I saw the deer before Smudge did.
We’d just walked over from the shed to the picnic table yesterday morning. The Heeler was up on the table, sitting, scanning for squirrels. I spotted the whitetail doe grazing next to the woodpile and tightened my grip on the leash.
Then she saw it.
She remained remarkably quiet, considering that the object of her attention was only about 30 yards away. Eventually the deer saw us, too, but didn’t bolt — she grazed s’more, crossed the driveway, ambled slowly into the woods and disappeared.
That’s when Smudge barked, as if to call her back.
We have encounters like that almost every day, the dog and I. This one lasted longer than most, ten minutes or more, thanks to my happy Heeler’s rare display of restraint.
This was the same dog who briefly gave me cause for concern a few hours earlier. We’d just emerged from the cabin for the morning’s first business trip — my usual 4am wake-up call — when she leaped straight up and snatched a cicada out of midair.
She dropped the bug when she returned to Earth. She also came up limping.
Smudge immediately began licking her left forepaw. I knelt next to her and, by the light of my headlamp, examined her foot and leg.
I found no obvious injury — no broken skin, no stinger, no swelling. Back inside the cabin, I kept a close eye on her.
She favored that quarter for an hour or so and then was back to normal. Maybe she’d just landed wrong.
There are no dull days up here.
Here’s the latest “Skill-of-the-Week” from The Art of Manliness:
The oppressive heat will worsen over the next few weeks, according to forecasts, but I believe I have our cooling scheme pretty well dialed-in. A floor fan in the northwest corner of the living room moves air cooled by the through-the-wall AC toward the center of the cabin, and another boosts the output of the window unit in the bedroom.
I turn off the former overnight; the latter runs 24/7. Both require only their lowest setting to do the job, consuming about 100W each.
Over these first few days of living with the big chiller in the wall, I’ve been impressed. It’s relatively quiet, considering. It puts out serious airflow. And the way I have it set, when indoor temps fall at night it’ll switch to fan-only, which keeps air moving but saves on electricity.
The secret to managing our comfort — and this’ll be as true of heating this winter as it is of cooling now — is to stay ahead of the temperature. The same thermal cycle repeats every day, for the same reasons, and trying to catch up to it from behind doesn’t work.
So I start early. I get ACs and fans going before heat begins to build in the rafters and before objects within the space start warming up. The farther ahead I am when the temperature starts its climb, the more comfortable we’ll be when conditions are harshest.
Now here’s a surprise benefit of a cooler cabin — I had to turn the refrigerator up a few degrees.
The temperature on the outside of the fridge is 20°F to 25°F lower than it was a week ago. It doesn’t have to work as hard, and it won’t run as much. That’ll save electricity and money.
Ultimately, and more than anything else, this is about our well-being, both mine and Smudge’s. We’d be in some jeopardy in this heat without that second air conditioner.
We’re still taking it easy, of course. We limit physical exertion after 10am. During the hottest part of the day, from about 1:30pm until 6:30pm or a little later, we go outside only when necessary.
Honestly, that often feels like I’m squandering my waking hours. I have to remind myself that it’s absolutely the right thing to do.
What in the name of rustic Country livin’ is goin’ on in this picture?
That, dear reader, is yesterday’s pre-dawn maintenance of my kitchen faucet.
You see two stacked coffee cans, atop which is a ramekin half-full of white vinegar. The sprayer head is soaking in the vinegar to dissolve two months’ buildup of limescale. (The sprayer isn’t easily disassembled or removed, thus the improvised tower.)
To the right of the coffee cans, another ramekin holds the aerator from the main faucet, also soaking in white vinegar.
Next up: coffeemaker, shower head, washer, water heater. The vanity faucet won’t need attention for awhile yet, since it was installed only last week.
Cold eats for hot days. Last night’s dinner — sharp white cheddar, Swiss, summer sausage, Granny Smith.
Caterpillar of the io moth (Automeris io), also known as the peacock moth, on a greenbrier vine. Don’t touch — those feathery-looking spines reportedly will break off in your skin and sting like hell.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable