving too slowly for me and my dialup to accomplish anything. (Overcast and dreary , calm wind and 47ºF/8ºC @ 1 PM)

► Light drizzle fall off and on. (45ºF/7ºC @ 2 PM)

► Not quite mizzling, but very, very close. 44ºF/6ºC @ 4:45 PM.

► Heading back down to my dungeon -- I mean "shop". (45ºF/6ºC @ 7 PM)

► Jo is in the final stages of a countdown, waiting for the pots in the kiln to cool enough she can safely remove them. Then, she'll reload and do another glaze firing. Pots removed while still too warm cool too fast and can crack, or the glaze might craze badly at the very least. I'm not looking forward to seeing this month's electric bill.

Jo got the kiln reloaded with no problem. A few hours later, I started the glaze firing at midnight. The reason we waited a few hours before starting the firing was so that Jo will be up and around Sunday morning when the firing reaches the point where in needs monitoring.


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Friday, November 28, 2008

Journal: Friday, 11/28/08

►  Out of the shop on onto the computer. (Cloudy, calm and 50ºF/10ºC @ midnight)

►  One eye open and working on the second. (Mostly cloudy, light north wind and 51ºF/10ºC @ 10:00 AM)

►  Had I remembered to open the damper on the wood stove before lighting a fire the house would not now be full of smoke. Doh! (Overcast, calm and 51ºF/10ºC @ 1:00 PM)


►  Gray skies prevail.  The sun made a couple of feeble attempts at breaking through the clouds, but never really came close.  (50ºF/10ºC @ 4:30 PM)

►  No more bulldozer work done today, but we are not yet completely safe.  The dozer is still parked up by the gate.

►  A couple of days worth of funky weather in our forecast.  At least the temp is supposed to remain above freezing.  (46ºF/7ºC @ 7 PM)

►  Overcast, calm and 43ºF/6ºC @ midnight.

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Thursday, November 27, 2008

Journal: Thursday, 11/27/08

► Beautiful morning here in the Ozark Mtns. A few high, thin clouds to the west, virtually calm wind and 69ºF/20ºC @ 11 AM.

► Can hear hired bulldozer working in my neighbor's woods. Not a good sound. Jo and I will have to check out the progress/destruction later. 73ºF/22ºC @ noon.


We didn't find a great deal of damage done thus far by our neighbor Jerry Joe and his hired bulldozer. The main project worked on was a little road that leads from our road out to one of Jerry Joe's pastures. On the one hand, this road was badly washed out and the dozer work did, indeed, make it smoother. On the other hand, this road goes straight down into and straight back up out of a ravine. There's no way to keep a road that steep and straight from quickly washing out again. Jerry Joe knows that as well as I do. I'm really not sure why Jerry wasted his money.
In the photo, the road down into the ravine goes off to the right. As you can see, the dozer made a fair sized mess making the turn off our road out onto the ravine road. He also made a light pass along our road out all the way from where he was working to the gate. I think this light pass was all about the dozer smoothing its own tracks as it left. Bulldozer track are no fun to drive over, but our road really didn't need the surface loosened as we head into winter. Notice the exposed red clay? Grumble, grumble, grumble.

► Temperature made it up to 76ºF/24ºC this afternoon. 56ºF/13ºC @ 5:00 PM as the sun set and clouds build in the southwest.

► Coyotes making a lot of noise outside this evening. (Mostly cloudy, calm and 51ºF/10ºC @ 7:30 PM

►Out of the shop on onto the computer. (Cloudy, calm and 50ºF/10ºC @ midnight)

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Journal: Wednesday, 11/26/08

►   Blog Post/Photo on Nature in the Ozarks: Thanksgiving Cactus


►  Bedtime. (49ºF/9ºC @ 4:30 AM)

►  Let the coffee consumption begin.  (Clear, calm and 65ºF/18ºC @ 10:30 AM)

►  Major warming trend today.  72ºF/22ºC @ noon.  Wind calm and the sun is shining brightly in a mostly clear sky.  Beautiful!

►Temperature holding at  72ºF/22ºC @ 2 PM.  Loving  the sunshine we're getting lately.


