Charleston SC From My Window

Although we already left here, I wanted to share a few shots from this fabulous city that I took on Sunday. I loved this city. We have already put this on our list of places to come and stay in!

The Power Nap..a cautionary tale

A couple of years ago in early winter we walked into a local peak, climbed it and walked back out. With the nap I took walking out Iwas just over 24 hrs c2c. My partner a few hrs less.







Nothing exceptional for time. A bit of the climbing was spectacular. The walk? It was long enough. Longer than I wanted it to be. Shorter than it can be.



But this story has nothing to do with climbing or walks. It is all about the Power Nap.



I love a good nap when I amtired or better yet when I am tired and warm. Preferably with the sun shining on me in a protected, comfortable and safe place.



The power nap I spoke about above has a few of the elements. I was tired. Protected? Not so much I just laid down on my pack off to the side of the trail and let the cold wake me up.



Here is the rest of that story and the end result.



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//11/immersion-foot.html



Seems reasonable. Wet and cold feet pounded in a few hrs of hard walking in, on and out.



So then I decided to take another power nap. This time at 12K feet in the sun and it was AWESOME! It felt amazingly great. I was warm and cozy and comfortable out of the wind and soaking in the last bit of sunshine I knew would be the last I would see for awhile. My feet weren't wet or cold this time. Dry and warm as matter of fact. The one thing that both naps did have in common was tightly laced single boots that I couldn't be bothered to unlace for a nap. Dumb! Really dumb in retrospect.







A great place for a power nap!





So?? The result of my second power nap? Pretty much the same result as from my 1st power nap with wet and cold feet a couple of years previous...fooked up feet.









After both of these "power naps" I ended up walking for another hr or so each time after I woke up. My feet felt a little weird but never thought they had been damaged. More like they had fallen asleep a bit, not fully numb,but woke up with the additional milage. Both times the resulting nerve damage came as a surprise a few days later.



Now before you pass me off as a nut case...,OK, may be that already has happened. But in my defense I have spent a few nights out up high in the middleof the Canadian/Cascade winter and early spring in Alaska at much colder tempswith little or no gear and not fooked up my feet. The difference you ask? Well I generally spent the majority of time on those trips bouncing around trying to keep warm. I didn't lay down and take a power nap. I was more worried about getting back to some place warm enough so I could take good nap and be sure to wake up again.



The lesson? It might be obvious by nowfor any rational person ;-). If you are prone to taking power naps, mid trip, take the time to unlace your boots early on. You'll likely be happy you did.

Anastasia Island :: Sunset (of course!)

Tuesday March 15, .....

Pickleball Tournament at Sun City

Rich and Donna invited us to another Pickleball Tournament in Sun City. So we got up very early this morning and headed over there. I saw some familiar faces from last year and many new ones. From our Thousand Trails group there was Rich, Donna, Stan, Sally, Buddy, Tracy and Nathan, Austin and I.



The courts here are very nicely done so they are easy to play on. We did have some wind and sun, but not so much so that we couldn't play. I saw a lot of really good games played today.



And now, a moment to pause and brag on the boy. Whenever we are in these type of settings, I am always so impressed with how he handles himself. He was the only person under 40 playing and yet he acted as respectably and maturely as most of the adults there. He's pretty cute too!

Ok, back to the tournament! There were games for men and women's doubles in the morning. Mixed doubles in the afternoon. A bunch of people left after the morning games. Some without letting anyone know. So that switched things up in the afternoon. They did a great job of still making it a lot of fun and working out so those of us who stayed had fun.



I'm so glad we did go, and we are already making plans for the next one in February!



living the life in sunny Florida!

