Journal Through Friday, 1/09/09

Tuesday, 1/6/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 41ºF (5ºC). Low = 28ºF (-2ºC). Overcast most of the day, but cleared to partly cloudy for a couple of hours about the time we took our afternoon walk.

► Jo and I installed the new fluorescent tubes in the light fixture in her studio. It still didn't work. We pulled off the cover and saw the ballast looks as if it's been getting more than a little warm. The ballast is probably the problem. Now the question is: Do we replace the ballast in that old fixture or replace that eight foot fixture with two four foot shop lights. Shop lights are often heavily discounted and would probably be cheaper than the ballast, but they'd require more time and effort for some rewiring.

For a brief period of time, these were the only clouds still around on Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, the sky quickly became overcast again.

Wednesday, 1/7/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 59ºF (5ºC). Low = 31ºF (-.5ºC). Mostly sunny all day with a few more clouds moving in toward sunset.

► Jo decided to use 4' shop lights in her studio -- and since we had a couple of those on hand, she began checking them out. She found that neither were working completely right. That's the problem with those super cheap shop lights. They're not always dependable.

► Jo changed her mind and decided replacing the ballast in the 8' fixture would be the better route. She called both the hardware store and the lumber yard in town only to discover they were both out of that particular ballast.

► This seems to be one of those simple little projects that's destined to turn into an ordeal. All Jo wants is enough light throw pots by in her studio. At the moment she's using multiple clamp-on lights with cords strung all over the place. Not the best set up.

► I finally got around to grinding some of the beans I purchased from E-Z Discount. The coffee is drinkable, but nothing special. What did I expect from hardware store coffee?

Thursday, 1/8/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 60ºF (15ºC). Low = 31ºF (-.5ºC). A new, weak cold front overnight. It didn't lower the temperature much, but the wind was out of the north in the morning. By late afternoon the wind had switched around to the south again, though.

► I installed one of my newly sharpened chains and cut some firewood. One of the large wood racks is now almost full of newly cut firewood.

► Blog post on Nature in the Ozarks: Scenic overlook near Harrison, AR.

Friday, 1/9/09:

Weather Summary: High = 55ºF (12ºC). Low = 38ºF (3ºC). Overcast in the morning with a prediction of clearing to partly cloudy during the afternoon, but that didn't happen. In fact, a light mist was falling when we went on our afternoon. The sky did seem to clear a bit after dark. I could see the moon and a few stars through the clouds, but then it clouded back up and we experience a few light and very scattered rain showers.

Made a batch of waffles and put together a fruit salad.

Blog post on Nature in the Ozarks: Hemmed In Hollow Falls.

.

Journal Through Friday, 1/09/09

Journal Through Monday, 1/05/09

Thursday, 1/1/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 50ºF. Low = 24ºF. Mostly sunny. A gusty south wind made things a bit nippy in the early morning, but it laid later in the day.

► Several years ago we replaced New Year's Eve parties with a New Year's Day hike. In the beginning we hiked with several friends, but over the years the number of hikers has dwindled. This year for a variety of reasons no one else was available for hiking, so Jo and I went alone. We hiked the Hemmed In Hollow falls trail in the Ponca Wilderness Area of the Buffalo National River. There's really no need for me to go into a great deal of detail about our hike here since I intend to make a post or two (or three) over on Nature in the Ozarks. I'll just say that it was a fairly strenuous hike to make in one afternoon. Between the hike, driving to and from the trail head and a brief visit to Walmart for dog food our first first day of the new year was a busy one.

Friday, 1/2/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 50ºF. Low = 24ºF. Weather started out as partly cloudy then slowly degraded to totally overcast and damp with a moderately gusty south wind blowing.

► The "big event" of the day was cutting a little more firewood. I went up the road to where my neighbor thinned small trees along the road during the fall. The diameter of most of that wood is small, but that means it doesn't have to be split. Jo and the dogs joined me after I'd cut for a while and helped load the Nissan.

► I was really proud that I only felt a little sore from yesterday's strenuous hike. However, when I got up there slinging my chainsaw around, I discovered I got tired much quicker than normal. Even though my muscles weren't sore, I reckon they hadn't fully recovered and were still tired. I still managed to get close to a little truck load cut, loaded, home, unloaded and stacked. The log hoop on the porch is full again and the amount of wood in our racks is growing.

Saturday, 1/3/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 69ºF. Low = 52ºF. Definitely what you'd call unseasonably warm today. We didn't even need a fire in the wood stove. Morning overcast, but contrary to our original forecast, the sky became mostly clear during the PM. A moderately gusty south wind blew for most of the day, but laid late.

► PM Walk: No cows. We haven't seen them around for a for a couple of days. We haven't seen any tracks in the road which would indicate Jerry Joe moved the cows to another pasture. I guess they've moved themselves to another section of this pasture. Good riddance.