►  Back from afternoon walk up to  the gate and back. We saw a half dozen does and one Caterpillar -- with treads, roll cage and big diesel engine. (63ºF/17ºC @ 4:45 PM)

►  We seem to have misplaced a half dozen 3/8" X 4' dowel rods. How can that happen? (Clear, calm and 51ºF/10ºC @ 7:00 PM)

►  Accustomed to have the house to myself this time of night, but Jo is still awake. (Cat napping on the couch, actually.) She squeezed in an extra bisque firing and is waiting for it to finish before officially going to bed. (Clear, calm and 46ºF/7ºC @ midnight)



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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Journal: Tuesday, 11/25/08

►  Time for some sleep. Clear, calm and 37ºF/2ºC @ 4:30 AM.

►  Fantastic day in the Ozarks. Clear skies, light wind and 63ºF/17ºC @ 1:00 PM.

►  Wind picked up a bit during PM, but still a great afternoon. Temp climbed to 69ºF/20ºC. Currently, 56ºF/13ºC as the sun sets @ 5 PM.

►  South wind building, but skies still clear.  51ºF/10ºC @ 8 PM.

►  I thought maybe I could get by without firing up the wood stove this evening, but when the inside temp fell to 63ºF/17ºC, I built a fire. (Clear, moderate south wind blowing and 50ºF/10ºC @ midnight)

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Monday, November 24, 2008

Journal: Monday, 11/24/08

►  Forget the drizzle; heavy rain fall now. (55ºF/12ºC @ 2:00 AM)

►  New cold front arrived around 5 AM clearing out rainy weather.  Temp climbed to 57ºF/13ºC before arrival.  .4"/1cm of rain received.  Currently:  Mostly clear, blustry north wind and 49ºF/9ºC @ 10:30 AM.

►  Time to move off the computer and on to making some spoons.  (60ºF/15ºC @ 1:00 PM)

►  Temperature made it up to 62ºF/16ºC during mid-day, but is down to 50ºF/10ºC and falling now that the sun is about to sink down behind the hill to our west. Skies clear. Moderate north wind blowing.

►  North wind has laid. Clear and 39ºF/3ºC @ 7:30 PM

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Journal: Sunday, 11/23/08

►  Started kiln on a glaze firing.  (Clear, moderate south wind and 35ºF/1ºC @ midnight)

►  Fully closed lid on kiln. Influence of south wind has caused temperature to rise a degree since midnight. Currently 36ºF/2ºC @ 3 AM.

►  Bedtime.  (37ºF/2ºC @ 5:30 AM)

►  The clothes Jo left on the clothesline overnight are not doing a lot more drying this overcast and damp morning. Drying insulated jeans takes a very long time. (46ºF/7ºC @ 11:00 AM)


►  Blog post on Nature in the Ozarks:  Green Cloverworm Moth.

►  Overcast has "progressed" into a light drizzle. Jo brought the clothes inside off the clothesline. Everything was dry except for the insulated jeans, which are now hanging in front of our wood stove. (46ºF/7ºC @ 1:45 PM)

►  Jo and I and the dogs took our full walk to the gate and back despite the damp overcast and occasional drizzle.  I've told Rusty and Bucket that I thought we should skip playing fetch today because of the funky weather.  They did not agree.  (44ºF/6ºC @ 4:30 PM)

►  Ended up playing a short session of fetch with our dogs. When it involves something they enjoy, dogs are very good at learning a daily routine. However, they are not so good at judging duration. Not going outside to play was unacceptable to them; just a few tosses of the tennis ball was okay.

►  One of those crazy weather days when the day's high temp occurred at midnight. A low pressure area to our north is pulling warm, moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico. Hence, warmer temps and drizzle, a fairly typical winter weather pattern between cold fronts. (54ºF/12ºC @ midnight)

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Saturday, November 22, 2008

Journal: Saturday, 11/22/08

►  Chilling down.  27ºF/-2ºC @ midnight.

►  Time for some sleep.  Clear, wind coming up  and 26ºF/-3ºC @ 4:00 AM.


►  Mostly cloudy, damp and gusty south wind and 36ºF/2ºC @ 11 AM. Jo says the day began mostly sunny. Our forecast predicts mostly sunny for this afternoon.

►  Sky well on its way to becoming clear again.  (44ºF/6ºC @ 12:30 PM)

►  PM weather summary:  49ºF/9ºC @ 3 PM.  41ºF/5ºC @ 5 PM.  Clear, moderately gusty south wind and 36ºF/2ºC @ 7 PM.

►  Started kiln on a glaze firing. (Clear, moderate south wind and 35ºF/1ºC @ midnight)

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Friday, November 21, 2008

Journal: Friday, 11/21/08

 ►  Through making spoons for the day. 29ºF/-1ºC @ midnight. Thankfully the north wind seems to be backing off.

►  Temperature dropped to 23ºF/-5ºC overnight. Our coldest night thus far this winter. In honor of the occasion, I flaked out early. In bed by 1 AM.

►  Day warming quickly. Clear, moderate north wind and 42ºF/5ºC @ 11:00 AM. I'm really glad yesterday's blustery north wind has subsided.

►  Hear geese heading south overhead -- waaaaay overhead.  (51ºF/10ºC @ 1:45 PM)

►  A little while ago, a spike buck streaked across the yard between house and studio. He was moving so fast, I wouldn't have been able to tell he was a spike buck, except Jo saw him up near the house earlier. I don't know why he was running, nor do I know why he was hanging around so close to the house, but I do know his quick trip across the yards upset the dogs mightily. (37ºF/2ºC @ 4:45 PM)

►  Temperature already down to freezing.  Clear, calm and 32ºF/0ºC @ 7:30 PM

►  Chilling down.  27ºF/-2ºC @ midnight.

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Journal: Thursday, 11/20/08

►  Finished up working down in my shop. Then, made fruit salad while watching auto industry bail out debate on Charlie Rose. (49ºF/9ºC @ midnight)

►  I believe I'll turn in early tonight. (Clear, calm and 45ºF/7ºC @ 3 AM)

►  Mostly cloudy skies despite a forecast predicting sunshine all day. Moderate north wind. 40ºF/4ºC @ 10:30 AM.


►  Jo made a run into town. She washed a load of clothes and hung them on the line before leaving.

►  Patches of blue sky are beginning to appear overhead and the sun is bursting though our cloud cover occasionally. It looks as if we are heading for a partly cloudy day. (45ºF/7ºC @ 11:30 AM)

►  The clouds dissipated rapidly leaving a mostly clear sky overhead. It's not bad outside if you can stay in the sunshine and out of the blustery north wind.(52ºF/11ºC @ 12:30 PM)

►  Jo's home from town with our provisions, including a Thanksgiving turkey -- not something we'd normally buy, but free with a $100.00 grocery tab.

Buying $100.00 worth of groceries in usually not a problem.  In fact, it's a feat all too easily accomplished these days.  However, the main reasons Jo made this particular trip into Marshall were to return books on tape to the library and to deposit the checks taken at our last show.  We didn't really need to make a grocery run yet.  She had to struggle to meet the $100.00 requirement.

►  Jo says gasoline was down to $1.79/gallon. That's a 20¢ drop since Monday here in north central Arkansas. (52ºF/11ºC @ 3 PM)


Lower gas prices are great.  Not having to pay so much for fuel means a significant reduction in expenses when we exhibit at an art fair.  Still, I fear our current gas prices are falling too low.  For one thing, they are a sign that the overall economy is slowly grinding to a halt.  The demand for fuel is way down.  Also, too low prices mean there's less incentive for exploration and developing alternatives.

►  Split some firewood and stacked it in the loop hoop on the porch. Our temperature is forecast to fall to 21ºF/-6ºC overnight. If it makes it that low, that will be our coldest temperature thus far this season. (Mostly clear, blustery north wind and 45ºF/7ºC @ 4:30 PM)

►  Just tossed another couple of logs into the wood stove.  37ºF/2ºC @ 7:30 PM.  Don't even want to know the wind chill.

►  Through making spoons for the day.  29ºF/-1ºC @ midnight.  Thankfully the north wind seems to be backing off.


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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Journal: Wednesday, 11/19/08

►  Clear sky, moderately gusty south wind and 36ºF/2ºC @ midnight.

►  Temperature holding at 36ºF/2ºC @ 2 AM due to wind shifting to the south. Gusting wind makes it feel colder, though.

