February on the Mountain
February on the Mountain
8 FEET of Snowfall and Counting!
Luci’s Big Day
We were leaving for a walk when Curt saw Luci dart into the woods uphill from the house. She found the tallest tree and quickly climbed to the top! I don’t know why cats do this - climb to the very top of a tree to discover that they don’t know how to get down. There she was meowing at the top as if one of us could help her.
We sat at the bottom of the tree with our snowshoes on and waited for her. She’d climb halfway down, meowing all the way - just to scare herself and scramble back up. After nearly an hour - success! She made it all the way down and acted pretty impressed with herself.
Later that day, after our walk I was sitting in bed. Luci was having her daily ‘zoomies’, running around the house like a maniac. She ran up the ladder of my loft bed, gave me an evil ‘Luci look’ and firmly chomped on my hand! She’s a kitten and usually delivers little ‘love bites’ all of the time but this had extra oomph. Having begun teething recently, I realized quickly that she might’ve loosened one of her teeth. I opened her mouth and to my amazement - discovered one of her kitten canines! That’ll have to go in the scrapbook.
Snowshoe Hikes
There’s nothing more peaceful than going for a hike on snowshoes. The forest is so calm and quiet. When the sun hits the snow it sparkles like glitter in the wind. Animals leave tracks, reminding me that even though I don’t usually see them - they’re everywhere and I’m in their backyard.
We hiked to some century-old abandoned log cabins. Seeing them still standing after so many years and so much snow load is inspiring. Old cedar shakes (shingles) make the roofs, with long lodgepoles spanning the length of the cabins. The walls are made of axe-hewn logs. I’m a bit envious of the wood rats that have made the cabins their home.
Valentines Day
On Valentine’s day, we hiked to the top of the property for a picnic! From the top, there’s a 360-degree view. I’m often asked why we didn’t build there - which is a great question. One main reason is that it’s entirely exposed to extreme weather! Wind and lightning are the main concerns. The snow is about a foot deeper, and I don’t know where water could come from. Yet.
Crafts
I finally found the time to make myself a rabbit fur hat, as mentioned in a previous post. Once the hat was finished I started another project - refurbishing an old sewing machine treadle. Curt bought it for me and it had been living with other ‘junk’ in the shed. After cleaning the drawers I put a little oil on the moving parts, and like magic, it all spins freely! I’m looking forward to putting a belt on it and making a top. Then I plan to use it to power whatever small machines I can dream up.
SNOW
This is now officially our biggest year for snow. We’ve been keeping track by noting how much snow falls every day, then adding it up. So far our total snowfall this year is already well over 8 FEET. Between snowfalls, it’s compacted by the heat of the day. The shallowest snow I’ve found was three feet. The goats walk right over their fence!
Reading and Writing
The chair that I made last summer is ugly but a surprisingly comfortable place to read. I picked up some vintage books in town and am looking forward to getting into some Mark Twain as well as one called ‘Stirring Stories for Boys’.
February has been a nice time to sit and write. At this point of the season, I find myself getting nostalgic and a bit introspective. I enjoyed writing 'The Legacy in a Junk Pile' and 'Loving Where You Live'. I’d started both of them months ago and though they’re fairly short, it took a while to find the words.
The Evolution of the Front Room
Two water totes have been emptied and we’ve taken them outside. Suddenly I can see out of both windows! Another 25 square feet is free to use - it doesn’t sound like a lot but when the house is less than 250sqft it’s a lot of space. I’m looking forward to the thaw and getting materials for the finishing work and making the front room pretty. I’m also looking forward to making a tongue and groove floor from scratch using my combination hand plane.
Wow, time is flying and suddenly it’s March! This winter has been incredible, challenging and fun. With spring on the horizon, I’m careful not to wish these beautiful days away just yet.
Yes, I do. Will send some down.
So what are you going to do for water now that the containers are outside of the heated area?
Never been a fan of cats, I'm a dog person. My girlfriend has both ....we are discussing the cat ...so far I'm losing. I can see the advantage of having an outdoor/barn cat, but not one in the house.
I think this may be an argument I will not win.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with for the treadle. I've got one of the old sewing machines and the foot operated function is cool. There are some designs for foot operated wood lathes, that could be an idea.
Good luck with the snow, at this rate you can start digging tunnels or mazes for the goats to run around in :D