Funny Smelt

Funny kind of smelt we have this year....they taste a lot like Spotted Owls...

Housework and Barbequed Pork Ribs

Today I got all my housework done. Dishes, laundry, floors, everything. While I was doing that I cooked up a couple packages of BBQ pork ribs.-- mmmmmm good!
   Tippy got her first bath today. She was not thrilled but took it like a Trooper and we were soon done. Now it is my turn....
   Oh, and one more thing....the smelt are in the river all the way to Castle Rock. They are real thick down around Longview, but I just went and looked here and I can see the occasional fish near the top in the murky water.

Soggy Sunday

Kinda' wet out today but we did manage to get the chicken wire on the outside of the new chicken yard.
  It is supposed to get below freezing for the first part of the week so I made sure that all the outside faucets are protected. Tomorrow we will work on the chicken yard some more. It won't be long and I will be able to hear Tammy's rooster crow in the morning. Tip will be entertained by having other animals so close at hand all the time.
   Tuesday I go in to see my attorney. I am anxious to hear what he has to say. I will have a list of questions to ask him prepared before I go in, otherwise I will not remember what I wanted to ask until I am home.
   I received an invitation to attend the Larsen family get-together this summer at Spokane. I have decided not to attend this year, although I am going to make a weekend trip to Spokane this summer and will see most of the family members at that time.

Second Post Today

We made our trip to town today. We dropped off a saw at Woods' to get worked on. Then we went to Home Depot and picked up some lumber to use on the new chicken yard. I didn't really think that much would get accomplished on that project today, but I surprised myself. It's possible that I may even get the outside yard finished tomorrow. Before I know it we will have moved the chickens to their new home!
   Tomorrow is the Pro Bowl from Hawaii and next week is the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Pittsburg Steelers. I will be rooting for the Packers and my friend Dutch Savage will be cheering for the Steelers.

First Springers!!!

So the Daily News has reported that gillnetters in the Columbia River have already picked up 4 Spring Chinook. This is a good indicator of an early start to this years' run. I'll keep my eye on the Cowlitz fish counts and as soon as there is the first fish makes it back to the Barrier Dam, I will start fishing. Right now the Cowlitz is flowing at double it's rate for this time of the year. It usually runs about 10,000 c.f.s. and right now it is just under 20,000 c.f.s. If our weather would turn cold then I'm quite sure that the river levels would come down, but the 10 day forecast at this time is for more clear, sunny weather and unseasonably warm temps.
  If we start getting fish in the river with the water levels being what they are now, I will be fishing at the mouth of the Toutle as opposed to fishing right here in front of my house.
   Tip & I are about to go feed our critters, and then we will head to town. I need to stop at Woods' Logging and also at Home Depot.

Feels Like Rain

It feels like rain outside this afternoon. Maybe we will have a damp weekend, then back to this dry sunny stuff next week.
   I worked on the outside chicken yard most of the day. A lot got done. I also put together the door that I had Jeff Johnson cut the wood for. It turned out better than I expected. Very light and very strong. Tomorrow I think I'll be ready to get some treated wood and a roll of chicken wire to finish up with. We are in the home stretch, and things are looking good. The moles are still hiding.

No Mole Activity

There was no mole activity last night. They know I'm after 'em and they are running scared!
   I got a bunch of woody debris cleaned out from the back of the new chicken house today. Also got the door fitted and dual latches installed. I took some lumber to Jeff Johnsons' house this evening and he cut it for my outside door that will go into the chicken yard.
Now, I need to start building the outside yard. I am going to bury my wire 12" so that the chickens can't get under it to get out & critters (coons, mainly) can't get in. I will have to buy 8 treated 2x4's to do this and I am thinking that is all. Oh...and I need a couple sets of hinges.
   The other critters are all doing real good. Tip was extremely active in today's warm weather. Boy, when she gets started she sure has a lot of energy. The extended weather forecast is for next week to be more dry weather in the 50 & 60 degree range. Can you believe it?

Writers'Block?