Sunday, 1/4/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 62ºF. Low = 29ºF. The high temperature for the day is deceptive since it occurred very early in the morning -- like around midnight. Most of the day was overcast with a blustery north wind blowing. The temperature for most of our daylight hours was in the thirties.

Monday, 1/5/09:

► Weather Summary: High = 31ºF. Low = 25ºF. Overcast and funky all day. A brief period of freezing rain during the early afternoon. Fortunately, that didn't last for long -- just long enough to ice up the front steps and cover the van's windows.

► Trip into town: It had been about a week and a half since either Jo or I made a regular trip into town, and we were running a little low on several staples -- including coffee -- so I made a trip this afternoon. Among other things the trip included: Paying both the water and electric bills, getting a couple of chainsaw chains sharpened, buying kerosene for Jo's heater in the studio and buying food for us, the birds and our rabbits.

► I drove the van into town because Jo also needed a couple of 8' flourescent tubes for her studio light fixture. There was no way I could get those safely home via the little pickup. While in town, I filled the van with $1.69/gallon gasoline -- up 20 cents a gallon since January 1st.

► I got my saw chains sharpened at a place called E-Z Discount. When we first moved up here, E-Z Discount was a little place that mainly stocked slightly damaged and discontinued building materials, chainsaws and accessories, a little general hardware and sold tires. About ten years ago, the store moved into a much larger building and became a much larger outlet for hardware, electrical, plumbing, etc. They also sold auto parts and expanded their tire facilities.

► I used to routinely purchase my tires from E-Z Discount, but for some reason unknown to me that part of their operation dwindled over the years. Perhaps the competition was too severe and their profit not large enough. I don't know, but I stated buying my tires elsewhere.

► I hadn't even been into the store in a year or more and was surprised to see that much of the space originally devoted to hardware was now devoted to surplus or damaged food and other merchandise. (The food isn't really "damaged" although a few of the cans are a little bent.) Besides getting my two saw chains sharpened, I ended up buying five pounds of coffee beans for $13.00. I know the price is good. I just hope the coffee is decent. I'll end up drinking it regardless.

► My final stop was at Harps' Grocery Store. They were out of bananas and potatoes. Having only one grocery store in town is such great fun.

.

Journal Through Monday, 1/05/09

Journal: Wednesday, 12/31/08

Sunday, 12/28/08:

Weather Summary:  High = 56ºF.  Low = 27ºF.  A new cold front finally arrived and put and end to the gusty south wind we'd endured for the past couple of days.  Mostly sunny.

We walked the woods/pasture loop on our afternoon hike.  Not much going one there.  Some sections of our normal path are getting churned into a muddy mess by the cows.

Monday, 12/29/08:

Weather Summary:  High = 70ºF.  Low = 34ºF.  A beautiful, mild winter day.

Chainsaw:  The chain was getting dull so I'd decided to remove it and take it into town for sharpening on my next trip.  For the time being, I'd replace it with a used chain I'd gotten sharpened toward the end of last year's cutting season.  That was my plan, and that was eventually what I did.  The problem was:  I'd forgotten where I stored the sharpened chain.

The hickory that fell in our yard last Saturday.  Saying it fell on the clothesline wouldn't be correct.  It was the center clothesline support.

At first, when I couldn't find the sharpened chain, I convinced myself that I must have already used it.  I decided to move on to Alternate Plan B:  Find the best used chain among my collection, install it, touch up the teeth with a file and hope it would get the job done until I could get a chain professional sharpened.  I proceeded with Alternate Plan B up to the point of actually installing my best-looking used chain, then I suddenly thought of a another place to look for the sharpened chain.  I found it, discarded Plan B and reverted to Primary Plan A.  I installed the sharpened chain, cleaning and lubing my chainsaw in the process.  Then, I topped off fuel and bar oil, cranked up the chainsaw, made a couple of cuts and readjust the tension on the chain.  With the chainsaw ready to go, it was time to start cutting some wood, except by this time it was too late in the day for starting on that job.  I stored the chainsaw and accessories away and we went on our afternoon walk.

Tuesday, 12/30/08:

Weather Summary:  High = 63ºF.  Low = 41ºF.  South wind build for most of the day, then slowly switching to the north as a weak cold front moved through our area late in the day.

Sawed up the dead hickory tree that Saturday's strong south wind had blown down.  A few sections of the trunk may be usable as firewood, but most of the tree is too rotten.  Jo and I got a good start on removing the small limbs and other rotten sections from the yard. 

Past generations of Ozarkians tended to simply toss all trash off the nearest bluff. While Jo and I refrain from that practice, I see nothing wrong with transporting tree limbs and such the shortest distance possible.  We tossed the hickory limbs into the woods at the edge of the area I keep mowed.

The oak tree that took out our power lines when it fell up by the gate.  It's still laying across the road, but Jerry Joe eventually shoved it out of the way with his tractor.

