There's just something better about any disaster or “challenge” when it's written about after the fact, rather than in the middle of the crisis. At least that's the way I feel about it. While I'm given the “opportunity” to stretch myself, discover how my character has a chance to further develop under adversity, I just don't feel much like sharing the news. I'm too taught, wound up and ultra focused on getting myself out of the particular mess that I'm in.
Messes come in all shapes and forms, some are minor but seem horrif at the time, others are life threatening and many are damaging on other levels. This time, I'm just talking about common crises that pop up in most lives, although they may be different colored for different people, depending on their circumstances.
Now that this crisis is over, I can talk about it. Living off the grid, east of the Cascades means that our winters are somewhat colder than those in the Sponge, ie Portland, Seattle and significantly colder than Florida, California etc. Don't like hot buildings, it's much healthier living in European style room temperatures. I like indoor temps around 62 degrees, maybe 65, but any warmer than that and it feels too hot. Besides viruses survive in warmer temperatures.
Living in a log cabin, with radiant floor heating sounds plenty cozy, and it normally is. Except when something goes wrong as it recently did. No noisy furnaces blasting uneven heat everywhere...just a gentle warmth that is everywhere.
The other night, why do emergencies always happen at night? We ran out of water. Nothing new there, we pump from a private well into a 1,000 gallon holding tank. While that system could be automated in a perfect world, there's just something about 40 dogs, horses, cats, chickens etc that keep us from enjoying any type of perfection. Back to the story. When we forget to pump into the holding tank and use all of the water we run out. Sometimes we forget when we pump, since summer brings more water usage than does winter.
I knew that we shouldn't be out of water yet, I remembered this time, because during winter I have the thrill of hauling 300 feet of water hoses around to water animals and then draining that same 300 feet so it will be ready for the next water. About every other day during the winter is what it takes to keep water troughs and buckets full. So running out before that was a clue that something was wrong.
Well trouble shooting what that something is can take awhile. We put on the thinking caps first, checking the most obvious, ruling them out one by one, until we're left scratching our heads. Maybe we better check the radiant floor heating since we noticed our indoor temps starting to drop. OH NO, there was a minor flood. Not a big deal, it's in an unfinished part of the house. Well, ALL of the house is unfinished, but this is in an unfinished AND uninsulated part. Not a bit deal after all, a hose clamp had come loose and pumped out all of our water and drained our holding tank dry. Refilled and watched and waited, but the temps wouldn't start to regain.
When we're already at 62 degrees inside, it doesn't take long before it starts to get a little chilly. The indoor pooches look at us and prefer laying on couches instead of the cooling floor. I put on another layer of clothes, then the hoodies. We just can keep the water temps up going into the heating system, and they're dropping on the out flowing line. Not good.
Bingo, after 2 days, we figured it out. Bleed the lines to get the air out. So we drained the lines, refilled and then slowly watched the temps start to raise. So once again we're smiling.
Yeah, it wasn't a death sentence, temps outside were in the teens and 20's, but what if the temps dropped before we could get things figured out, then we'd be looking at a real potential-pipe-breaking-mess. But then I remembered that old saying:
“bridges you cross before you get to them are over rivers that aren't there”
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Through Rain Or Snow
There are few things more tranquil than sitting inside snuggled next to a roaring, crackling fire, sipping something warm while watching the beautiful white snow flakes cascade softly to the earth. Or remembering my thrill at hitting the slopes at the crack of down, skiing all day and partying all night, a very long time ago, or even ice skating was great fun....I imagine everyone “loves the snow” when they see it from those perspectives, but what about from a different perspective? What if you have to actually be outside working in it?
Today's Thanksgiving animal count at Happy Tails is:
4 horses in 2 pastures that are several hundred feet apart
8 Oberhasli goats in 2 different pastures
2 llamas with a horse
chickens everywhere, some in their hoop house, some with goats, others roosting where they will
cats, hard to tell how many new ones were deposited by transient moms, maybe a half dozen or so
39 Rotts with straw stuffed Igloos and partial roofs
Imagine that 18” of fresh snow fell on all of us with temperatures hovering around -5 degrees. To survive, everyone now requires extraordinary winter care, such as:
plentiful dry straw must be stuffed into Igloos for warmth & scattered in front for lounging.