►  Bedtime. (35ºF/1ºC @ 4 AM)

►  Getting started with my day (i.e. consuming caffeine). (Sunny, gusty south wind and 57ºF/13ºC @ 11 AM)


►  Warming up quickly today. Temp already up to 66ºF/18ºC @ noon.

►  Cooked Jo a big batch of pancakes. Then, cleaned up the mess from that and did the dishes. South wind has backed off a bit. Temp dropping as the sun sets. (61ºF/16ºC @ 4:30 PM)

►  I donned long underwear yesterday for the first time this fall. Today while working in the kitchen, it was either take them off or suffer a heat stroke. (South wind laid completely. Clear, calm and 55ºF/12ºC @ 7 PM.)

►  Finished up working down in my shop. Then, made fruit salad while watching auto industry bail out debate on Charlie Rose. (49ºF/9ºC @ midnight)

►  A new cold front appears to be sneaking into our area.  The temperature is forecast to fall to 36ºF/2ºC overnight and only climb to 50ºF/10ºC for high later in the day.

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Weekend at the Three Rivers Art Festival in Covington, LA

Thursday, 11/13/08:

We left the house around 11:30 PM Thursday night heading for Covington.  The route is easy to follow:  South on Arkansas 65 to Conway where we pick up I-40, I-40 on down to Little Rock and then east to Memphis, I-55 from Memphis south almost all the way to New Orleans, a twenty mile or so eastward jog on I-12 to Covington.

Friday, 11/14/08:

We stopped three times for gasoline and once at a rest area in Mississippi to walk Rusty and Bucket.  Arrived in Covington a little before noon.  The trip is more or less 600 miles and takes us twelve hours.


Even though we were a little early, Super 8 allowed us to go ahead and check in.  After unloading our personal belongings from the van, we found a city park where we fed and walked the dogs.  Then, it was back to the motel for a short nap before heading down to the show site around three o'clock.  You can check in at the Three Rivers Art Festival beginning at three o'clock, but cannot begin setting up until they close the streets at 4:30.  The streets in downtown Covington are so narrow, there's no way you can safely begin setting up until the streets are closed.

Jo and I got the canopy and fixtures erected and the merchandise into the booth before calling it quits for the day.  It was getting too dark to see what we were doing.

The show provided a great supper which Jo and I enjoyed before heading back to the motel and crashing.

Saturday, 11/15/08:

Up at 5 AM and back down to the show by seven o'clock.  The artists' parking lot where we left our van during the day had the best available area for walking the dogs.  Only a couple of small grassy areas were available back at the motel.  Beside, the motel had a strict "No Dogs" policy.  A large sign threatened eviction plus an extra $500.00 per night if you were caught with a dog in your room.  While Rusty and Bucket were staying in the van and we had no intention of smuggling them into our room, it seemed best to keep their presence at the motel as unobtrusive as possible.  Anyway, the first thing Jo and I did after getting down to the show area was feed and walk the dogs.  Then, we finished setting up the merchandise and getting Jo's booth ready for the show.  (The show itself also had a "No Dogs" rule, so Rusty and Bucket spent a lot of time in the van, though I did give them short walks a couple of times during the day.)

The highlight of the day was meeting Lana and Charles Gramlich.  Lana lives in Abita Springs, LA, which is near Covington.  I follow and enjoy her blog The Dreaming Tree.  This is the first time I've met in person someone I originally met online.

Saturday sales were down about one-third.  I think the weather was the main reason for slower than previous sales.  It was cold!  The temperature climbed into the lower fifties, but a very strong and gusty north wind blew all day.  I know people living up north won't think of those conditions as really cold, but they made a street art fair in southern Louisiana very unpleasant. 

There was an awards cermony with liquid refreshments and hordorves Saturday evening, but Jo and I were more interested in getting back to the motel and getting warm.  From what we heard, most folks had the same idea.  The awards presentation was not well attended.

Sunday, 11/16/08:

The weather was better on Sunday:  Clear sky, temperature in the upper fifties and NO WIND.  We were able to make up the bulk of the sales missed on Saturday.  It still got a little chilly in our booth during the afternoon when the shade from a huge old live oak kept the sun off our area.  There's just something about standing around not exerting very much physical energy that allows the cold to seep in after a while, even if you are dressed warmly.

The show closed at five o'clock.  It took the better part of three hours for us to get packed and loaded.

