Good Hike

Been cold last few days so we mostly worked on inside stuff. Linny is really keeping the place up and eager to work. Working outside today. It's nice to tell her physical stuff I haven't gotten to and then hear the door close and she's outside working on it.

I'm so buried in paperwork. Got the tax return done and submitted. The bank changed my loan from an SBA to a USDA saying I had too much vacant land so gave me a bunch of new paperwork a different government agency wants me to fill out.

Last time we went hiking Jax came back limping a bit. I couldn't find a sticker in him so with a couple cold days to heal we did a four hour hike today and he was so happy. Running around all crazy and wanting to hand fight. Saw a couple rock squirrels today so it's almost his time to shine.

Can it really be just a month or so before it's time to go pick up Kobae. I do miss him even though he's a lot of work and until he moves into his house somebody has to watch him when he's sitting out on the porch so he doesn't take off. He never has gone far in March or April but the first time you're not watching him he will. We leave the screen door open so he can come back inside which invites the rock squirrels in to try and raid the foot containers in the hall. Jax will sit out there with Kobae begging the rock squirrels to make a run for the sunflower seeds or cars in the parking lot.

I think everything I've ordered but another bird bath has come in. Nearly $1,500 in stuff. Got the walkie talkies, more canteens, more headlamps, the metal detector though we haven't had time to read the directions or use it, night vision is same story directions or opportunity to use it, and then the best box came in. Couldn't wait so had to get Jax a jacket in town but when this box came in Jax knew. Linny and I set it on the floor and Jax came running over. A box for him. His tail was wagging so fast. When I opened it up and the first toy showed up he grabbed it and took off running into the living room. Then there was a new jacket and more toys. For an hour he had to try them all. 

The three hawks that are visiting periodically every day haven't gotten anything yet. The song birds and white-taileds are all really alert and I've seen nothing of feathers lying around with one exception. There has been a house wren hanging around on the porch for a month. As I was walking down the front porch a week or so ago I saw it jump down into the skunk hole where ringtails sometimes also hang out. Picking up the board to clean out the hole for old Kit&Kaboodle and any stinky dogs left around I found a bunch of short feathers and I haven't seen the house finch since.

Linny, Jax, and I started up Hurrah and just before the first sharp turn and drop off there is an old road cutting off to the left and very hard to see. We took that today, swung under the cliffs where Two Trains and Hurrah Pass are and followed them all the way out to join the road at Jackson Hole. Was a good hike and 44 degrees today. Tomorrow is to be 56 degrees and it's January. Pretty mild winter so far. At present the snow pack is 73% of average and second lowest of the last seven years. That means the snow melt won't be much at it's high point. For Base Camp the big sand bar beach will probably stay on the other side this summer but there will be plenty at the boat ramp and the mosquitoes shouldn't last more than a week or two before the bats and swallows have picked them all off.