18” of snow must first be removed from the tarps covering the snow
18” of snow must be removed from the front of each kennel, from the front of the barn, from our paths
all drinking water must be broken once daily, it still will refreeze quicker than we like
hoses must be manually drained, holding overhead and draining 3 times and then carefully laid flat
hoses must be dragged up to 300'+ to reach farthest pastures
kennel gates freeze and require human intervention to get them open
snow accumulates in front of gates and freezes and must be hacked away for access
snow must be shoveled off the partial roofs or they will collapse
many of our chain link kennels have been squished down a foot or so due to past heavy snow
wooden 2 x 6 supports must be built and installed to add support so roofs won't collapse
paths in snow must be made for chickens that stay out so food can be scattered in those paths
food for our cats & guest cats is in barn and under parked trucks trailers
1 of our cats insists on special accommodations on our covered porch, w shelter, food & water
hay must be delivered to horses/goats, after removing all snow from the tarps
dogs eat from 5 gallon buckets
dog food is stored in one of our 45' trailers, those doors always freeze shut & require attention
dog food must be loaded into something to carry to the runs
With this number of dogs and these temps we're looking at 4,000 to 5,850 lbs of dog food monthly
We still have to get dog food from Portland, Vancouver, Yakima during the winter
We are off grid, meaning solar when there's sun, but in the winter and these low temps we need full time diesel generator operation. Equipment fails, as it did day before yesterday, meaning we're all without basics of electricity, heat or water until we humans can trouble shoot, find & resolve any problems, irrespective of the weather, inclination or energy.
Our tractor doesn't “do” winters, our ATV needs repair. We hand carry food in 5 gallon buckets, we sometimes hand carry water when an outdoor frost free hydrant freezes. What normally takes 2 humans a couple of hours in good weather can take 6-8 hours leaving us drained, freezing yet sweating from the exertion.
The little Suzuki Sidekick is small enough to help deliver the hay to the pastures and as winter progresses, we will give up trudging things by hand, dig open the fence panels so we can drive into the dog area.
Our blessings are not only saving the lives & serving those that need help, but also in seeing the numerous birds that share our chicken food & hay, they land by the dozens and belly right up with horses, goats & chickens. We left hundreds of apples on the trees. Their bright red color contrasts nicely against the snow, and it's particularly rewarding to see visiting birds land to dine. I doubt there will be any left by spring. There's also some herbs, seeds & veggies in the garden that birds seem to find enjoyable. We also have dozens and dozens of smaller birds who have decided that they live with the dogs, they build nests under their roofs and swoop down to share their kibble & water.
We are thankful today, but grateful all year!
This is the view from Happy Tails humans.
Be thankful that you're inside or outside by choice.
Happy Tails could use:
building materials for repairs
building materials for a permanent arena style roof over the dogs 90 x 120
an operational ATV
a 4 x 4 tractor that does winter
a lower mileage 4 x 4 truck, our rigs are 250k plus and taped together
an operational 15K + generator
Contributions are tax deductible.
Safe Journey!
Today's Thanksgiving animal count at Happy Tails is:
4 horses in 2 pastures that are several hundred feet apart
8 Oberhasli goats in 2 different pastures
2 llamas with a horse
chickens everywhere, some in their hoop house, some with goats, others roosting where they will
cats, hard to tell how many new ones were deposited by transient moms, maybe a half dozen or so
39 Rotts with straw stuffed Igloos and partial roofs
Imagine that 18” of fresh snow fell on all of us with temperatures hovering around -5 degrees. To survive, everyone now requires extraordinary winter care, such as:
plentiful dry straw must be stuffed into Igloos for warmth & scattered in front for lounging.
