This Morning

Yep, this is the greeting I received this morning from the god of snow.
I guess someone forgot to tell him it is September 30th not October 30th. We received four inches of snow during the night. The willow trees all fell over because they could not take the weight of the wet snow. Rather a dark photo, but it was early morning when I strolled on up the driveway.

Much has melted now and I do not need any snow around until sometime around November 1st (god of snow, are you listening?). I have to safely get off the mountain and then return.

14 days until Vancouver
16 days until Prine

Ian Tyson

I woke up this morning with Summer Wages going through my brain. Summer Wages is a song written by Ian Tyson. Born in 1933 in Victoria, British Columbia, Ian has won several awards and wrote the song Four Strong Winds, which was recorded by Neil Young and several other singers.

Summer Wages

Never hit 17 when you play against the dealer
You know that the odds won't ride with you
Never leave your woman alone when your friends are there to steal her
She'll be gambled and gone like summer wages

And we'll roll on til we get to Vancouver
And the lady that I love she's living there
Its been six long months and more since I've seen her
Maybe she's gambled and gone like summer wages

Chorus
In all the beer parlors
All down along main street
The dreams of the season are spilled down on the floor
All the big stands of timber wait there just for fallin'
The hookers stand watchfully waitin' by the door

I'm going to work on them towboats with my slippery city shoes
Lord I swore I would never do again
Through the great fog bound straight
Where the cedars stand waitin
I'll be lost and gone like summer wages

Chorus

...and the years are gambled and lost like summer wages

It Is Round Up Time, Finally

Good Grief, when I woke up this morning there must have been 59 cows out back. They are moooooin', there are calves, mothers' that are not a sleep, babies that are not rockin' to a gentle beat.

It is round up time. The cows are going home via my roadway. I have chase so many today, I feel like I should be paid for rounding up them cows. My word, some of them are so big, it is a fright for me. I have tried to reason with these beasts, to no avail. While I am chasing them - with my five foot walking stick, I yell at them big time, you big (curse words and many of them) black heathen, your tail could kill me. One swipe I would be gone. Dead. Go, go, be on your way. What part of what I am saying do not you understand? You cows are dense, do you have a brain - get the hell out of here.

With all the commotion, my fine neighbor strolls on down. Yep, this is exactly what I need. I took one look at him and said, get the hell out of here, these cows I am dealing with are enough for me, waved my stick and said go. He left. I must have been quite the site with my stick in hand, raving hair, and a big voice hollering.

I have only 18 more days to go until I get off the mountain side to camp out with Charlene in some fine hotel in Vancouver. Fine Prine it is going to be. No cows.

The Mountain Side

My days of peace and solitude are coming to an end, the noisemaker comes home tomorrow. I have quite enjoyed my time alone, I did what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. I did not clean up like I generally do. I listened to cds endlessly. I did not have to shovel snow like the last time noisemaker departed. I only had one incident with the bathtub drain, it plugged. However, with the experience I have in the field of plumbing, I was able to clear the drain. Naturally, after I did that I thought ...hmm...what is this thing? I unscrewed the panel and saw that it was a drain pipe, like coming from the kitchen. Lord have mercy was that thing filthy. Yikers. I cleaned it all up, screwed the panel plate thing back on, all is well in the field of drains/plumbing.

I had one night where the ghosts came to visit, I could hear them 500 miles away in every direction. I turned the television on. The next night at 1:30 a.m. I heard the roar of harleys thundering down the road. I got up and peeked out the window and they are congregated up there looking at the map of our area. Not that I could see them, but I could see the area and the lights shining. I figured they must be lost and have stopped to try to find their way. Then, I thought to myself - if it was daytime, I would run on up there and tell them 'you are on my bucket list - here's the deal'...... One day, I will ride a harley, one day.

Some days I quite enjoy living on the mountain side, it is very peaceful and a very different life style. Even though I have never been a shopper, there are days I would love to go to a Walmart. I would love to go to McDonalds and have a quarter pounder with cheese (no onions) and french fries. I yearn to go to a craft shop. Living on the mountain side, well, you tend to invent things, simple things. Talking to the animals, I love doing that. I sing to them too - they seem to enjoy it. There are lots of rocks, I hunt for rock hearts, agates. I must try to see about purchasing a rock polisher, I have lots of rocks in glass jars and baskets. They are just a picture of love and it warms my heart everytime I look at them. I have my wood project - I was varnishing them up the other day and a big gust of wind came and blew my locks right into the freshly varnished piece of wood. Good lord - I ripped my hair from the wood piece and thought that is enough for today (next time braid the locks).

