March 29, 2011 still cold

We had gentle snow all day yesterday but nothing on the ground.   Thank goodness the ice is melting and green grass is finally showing though, there is still snow where the ground is shaded.  Squirrels are chasing each other in the trees and hiding nuts, rabbits are gathering and the sounds of birds are everywhere.

Tally is sanding the drywall and I should be texturing tomorrow or even this afternoon.  The ordinance amendment we are working on is progressing.   These things take a lot of time but are all worth it in the end.    Short post.

March- is Spring coming to Happy Trails?

The days are longer and with the addition of more snow it actually feels like spring.  Water is running off the roofs and the ice bergs are slowly receding.  It seems so slow this year.  I know it will be soon that we are turning on water in cabins and beginning the deep spring cleaning.  I love when the cabins are freshly deep cleaned.  It is so satisfying.  I love our job.

On to the construction project.  I now have an insulated kitchen/dining area.  The house became so cosy and nice.  I realize there is a lot to do but just the fact of being warmer has made life wonderful.  We have also been experiencing some great Black Hills inversions.   Rapid City has been so cold and overcast while we in Silver City have been in the 40's with nice sunny days.

Now I have a cold

I was complaining awhile back about the cold weather and now I have a cold.  It is miserable.
Seems I am not getting anything truly accomplished these days.   Luckily I was OK on Sunday and we went cross country skiing out our door.  There is a fair amount of snow for Silver City.
On the good side, we are planning on getting our insulation installed next monday.  We are so excited.  There is a bit to get done before they get her on Monday but now with a deadline, we will be in a frenzy of activity.  It will be nice to be warm.

random stump things

The chickens are well and producing.  We get 5 eggs a day from 7 chickens.  They are so friendly and this late in the winter they look fairly ugly.

Tally

Rita

walking on Pactola Lake

Beaver Dam

Nothing really going on and we have too much time to think.

Politics

The first hurdle is done.  We gave our presentation at the County Planning Commission and they voted for it to continue.  We will now give our presentation to the County Commissioners on March 1.  We need everyone to root for us.  It was good to have one dissenter in the room so we can address his concerns in the next presentation.  It is important to let people know that, as this is a conditional use, a potential vacation home rental has to address the neighbors concerns.
On a more fun note.  I found 2 antlers on our hike Monday.  One was found in the yard across the street, the other was from last year.  You can tell the old ones as they look dry and have had mice or squirrels chewing on them.
We have been having such nice weather.  The snow is melting and then freezing so the ice remains.

cold, cold, cold

Wow, is it cold here in Silver City.  We are so grateful that seasons change and we can rest assured that it will get warmer someday.  The Black Hills were beautiful with the frost heavy in the trees.  All the green pine trees were white, and white on one side in some areas.
I have been working a lot in Rapid City.  The Black Hills Stock Show is going on.  I had fun yesterday evening working the camera for the dog trials.  It was fun to see the collies working the sheep.  We had a Border Collie and she was so smart.   Of course our current dog Gus is pretty smart too but he is still young.  Makes me want to get a few sheep for Gus to try and work with.
Wiring is getting done in the kitchen.  We need to incorporate rewiring the old parts of the house while wiring the kitchen.  Luckily I have patience as everything takes longer than expected.
I have been diligently working on our ordinance amendment.  We are planning on handing it to the P & Z office on friday.  The Planning Commission meeting presentation is set for Feb. 14.  It is actually fun finding facts and material to include in the power point presentation.
In the meantime summer vacation reservations are starting to come in and things are looking well for our cabin rentals.

Happy Trails Weather

What a beautiful day 48 degrees F. in Silver City.  We took a break from Happy Trails and did a 2 hour hike.  If you know us you will figure out that we just start out into the woods and look for a peak to climb.  It was a steep climb heading south west.  Gus (the dog) was in heaven, you could see his smile as walked with us.  We found some old mountain lion tracks, we always seem to find tracks in the snow in winter no matter where we hike.
The beams are in place and supported where Tally took out a wall in our house.  After that was set we took off on our hike.  We needed to get outside and get a break from the construction project.
The woods had a warm moist smell, reminding us of spring.  The snow was wet and a bit slippery.

winter

I have tried twice to add a new posting.  Each time I have written quite a bit only to be called away to help Tally.  Both times I have not been able to recover my musings.   I will try to keep this short and post it before having to help.

It is so cold outside.  We are doing a bit of remodeling in our house - the house that always comes last.  I will hopefully have a dream kitchen.  It is hard to get desk work done with Tally calling me to help with construction so often.  I willingly run to help as the sooner it gets done the sooner I can be using it.

As it is the beginning of the year I am starting to get summer reservation requests.  It is fun to take a clean calendar and start filling in the blanks.  I only request a few dates to ourselves.  I always make it a point to tell guests that arrive on the 4th of July that they may be letting themselves into their cabin.  The parade in Belle Fourche is irresistible and a yearly event for us and our extended family.

The fire trucks and the water fights on a hot 4th of July.

Happy Trails is pretty much buttoned down for the winter.  We have some guests arriving next week.

It is always different in the winter as everyone tends to stay more indoors, the Black Hills are beautiful in the snow.