18” of snow must first be removed from the tarps covering the snow
18” of snow must be removed from the front of each kennel, from the front of the barn, from our paths
all drinking water must be broken once daily, it still will refreeze quicker than we like
hoses must be manually drained, holding overhead and draining 3 times and then carefully laid flat
hoses must be dragged up to 300'+ to reach farthest pastures
kennel gates freeze and require human intervention to get them open
snow accumulates in front of gates and freezes and must be hacked away for access
snow must be shoveled off the partial roofs or they will collapse
many of our chain link kennels have been squished down a foot or so due to past heavy snow
wooden 2 x 6 supports must be built and installed to add support so roofs won't collapse
paths in snow must be made for chickens that stay out so food can be scattered in those paths
food for our cats & guest cats is in barn and under parked trucks trailers
1 of our cats insists on special accommodations on our covered porch, w shelter, food & water
hay must be delivered to horses/goats, after removing all snow from the tarps
dogs eat from 5 gallon buckets
dog food is stored in one of our 45' trailers, those doors always freeze shut & require attention
dog food must be loaded into something to carry to the runs
With this number of dogs and these temps we're looking at 4,000 to 5,850 lbs of dog food monthly
We still have to get dog food from Portland, Vancouver, Yakima during the winter
We are off grid, meaning solar when there's sun, but in the winter and these low temps we need full time diesel generator operation. Equipment fails, as it did day before yesterday, meaning we're all without basics of electricity, heat or water until we humans can trouble shoot, find & resolve any problems, irrespective of the weather, inclination or energy.
Our tractor doesn't “do” winters, our ATV needs repair. We hand carry food in 5 gallon buckets, we sometimes hand carry water when an outdoor frost free hydrant freezes. What normally takes 2 humans a couple of hours in good weather can take 6-8 hours leaving us drained, freezing yet sweating from the exertion.
The little Suzuki Sidekick is small enough to help deliver the hay to the pastures and as winter progresses, we will give up trudging things by hand, dig open the fence panels so we can drive into the dog area.
Our blessings are not only saving the lives & serving those that need help, but also in seeing the numerous birds that share our chicken food & hay, they land by the dozens and belly right up with horses, goats & chickens. We left hundreds of apples on the trees. Their bright red color contrasts nicely against the snow, and it's particularly rewarding to see visiting birds land to dine. I doubt there will be any left by spring. There's also some herbs, seeds & veggies in the garden that birds seem to find enjoyable. We also have dozens and dozens of smaller birds who have decided that they live with the dogs, they build nests under their roofs and swoop down to share their kibble & water.
We are thankful today, but grateful all year!
This is the view from Happy Tails humans.
Be thankful that you're inside or outside by choice.
Happy Tails could use:
building materials for repairs
building materials for a permanent arena style roof over the dogs 90 x 120
an operational ATV
a 4 x 4 tractor that does winter
a lower mileage 4 x 4 truck, our rigs are 250k plus and taped together
an operational 15K + generator
Contributions are tax deductible.
Safe Journey!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Don't Touch My Junk ~ TSA Rap Video
This video is rated not suitable for children, but rather than shield them from the reality of the potential sexual molestation they face if they try to board an airplane in the US, you might consider showing them the video.
Don't fly and be molested, the airlines can stop this. We can stop this. The original program initiated in 2001 has a 2 year contract. Vote with your dollars, do not fly until sexual molestation stops.
Check the creative video by clicking on the Title.
"With people getting partially molested at checkpoints, all that is going to be a real shock for them," said Greg Wells, senior vice president of operations at Southwest Airlines.
Don't fly and be molested, the airlines can stop this. We can stop this. The original program initiated in 2001 has a 2 year contract. Vote with your dollars, do not fly until sexual molestation stops.
Check the creative video by clicking on the Title.
