Touch of fog. . .

This is the viewshed primeval. 

I normally have a view of the hills of Hell’s Canyon. Today I had hoped to go to Walmart, but I called my friend who works there and she assured me that she could not see across the street from her house or across the Walmart parking lot a few rows. My aspiration of new towels was dashed, utterly and for hours, if today at all.

I’m dreaming of a grey Christmas. . .

I’m dreaming of a grey Christmas. . .

A grey and cloudy vista can be morale boosting or demoralizing. Personally I have no real preference. I like clouds. I can’t imagine a bright sunny Christmas day in the northwestern prairie where I live.

Effie and Paladin: Resourceful at 106° F

106° in sunny Effieland

Effie prefers a nap in her chair to Effieland’s 106° F.

Paladin’s idea of shade tends to be under the bed.

Effie and Paladin and 102° in Effieland

        It’s 102°– hot, but Effie and Paladin find shade everywhere.

        Our sun-dappled Effie burrows under a poplar.

        Our clever Paladin discovers he can combine some shade with a lookout.

Corn at 23 mph

Corn is resilient, taking a bow at 23 mph. This is a multi-colored popcorn variety.

Where cats go in the rain

Rain is falling, hard.

Effie has a way of napping in her chair, through rain and almost everything else.

Paladin seeks cover under the bed.

100° in Effieland

Effielanders Effie and Paladin refuse to leave their grounds and come into the house when it’s a mere hundred degrees outside and their water drippers are providing only very warm water. Paladin naps, and Effie walks around drinking warm water. They seem not to mind in the least.

Effie finds a bit of shade in some grass, intermittently drinking warm water without flinching.

Paladin rests in a small patch of grassy shade by a pot of fresh growing catnip. He’s not punch-drunk; the sun’s in his eyes.

Trout fishing with pelicans

The pelicans are a beautiful sight on the pond. We don’t consider them competitors, and I suspect they don’t think of us at all. My husband took this photo.

My husband and I headed for the pond immediately after dinner last night to fish for trout. Rain was falling, but trout were leaping, and six came home in our ice chest. I caught five, the legal limit, 9-1/2″ – 11-1/2″, and my husband caught one. I was able to fish more continually because he unhooked the fish I caught and did the gutting and bagging, enabling me to keep casting, and, miraculously, catching and landing. We caught our six trout in just over an hour, and returned home wet, chilled, and triumphant.

Promise of Spring

Our first full-bloom daffodil of the year was so heartening after five months of off-and-on winter.

Hi and Dry

Effie greets you with a suggestion. Those of you who weigh under 12 pounds might like to nap on a slip-proof rug on a dryer when sleet is falling, and everything outdoors is wet and cold–even Effieland.