In which the sequestering continues, but we find things that need done

I can't help wondering if we are all going to be permanently scarred by
the pandemic, afraid to hug our friends or shake hands,
or even hang out in public again.


For now, of course, none of that is an option.  Everything non-essential is closed...including the trail heads.


The trailheads are closed, but the county trails are open.  

Jim and I went scouting a few days ago to find places I could safely park the rig
and access the Whitehorse Trail.


We saw a few walkers, and bike riders out enjoying the day.  Fiddle doesn't understand why these people
aren't offering her treats as they normally do.

This sign was a bit worrisome, as "slide area" is the designation for what happened in the region six years ago, killing 43 people in a neighborhood adjacent the trail.

A portion of the Whitehorse Trail now skirts the memorial to the mudslide victims,
but we weren't on that part of the trail today.


I was relieved to see that the "slide area" was just a normal sandy cave-in adjacent to the river,
with a nice stable bypass built by the county to use instead.


The Whitehorse Trail is not a pristine wilderness adventure trail.  It's a reclaimed railroad grade, converted to a multi-use (non-motorized) trail by the Snohomish County Parks.


In this photo we see the reason that the Whitehorse Railroad existed:  the still-operating lumber mills
just outside of Darrington.  The Whitehorse Railroad transported logs and lumber downhill to Arlington and beyond.


 The trail had been on the "we own it but don't have money to build it" list until after the mudslide in Oso, when an anonymous donor gave them a boatload of cash to retrieve the trail from the blackberry brambles, re-deck the 22 bridges, and open it to the public.  The grand opening was originally scheduled for this Spring.  The planned festivities are cancelled of course, but at least the trail is open!


At home, things are beginning to Spring Up.

Pea sprouts this week reminded me that I have reason to continue living

The seedlings in trays are starting to show primary (and even a few secondary) leaves!

Weird grocery shortages continue.  We haven't run out of toilet paper, but the stores don't usually have it.  They also -- WHY?!?! -- don't have flour!




Aha, but my favorite downtown diner--open for takeout only at the moment--posted on social media that
they have flour and were willing to share.  There's a reason it's my favorite place.

I've been baking all kinds of bread lately, and a flour shortage was making me nervous.  Thanks to the Stilly Diner, I'm good for another couple of weeks!

I added a cup of sourdough starter and a bunch of sunflower seeds to this yeast bread dough.  It's delicious.


Foxie and I went over to Fish Creek for an afternoon of distant lunching and meandering around the perimeter to check fences with Patty.  Using Zoom and Skype is all fine and good, but spending time with real people is best--even when we have to stay 6' away from each other.

Fox doesn't like to get his feet muddy...or wet...or anything else.

Finally, here was my self-appointed task today:  tidying the feed room in the barn!

It's been too cold, too busy, too...whatever...to tidy up.  Until now.


Here's the "after picture":

I found the floor!



I'm reading a lot, and listening to books on audio while I work.  How about you?


Comments

  1. I wanted to say I love your little outhouse and that it has a door is nice too. The lady came out and scavenged the door which was a piece of velvet : ( I noticed yesterday no flour at Aldi! And a little sign, "3 per customer." No one needs 3 bags of flour (though ours are only 1 kg each). I made an American style marble cheesecake for J yesterday and thankfully had the bit of flour required for the crust. No, no more flour for us! No idea why.

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