Writers block or just boredom, not much went on around here today. The weather is just phenomenal. It is hard to believe that we still have a winter left...it's out there somewhere.
   The critters are all loving life, I assure you.
I am having issues with moles again. I had every mole eradicated from this property just a few short months ago. Now I have every Vermin Retention Unit that I own activated, and I'm sorry to say that the moles are kickin' my butt right now. I'm really hoping for that to change soon.
   It's actually been kinda' boring around here the last couple of days. Maybe tomorrow I'll go out and scare up something to write about. Oh-yeah....we took pics of the cows this evening.

Meeting The Vetrinarian

Today Tip got her 2nd shots and also her rabies shot. The vet said that she did real good and didn't struggle or whimper during either shot. She did better than I would have. I struggle & whimper every time I hafta' got a shot!
   We worked on the roosts in the new chicken house today. Maybe tomorrow we can finish the roosts and the nest buckets. Then we will start on the outside yard.
   I've gotten back into the habit of shooting my bow every day. It's something I should keep up on.
   All the critters are doing very well. I have noticed that the pigs are eating the junk and freezer-burned food that I am giving them out of the freezer in preference to the commercially produced product that I buy at the feed store.
   The weather here is unreal for this time of the year. It feels more like April than January! On a final note...I meet with my attorney on Wednesday morning.

Green Bay vs. Pittsburg

It looks like it'll be Green Bay against Pittsburg in the Super Bowl this year.
   In other news, we got a lot of the area around the new chicken house cleaned up today. We fixed the walking gate in the back yard. We also got the debris raked where the back-field burn pile was at. Between little jobs we watched most of both football games today. True multi-tasking if ever there was.
   Not much else to post from around here. Pretty quiet day.

WOOOOOOO....HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I HAVE LOST 21 POUNDS IN 19 DAYS!!!!!!!!

HOW COOL IS THAT?!!!!!!!

Working On The New Chicken House

I am presently turning my irrigation well pump house into a chicken pen. Today we got the nest boxes (buckets) almost finished. They look really cool!
   We also went grocery shopping right here in Castle Rock. About all I buy is fresh veggies & sugar-free creamer for my coffee. I did get Tip some special treats today tho...She likes em'! When we got home I made up a nice pork roast and put in the oven. It turned out excellent! No potatoes, just celery, onions, and carrots.
   I took pictures to go with my March installment of the "Open Season" column for The Valley Bugler. The photos show in detail how I set up a K-13 Kwikfish for Spring Chinook fishing and also how I fillet, prepare, and install my sardine wraps.
  We are supposed to be in for some unseasonably warm, sunny weather this next week. I am hoping to get my spring landscaping prep & cleanup done. The plan is that if I get it done now, then I won't need to be working on it when the Springers are in the river in late March.

$10.00 Wasted

So today I stopped in to get a 5-year printout of my driving record for a job application. The man says "That will be $10.00" so I give him $10.00 and he handed me back a blank sheet of paper. I didn't like paying $10.00 for a blank piece of paper, but it sure feels good to have a SPOTLESS driving record! Especially if you knew what it looked like 15 years ago.
  I actually started out my day with a very nice meeting with the administrator of moms' estate. It sounds like things are progressing nicely at this point. I was happier when I left than I was when I got there, but all is well.
   We moved the plastic livestock water tank to the back field today. I had a load of wood chips dumped there and I have that water tank situated in an excellent place now.
   All the "Critters" are doing good. Tip was more active and did more enthusiastic running around today than she has since I got her. She is beginning to get comfortable with her surroundings.

Where Did Today Go?

Today I worked on the new chicken shed for most of the day. The old shelving is down and I have a good start on building my new nest boxes, which I am making out of 5-gallon buckets. It's gonna be cool when it's done! I went to Kelso to pick up some needed supplies to accommodate the baby chicks I am hoping to get tomorrow. I also got some job search work completed today and will be turning it in tomorrow. I have more to do in town tomorrow than I will have time to accomplish. I would like to get my last load of garbage and my last load of scrap metal hauled this week. It looks like we are in for a bit drier weather, so I would like to take advantage of it.
   I did put more bedding in the pen for Soupy & Norm. They really seem to enjoy it. There were 2 Bald Eagles sitting in the top of the tree at 2278 this afternoon.

