beluga

beluga

Saturday, January 15, 2022

TA DA!

The fireplace is complete!     It took a little bit of engineering for me to be able to help Dave lift the heavy stone surround, but, his brainwork paid off!   



 

We lifted the mantle piece and carried it into the livingroom where I was able to sit it atop the specially built contraption and hold it here while he secured it in place.     Piece of cake!

I'm enjoying the warmth and the ambiance of the fire, but the "boys" really love it and it's been in near constant use since it was finally done.....



As a matter of fact, Dave is standing in front of it right now, watching the Bills play in frigid 5 degree temperatures at Highmark Stadium.....glad we're not there right now!

Jesse and Erin are due to arrive in a week or so and we're really looking forward to their visit.   In preparation we've taken a few reconnaissance desert drives and done a bit of housekeeping, including washing and clipping sweet Lewis.   He smells divine after his bath and, since he's always right in their faces, we thought it would be nice to have lavendar scent wafting around him instead of the normal peanut butter and dog breath. 

he drops his tail and quietly disappears when he sees the bath supplies come out

  

shake!

Peanut butter breath comes from his new Kong obsession.   You'll remember I've started giving him a frozen, stuffed Kong when he pesters for attention.    I try to stuff it with novel and possibly interesting things for him to discover as he licks through the frozen layer of peanut butter.    Some ideas are winners, some are not.....but it's all a game.

he carefully avoided the rice crispies when they fell out of the Kong

Rice Crispies, asparagus and pumpkin - not very interesting.   Bran cereal, dog cookies and peanut butter - big hits!     He loves asparagus raw, but evidently limp frozen stalks aren't as interesting and he really dislikes the oft suggested pumpkin.    He's always been an individual so I'm not surprised. 

We're trying out a few new to us mapping/tracking apps with varying degrees of success.   What3Words, GAIA GPS and Avenza Maps to name a few.    We really just like to bumble around in the desert and see where we end up, but I've been led to believe that there is an area that we should be careful when and where we  poke around and I'm hoping these maps will help us stay in welcome territory! 

exploring near Vulture Peak


checking the road ahead

Since the fireplace job is done we've been taking it a little easy.   Dave helped our "neighbor" Steve lift and put into place a garden wall he's building, I tried a new recipe for a Jelly Donut Cake to make use of a jar of delicous home made strawberry jam that Erin sent us. and a neighbor came over to move a large dirt pile the previous owners left for us behind the house.      The cake turned out really, really good and I'll definitely make it again, using more jelly next time.


Mmmm - Jelly Donut Cake

Dave has tractor envy....he'd love to be using this little machine instead of our neighbor

We've been enjoying our second cup and happy hours very much.   We've found spots to stay in the warm sun while we consume and converse, both morning and late afternoon.   We always have company.   One morning we had a hawk fly in to sample the pomegranate half.  

hawk on the pomegranate

Lewis is always with us, of course, but since we've been offering pomegranates, or oranges or apples to our feathered friends, they continue to keep us laughing with their antics.  Another day a normally loud and self confident Thrasher displayed an unusual behavior at the apple offering.    We don't really know what it was doing but it started eating, suddenly looked up and noticed the little seated gargoyle a few posts away.    At the risk of anthropomorphizing, it looked shocked to see the odd creature watching and it responded by squatting down, staring at it and wiggling its outstretched wings.     It then hopped down from the apple and walked over directly below the unmoving gargoyle and proceeded to squat and wiggle for quite awhile.   Finally it just flew away and we didn't see it again for the rest of the day.   Was it embarrassed, relieved, shocked, unnerved?  I didn't have my camera outside so I only have this bad camera shot to show you.....

can you see him dancing around below the gargoyle?


   In the afternoons we move around to the side of the house where the sun will eventually set.   It gives us another hour or so of warm sunshine to enjoy.   Again, Lewis is our constant companion.




