The extended weekend

[curmugeon]

Been working hard, celebrated my Dad's birthday with my Mom, it was hard for her this year, being married 55 years is a long time. Have been playing "Paul Bunyon", working with the chainsaw to take some trees down and cut up and transport them to our 'wood pile', yes, we burn wood for heat in the winter at the rancho. Been on a 'treasure quest' in the barn, so far I have found new plumbing parts, power tools I didn't know he owned, new garden hoses, and miscellaeous tools which I'm trying to organize. Tomorrow dawns early with taking a load of discards and trash to the local 'refuse transfer facility' and then to cut more wood, load in on the truck, and add to the wood pile. The drought here has been killing a lot of trees, so on our property alone I must have 15-20 trees to cut. We need rain, and have not seen measurable rain (we have a rain gage) since February. As I have a stake in this community now, I have noticed a few things that need some attention. We have a problem with large trucks hauling contaminated soil to facility on the local Indian Reservation (a convenient way to get around California's environmental laws), they hold up traffic as the climb the steep grade into town, and fail to yield or pull off the road when 5 or more cars are trapped behind them. Sounds like a job for a video camera and a tape be sent to the CHP. I'm ready for bed, a tiring day, a long day tomorrow.