PM Walk along the woods/pasture loop: Saw a bald eagle soaring overhead. We don't see many eagles up here on the ridge. There aren't a lot of bald eagles in this immediate area and most of those stay down in the valleys along the creeks and Buffalo River.

Wednesday, 12/31/08:

Weather Summary:  High = 50ºF.  Low = 36ºF.  Mostly clear with a blustery north wind blowing.  A nice day, but kind of chilly unless you could get out of the wind.

PM Walk:  On the bench road section of our walk we encountered a large group of cows coming along the road from the opposite direction.  We decided to give the cows the right of way, figuring that if we didn't, the cows would probably reverse course and we'd end up herding them all the way back home.  Since we didn't want the cows back at the house, we detoured through woods and let the cows proceed on their merry way.  That plan worked, but when we got back to the house, both Jo and I discovered we'd picked up hitch hikers.  Both of us found deer ticks still crawling around looking for a place to call home.  Neither of the ticks lived to see 2009, but will be recorded as our last ticks of 2008.

Nature in the Ozarks: A Mouse in the Woods -- Eeeek!

Jo and I did absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for New Year's Eve.  Jo watched a little television, took a nap on the couch and then got up and went to bed.  I was on the computer all evening.

So long 2008!

.

Journal: Wednesday, 12/31/08

Journal: Thursday, 12/25/08

►  Midnight:  Clear, calm and 29ºF/-1.5ºC.  I hear no sleigh bells.

►  I am tired of waiting and will soon go to bed, but first I'll consume some milk and cookies.  (Clear, calm and 27ºF/-3ºC @ 4:30 AM)

► Nature in the Ozarks blog post/photo:  Christmas Eve deer in the woods.  Seen along the bench road while on our afternoon walk.

►  A beautiful Christmas morning going here.  Clear skies, calm wind and 40ºF/4ºC @ 10:30 AM.

►  I think I'll go try out the new 2-cycle oil Santa brought: Fire up the chainsaw and cut some firewood. (Mostly clear and 49ºF/9ºC @ noon)

►  Cut a truckload (small pickup) of firewood while the neighbor's cows watched. (Cows think I might be bringing hay.)  Jo and the dogs arrived about the time I was finishing up.  Jo often helps get the wood I've split loaded into the truck, but this time she was too late for all that fun.  That was just as well because with the cows so close, the dogs would have been a problem if Jo were helping me.  Jo, Rusty and Bucket completed their walk to the gate while I drove home and started unloading the truck.  When Jo got home, she helped with that.

►  Tamales for supper with pecan pie for dessert. The tamales weren't too bad for store-bought. Jo's homemade pecan pie was scrumptious.

►  Our temperature fell after sunset, but then started heading back up around nine o'clock. A strong and gusty south wind is pumping in warm, moist air. 72º is our forecast high for Friday. And, thunderstorms are forecast with the arrival of a new cold front Friday night. (44ºF/6ºC @ midnight)



.

Journal: Thursday, 12/25/08

Journal: Sunday, 12/21/08

►  Chilling down.  23ºF/-5ºC @ midnight.  A northwest wind gusting to 30 mph/48 kph doesn't help with keeping warm.

►  Time to throw a couple more logs on the fire and go to bed.  (Clear, gusty north wind and 15ºF/-9ºC @ 4:30 AM)

►  Nature in the Ozarks blog post/photo:  Today's Flowers -- Beach False Foxglove.

►  Not planning a picnic, but not too bad out if you can stay out of the wind.  Sunny, north wind 10-15 mph (16-24 kph), 21ºF/-6ºC @ 10:30 AM.

►  Temperature climbing under sunny skies.  27ºF/-3ºC @ noon.

►  I mixed up some gasoline for my chainsaw this afternoon, but that was as far as I got in preparing to cut some firewood.  Usually I've done quite a bit of firewood cutting by this time, but this year I didn't need to because we had a lot left over from last year.  Still, we hardly have enough to last through the entire winter so I need to get working on that project.

►  Temp climbed to around 20ºF/-1ºC during the heat of the day, but is falling fast now that the sun is setting. (23ºF/-5ºC @ 4:45 PM)

►  Really burning through the fire wood.  Blustery wind, clear sky and 17ºF/-8ºC @ 8:15 PM.

There were a few icicles on the waterfall just below our house, but not as many as I expected -- nor were they as large as I thought they might be.  The waterfall was catching a lot of direct sunlight.  The icicles were melting enough to fall even though our temperature remained below freezing all day.

►  Heading down to our coldest night thus far this winter.  (Clear, moderate northwest wind and 12ºF/-11ºC @ midnight)

►  Weather Summary:  High = 30ºF/-1ºC.  Low = 12ºF/-11ºC.  Temperature @ midnight = 12ºF/-11ºC.  Clear skies and a fairly gusty north wind all day.



.

Journal: Sunday, 12/21/08