Posts from the ‘Front Porch Musings’ category

A summer of blue and green

This spring was full of sky blue and grass green and this summer it continues. There have been no fires close as yet and very little real heat. Although a mini-heat wave of 3 days above 90 is forecast for this week, we have maybe had 3 days all summer where the temperature went above 90. Mostly it has been a very pleasant mid to upper 80’s during the day and 50’s overnight – theoretically our seasonal norm.

The heavy winter snow pack gave the mountains a good drink as they have remained green above the tree line…a good sign I hope as we head into the worst time for wildfire starts. The cool nights and moderate days have kept the skies that clear shade of sky blue that provides for a beautiful background for the fluffy clouds that build up afternoons as well as the green of the mountains.

I caught a bit of the blue and green yesterday morning when Karl and I walked. We’ll be away from this path after today as our neighbors are to arrive this afternoon and we will be off the ridge path until they leave in a week or two…

This summer of blue and green and moderate temperatures, a bit of rain, soft breezy days … it is a summer to enjoy and remember.

Fire in the hole!

Oh, not really…

But, yesterday – August 1 – the chimney sweep, Doug Heil, was here and swept the chimney. I am ready for fall fires in the woodstove.

But, January, 2006, I DID have a fire in the hole…chimney. It was frightening on several fronts…

I was sound asleep at all of 10:30. The living room smoke detector went off and before I even jumped out of bed, the bedroom one chimed in – the wood burning stove chimney, well actually the stove pipe, was glowing red and the stove was trying to “breath” and smoke started pouring out so I grabbed Bob’s carrier and literally threw him in it, called to Karl to “load up”. Karl was out the front door and by the garage door before I got to the garage. We were in the Jeep and down the driveway toute suite… but – no flames so I left the Jeep running (down past the house!) and tiptoed back – things looked a little calmer. It was VERY smoky but the stove had stopped heaving so I grabbed computers and small electronics – still no flames… opened windows and doors, took down the smoke alarms and removed batteries – they were all going off – it was pretty dramatic and VERY loud.

So… what to do. Ironically I did not call the Fire Department. I was due at my first meeting later that week, it was Sunday night and knowing the department is all volunteer – anyway, stupid but I thought, well, no flames and those guys are all home with families. So…. Moved the Jeep to a spot off the driveway by the road – came back to the house – moved the motorhome down the driveway past the house – moved pets and all stuff and me into the motorhome. About midnight, the smoke had cleared so I put fresh batteries in all the alarms and reset them – none went off. About 1:30 a.m. the stove was stone cold so we went back in the house.

While I was sitting in the motorhome listening and expecting my house to burst into flames, I had a long think about whether I had made the right selections for fire insurance and what I would do if the house burned and it wasn’t as fun as it sounds. It took me the better part of the next week to “recover” – I realized after that I should have called the Fire Department right away. They have a chemical they use plus I would have had company, i.e. less stress versus sitting on my own and thinking about worse case scenarios. I would have been back in the house several hours sooner AND probably saved my chimney which was a $600 hit to replace.

The good news is I learned some things…

Doug Heil is a nice man, knows chimneys, knows wood – he inspected my wood source, was more than fair on charges and got there lickety split.

I need to be vigilant about the condition of my chimney and clean or have it cleaned regularly.

The local fire department crew LIVES for “the run”…don’t hesitate to call again!

My fire insurance is good, I KNOW what it is and what is covered and that I could rebuild and replace the “stuff” if I had to.

My dog and cat…and me as well – we do fine in an emergency…although Bob was a bit miffed at being literally tossed into the carrier.

…maybe not as miffed as I thought. I left the carrier open on this daybed and he went in on his own, not 2 days after the fire drill…

At any rate, neither pet panicked or ran which was a mini-“back of the mind” nightmare I had had on occasion when thinking through what I might need to do in event of a fire.

August 1 – the chimney is clean and ready for Fall.

**in response to questions about the 2nd chimney and the other “thing”…the 2nd chimney is for a wood cookstove in the kitchen. Previous owners had the cookstove but took it with them – I hope – someday to get one so have left the chimney. The other thing is the top of a “light tube” – like a small skylight.

After the front

Wednesday morning was blustery as reported yesterday…and although forecast to clear, it continued dark, then rainy ( wonderful!!!) and topped out at 63 degrees with a breezy “wind-in-the-pines” all day long and into the evening. The house was cool enough that I closed all but the bedroom windows – it was a wonderful (to ME!) reminder that Fall was next.

Yesterday morning dawned with not a cloud in the sky and the temperature hovering near 40 and dipping slightly below before starting up for the day. The cool temps, moisture from the day before and cloudless sky at sunrise set the mist forming in the valleys.

Sun, Blue Sky, Karl in the woods…

Karl and I returned to the house to find Bob waiting…annoyed at having his breakfast delayed by our walk…

Does and a fawn had their breakfast on the new grass!

It was a lovely, cool, beautiful day…after the front.

My chair

I’m sitting in the chair as I write – laptop on my lap, although in the interest of integrity, this post will appear the day after the writing… But, it is a blustery morning as a cold front is moving through. A few clouds are shadowing the morning sun at 8 a.m., the wind is blowing through the pines and it feels like it should be a stormy day even though the forecast is only for wind ahead of the front. Still, I love sitting in this chair, in a corner of my sunroom where I can see sky, trees and mountains and with windows open all around can hear the wind in the pines and at least imagine a dark, stormy day.