"With people getting partially molested at checkpoints, all that is going to be a real shock for them," said Greg Wells, senior vice president of operations at Southwest Airlines.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Xena The Adorable
Xena was adorable as Rotties get. Like Seabiscuit, though she was small she was mighty. I have been blessed to know 5 Rottie females. The first 2 were purebreds from champion lines. One of which was the sweetest pup I have ever known, until Xena. Xena was not outdone and fairly matched by my sweet Maggie.
Xena is missed greatly by her two brothers, Taj (a chow/dobie mix) and Strider (a Gordon Setter/Border Collie mix). The only thing that these two boys ever agreed on was their love of Xena. She kept the both in line and happy as all get-out.
Although she was generally accepting and friendly, she was super protective while riding around in public. To both dogs and people she was vehement should any approach her beloved car and family. Car riding, walking, playing with her brothers, belly rubs were all her favorite things. My wife and I dearly love and deeply miss our short-legged, barrel-bodied, nub-wagging friend and sister.
We only hope our next female Rottie will be half as sweet and loving as our Xena. My God, how they grow right into our hearts. Bless you sweet sister. I hope you are enjoying the Kingdom of Bliss. Bob & Jacque.
Monday, October 11, 2010
STOP US Army From Cruel Animal Mutilations
This article is from PETA:
The U.S. Army is once again applying for a permit to cut apart and kill animals in cruel and crude trauma training exercises in the district of Oberpfalz (Bavaria, Germany), even though the Army's first application was withdrawn because of overwhelming public opposition to the plan. Its second application was also recently denied because officials said that the animal laboratories would violate Germany's animal protection law, since effective non-animal methods are available for use in the training instead.
Germany's own Armed Forces has written to PETA, stating: "[T]he armed forces do no animal tests for training purposes. For training exercises the soldiers learn with really good models and the doctors don't need animal experiments." The U.S. Army's own Alfred V. Rascon School of Combat Medicine at Fort Campbell does not use animals in its trauma program, stating that "[t]raining on [simulators] is more realistic to providing care for a person than training on animals."
Please help spare animals from these cruel and deadly trauma training exercises right now by sending polite e-mails to German government officials urging them to stop the U.S. Army from pursuing permits for trauma training in Germany.
Happy Tails statement: The German Army has done the right thing so far by refusing to allow a permit for these mutilations which do not simulate human trauma injuries. There are models and superior simulations that are far more effective. There is an online petition.
The U.S. Army is once again applying for a permit to cut apart and kill animals in cruel and crude trauma training exercises in the district of Oberpfalz (Bavaria, Germany), even though the Army's first application was withdrawn because of overwhelming public opposition to the plan. Its second application was also recently denied because officials said that the animal laboratories would violate Germany's animal protection law, since effective non-animal methods are available for use in the training instead.
Germany's own Armed Forces has written to PETA, stating: "[T]he armed forces do no animal tests for training purposes. For training exercises the soldiers learn with really good models and the doctors don't need animal experiments." The U.S. Army's own Alfred V. Rascon School of Combat Medicine at Fort Campbell does not use animals in its trauma program, stating that "[t]raining on [simulators] is more realistic to providing care for a person than training on animals."
Please help spare animals from these cruel and deadly trauma training exercises right now by sending polite e-mails to German government officials urging them to stop the U.S. Army from pursuing permits for trauma training in Germany.
Happy Tails statement: The German Army has done the right thing so far by refusing to allow a permit for these mutilations which do not simulate human trauma injuries. There are models and superior simulations that are far more effective. There is an online petition.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Time Acceleration
It just always seems that once the Calendar says Sept 1, the acceleration of time is most rapid. The daylight grows noticeably shorter with each passing day, but the list of important chores continues to grow.
This is the time of the year when I really crank up getting dog food in for the winter haul. Dog appetites increase and who knows what the roads could be like during the winter or if the cars & trucks will cooperate or break down. After all, we measure the age of our vehicles in decades, and they do show some wear and tear. The Suburban has over 250k miles and the engine is doing great, the body tends to be showing age related signs of decay, oh well.
