With the improved weather which the new week brought us, I was actually able to sit outside yesterday afternoon and read in the sun for an hour. After the better part of ten days stuck in the house with a cold it felt wonderful to be out on the perch in the fresh air. I was able to ignore completely the fact that I gave E my cold and he was bedridden… ( It is tiring carrying the cold around all by myself)

Yesterday we had to change our new 40 LB propane tanks for the first time since we switched systems. Since November 4th we used 160 pounds of propane. At 87 cents a pound it works out to just under 2.00 per day for propane. Our fridge is probably responsible for 105 pounds.The rest is used by our on demand hot water system and stove. One day our dream is to have a solar power system strong enough to support an electric fridge.. wouldn’t that be great…!!!  I can dream…

Today we were both feeling much better and with the cooperating weather had a wonderful day puttering outside.. We bagged up all of our bottles and cans for recycling. Loaded them and the empty propane tanks into the truck and took them down to PC for a trip to town tomorrow.

We raked and had a burn pile to get rid of the last of the leaves and debris hanging around the studio. Swept and tidied the back door (or the front door) area. The R’s called what we call the back door the front door. It’s a tomehtoe/tomahtoe kind of thing.. It was so mild  it could have been spring. Last weeks weather a distant memory. There has been no wind for two days. The water is like glass.

My view from the bench

The sea lions are back.. They bark at night and swim around the front of the house.. I like to watch them from an area near the cut. When we have a deck on that side of the house, I will spend a great deal of time hanging over the edge talking to them. For now, E brought one of my benches down and put it near the path to the water.. I can sit there and they (wildlife) won’t even know I am there… Almost as soon as I sat down to test if I had the perfect location, a large brown sea-lion huffed and puffed in front of me… If you wonder what they sound like… imagine swimming under water for an entire length of  the LLC pool and the sound you would make coming up for air… it is kind of a gasping sound. With a noisy inhale. Very loud.. can’t mistake it.. You hear it before you see them.

We are celebrating our good health with a beautiful steak dinner, beets, greek salad and baked potato…. Dessert will be a little dark chocolate (thanks W’s) with our wine while we watch Mad Men….

Some of our friends in L only gave us three months living here before we grew bored. I hope they didn’t put

money on it.