Fall Repair Work

303 Commercial Ave - Laurel's studio and first roof

 

Second roof - their house

Third roof - the barn (foreground)

Fourth and last roof today - The Woodworking Shop

Laurel and Butch at work

Owens house getting new windows today - new roof last month

Working on the windows

My office had to have new skylights

My house - fence was repainted

All the windows were repainted, and a smashed window replaced

daily haiku

along the valley
cottonwoods turn gold
a sea of treasure

It is a beautiful fall day today and I should be doing housework, but I could not resist the opportunity to take photographs and write.  So much work has been completed around our little town. The hailstorm on May 31st damaged property for many of us, and we've hastened to finish the repairs before the snow flies and brings outside work to a halt. 

I've had help repairing the skylights at my office, mending the broken windows and repainting the house. It is great to have a person like Fred Welter who comes out here from Sheridan WY.  Fred is so multi-talented and has been able to solve a lot of problems for me over the last few years. 

But the people who amaze me are Laurel and Butch Fjell. Butch is really skilled at auto repairs and just about anything mechanical. Laurel amazes me with her indefatigable energy and talent for all kinds of projects. I had no idea until this summer that she could be a roofer!  Laurel and Butch between them have re-roofed their four buildings in Birney, that were affected by the hail. Today they were re-roofing their woodworking shop in which they both build and carve anything for which they get an idea. Butch makes chairs and wooden toys, Laurel, picture frames, and anything else for which she has an idea! 

Down the street Owen and Diana Cartwright were getting windows and skirting replaced on their house. The hail made holes in the skirting and cracked the windows and their surrounds. Last month their damaged roof was replaced.  

All our houses are now ready for winter; in the meantime the trees are turning to sunshine gold; they take my breath away as the sun comes up each morning.

 

 sun breaks through dawn clouds
paints the hills with gold
blue sky    clouds tinged pink
rosy outlook for fall day

September Survivors

Jerusalem Cricket

Emmette Medicine Top stops by to visit

Then rides off into the sunset!

My petunias survived the first frost

So did my friend Diana's wonderful flower bed

In fall Maple leaves change with a wide array of colors

The vines at my office are beautiful

This little fairy looks sad that fall is here

Virgil came to stay while his master was in hospital

daily haiku

colors in the leaves

shine bright even with no sun

they stand alone

I could not think of a theme for this post and then I thought about survival.  Many plants and even garden vegetables survived our first frost somewhere around the twelfth of the month.

So much happened during September. My friend from Texas, who now lives in Birney, was taken ill and hospitalized early in the month.  I love his black Labrador Virgil, so rather than have him stay alone I brought him here to stay for a few days until Oren came home.  I enjoyed Virgil, but I must have lost a couple of pounds while he was here as he LOVED to go for walks. I am not sure he needed to pee as many times as he asked to go out, but go out we did, even in the dark and rain at 5.30 a.m -- that made me think twice about getting another dog!  So Virgil survived in comfort and style and with a friend who cared.

As noted in the picture - I had a visit from a very large Jerusalem Cricket.  I put a water glass over him till morning then he was relocated down in the town site - hopefully he'll survive down there with all the log piles in which to make a home.

Another friend, Emmette Medicine Top, stopped by on his horse the other day to chat and have a cold drink. Emmette has continual car problems, but he doesn't let them get him down, ofttimes he rides his bicycle a 16 mile round trip to get his mail at the P.O.,  or as in this case, jumps aboard his horse. It is such a lovely old-time western occasion to have someone visit on horseback; rare any more as most people drive up in SUV's or double cab pickups.

I feel somewhat depressed at the thought of spending another winter here and coping with all the cold and snow alone. But I am doing the chores that are needed, making sure the furnace is overhauled and a good supply of propane at hand for the cold months ahead. All the repairs have been completed on the damage from the hail storm, May 31st, and that is a good feeling. So I think, a day at a time I'll survive too, maybe get some writing done and enjoy the view from the hill as always.