This time of year it becomes a bit of a frenzy. The dogs notice the shortening days and want to come inside earlier, and wonder why they are still outside after dark. The cooler nights make them peppy and it seems that the full moon lasts forever.
Of course juggling 6 indoor pooches that don't get along makes it more interesting, so when the 3 outside come in and stay until morning, so we keep their schedule by the clock rather than the daylight or darkness.
About 15 tons of hay has to be picked up, unloaded, covered and secured. The round trip drive to and from the hay is about 2 hours and it's within our same zip code! The roads are not paved and traveling is rather slow. Still, it's a great time of the year. Our hay guy's wife is running for the county prosecuting attorney position, so that adds to the mix of excitement in the air.
Besides hay, we needs straw for the dogs, so that means more trips in different directions and no, nobody delivers, we must pick up.
We have 3 dog food trips scheduled for the next week or so, Once to Vancouver, once to Portland, another time to Yakima and another in a couple of weeks to the Ellensburg area. Gosh, that's 4 trips! Lots of driving, but we'll combine it with other chores and with each trip will be a little more thankful for the donated food.
There is just a certain amount of urgency, chaos, and ramping up of everything at this time of the year. At least it's that way here. I start looking around and mentally ticking off the needed repairs that have to be done before winter. Make sure that all hoses are in place to get stored for when we start hauling hoses for winter watering. Making sure things are tarped, Screwing down our pathetic dog roofs and hoping that our sagging kennels make it through another winter of snow load.
This year is going to be a La Nina, so it will bring more moisture of some sort. Warmer we'll be drowning in mud, colder we'll be buried in snow and all of the work that involves.
Oh well, at least we took the time to fix the leaking propane line. It was like dollars vaporizing into the air. As winter kicks in and we have to think about turning on the radiant floor heat, every dollar not wasted is a bonus. I always think that we'll tough it out and not need so much heat this year. We keep it around 62 degrees inside and sweat like demons when we go anywhere that it's warmer inside. Today at least the heat is off, the sun is out, the tomatoes are still mostly green.
The immediate tasks involve finishing several hundred feet of horse fencing and whacking down the weeds that invaded the garlic. Getting the rest of the Russian Sage and Lavender plants in the ground and mulched. Oh yeah, picking up several truck loads of goat compost, another 1 hour trip away in the same zip code.
We did manage to install a new window and a French door, so that has us fully enclosed for the first time ever. Of course, that part of the house is still unfinished.....but it was some progress.
I guess everyone has lists, can't live without them.
This is the time of the year when I really crank up getting dog food in for the winter haul. Dog appetites increase and who knows what the roads could be like during the winter or if the cars & trucks will cooperate or break down. After all, we measure the age of our vehicles in decades, and they do show some wear and tear. The Suburban has over 250k miles and the engine is doing great, the body tends to be showing age related signs of decay, oh well.
This time of year it becomes a bit of a frenzy. The dogs notice the shortening days and want to come inside earlier, and wonder why they are still outside after dark. The cooler nights make them peppy and it seems that the full moon lasts forever.
Of course juggling 6 indoor pooches that don't get along makes it more interesting, so when the 3 outside come in and stay until morning, so we keep their schedule by the clock rather than the daylight or darkness.
About 15 tons of hay has to be picked up, unloaded, covered and secured. The round trip drive to and from the hay is about 2 hours and it's within our same zip code! The roads are not paved and traveling is rather slow. Still, it's a great time of the year. Our hay guy's wife is running for the county prosecuting attorney position, so that adds to the mix of excitement in the air.
Besides hay, we needs straw for the dogs, so that means more trips in different directions and no, nobody delivers, we must pick up.
We have 3 dog food trips scheduled for the next week or so, Once to Vancouver, once to Portland, another time to Yakima and another in a couple of weeks to the Ellensburg area. Gosh, that's 4 trips! Lots of driving, but we'll combine it with other chores and with each trip will be a little more thankful for the donated food.
