Should have gone out and taken the picture a few minutes earlier, when the hollow was still completely in shadow. This time of year is the only time you can get that shot, with the cliff on the far side of the wash brightly lit while everything in the foreground is still dark. Nearing the winter solstice the Lair’s interior gets direct sun later and later in the morning, bottoming out at 7:45 right at the solstice. By then everything around me is well lit if the sun’s out, but the cabin stays in shadow till the last moment. Then I can have fun through the cold part of winter watching the mornings get earlier and earlier.
This morning, for the first time, we got some genuine frost. Chicken water didn’t freeze, but that’s coming…
If the nighttime temp is really going into the teens, I’ll be bringing the waterer indoors for the first time. And lighting the fire for the first time, too, tomorrow morning.
I knew the weather was going to change, because yesterday we had a scary afternoon windstorm. Things flying around the yard, wind moaning around the building corners – I was really glad I’d seen to the powershed roof, I can tell you. Afternoon windstorm often brings a change in weather, and it did. Our unseasonable warm spell is over.
For once I’m not completely unhappy about that. I’m as ready for winter as I’ve ever been since moving here except in the matter of the pantry. I’ve quite a shopping list of canned goods written down and waiting for my next cash infusion, but at this point that’s just neurosis. I’ve been over that and won’t bore you with it again, but I am going to stock up on canned fruit and veggies at the first opportunity, just so I can know I have it.
Hey, I noticed this morning that Harry Flashman said something nice about TUAK and me:
Joel’s Gulch. Joel and his dog live in the Southwestern Desert. He is a past master at using what’s to hand to make a sustainable habitat in that environment. He’s very good at innovation, and his blog is very interesting.
Thanks for the link. TUAK hasn’t really been very interesting lately, I fear, since I’m slowing down for the winter here lately. Since spring it’s been work work work around here, and I can look back on the warm season’s accomplishments with no particular shame but I’d rather be sitting in a chair reading a book – and now I’ve got a lovely place to do it and have been, rather to the neglect of the blog. Sorry about that, though I don’t promise any immediate change. 🙂 It’s coming on winter, when sitting around with a cup of tea is the only sensible course.
Joel – I’m excited to see you have an improved warm place to sit and watch winter go by, with a cup of something hot to drink. I think you have earned it in spades.
I’m really looking forward to the solstice myself. 🙂 But spring seems decades away just now. Has not even begun to get cold here yet… High of 37 degrees today.
I need another cup of hot tea myself. Great thinking! 🙂
Meanwhile up north…
Today while you were enjoying the nice balmy weather I was over at a friend’s place, up a ladder in the rain/slush trying to clear out a clogged rain gutter for her. Looks like we got the storm you had yesterday. But that’s OK, I survived and right now I’m by a nice warm fire as a storm rages outside, sipping on a Monty Cristo…
Winter is coming.and with Jack Frost’s arrival we all slow down and go into turtle mode, hiding inside our shells (homes) trying to stay warm and pass the time. My personal conundrum is nothing’s really going on, so the blog topics are few and far between. I really don’t want to start writing political rants, I figure there are enough people on soap boxes that the world doesn’t need any more. Oh well, as an old friend used to say “We shall over come.”
BTW the photo is cool, it’s what I would call “The big Lonesome.” Oh Joel, you may not think it but with everything going on these days you’re in the right place at the right time.