By Candlelight

Over the last few days we've lost electricity a few times. Here's what we did one evening without power. Although the kids have been out of school for 3 days I have no pretty winter pictures to show, we seem to have missed most of the precipitation here on our hill.

Commander has become quite vocal. More so for Rex than anyone else. Even though I am the one who brings him his sweet feed in the evenings. He only gives me a little smoker's laugh, while Rex gets the true donkey call. No I'm not bitter. :)

Snow Day?

The kids were out of school today. I have to admit it is an early snow but it didn't seem very treacherous. I hope this is a sign of things to come. I am still hoping for our first big snow. We haven't seen more than a few inches.

Copperhead Cave

Monday a group of us drove north to Copperhead Cave. The entrance is a small hole in the ground in a dry creek bed. Easy to miss if you don't know what you are looking for. Entering and exiting requires ropes. It's about a 30 foot drop once you squeeze through the opening. Inside is a stream, occasional pools and beautiful formations. We spent nearly 4 hours making our way to the end and back. Supposedly there is more to explore but it requires squeezing through about a 10 inch crevice. We didn't attempt.

He's here

Commander was delivered yesterday. We were a bit anxious about letting him out into the fenced in area. But he is doing great so far. He's very tame and allowing us all to pet him.

Glory Hole

There is a truly magnificent place about 23 miles north of us. The Glory Hole. Dismal Creek is a small stream that gently makes is way down through the mountains. At one point the stream comes to a rock ledge. And instead off flowing over the edge it has eroded its way through the rock. The result is a round hole through the rock ledge and a waterfall that runs through it. Today my neighbors Lisa and Art joined me on a hike down to visit this unforgettable place. Water levels are low around here but a slight trickle was still flowing.

Sick Day

Blake woke early this morning with a 102 temperature. After rearranging my planned schedule for the day I looked forward to spending the day close to home and crossing off numerous items on my to-do list. I think I changed out of my pajamas around noon, finally went outside an hour after that and took a 45 minute nap. I did get one item crossed off my list, cleaning out the deep freeze for all the deer meat Rex was bringing home from town. After tucking in the kids this evening I finally realized what a blessing this day was. The to-do list remains, but the did list includes: snuggling, taking pictures, giggling, loosing a tooth, reading together, practicing flips, napping, etc.

Just Another Monday

Rex roused early this morning to get ready for work. Instead of khakis and a button-down shirt, he pulled on thermals, jeans, boots, and topped off with the familiar orange that is so prevalent this time of year. Instead of a laptop, cell phone, or any other electronic, he threw his rifle over his shoulder. His commute was a 10 minute walk down a trail leading from our house to his office, a 12 foot high tree stand made of cedar wood. After an hour and half of work he came back with his paycheck.