Paladin drinking

We have artesian well water, and Paladin sometimes likes to sip a drink of the good fresh water from the kitchen faucet. Outdoors, a bowl of water tends to collect bugs, leaves, dirt, and green slime.

There are times when efficiency is fun. Paladin may decide it would be good to wash his feet while drinking fresh flowing water.

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Freezing and Powerless

Our electricity company has had some transformer issues since 7:55 this morning, and 60° F in our house has not been cozy. Power is expected to be revived around 7:00 P.M.  The outage is affecting our entire area.

My husband rigged up one of our  generators, but  the furnace, refrigerator, and microwave had to take turns, and the stove, washer, dryer, and dishwasher have to wait. The outage occurred while the washer was in mid-cycle.

By early afternoon I was chilled rather close to the bone and donned a wool hat,  turtle fur, Polartec vest, sweater, and the thick Polartec snow pants I wore snowmobiling in the Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska in 1998 while visiting my daughter.

Our diligent power purveyor’s recording says the company aspires to resume normal service 6-8 hours from their 11:00 A.M. update, so our discommodity should be over by around 7:00 P.M., and we will be able to dry the laundry. The generator allowed the washer to complete its work, but its power is not sufficient to run the dryer.

What a blessing that we are still in thankful mode!

 

Three faces and scarf

I was wearing this scarf in the cold wind yesterday, to a doctor’s appointment and the pharmacy. I find the scarf pretty, and it’s also warm and doesn’t itch. My Mum-in-law made it for me last Christmas. I sent her a note yesterday that I continue to love the scarf, and that it receives compliments every time I wear it. I took this photo so she would know to which scarf I was referring; she has sent me several.

Our expressions: I am taking the selfie, and it is taking a bit of strategy to get the three of us in the frame. Effie’s expression is adorably coy, but she’s a tad squirmy; and Vic is thinking about something funny.

Other friendlies around the house

My husband is reorganizing his shop, and Halvor loves watching Vic working there. I came in to check on Vic’s progress, and Halvor, who was sitting on a work table next to me, climbed up on my shoulder. I adore Halvor, so I felt very honored, even though he weighs 16-1/2 pounds, which happens to be 16% of my own weight. Oof–but what can I say–Vic, Effie, and I all think he’s terrific.

Deer constantly graze on our lawn. For whatever reason, they prefer the lawn to our field–but they are beautiful and sweet-natured, and we can certainly spare the grasses and weeds they consume. The light wasn’t right for a through-the-window photo, and they distanced themselves from our house when I stepped out on the deck.

Effie makes the most of laundry time

Effie enjoys napping and relaxing from her busy Effieland rounds, so we recently bought her a cozy rubber-backed rug to keep atop the dryer. The rug doesn’t slip or slide, and she seems to appreciate the softness, warmth, and security. The color blends nicely with her fur, too.

Effie’s dryer-top rug is also a favorite bathing spot.

Effie’s warm spot

Even  set to low heat, the top of the dryer is a cozy spot for thin-furred Effie. The temperature outdoors was 37° when she came in from a morning romp around Effieland, and earlier it had hit 32°.

 

The color of When?

Normally we see fields of grain and the basalt walls of Hells Canyon. I titled this photo “The color of prairie” when I took it on a beautiful morning last October.

This is essentially the same view, but with forest fire smoke. According to our local newspaper, the smoke could clear tomorrow–if (a) sufficient rain falls tonight; and (b) wind of sufficient velocity blows in from the right direction.

Such suspense!