Monday, 11/17/08:

Up at five o'clock so we could get an early start on our trip home.  The van was reloaded and we were ready to depart around 6:45.  Jo cranked up the van while I went back inside to make one final room check.  When I stepped outside, I saw some type of vital fluid pouring out onto the ground from underneath the engine compartment.  A closer inspection revealed a hose had come loose on the automatic transmission cooler line.  I was able to fix the problem and get the spilled transmission fluid replace in a couple of hours.  We experienced no other problems during our trip home, but thinking about the line slipping off again was a constant worry.  If it came loose while traveling down the highway, you'd never know it and would very quickly burn out the transmission.

We chose to try a different route home.  We turned west at Jackson, MS, and headed toward Vicksburg, eventually entering the southeast corner of Arkansas and angling up to Pine Bluff and Little Rock on Arkansas 65.  This is the first time we've traveled through this part of Arkansas.  It is flat -- very flat.  Cotton or rice fields are about the only things to see.  This route is definitely shorter, but I really don't know it is faster than driving a longer distance on Interstates.  I definitely think I'd rather stick to I-40 and I-55 when driving at night.

After doing a little necessary shopping at the Wal-Mart and Office Depot in Conway, we finally got home around 10:30.  We unloaded the necessities from the van and then went to bed.

Tuesday, 11/18/08:

Not a great deal aside from recovering from our trip accomplished.  We did finish unloading the van and got things stored away.

(My apologies for a lack of photos from the Three Rivers Arts Festival.  The weather just wasn't conducive to my feeling like picking up the camera and wandering around taking photos. I stayed huddled in our booth instead.)
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Journal: Wednesday, 11/12/08

► Temperature and cloud cover have held steady for the past twelve hours. Fortunately, the wind laid. (54ºF/12ºC @ midnight)

► New day; same overcast. Wind calm. 57ºF/13ºC @ 11 AM

► Skies are trying to clear, but progress is very slow. (61ºF/16ºC @ 2 PM)

► Gradual clearing continues, but it's looking as if there will be no sunshine left by the time skies become completely clear. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow. (55ºF/12ºC @ 5 PM)

► Got a start on loading the van, but didn't get very much done before time for our afternoon walk and then darkness. Getting the two large dog crates worked in may prove very interesting. Normally, we board Rusty and Bucket because it's too hot to leave them in the van. Since the weather is cooler for this fall show, we decided to economize and bring them along. I'm hoping we don't regret that decision.

► Clouds persisting. Forecast calls for dense fog. (54ºF/12ºC @ 7:30 PM) (We never saw any fog up here on the ridge.)

► Skies have finally cleared revealing a big, bright full moon. (Clear, calm and 46ºF/7ºC @ midnight)


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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Journal: Tuesday, 11/11/08

►  Drizzle off and on all afternoon. Steady light rain since shortly after sunset. (44ºF/6ºC @ midnight)


►  Rain paused at the moment, but a gusty and damp south wind is doing it's best to make the temperature feel 30º colder than it actually is. G'night. (45ºF/7ºC @ 4:45 AM)

►  Just noticed the large (978g) container of coffee purchased last week had shrunk to 788g when purchased this week. Price didn't shrink.

I reckon I'm just getting old, but I remember when a large can of coffee was three pounds.  Now, it's less than two pounds.  Of course, I also remember metal coffee cans that opened with a key and those sharp-edged metal strips they created.

►  Overcast with a very gusty south wind, but no rain has fallen in several hours. Rainfall total thus far 1.7" (4.3cm). (50ºF/7ºC @ 11:30 AM)

►  I really must move on to more exciting activities. Washing the dishes is the first item on my agenda. (Overcast, damp, gusty south wind and 52ºF/11ºC @ 2:45 PM)

►  Not chilling down nearly so quickly this evening. Still overcast, damp and windy, but southeast wind seems to be dropping off a bit. No additional rain either, though we still have a 50% chance of it. (54ºF/12ºC @ 8 PM)

►  Temperature and cloud cover have held steady for the past twelve hours. Fortunately, the wind laid. (54ºF/12ºC @ midnight)

(The photo is of a Blazing Star or Gayfeather after it has gone to seed.  This is what the plant looks like while blooming.)