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger - 1911 & 1912

The 3rd reunion of the Phend - Fisher families met at Frank Wehrleys on June 24 - 1911
The A. M. was spent in a social way.
At noon a basket dinner was served under a tent, on the lawn.
There were about 45 present.
In the afternoon songs were sung and a prayer rendered by Rev. Spangler of the Evengelical church at Elkhart.
A talk by Wm Phend.
Other songs.
Remarks by Rev. Spangler then a storm prevented further pleasures.
It was decided to meet at Jacob Phends near Elkhart on June 29 - 1912.
Adjournment.Mrs. F. A. Wehrly, Secretary.= + = + = + = + = + =
There is no record of a family gathering in 1912. = + = + = + = + = + = The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Elkhart County, Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. Usually held at Nappanee, the events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book, now in my possession. Sadly, the fragile pages have turned brown, separated from the binding, and are, in effect, disintegrating. Some years more information was recorded than in others, but, for me, these pages provide a glimpse into the past. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Wordless Wednesday :: Late Afternoon Peak

South of Death Valley National Park, Dante's Peak (I think). May 1979.Copyright © 1979/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

Secret egg deposit revealed

No wonder I thought the hens had stopped laying.

My husband had put some excess hay in a big box, to get it up off the ground while he hosed down the shop porch. Then, as things tend to happen around here, it just got left there.

Somebody else (it might have been me) put some more empty boxes on top, to keep them above Jasmine-munching level. Said someone then never actually got around to moving the boxes the next week, after the near-overflowing garbage can had been emptied.

Turns out that was much more inviting than some old lovingly handbuilt nesting boxes in a super-deluxe chicken coop.

But now that someone moved the boxes that made the roof of this cubbyhole, it's apparently not so inviting anymore. They've moved the secret stash somewhere else. I haven't found it yet.

---

We've been losing critters again, I think to coyotes. One of our muscovies and several chickens. My favorite chicken. The only one we had left who was laying the green eggs. We have lots more Easter Eggers but they're still young pullets.

Leghorns start laying incredibly fast, at about four months of age. Our Ameraucanas/Easter Eggers were late bloomers, not laying until they were six to eight months old. Now that they're all gone, it'll be two to four months before we see green eggs again.

I've come to the conclusion that Jasmine thinks her job is to guard us instead of the animals. The chickens make it worse by insisting on staying in the woods, where it's cooler, but where Jasmine can't see them, and where the coyotes can pick them off with ease.

Mirabelle's second camping trip ..

In a stroke of luck, Jennifer and I were both not working. So we took Mirabelle on another camping trip. This time, like the previous out to the warmer, sunnier side of the mountains.



We drove out Wednesday morning and did pretty good timing the drive with Mirabelle's nap schedule. We opted to check out the Aplets and Cotlets (Liberty Orchards) store in Cashmere as our first stop on the warm side. It wasn't really that interesting. And after a few samples, we continued east to the Mission Ridge ski area for a short hike. Unfortunately, this was not well timed with naps, and Mirabelle was a bit over tired when we placed her into the new back pack for the hike. She whined most of the twenty minutes or so we went uphill, and then we took her out for a snack and to see if she would calm down.







No luck with the calming, and we headed back down the hill where she fell asleep moments before returning to the car. Since it was chilly, we just headed back to Leavenworth after a stop at a market on Highway 2.







After playing in town a bit, we headed to Eight Mile Campground for the night. Where we ate dinner, and then had a good night's sleep before being waken up by the camp host. We drove into town and hiked the Nordic trails at the ski area before leaving to come back home. One stop up at Stevens Pass for Mirabelle to stretch her legs, and we were in the final leg of our journey.

How to Entertain a Kitten

One of the best forms of entertain for your new kitten is you, yourself. It doesn't take long for the kitten to lean that you are a good substitute for a tree. Make sure you don't realize the kitten is near by, let him climb you, especially with shorts or a dress on and then watch it's expression as you dance around the room with it on your shoulder. They love it. (But you might not).

One of my cats favorites is for me to go to bed. They wait until are I am asleep then attack if I slightly move my fingers or toes as I am sleeping. It is delightful for them when I wake up screaming and kicking.

Beds are good for other things, too. Cats love to help you make the bed, especially if you are changing the sheets. They can be so much help as they hide under the covers and keep you from pulling the sheets tight.