Drier Day -- Rivers Are Receding

Let me see....I started the day by completing some "internet errands" that I needed to get done. Then we fed animals and unloaded the feed that I bought yesterday from the back of the red Dodge. Afterwards, I cut up the rest of those blocks from the weeping willow tree that used to stand in front of the shop.
    Ron Levang stopped by this afternoon and said that he could use some of the wood that I was going to throw out so I will let him have it. In return he will bring his excavator down to dig out some stumps that need to disappear.
   Tomorrow I might be getting 3 baby chicks. I will find out for sure in the morning. I do need to make a trip to town tomorrow, so it is not like I would be making a special trip just for 3 chicks.
   I have one load to go to the garbage dump and one load to go to scrap metal, then things will be pretty well cleaned up around here. I have noticed that my "to do" list is getting to be smaller & smaller projects. That is a good thing.

Is It Really January?

Boy, the temps are up in the mid & upper 50's. Some of the frogs have come out of hibernation and are sitting on the edge of the big pond. Nightcrawlers are out in the yard. It seems more like late March or early April. The river is pretty darn high, and rising. I am guessing that it will remain high for most of next week as Tacoma Power & Light tries to keep reservoirs drawn down in anticipation of our spring thaw, which is yet to come. The only real concern I have is that the water levels and clarity is conductive to good Spring Chinook fishing when they come in. That should be starting in mid to late March and run into the first part of June.
   I got the gutters on the shop cleaned out today and also helped Carey Murray load the rest of the junk wood that I had thrown down from the loft at the livestock barn.
   The Seahawks lost their football game against the Chicago Bears today and the N.Y. Jets beat the Washington Patriots, which really surprised me. I expected the Pats to be in the Super Bowl for sure. Next weekend will decide who the top 2 teams really are for this year.
   Norm & Soupy are doing good. The chickens are doing good but this heavy rain has caused part of their coop to be muddy. The cows are looking exceptional. This grain that I have been giving them is really paying off. They are as sleek and fat as any Herefords that I have seen. One thing for sure, you don't have to chase happy cows -- and I don't like chasin' cows!
  Oh-yea....and the rabbit is doing good also.

Now It's REALLY Gonna Rain!!!

A couple of inches in the next 24 hours....That's a pretty good soaker. Before the rain started today the animals all got fed and the rest of the "garbage wood" that was in the loft of the livestock barn is now ready to be loadedup & hauled away. There is till some work to do upstairs there but the worst of it is definitely done.
   I sharpened the big Husky saw today. I made a venison stew for dinner tonight. Put some pasta in it....mmmmm good!

I Was Right (for once!)

Back on Monday I predicted warm, wet, weather and nowhere near the snow event that was being predicted at that time. Now here we sit...smack dab in the middle of a "Pineapple Express" as it is known. By Sunday evening we might even see some high water in the Cowlitz Valley.
   Tip & I re-constructed the home made river gauge that is at the fishing hole. It isn't accurate in "real" river depth but is marked every six inches in order to determine how fast the river is rising. The City of Castle Rock comes up on the dike and check the river levels during high water. It gives them somewhere to go and something to do.
   We got the shop all finished today. That was a big job, but it needed to be done. Now I need to finish the livestock barn. It won't be hard to do, just take some time. The nice thing about it is that as I clean I continually gain usable space so the job gets better as you go, not worse.