There is just a certain amount of urgency, chaos, and ramping up of everything at this time of the year. At least it's that way here. I start looking around and mentally ticking off the needed repairs that have to be done before winter. Make sure that all hoses are in place to get stored for when we start hauling hoses for winter watering. Making sure things are tarped, Screwing down our pathetic dog roofs and hoping that our sagging kennels make it through another winter of snow load.
This year is going to be a La Nina, so it will bring more moisture of some sort. Warmer we'll be drowning in mud, colder we'll be buried in snow and all of the work that involves.
Oh well, at least we took the time to fix the leaking propane line. It was like dollars vaporizing into the air. As winter kicks in and we have to think about turning on the radiant floor heat, every dollar not wasted is a bonus. I always think that we'll tough it out and not need so much heat this year. We keep it around 62 degrees inside and sweat like demons when we go anywhere that it's warmer inside. Today at least the heat is off, the sun is out, the tomatoes are still mostly green.
The immediate tasks involve finishing several hundred feet of horse fencing and whacking down the weeds that invaded the garlic. Getting the rest of the Russian Sage and Lavender plants in the ground and mulched. Oh yeah, picking up several truck loads of goat compost, another 1 hour trip away in the same zip code.
We did manage to install a new window and a French door, so that has us fully enclosed for the first time ever. Of course, that part of the house is still unfinished.....but it was some progress.
I guess everyone has lists, can't live without them.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
New Voice?
Sometimes those old sayings just don't hold water. Proof is always in the pudding and that sort of thing. Every morning and sometimes at night, or the middle of the day, depending on how the planets are aligned and the moon phase we have had night or day songs. Beautiful melodies, dog voices raised from the depths of their ancestral memories.
New dog arrives, the melody changes, another dog leaves music changes again. What has always amazed me is that there is always a dog tune leader outside or inside that leads off and then others join in. Noses pointed skyward, eyes closed, lips circled.
Sounds vary from high pitched, to low baritones, slow and melodious or a quick tempo. Dogs do not sound the same and each has their style. Once the song leader calls out the choir they all join in for 10 seconds or so and then some maestro mentally signals stop and all howling ceases in an instant. There are no lingering voices. They all stop at once.
Our morning song leader has always been Spencer, at least for the last 8 years. Spencer is a Border Collie/Rott, sporting a white tuxedo shirt and has always yipped others into a song frenzy. He's never howled. Not horribly unusual. Many newcomers don't know how to howl, but with observation and desire they all quickly learn. Spencer has always yipped. Didn't really matter, the others all knew it was the intention and spirit of the yip that mattered and not the tune.
This morning a new voice emerged. Following a few warm up yips, Spencer howled!
What does it mean? Mere humans are pathetically lacking insight to know these matters. One thing is certain, it's an unusual change after almost 9 years, we'll be watching things closely for subtle changes everywhere.
New dog arrives, the melody changes, another dog leaves music changes again. What has always amazed me is that there is always a dog tune leader outside or inside that leads off and then others join in. Noses pointed skyward, eyes closed, lips circled.
Sounds vary from high pitched, to low baritones, slow and melodious or a quick tempo. Dogs do not sound the same and each has their style. Once the song leader calls out the choir they all join in for 10 seconds or so and then some maestro mentally signals stop and all howling ceases in an instant. There are no lingering voices. They all stop at once.
Our morning song leader has always been Spencer, at least for the last 8 years. Spencer is a Border Collie/Rott, sporting a white tuxedo shirt and has always yipped others into a song frenzy. He's never howled. Not horribly unusual. Many newcomers don't know how to howl, but with observation and desire they all quickly learn. Spencer has always yipped. Didn't really matter, the others all knew it was the intention and spirit of the yip that mattered and not the tune.
This morning a new voice emerged. Following a few warm up yips, Spencer howled!
What does it mean? Mere humans are pathetically lacking insight to know these matters. One thing is certain, it's an unusual change after almost 9 years, we'll be watching things closely for subtle changes everywhere.
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