A New Heartsease...

A Happy and Prosperous New Year!

May all the "eggs" in your 2023 "basket" hatch!

 

May your New Year be Kind, Prosperous, Happy, Blessed and bring all your wishes to fruition!

A Tree Is Felled

A sudden wind gust on a smokey day breaks away part of the top of a large conifer next to my building.

 

    On the way down it hits the roof and chimney of my condo unit. My first clue was the sound and tremor passing through the building.

    The next clue was my cat wide-eyed and terrified fleeing from my office where he witnessed the event.

    Running to the office window I saw a large portion of tree lying between my building and the one nearby. 

    The tree was irretrievably damaged and a few days later a crew arrives to remove the tree.

 

    This photo shows just how close to my building the tree was. Note the fellow on top that has sawed off the first section that is seen lying on the ground. While the tree was being cut down I watched from outside in case the felling went awry and a section was dropped on my home. Happily all went as planned and sections were cut and felled as the crew planned.

 

From my bedroom window (same side of the condo as my office), I watched as the crew began the trunk removal aspect of their work. In the upper left hand corner there's a chipper on a trailer that spews the chopped limbs into the back of a large truck.

 

Piles of sawdust indicate where the crew has sawed the tree trunk into huge, but manageable sections.

 

In the upper left corner of the photo a "fire sun" shows through the smoke of last autumn's wildfires. Notice the claw on the front of the piece of machinery (lower right) which was used to hoist the heavy trunk sections over to a large trailer for hauling away.

    All in all, no damage was done to my rooftop, but damage to the chimney top was $1200.00 and the cost of removing the tree came to just over $1200.00.

    A couple weeks after tree removal, a few more guys showed up to rebuild the upper portion of the chimney top. Vast sheets of metal were cut to size and hauled up for the repair.

 

    One of the advantages to condo living is that neither I nor my insurance paid any part of the repair or removal. Funds from the Home Owners' Association and their insurance covered all the costs. Phew!

    I will miss the tree. It harbored life in the form of the variety of birds that came to roost, nest, and eat. Tree-clinging birds used to hop all along the sides of the trunk looking for tiny insects. I'll miss this. So will my cat who loves sitting on the arm of the comfy chair near the bedroom window watching the birds that once visited the tree.

    On the up side, I'll no longer worry about this tree squashing my building!

 

Note: The cause of the smokey smudge on the side of my chimney was repaired last year. My fireplace pan was cracked and a particle of some type had lodged in the pilot light's orifice causing soot buildup inside the fireplace, on the chimney, and in my living room! This repair I paid for as condo living is "studs inward is my responsibility, studs outward is the HOA's".

When the building is painted the smudge will be removed.

Yaak Falls Day Trip & the Perfect Onion

 

Yikes!

 

    It's summer. Not much to do because of Covid. So camping is an enjoyable, safe option.

    Thus, I decided to scout out some campgrounds in next-door Montana with my nephew, Jeff. But, he wasn't feeling good that day, so I packed a lunch and set out on my own in my trusty 1998 Jeep with my Montana atlas.

    It was a beautiful drive. One of the first sights of note was crossing the Long Bridge over Lake Pend Oreille (French for "hanging from the ear").

    Now, I'd been to this huge lake by way of Farragut State Park and the town of Bay View, where there's a naval installation. The Navy keeps a submarine parked at the bottom of the lake for sound experiments.

    However, Id never left Idaho to go to Montana via Highway 95 (usually by Hwy 90) and I was surprised by the scenic drive across the lake on this loooong bridge.

       

Named "The Long Bridge", this span crosses Lake Pend Oreille.

 

    The two-hour drive was enjoyable through towns such as Athol, Careywood, Cocolalla, Ponderay (different spelling than the lake), Colburn, Kootenay (different spelling than Kootenai County), Bonners Ferry, and more. The scenery was mostly forest and then into Montana with more small towns and forested vistas.

    My plan was to visit Yaak Falls campground then pass through Libby, MT to visit two or three more campgrounds.

    Reaching the small Yaak Falls campground I paused and noted the campsites there. A couple were available and there was an intriguing path with a sign that indicated that the Falls were 1/2-mile hike away. That upped the desirability factor of this pleasant little campground. Also, the sites while small, were mostly concealed from view of one another by trees and bushes.

    There were no toilets, no picnic tables, and no water faucets. The campground is "unimproved" which makes it all the more appealing to me (barring the "toilet" part, although I have this lack covered in my camping setup).

    I decided not to park and take the hike out of the campground, but instead, to drive up the road and explore further. About a half mile up the road was a turnout with several signs, one of which declared "Yaak Falls". 

    Pulling in I saw that the other sign was a bears warning - and not just one kind of bear! Grizzlies and black bears. Hmmm.     

    This would not be a good place to camp with my nephew. While I sleep snuggly in my car, he sleeps in a pup tent. And, while a black bear is less likely to mess with a tent unless there's food inside, a grizzly is liable to consider the camper in the tent as food. Yaak Falls campground would be one I'd camp in solo. Ah, but the river and falls were a sight to behold and to enjoy for a spell.

    Parking my car, I climbed down a relatively steep incline with cell phone, lunch, and water bottle in hand. This, I decided, would be a great place to soothe the hunger pangs of my breakfast-less morning. 

 

A short climb/slip and slide down a steep embankment from my car parked above brought me to the falls.

 

The falls are composed of a series of short, powerful drop offs.