A Warm, Wet Day

Today was just a warm, wet day. It rained all darn day. The snow level is above 6,000 feet and the river has risen almost 4 feet in the last 24 hours. She's high & muddy with an occasional log floating down. With the weather forecast being what it is, she'll probably stay out of shape for a week or so.
   We cleaned in the shop again today. It's just about as "done" as it's going to get at this time. One more time out there...workin' on the floors & vacuuming the rugs, and it will be ready for Springer fishin' season.
   Tomorrow depends on the weather. If it keeps raining, I need to finish cleaning the loft in the livestock barn. I can also finish the floor in the shop. I need to sharpen the big saw and cut up these big blocks of willow wood where I just had that tree taken out. If I managed to get all three of those things done tomorrow, I will have gotten a lot accomplished.

Meetings And Cleaning

There was a conference meeting this morning at Imbodens' (moms estate attorney) office. Things went pretty much as I expected. There is a chance of having everything completed by the first part of April, but that is subject to change. It would be nice to have this all done and behind us so that we may get on with our lives.
  Tip has been a real good doggie so far. We have not had a single "accident" in the house yet. I made a nice batch of ham hocks & navy beans this afternoon. It'll be "good eats" for a couple of days.
   Last Wednesday I weighed myself on a digital bathroom scale. It read #357. I have been paying close attention this past week to what I am eating and this morning that same scale read #346. That's #10 in one week. Do ya' think I can keep it up? I'm hoping that by posting my weight on here at a regular basis it will keep me feeling more "accountable" and thereby, help me to continue to loose weight. I think that I weighed about #240 - #250 when I came home in January of 2010. I would love to be down to about #225, but I think that #250 is more realistic.
  Tomorrow I go see another attorney about a different matter. "My" attorney is out of town until the 17th or else I would have probably met with him this week too.

Snow, finally...

We finally got some snow this evening. Just a skiff, but it is snow. I hope that there is no early morning accumulation as I have this appointment with Imboden tomorrow and there are some things that I would like to know.
   I sold the bathtub today, but not the stove. I think he wanted me to come down on my price & I wouldn't do it. I finished putting the big window in the new chicken house today. I fits great and will let in a lot of early morning light. We got the rabbit pen moved today and had BBQ pork ribs for dinner.
   I managed to get a little more of the shop cleaned up. That is a work in progress. As soon as I get it where I want it, I change my mind. It is not easy to orchestrate such an elaborate "Man-Cave".

Just A Good Winter DAy

Today was just a good winter day. This morning Tip & I took the red Dodge to Longview to have a new C.B. antenna installed. Then we went to Petco where Tip made her public debut. Everyone in the store stopped to pet her and comment on what a pretty pup she is. She was still kinda' nervous but I noticed that squeaky toys definitely get her attention so we got some of those. And some Beggin' Strips minis, and some training snacks, and a leash, and a brush, and some dry snacks, and some Beneful dog food. Before we left I made her a nice name tag that has name, address, etc. on it. We need to get our Castle Rock dog license and then we will be set.
   This afternoon we made a fire in the shop and did some cleaning out there. I found the rabbit! She was hiding under the riding lawn mower, but I got her out of there and she is now back in the cage where she belongs. When Tim Johnson comes down we are going to move that cage to the back porch so the shop doesn't get to smelling like "rabbit", if ya know what I mean.
  I am turning the pump house into a chicken / rabbit house and got started putting a window in it today. I am hoping to finish the window tomorrow. I am planning on making an outside chicken yard there too. That will help to reduce the size of my garden and -- the amount of weeding I will have to do! The critter pens will be right there close so that I won't have far to haul the manure for fertilizer, either.
   We were supposed to get a bunch of snow this week, but the second joint of the third toe on my left foot is starting to throb and that can mean only one thing....rain and warmer temperatures. Maybe even warm enough to melt a bunch of snow and make the rivers rise. It could happen. That toe-joint is really a throbbin'!
    Soupy and Norm were doing very good today when we fed them. As were the cows and chickens. I can tell that our days are growing a little longer and apparently the chickens are feeling it too as I am getting a couple more eggs ever day now. Boy, these sure are nice big eggs. I don't recall ever producing such big eggs in the past. My egg cartons are for Jumbo eggs and these are too big for the carton. Oh, they go in and you can close the carton but it is obvious that the eggs are a couple sizes bigger than Jumbo.
   Tonight is the Oregon Ducks vs Auburn Tigers championship football game so Tip & I (along with the rest of the Pacific Northwest) will be watching it. I cooked up a nice, succulent ham for dinner. Tomorrow a guy is supposed to be coming to look at the wood cookstove and the claw-footed bathtub. I hope he buys them both.

