21 June, 2020 - So Much Done & A Nice Bicycle Ride with Friends

Dear, Mom -

My, my, my. I was on a roll today, Mom. It was a rollercoaster of a day and extremely productive. I started the day with a walk with Elsa the dog along the Columbia Slough. I wanted to give her some new smells and sights. We didn't go real far, but enough that she was pretty hot by the time we got back to the car and ready to go home and lay down on the Pergo floors to cool off her belly.

This is a video of us walking across the bridge over the slough going back towards the car. It was pretty neat because on our way to the bridge, we came across a HUGE eagle sitting up in a tree. It is funny how you can look at something with the naked eye and really gage how big it is then take a picture and it doesn't look as extraordinary. Here is a picture of the eagle (black circle) and a songbird (red circle).

The eagle was as silent as could be and the wee songbird was just singing its little heart out. If I could have got a picture from the opposite side of the tree where the front of the eagle was, it would have been a better picture. Problem is there is a fence right under that tree that restricts walkers from entering that space. I think you will understand how big it was from the description and picture, so it's fine ;)

The walk was first thing this morning around 8:45 am. When we got home, I went over to check on Birgit to see how she was feeling. It sounds as though she was having a better day. Sundays tend to be one of her favorite days because she gets the Sunday New York Times and reads it throughout the day. She is a veracious reader and enjoys current events and the news. After looking in on her, I went home and had a sandwich. Holly needed to find a box in the shed, so I had to dig a bunch of stuff out, give her the box, then reassemble it. This was my art studio, but now it is full of storage goods. One of these days in the next month, I am going to go through everything and give a good share to the Goodwill then turn the shed back into my studio so I can paint and do crafts, woodworking, etc. in there. I miss having my own space where everything is at arm's length.

This is when the more intense work started. I noticed that the heavy rains had filled the gutter up and it looked like it was going to fall off the back of the house. It has been bad for a while, but this was really bad. I ended up getting the ladder out, had Holly grab one end, and we pulled the gutter off. We couldn't believe how bad the wood was behind the gutter. Well, let me rephrase that. We were afraid the wood was not going to be in very good condition and we were right. There is a lot of rot up there. Here is an example:

The photo is a bit washed out because under the eave it is the white of the house. If you look at the bottom of the picture, you can see how moist and rotten the wood is. That is all going to come down on Wednesday of this week. My friend Elden who does carpentry is going to come over and help me replace it all, then put on new wood to block water from getting in, and rehang the gutter. Fingers crossed that it all goes according to plan. It will take the day. We also have to do it on the south wall to a smaller section that the squirrels are finding a way in to the attic space. I have looked for years to figure out where they were coming in and I finally figured it out. Behind the gutters. Sneaky little jerks.

I cleaned up all the gutter junk and rotted wood, then got up on the roof and started sweeping up all the cherry stems, pits, leaves and other detritus from the last year. Once I had that all swept off, I took Paula's blower and did a once over on the rest of the east side of the roof and cleared it of all the cherries that had fallen on it. (We can't pick and eat the cherries because they are all wormy...trust me, I tried the first year we moved in. Yuck.)

After I cleaned up from the roof fiasco, I started blowing off the debris from the cherry tree on the patio and porch. I put up the sun shade, put away all the stuff sitting out from fall/winter and organized the swinging bench and chairs. I also took the glass containers that have marbles and part of my agates and rocks from rock hunting and cleaned them, refilled them with water, and lidded it all so it wouldn't get stuff in it. I will take a picture tomorrow because it was getting late and I needed to get into the shower.

I got showered and took off to go visit Kim and Ward who have been in isolation for months. We are very cautious around each other, but are doubtful the we have been in contact with anyone sick due to our strict quarantine habits. Anyway, we then proceeded to go on a 6 mile bike ride! We had such a nice time in the mild weather. We got back just when it got dark. Kim had made a Swedish Sticky cake, so I had a piece, watched Ward play a bit of a video game, talked to Kim for a few minutes, then came home. That was at 11 pm. It is now 12:08 and I am really tired, so I will end my 'Big Day' story here.

I hope you have a lovely day today. The weather will be perfect for sitting outside with your sun hat and feeling the heat on your body. Let it soak in. It feels nice. 

I love and miss you with all my heart, Mom. Stay strong. I will see you as soon as it is possible. Big hugs and kisses to you! From Elsa the dog and Holly, too! xo --- Your Daughter, Sally Ann