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Monday, November 10, 2008

Journal: Monday, 11/10/08

►  Finished working in the shop for the day. (43ºF/6ºC @ midnight)

►  Our weather is rapidly taking a turn for the worse. A gusty south wind is pumping up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The end result is forecast to be rain for a couple of days. Mostly cloudy and 49ºF/9ºC @ 10:45 AM.

►  I need to start making progress toward a trip into town. (Overcast, moderately gusty south wind and 49ºF/9ºC @ noon)

It was close to three o'clock by the time I finally got away from the house and on my way into town.  I quickly made several of the routine stops after getting into town.  (Bank, feed store for propane, service station for kerosene, etc.)  I then backtracked to the county library where I checked out some books on tape for our upcoming road trip.

The major hang up on this trip to town was buying M&M.  Jo wants to make some trail mix/granola type mixture to munch on while we're on the road.  She needed two pounds of M&Ms.  In my mind, I can see large packages of M&M for sale everywhere, but when I needed to purchase a large package, there were none to be found in Marshall -- not at the Dollar Store, nor Fred's nor the Harps (grocery store).  I ended up going back to Fred's and buying two 14oz packages.  Those were the largest I could find.

Gasoline was down to #1.99/gallon.  That's the lowest price I've seen in these parts in a long time.

►  Drizzle off and on all afternoon. Steady light rain since shortly after sunset. (44ºF/6ºC @ midnight)

►  The show we'll be doing this weekend is Three Rivers Arts Festival down in Covington, LA.  (I did not get into this show, but will be making the trip in my capacity as a Porta-Potter and general purpose strong-backed assistant.)


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Sunday, November 9, 2008

Journal: Sunday, 11/09/08

►  Got Jo's kiln started on a bisque firing. (Clear, calm and 36ºF/2ºC @ midnight)

►  Time for some sleep. (34ºF/1ºC @ 4:45 AM)


►  Another beautiful day. Our last for a while according to the forecast. (Clear, light NE wind and 48ºF/8ºC @ 10:30 AM)

►  Need to get some firewood split before our weather turns nasty. (Our day is warming quickly. Clear, light north wind and 60ºF/15ºC @ 1:00 PM)

►  I got the log hoop on our porch filled with split firewood before leaving on our afternoon walk. The walk itself was much more pleasant than yesterday's. We heard no shots fired and encountered no hunters cruising around on their 4-wheel ATVs. (Mostly clear, calm wind and 51ºF/10ºC @ 4:45 PM)

►  Nap taken. Now it's time to get back to work down in my shop. (Clear, calm and 42ºF/5ºC @ 7:30 PM)

►  Finished working in the shop for the day. (43ºF/6ºC @ midnight)

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Saturday, November 8, 2008

Journal: Saturday, 11/08/08

►  Had to crank up the wood stove this evening for the first time in well over a week. (42ºF/5ºC @ midnight)

►  Out of propane. Need to swap propane bottles. The kitchen stove is the only propane burning appliance we have. (54ºF/12ºC and sunny @ 10:30 AM)

Got the propane bottles swapped out with no problems.  I'll get the empty bottle refilled on my next trip into town.

►  Hearing gunshots in the distance every so often. Today is opening day of modern weapons deer season. (60ºF/15ºC @ noon)

►  A brisk north wind quickly dried the towels hanging on our clothesline, making them very fluffy too. (Mostly clear skies and 57ºF/13ºC @ 2:30 PM)

►  Afternoon walk not all that relaxing with deer hunters out and about. Our dogs thought we out to track the hunters. Chasing their 4-wheelers would be even better. (44ºF/6ºC @ 4:45 PM)

Even though Rusty and Bucket seldom get to travel, they are really pretty good dogs when we are away from our place, but they are terrible about barking, pulling on their leashes and just generally going crazy when we are home.  Too many territorial impulses kick in, I suppose.