Of course, with the upcoming John Prine concert in Vancouver - well, smucksville not a day (or should I say a hour) goes by where I do not thing about going down the mountain to attend the concert and to meet Charlene. As my brother put it; this is your event of the year, enjoy it! 21 more days from tomorrow, there we'll be, Prine-ing. I'll be doing the Paradise Wave, Charlene will be swinging here pendants, (see special sites) note taking. It is all very exciting for me.

Certainly, I have missed the noisemaker - but just not that much. The four walls we call a home will be a flurry of activity when they arrive tomorrow. My stepson and grandson will leave for their home soon thereafter. My noisemaker will turn on the television, he will curse as he always does. I will sit down here, as I always do and life will go on as it does, on the mountain side.

Here's The Cake!

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 tub ready-to-spread chocolate frosting

Bake cake as directed on box using two round pans. Cool completely.

Fill layers and frost sides of cake with frosting. Carefully pour ganache onto top center of cake, spread to edge, allowing some to drizzled down side. Garnish top center with chopped pecans or walnuts. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Store covered in refrigerator. Serves 12 to 16.

Chocolate Ganache
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 ounces semisweet baking chocolate (chocolate chips)

Heat whipping cream over low heat until hot but not boiling. Remove and stir in chocolate until melted. Let stand a few minutes, it will be ready to use when it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. It will become firmer, the longer it cools. Please note, if you like chocolate I would double the recipe using 2/3 whipping cream and 6 ounces of chocolate. That way you have enough for your cake and enough to eat while you wait for your cake to come out of the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Bruce

September 23rd, Bruce Springsteen turns 60! Happy Birthday, Bruce. Not sure Bruce looks this way tomorrow, but it'll be close - he is a very attractive man and serves justice well for the being of man.

September 23rd is also the fourth year I celebrate living on the mountain side. Sometimes, I cannot believe I have mountain sided four years. However, when winter rolls on it, I believe it.

September 23rd, on a sadder note is also when we lost a good dog friend, Jasper, the big hound dog.

September 23rd, 21 days to Vancouver, 23 days to Prine!

I like to see my blog posts covering the photo, so I will have to babble/ramble on.

We almost have it. Is it just me or do the female followers see some kind of cute lil rounded object, that is not a crop circle! hahaha!

And, the boots!

Birthday Greetings

Happy Birthday, Rumble

oops, I could be a day out -

May this bud fly off the mountain

May a cold one always be in your hand

and may the gate of our friendship never grow rusty.

Cheers and Beers!

Lil Black Dress

A photo some of you folks have already viewed. For those who have not, yep - that is me - July 19th, 2008. The famous little black velvet dress!

Boz

Such a beautiful love song - Look What You've Done To Me
David Foster/Boz Scaggs

Hope they never end this song, this could take us all night long
I looked at the moon and I felt blue, then I looked again and I saw you
Eyes like fire in the night, bridges burning with their light
Now I'll have spend the whole night through and honey, yes I'll have to spend it all on you . . .

Love, look what you've done to me
I never thought I'd fall again so easily
Oh love, you wouldn't lie to me
Leaving me to feel this way ...

They might fade and turn to stone, let's get crazy all alone
Hold me closer than you'd ever dare, close your eyes and I'll be there
After all is said and done, after all, you are the one
Take me up your stairs and through the door
Take me where we don't care anymore

Love, look what you've done to me
I never thought I'd fall again so easily
Oh love, you wouldn't lie to me, would you
Leaving me to feel this way ...

Chimney Inversions

It was a tad on the side of cool this morning, I knew I would have to build a fire in the woodstove. I opened the door of the stove and noted immediately the temperature inside was cold. From the vast knowledge I have of wood burning, I knew not to start a fire because I would have an inversion. I hate those inversions. Smoke comes billowing out and you panic. Noisemaker he told me what to do when you think you are going to have an inversion, but rightly or lefty speaking, it must have been one of those moments I was not paying heed to. I went on line and found this wonderful website ~all you need to know about wood burning stoves but were afraid to ask~ teehee. Website is http://www.chimneysweeponline.com. I followed the instructions given for my problem and now I have a nice, toasty lil bit of a fire going. I am proud of myself, very proud.

Prine - Vancouver

Centre For The Performing Arts - Vancouver, B.C.

Here is where I'll be doing the Paradise Wave on October 16th.

The Paradise Wave is a wave done just below the shoulder so as you do not intrude on the dude or dudette behind you. It is not like a Queen Liz wave, it is not done slowly. It is done with passion. Sometimes, I get so excited I get both hands going. Too funny, I should put a trademark on
The Paradise Wave.