Meet "Tip", My New Best Friend!

I found me a Miniature Schnauzer today. Her name is "Tip", which is short for "Tipper". I drove to Goldendale, Washington and picked her out of two litters of pups that were available. She is kinda' silver/grey with white feet and a white beard -- Gorgeous! Today is a "bonding day" so I'm not going to write very much on here, but get back to my doggie. The Columbia River Gorge was beautiful and most of the waterfalls still had lotsa ice on them.
   The pigs were doing great this morning but the rabbit seems to have escaped and must be hiding somewhere in the shop! We (Tip & I) will try to find her tomorrow. I left food & water on the floor for her.

We Are Farmin' Now!!!

There are now 2 more piggers in the pigpen! I went to Amboy this morning and picked up two real nice looking weaner pigs, both males. One of them is two weeks younger than the other, but is just as big. I figure that he must be some kind of super pig so I named him Soupy. I could have named him Beans & Ham Hocks, but Soupy seemed like a good name. The other one, which is a good size pig too, I named Norm, because he is more normal. They are both white. I can tell them apart because Soupy has 2 notches in his ear, to identify him as being from a different litter.
   On the way home I stopped at the feed store in Battleground and bought a real nice New Zealand rabbit. A female. Now I need to find a young buck rabbit, so I can raise bunnies for the freezer.
   This afternoon the season-losing Seahawks kicked some Looseriana ass in wild card football at Qwest Field. It was the best game I have watched all year.
   It feels like snow tonight but the radar screen does not show much moisture coming into our area so I'm not expecting much snowfall....if any.

A Gloomy Winter Day

Today is just a gloomy, winter day. I went and visited with my new friend from BackYard Chickens website this morning. She, her husband, their children, and many chickens and animals live almost to the end of Rose Valley Road. That lady has some awesome chickens! I am going to be getting some from her later this spring. I can hardly wait.
   Tomorrow I will be picking up 2 weaner pigs and at least one rabbit. I'll probably be getting a female rabbit and then I will keep looking for a male. I can't get one of each from the same litter to use for breeding or the babies will come out looking like that squinty-eyed, toothless, hairless kid from the movie "Deliverance". You know who I'm talking about....the dweeb that played "Dueling Banjos" and was hanging on that bridge over the river.

Ready For Piggets!!

I got the pen all ready for the 2 weaner pigs that I will be getting on Saturday. I also got most of the driveway at 2278 cleaned off. I got the livestock chute hauled to Ron & Mary's today and borrowed their large pet carrier to transport the pigs in. I'm also looking for rabbits to raise and should have some located within a week.
   On Wednesday of next week there will be a meeting at Imboden's office. Hopefully I will be able to find out if & when I can begin moving some stuff out of the house at 2278. I don't want to wait until the title transfer occurs and then have to do everything at once.
  Tomorrow I'm going to visit a lady who raises the kind of chickens that I will be getting this spring. She is very knowledgeable about the breed and has been providing me with good information.