►  Got Jo's kiln started on a bisque firing. (Clear, calm and 36ºF/2ºC @ midnight)


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Friday, November 7, 2008

Journal: Friday, 11/07/08

► Started Jo's kiln on another glaze firing. (51ºF/10ºC @ midnight)

► Fully closed lid on kiln. The temperature is getting chillier tonight than is has been for a week or so. (44ºF/6ºC @ 3:30 AM)

► Checking in under clear skies with a moderately gusty north wind. (53ºF/11ºC @ 10 AM)

► Back from PM walk. Partly cloudy with a moderately gusty north wind blowing. (56ºF/13ºC @ 5 PM)


► I saw a pretty good sized buck down by the creek behind the house around dusk. There were too many branches in the way and it there wasn't enough light for me to count the points on his antlers, but he had a nice rack. It was way too dark for me to get a photo. He needs to start staying deeper in the woods. Tomorrow is opening day of modern weapons deer season.

► Yesterday's really nice weather led me to leave the basement/shop door open for most of the day. The open door led a little field rat to venture inside. I saw it several times while working during the evening. The thought of herding it back outside crossed my mind, but I rejected that idea, figuring the rat would chose to hide rather than be herded. Trapping would be necessary. Late in the evening, I heard scratching over by the door. The rat wanted out. I assumed it would flee when I approached, but it stayed put, letting me open the door and then scampering out into the night.

► Had to crank up the wood stove this evening for the first time in well over a week. (42ºF/5ºC @ midnight)

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Journal: Thursday, 11/06/08

►  Partly cloud skies. Clearing with the arrival of a new cold front. Wind calm at the moment, but it's forecast to increase. Early morning storms greatly overrated. Only .4" (10mm) of rain and no thunder and lightning. (65ºF/18ºC @ 11:00 AM)

►  Clear skies, little wind and 74ºF/23ºC @ 1:00 PM. What happened to the cold front that was supposed to be moving into our area?

►  Back from afternoon walk. Very little fall color left after yesterday's wind. (63ºF/17ºC @ 5:00 PM)

►  As the sun sets the temperature is  falling faster and farther than it has in well over a week.  We really did receive a fresh cold front.

►  Started Jo's kiln on another glaze firing. (51ºF/10ºC @ midnight)

►  Blog post on Nature in the Ozarks:  Camel Cricket.

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Journal: Wednesday, 11/05/08


►  Skies clear ... gusty south wind blowing ... 58ºF/14ºC @ 1 AM.

►  Sunny, very gusty south wind and 69ºF/20ºC @ 11 AM. The arrival of a new cold front and accompany storms are in our forecast for early tomorrow morning.

►  From clear skies to mostly cloudy in about an hour. Weather going downhill fast. (67ºF/19ºC @ 5 PM)

►  Shingle ripping south wind blowing. No rain yet, but NOAA radar show that showers are in eastern Oklahoma and heading this way. I don't think many  of our pretty fall leaves will be left after all this wind.  (66ºF/19ºC @ 7:30 PM)

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Journal: Tuesday, 11/04/08

► Finished working in my shop for the evening. Now to some online time. (57ºF/13ºC @ midnight)

► I'd better get to bed before the sun rises and catches me up and about. G'night all. (57ºF/13ºC @ 5 AM)

► Gusty south wind is bringing fall color to an end. Clear sky. (69ºF/20ºC @ 11 AM)



► Time to begin making moves toward the Welcome Home Volunteer Fire Station, our polling place. (72ºF/22ºC @ noon)

► Trip to vote postponed. Jo says we need to wait until tile kiln firing finished.

► Over the past couple of days we've had three unknown pickups turning around at our end-of-the-road location. Modern weapons deer season begins this weekend. They're probably guys out scouting for a place to hunt. (Sunny, windy and 73ºF/22ºC @ 2 PM)

► Voted around three o'clock. The poll works said turnout had been fairly heavy. I was the 32nd person to cast a ballot.

► Spent the evening working on spoons and listening to election returns. John McCain predictably prevailed in Arkansas, but no matter, Barak Obama won. Good!!!

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Monday, November 3, 2008

Journal: Monday, 11/03/08

Blog Post -- Nature in the Ozarks: Sunday Walk

“Enjoying our string of beautiful fall days, but really wouldn't mind if it were a bit cooler. (Will probably regret that statement.) (76ºF/24ºC @ 1:45 PM)”

“After returning from afternoon walk, barely enough time to play a quick game of fetch with the dogs before dark. (67ºF/19ºC @ 6 PM)”

“Finished working in my shop for the evening. Now to some online time. (57ºF/13ºC @ midnight)”






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