Summer Palace Week One

After my long journey back to where I belong, I settled in and started up the Summer Palace.  I had a full tank of propane, so I could feed myself and stay warm.  What else do I need?  Oh yeah - water!  There was still a chance of freezing temps overnight, so the water wasn't going to be turned on until there was no chance of the pipes bursting.

So for 5 days I hauled water from our Community Center for coffee but mainly to flush the toilet.  Luckily we have good shower facilities there too.  I learned to appreciate water that comes straight from the taps without having to haul it in 5-gallon buckets.

But the water was eventually turned on, and I flushed all the pink antifreeze out of the lines.  That full tank of propane only lasted 2 weeks - it was cold overnight!

A lady turkey had her home base nearby it seems, since I saw her quite frequently wandering in my backyard.

And the pair of fox from last year started a family!

And this week I saw a bobcat running through the property two doors down.  I've gotten a lot of grief from folks who don't believe it was a bobcat, but I know what I saw, and they're not uncommon here.  And late last night I may have seen it again bounding through the property.  Where are those nigh-vision glasses when I need them?

Friends of mine that have a cabin on Pelican Lake (site of my Summer Palace a few years ago) had a cinnamon colored black bear strolling through their front yard.  And the next day 2 cubs were seen.  That freaks out a lot of people, but there's a research organization up in Ely, MN that has been studying black bears for years, and have been able to prove many myths are untrue.  For example, bears don't sleep through the winter.  They wake up quite often, leave their den, and will sometimes eat snow for the water.  When their cubs are born (during hibernation), they are good mothers, and just like humans, don't sleep much for the first few months!

Check out www.bear.org - this winter I actually watched Jewel, one of the bears in the study, give birth to 2 cubs.  The cameras with audio in her den kept me coming back time and time again just to check on her and the kids.

I think I missed my calling.  If I could somehow combine my passion for nature with my passion for cooking, I'd be a happy camper!  In a way, that's exactly what I've done already.