Bearer Of Bad News

So today the guys show up to split and haul off that gnarled, twisted old weeping willow tree. Anyway, they showed up about 0900 or so this morning and start to work. I was inside doing some work on the computer and I saw on the Longview news that a Ranier Oregon police officer had been shot this morning. WOW! A cop getting shot is always news, right? I noticed that the wood splitters were taking a break and so I stepped outside and related what was just on the news. One of the guys snapped his head around and said "My uncle is the Chief of Police in Ranier!" So I'm thinking, "Omygosh, that is a coincidence." Then I went back inside to continue with my work. A little while later it comes over the news that the police officer had died as a result of his wounds. The wood splitters were obviously interested in any developments so I told them what I had learned. By then their pickup was full and they went home. Wouldn't you know it -- it was the chief of police who was killed in Ranier this morning. When they returned for more wood (and having learned of the tragedy) I offered my sincere condolences. What else can you do?
   On a little bit brighter note, I am getting 2 more weaner pigs Saturday. This time I will keep the meat locked up so that all the pork steaks don't get stolen. I am also going to have the bacon sliced just a little thinner. I really liked the Italian breakfast sausage that I got from the last piggers, which were butchered and processed by Matt's Custom Meats of Kelso. I am anxious to get more pigs because there is food in the freezer and on the shelves at 2278 Larsen Lane that is outdated and I hate to just throw it out when it makes such good pig food.

Ready For Springers

Tim Johnson and I went to Jacobs Marine in Cathlamet today and picked up my boat. I had a couple of minor repairs to be made and now that they are done the boat is ready for Spring Chinook fishing. On the way home I stopped and got some lottery tickets for the drawings tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight's drawing is for 335 million $$$$$. (That's a LOT of dollars!)
   Also today I took the red Dodge truck to Greg Marcils' to get a full maintenance done.  Next Monday I get the C.B. hooked back up and then it goes to Dan Ledgetts' for some minor body and paint work. After that, Northwest Detailing will shampoo & detail the interior and we should be in good shape!
   When I got home today I finished a couple little things on the barn roof at 2278 Larsen Lane and it is now ready for rain, which the weatherman says could start by tomorrow afternoon.
   I spoke to Jamie Imboden's assistant today and she says that as soon as Vonda is willing to release moms' personal property that I can start getting stuff out of that house. I'm hoping that this will happen next week. I would like to move the big screen t.v., bedroom furniture, some household furniture and a few other things over to my house. It is stated in the will that nothing is to be done to impede implementation of the directives listed and so I'm hoping that this will be happening next week.

A New View

I now have a new view when I look towards my shop. The reason being that today I had the large, sick, 1/2 dead weeping willow tree that used to stand there removed. It makes the shop much more visible from the road, which is not neccessarily a bad thing. I also had the tree removal guys dump a load of wood chips where I am going to put my livestock watering tank. This will hopefully keep the area around the waterer from getting muddy during times of rain. I am hoping to get Ron Levang to bring his excavator down here and dig up the remaining stump. I will probably plant a Golden Chain tree where this big, messy willow once stood.
   Also today I ordered some baby chicks that will arrive about Easter. The birds that I have ordered are Blue-Laced Red Wyandottes. I ordered 10 hens and 5 roosters. Out of that many I hope to end up with 5 good hens and I will keep the best rooster. I really enjoy doing the "baby chickie" thing and hope to expand on this hobby.
   Tomorrow I am going to pick up my boat from Jacobs Marine in Cathlamet. It will be good to have the boat home and I can be getting ready for Spring Chinook season, which should start in March.

More Barn Cleaning

I got another truckload of junk and scrap wood hauled out of the barn loft from the 2278 property. There is probably one more truckload of junk out there and then I'll pretty much have 'er whipped!
   Went bowling with Cliff today and I can see that I am very much improved over my last few weeks. I have an average that is over 100 and I am now able to go bowling without feeling like a complete idiot. I would say that it has been "mission accomplished" at this point. I have no intention of League Bowling -- I just wanted to be comfortable doing it, and now I am.

Hot Dang!!!

Carey was here at 0900 to finish the barn roof and we got 'er done at just a few minutes after noon. It ended up costing me $110.00 in materials & labor and I had budgeted $200.00 for the job.
   It is still cold here, but no precipitation is predicted until at least mid-week. There currently is a burn ban in effect due to stagnant air and when the neighbors built a little outside bonfire last night it wasn't long until the "Town Clown" showed up with his gun & badge to make them put it out.
   I have made up a crock pot of smoked ham hocks and beans to cook while I watch old re-runs of Dallas.
                        Isn't ol' J.R. just the greatest?