I’ve had this chair for 22 years. It has needed to be recovered for at least 11 years. The chair doesn’t look that bad in the photo, but up close – my beloved cat (first cat), Gus, used the arms for scratching posts. There are other runs in the fabric on the upper wings. I don’t typically notice. The ottoman, however, has deteriorated badly in the last year… It has been sun faded for a bit but in the last year…

…that cord is starting to bother me.

These pieces are well made Ethan Allen pieces, although ironically, the chair seat is too “short” for my height. I knew it when I received it, but I had ordered it special and we’d measured and I don’t know what happened. I have always loved the fabric and the wing back chair and ottoman were chosen to mimic a favorite chair and ottoman in my grandmother’s house. The only way I’m comfortable in the chair is with my feet and legs on the ottoman – but that is the point of the ottoman after all.

I bought these pieces when I was still living in apartments in Los Angeles. I don’t remember sitting in this chair much until I moved to Montana. In the first house I owned in Montana, the chair always faced the fireplace. It was at that time that I started spending a quiet half hour in the morning – praying, reading, listening. My dog Zack and cat Gus were with me – Zack on the floor beside the ottoman and Gus on my lap. Gus was a “neck hugger” – he would often wrap his paws around my neck and bury his head under my chin…my angel cat.

In the second house, the chair was in a corner surrounded by windows. I could see the wood stove and the fire in that house from the chair, but mostly I remember the company of Gus, Karl by now, and the view of trees, the hill behind the house and the sky.

Now, the chair is in the sunroom of this little house. The woodstove is in a different room although when it’s going I can hear the comforting sounds of the wood fire.

Everyday I look at the worn and frayed ottoman and think, “I really ought to do something about that.” I think about a new chair which would probably be the easiest thing to do – but I love this chair… I think about calling an upholsterer, but I would have to be without the chair for awhile and pick a new fabric. I do nothing about my chair. Despite it’s appearance, it remains my favorite place in the house to sit and think, write, read, pray, listen…in the company of my dog and cat.

My chair.

…and, another time, the story of the lampshade with the bullet holes…

Opportunity aka taking a chance

Two weeks ago I linked from another blog to Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton. The tag lines on the blog are:

“Charlie came into my life when he was just ten days old, orphaned after both his parents were killed. He lives with me and a tomcat in Wyoming. “

Charlie is a wild born coyote, dumped on her doorstep. I am not a fan of wild animals for pets, but that is not what happened and the author, Shreve Stockton, has been very clear and direct about the risk and difficulty, but also honest about her inability to let the pup just die. It is one of those things that strikes me as a kind of crossroads-opportunity that ultimately shapes your life in ways you could not imagine…at least that is what I glean from what I read. She has a book coming out in the fall and I’m looking forward to it – the photos on her blog are beautiful, charming and tell a story themselves. Her writing evokes a sense of her intelligence, observation and openness to opportunity – understanding and considering the risks and being willing to live and learn from her choices. Through her photos and writing she has become to me a person I would love to meet.

Last Thursday, Owen Ford and her site H.O.P.E.S. were introduced on the Daily Coyote site. H.O.P.E.S. is a non-profit ~ Helping Our Planet’s Endangered Species. Owen Ford is a 13 year old girl. Owen set up H.O.P.E.S. to raise money for WWF (World Wildlife Fund) by selling her artwork. Wow! It is not all that easy to put yourself out there with an organization to raise money for a cause you are passionate about as an adult. At an age when most are thinking only about themselves and what they can get and have and do, this young woman is spending her time researching, reading, working, networking and accepting help. Another person I would love to meet!

I would like to encourage everyone who enjoys From the Front Porch to use the links above and meet these people via their blogs and if so inclined, there is information on H.O.P.E.S. about the auction of her art that Owen is using to raise money for WWF as well as the opportunity to donate directly should you have an interest in doing that. I hugely admire people who live their lives with passion and authenticity and I believe Owen Ford and Shreve Stockton do that – hope you enjoy their sites as much as I do!

Karl and Bob say “Go WWF, Go Owen, Hey to Charlie and Shreve – also Eli (the tomcat) and Chloe (new puppy)”!

Moon shots

In the early morning hours for the past week, the moon has been bright in the southern sky. Karl and I usually head down the driveway for our early “perimeter patrol” about 5 a.m. He wears his lighted collor (neon blue LED strip) and I carry a flashlight but I don’t like to turn it on unless I really need it. A month past the equinox, it is still fairly dark at 5 a.m. but with the recent bright morning moonshine, the moonbeams through the trees have been plenty of light.

It was hot yesterday, topping out at just below 90. Forecast clouds kept the temp above 60 all night and this morning, the air was still and a bit heavy for Montana. That extra bit of humidity, the stillness, the crickets – summer sounds that signal a warm day and hopefully some rain. But it was the clouds around the bright, morning moon that inspired me to get the camera AND the tripod and see what I could capture. More and more frequently, I have been shooting in manual mode and feeling every more comfortable with my ability to get the exposure I’m looking for – helped by a little camera that has some great “through the viewer” meters. The first photo above was cropped and lightened a bit. The photos below are cropped but otherwise straight out of the camera.