Dripping sinks can keep a kitten entertained for a few minutes but it can be difficult for you to wash your hands or do the dishes.

When you are taking a long soak in bubble-bath and hubby or a child opens the door to talk to you, kittens delight in making a headlong dash across the bathroom and into your bath to catch the bubbles in the water. Of course they arn't as fond of the full bath as they are of the sink dripping, and then they dislike the blood that gets in the water after they scratch you getting out of the water. (you might not, either)

A dog or older cats waving tail is a constant source of amusement for a kitten. Until the dog or older cat protects it's self from the kitten. But two cats rolling around the house as they fight can be great entertainment for the dog who will try to help his/her kitty friends.

And of course your friends may be greatly impressed by the way your cats and dogs have redecorated for you. Plants are very high off the floor if you still have them at all. Breakable nic nacs have all either been packed away or disposed of when broken. Any thing wood has deep scratches in it. Cloth and leather upholstery is in tatters. The dishes are all plastic, And everything is covered with cat hair.

The kitten will do a delightful dance around your feet, purring and meowing, and finally climbing up your body when you have a meal which can only be eaten while holding the plate over your head to keep the kitten out of it as long as possible. Kittens always prefer what ever you are eating to the yucky cat food in it's bowl.

Cats do tend to make a good deterrent against the unwanted guest.

Flooded Fields Are Not Fun

Since I knew nothing about taking care of horses before spending time at SHHS, I could write daily blog posts just on that topic. Some lessons are pretty minor in the daily scope of things and some are major. Flooded Fields Are Not Fun would fell closer to the major end of the spectrum in my book. It just makes everything you go to do, that much harder when you deal with lots of water and really deep mud.





I'm not a fan to say the least. Yes, the grass is nice and green. Yes, we always need rain in Florida so I am grateful for it. But I'm tired of trying to take steps forward only to discover I left my boot behind in the mud. I'd like a happy medium please! The wind is not so pleasant either. It does make for nice, dramatic manes and tails for pictures though so there is that. Along those lines, I have found that I love my smart phone when I'm out working here. I can capture so much more than if I had to wait until I had the real camera out!



I was able to grab this shot simply because I had my phone in my pocket.



Then I was able to share it with the world instantly via Instagram and Facebook. Gotta love the digital age for those kinds of things!


See how quickly I can get distracted and go from whining to joy? Dallas understands that trait since he tends to shift fairly quickly along with me!





Living the life in rainy FL!

Going for a scooter ride in the mountains of Lesvos, Greece and a lunch stopover in Vafeios

When Dutchman and I are not doing this, this, this, this, this, and this(this one is unforgettable)during our holiday last summer in Lesvos, Greece, we were out and about exploring the island with our rental scooter.











One of the afternoons we took the scooter for a mountain ride nearby. We were not planning on driving far, we’re just going for a ride, enjoy the views and the fresh sea air and then have late lunch at a taverna in Vafeios that I read about—Taverna Vafios.



In Mithymna, they are offering donkey rides to Vafeios where participants rest for lunch at Taverna Vafios and back. Indeed, Dutchman and I saw the donkey tour group as we went up the mountain. The poor donkeys were so cute, I don’t think I could ever let one of these animals carry me.



On other matters, I have become an expert in taking pictures behind the Dutchman on a moving scooter.








More pictures below... actually, LOTS of pictures =)









A very typical afternoon scene in the mountain villages of Lesvos.





An interesting way of piling up tables and chairs. It almost looked like art installation.











Here were are at Taverna Vafios having a light lunch of Greek salad and yoghurt with honey and crushed walnuts.









I prefer Greek yoghurt with crushed walnuts than with whole walnuts.





It was late for lunch, we almost had the taverna to ourselves except for a table in the corner with English holidaymakers.









Stuffed zucchini flowers.









Stops to enjoy the views... that is Turkey from the distance.











I really, really, really miss summer now.



I think I need to get out of this country for a long weekend. But where? It is still cold everywhere....