Saturday, September 1, 2012

3000 Miles to a New Life

We are  one month into retirement and busy as can be.  We love our new home here in Idaho.  We live on an arid mountainside looking southwesterly across a beautiful river valley about 45 minutes from downtown Boise.  Being from Alaska we are going crazy shopping at stores we have not seen for years.  Prices are superb in comparison to Alaskan products that are barged or flown north. 

Our property is over 3 acres of rock hard soil shared with wildlife we can watch from our deck.  The only trees on our land were planted recently by a landscaper.  They are picturesque but have to be watered by our extensive in-ground irrigation sprinkler system.  Yesterday I spent several hours checking each station making sure the oscillating sprinkler heads were operating properly.  I removed weeds that love our land and grow with gusto. 

With mountainside living we must deal with all the critters that have been at home here for many years before the house was placed on “their” property in 2006.  We are becoming familiar with quail, ground-hogs, wasps, snakes, hawks, humming birds, several species of poisonous spiders, and mice.  No bears or moose like our former home in Alaska.  Perhaps if I successfully establish a large garden
I will lure deer and elk onto our new homestead, and we hear coyotes in the distance at night. 

A few days ago the direct TV installer gave me some tips on dealing with rattlesnakes.  Not long after he showed me his footwear, I bought myself some steel-toed tough looking snake boots for working in the yard.  I spent some time moving rocks away from our house foundation to discourage snakes from cozying up to close for comfort.

Mountainside living brings not only new challenges but opportunities as well.  Every sunrise and sunset has been picture worthy.  There has been no such thing as pervasive low-lying grey sky.  The few clouds we see have been large cumulous formations mixed with brilliant blue patches of sky. Watching those clouds move across the valley brings a sense of peace and tranquility. 

Most days have been filled with brilliant blue expanses of sky without a cloud in site and temperatures between 85 and 105 degrees. There has been some smoke in the air from a wild fire northeast of here near Sun Valley Idaho.  But all told, we love living in our new home.  It is different than our last place in Alaska and brings us new sights and sounds.