 

    The roar of the falls and the iridescence of airborne micro-droplets of water made this a spot I decided to enjoy for awhile. There were plenty of flat rock "shelves" upon which to sit right at rivers edge. The one I chose vibrated with the force of the churning water.

 

 

What solo trip would be complete without taking the ubiquitous "selfie"!

 

    After my sandwich (Tofurky and kale on sourdough - yum - and bottled water), I simply sat and lost myself in the beauty and drama of the spot. A fellow hiking along the road above snapped me from my reverie. 

    Looking at the time (on my cellphone), I realized I wouldn't have time to check out the other campgrounds and get back before dark (I don't see as well at night anymore), or, at the "guess-timated" time I'd told my Mom I'd be back. And, as I didn't have any cell service at my present location, I couldn't call and adjust my return time. Hmmm... What to do?

    Explore! There were plenty of dirt roads going off the Park's main road. So, I drove up and down several to check out the area - getting my clean car really dusty.

    I'd really like to return here to the falls with Jeff for a picnic, and another time for a solo camping trip.

    On my way back, I became consumed with the desire for a coffee. Not a decaffeinated version, not a "dande-ccino" or any of the faux versions I resort to and enjoy, but a full on, fully-leaded, espresso-shot-laden, brain-ringing...Coffee!

    Weird. I don't usually have any compulsions toward coffee, whatsoever.

    Despite Covid I decided that the first coffee kiosk I came to, I'd drive thru and get me some. I passed several in-store Starbuck's. Nope! I wanted me some real Northern Idaho brew!

    Having already left Montana behind, I entered Bonners Ferry and there tucked into the corner of a huge trucking/fuel complex at the junction of Hwy's 2 and 95, was a tiny drive-thru kiosk. Battle Grounds Coffee. Yay!!!

    The thing about Washington State and  Northern Idaho is that these people LOVE their coffee. So, practically every corner in town has one of these little drive-thru kiosks - all with catchy names, such as, well, Battle "Grounds" (get it?), The Human Bean, No Doze Cafe, Grind House, and more. It's fun to read how clever and inventive these titles are.

    I got myself a 16 oz cappuccino (they had larger ones but I know my limits) with no sugar. I want to feeeel the full experience, all the jitters, everything!

 

 This libation was so good I photoed the empty cup when I got home.

 

    So, with a full "tank" I motored towards home, blissfully happy, my senses soothed and refreshed by Nature's awesome beauty, and fueled on java juice.

    Ahhh...It was good to the last drop. Literally! Nor, was I able to sleep a wink that night 'cause my caffeinated brain wouldn't shut down. But, it was worth it!!!

    The only "if-only's" I had about this day trip is that I wished I'd brought some other camping gear besides my car bed (which occupies the back of the Jeep all summer long for camping trips). Oh, such things as my camp stove, collapsible potty, food, water, etc. And, that I'd stoked the cat's bowls with more water and a huge pile of kitty kibble, and left word that I might be gone for longer than a day...may two or three.  :(

    I really would have liked to camp solo near Yaak Falls.

 

* * * * *

    So, "Where", might one ask, "does the perfect onion come into it"?

Well, here it is...

 

Mostly, "onions is just onions", but every once in awhile, there's one that's just, well, Perfect!

 

    No, this onion has nothing to do with my day trip to Montana.

    It's just that this lovely onion arrived a few days later in my Full Circle organic delivery box. And, it is (I haven't yet cut into it) just so perfectly beautiful of an onion that instead of putting into the onion basket with the other nice, but, tatty-shedding regular-looking onions, I put onto my counter top in a prominent spot so that every time I wandered into the kitchen to feed myself or the cat, there it would be for me to admire. 

    It's just so sublimely perfect, that I wanted to share it with you. And, to compose an entire blog singing the praises of a single onion just didn't seem to be, well...normal.

Some one of these days, I'll have to peel it and carve it up to add to something or other - I promise I won't cry (unless it's so potent that I have no choice but to shed "onion" tears)- but I will miss its ruddy perfection, its heft, its faultless shape, its splendid....everything.

    So, I took a picture to memorialize it and to share!

 

 

 

Happy 2020!

 

I have always liked the idea of hearing the clock strike twelve on the last night of the old year.... wakeful to welcome the new year's angel when the old one has winged his flight from us, bearing with him the record of our inner years, its sins and sorrows.

~Claribel (Charlotte Alington Pye Barnard, 1830–1869),

"New Year's Eve," Fireside Thoughts, Ballads, etc., etc., 1865

 

    Let us recall the good times that last year brought and make way for the good times this year shall surely bring!

Happy New Year To All!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Wishing Everyone all the warmth and joy of the Season!

Never Forget...September 11, 2001

 

Never Forget. Always Remember!

September 11, 2001

 

What a Difference a Year Can Make!

 

Google Photos reminded me in an email what last year at this time looked like at my place.

    

    Last year at this time the apple tree out back had snow over halfway up its trunk and snow piled against the garages was on its way to the eaves!

    This year with very few arctic storms coming down we have experienced warm Pacific storms bring rain, rain, rain! Yes, we've had some snow but warmer than usual temperatures have seen it melt off after each storm. Yesterday, it was 55-degrees! In February!

    Check out the difference this Winter!

 

This view of the apple tree from my balcony is...no snow!

 

No snow here either!

 

    Yesterday I lay on my chaise lounge on the balcony, no sweater, a cool libation in hand. It was sunny and warm. Wow! Who knew February in North Idaho could be like this?!

A Picture's Worth...Iced Crab Apples!

Tiny crab apples on the old tree beyond my balcony are encased in ice. Winter's here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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