We've been living in this house since mid October, and yesterday Lewis just discovered the light over the side garage door.    As we sat and enjoyed our wine we watched him stare at it and circle it and woof softly at it for minutes.   At first I thought something was up there, a snake, a bird, something sinister.....Nope, just a light fixture......What a knucklehead he is!


oof oof oof

We were planning a short, two week trip down to Tucson and then to Borrego Springs in the beginning of February but have decided to cancel.   We think it's just not a good idea to expose ourselves anymore than is necessary just because "I want to".    We'll be back on the road in the spring, and that will have to be soon enough.    This certainly isn't a hardship, we're happy here and enjoying the house and exploring new areas.   Right?




18 comments:

  1. The fireplace looks awesome! Nice job. I can certainly understand Dave's tractor envy!, but at least the neighbor likes to show it off.
    BS will miss you, and as we were hoping to catch you there, so will we.

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    1. I was sorry to let BS go also, but we'll be there again - it's a favorite place. This "patience" thing is tough to master isn't it?

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  2. I hope you are able to make some of those map apps work for you--that area out by Vulture Peak is stunning--so many saguaros. The fireplace looks great and Dave's invention for holding it looks a lot like Mike's invention for holding the upper kitchen cabinets as we installed them. Recipe for the jelly donut cake?? Friends gave us their "Christmas tree"--a live, 2 foot tall spruce that they didn't have room to plant on their lot in town. When it warms up we will find it a home here. Mike has been moving it in and out of the garage everyday into the sunshine. One morning Emmi "discovered" the tree as if it hadn't been there for two weeks--barking and dancing around it. Our pets do keep us entertained!

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    1. https://www.bakefromscratch.com/sugared-jam-cake/ Here's the recipe Janna! Next time I'll put more jam inside. It was delicious, not too sweet, just right. Finger's crossed that I can figure out those apps....I'm a bit backward when it comes to those things.

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  3. The fireplace is a perfect fit for your space. Dave’s fix looks like something Joe would have come up with. Aren’t we so lucky? Love the Lewis photos and stories as always. Your comment about Lewis being an individual is exactly what we say. The have personalities just like us! I know it will be awesome having Jesse and Erin visit!

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    1. Yes, we are lucky! It seems that there isn't anything that I can come up with that Dave can't figure out.....Of course, this time the fireplace was really for himself, the lizard!

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  4. Well the Bills sure didn't let that freezing weather slow them down - wow! The fireplace is lovely, looks like it's always been there. Isn't it wonderful having them done?! Your Thrasher's behavior sounds hysterical :-) They are always trying to get to feeders they're too big for here, but nothing like your gargoyle dance! Lewis is being extra careful checking out the perimeter knowing his brother is coming to visit.

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    1. Gargoyle dance! I love it! I think you're right, Lew is making sure things are just right for his big brother!

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  5. The fireplace looks great and I definitely agree - now is not the time for unnecessary outings. A couple more weeks and hopefully things will improve all around. One can hope, anyway. Stay well!

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  6. It doesn't seem like a hardship at all to stay close to home when you have such a beautiful, peaceful place to be! Honestly, I think it would be hard to leave home—it looks so comfortable, especially with that gorgeous new fireplace. And you have sweet and hilarious Lewis for entertainment. Eric often has peanut butter breath, too—it's one of his favorite snacks. Good thing I like peanut butter, LOL!! :-)

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    1. It is quiet and peaceful here in this house, for sure. We try hard to keep it that way.

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  7. The fireplace was finished just in time. It has been fireplace mornings here. For a couple weeks it was even fireplace Starbucks in the afternoon. We, too, have those various seating options depending on the time of day. The sun is a must this time of year. Great job you two with the mantle. Love seeing my boy in so many photos. He is too funny with the light on the wall. Great Thrasher story. Glad you have lots of entertainment for SC and HH.

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  8. Simple entertainments to be sure, but those are often the best ones. They require nothing of you and just make you smile.

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  9. Dave did such a good job on the fireplace surround. It's beautiful! Glad it's in, and the project is over. Not going to Tucson was probably an excellent idea, their case numbers are just awful.

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    1. I know, excellent idea but.....I wanted to go!

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  10. It all looks fabulous, from the fireplace to the crazy birds to everything Lewis! And that jelly doughnut cake, ooooo!

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    1. remind me about the cake when you come through in March!

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