welcome to March!

 

The cold, somewhat messy March lion has arrived!

After a five-day rally to make February into an above-average month (105%), March cones in chilly. The 7-day forecast is for about 1½" of wet snowflakes; we have a solid trace on our deck and in our grass as I type, and a snowy mix is falling.

It seems that our groundhog lied. Break out the pitchforks and torches!!

Update. The early forecast was for perhaps 2" total snowfall, at best an inch each night and gone the next afternoon. Reality was more exuberant: over 9" on the ground at maximum, which today (3/8) is still three inches on deck and driveway! 

Exuberant indeed. 

late-month rally

 With five days to go, February was 39% of normal for precipitation. That's asking a lot of five days.

And then it began to rain.

As of this morning we're at 60% - and forecasts add about 2½" more (thanks to having a 29th  day this year!). If this pans out we'll have (a) two really wet days, and (b) 105% of normal!

Let's find out..

Update, 28 Feb. Now just 0.8" short of average (87%) -- and the cold front is making its appearance at the coast! We never used to have such detail, but the somewhat recent addition of a radar near Aberdeen really improved the up-wind view.

The next seven days are quite damp, showing that the first few days of March 

will come in like a lion - and not just for us!!

California takes a turn

February has been less damp than recent months, as the rapidly weakening el Niño sends moisture south of us for a while. We're around 30% of normal halfway through the month.

Our coming week has perhaps an inch of rain, but several recent forecasts have been too enthusiastic about amounts. We even flirted with a snow forecast this week, but in the end the cold vs. moist boundary ended up closer to Olympia. Oh look; our forecast now has a 900-foot snow level tonight..

Next fall looks like we're back to La Niña - but many climate folks are now wondering if enough global change has been wrought to break our conditioned expectations. It's always been clear how things settle out in Niña and Niño years.. but last year's California weather was not typical at all. Lake Manly (aka Badwater / Death Valley) formed after Hurricane Hilary and it's been replenished by recent storms; Tulare Lake reformed and hasn't vanished either. Perhaps we need to watch a few more cycles before throwing out all our experience; we'll find out!

kit

Looking ahead not back

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Update 3-5: shifting from 12-35 to 14-140A, with wx seals and nice range. This removes three lenses from my pile: 12-35, 45-150 and my damaged 14-140 with its chipped front element, which I cannot use with full confidence. 

I'm also swapping a G100 Lumix in place of the gf7; its USB charging, two dials and viewfinder are solid positives over the GF7. No ibIS, but better 20Mpx sensor, excellent viewfinder, and audio inputs - and oh ya, 4k too.

µ43 primes: 10-17-23-30macro-45mm. The 17 and 45 are Oly f/1.8, and so the Zonlai 50 is now expendable. The 10 and 23 are manual focus, but AF rules otherwise.

Zooms: 14-140 plus 35-100. That brings me a range of 28-280mm/e with weather seals and 28-200 with decent speed (the 14-140 is a pinch faster than 12-60 at 35mm). That's plenty good enough for me. 

The elder 4thirds ZD 70-300 is available for longer reach. Its bulk won't make it a take-everywhere option but that's OK.

bodies: eM1 mk.II and G100 are versatile in different ways; hopefully they will not interfere with each other. 

Back to normal

 Version 1: temperature is now above 45° and snow is down to tiny patches. A half inch of rain has fallen today so it may all be gone by sunrise. The melt plus rain was nearly 2"!

Version 2: with a week to go, January should end up at least an inch above normal (OK, 2½" above as of the 27th!). That means our water deficit since October will be a surplus.. for a little while, at least. 

a first glance at winter

Our moisture has come from the south so far this rainy season, so ski resorts and winter-focused events have not fared well. Many storms near California will do that, and el Niño often leaves its mark to our south, pushing warmer air our way to limit snowpack. It does not make us immune to winter weather though!

Today's Wx-Underground forecasts have turned toward snow about a week from now, which is surprising. Many models have made this shift, however; shown here is the well-regarded European model's view on Friday morning 1/12. This is pretty much the classic pattern for white weather down low, with cold air just onshore and marine moisture willing to be pulled in just to its south!

This could change in six hours with the next model runs, and in the course of a week's modeling the timing and location will likely revise a few more times. Still, it's notable. 

We'll be watching..

7Jan update: the forecast has twisted several times as to depth of cold air and accumulation, but the 12-13th remains white at our 750' elevation. Values have varied from 3½ to 12 inches from run to run!

7-16 recap?

Curiously enough, winter weather began abruptly on Tuesday the 9th, with over 6" on the ground on Tuesday morning. It was a strong suspicion but nothing more on Monday night as we drove back from Anacortes in downpours.

That settled down to 4" by Friday 1/12, when we topped off the crunchy old snow with 4" of fresh true powder. The arctic front dropped us to 16° at night through Monday the 15th. Today the cold air was overrun by a front coming from the SW; only a pinch of fz/rain has fallen so far, and the forecast has us above freezing by sunrise. It will take a day or two for the snow to vamish, but the wild times will return to normal in 36 hours or so.

7-17 - It was a good try, but it took until 10am to reach freezing, and 2pm to reach 35. 

Time to start shoveling the driveway!

GP MMXXIV: is it over?

The purge has ended, and kit 2024 has arrived: the last lens* arrived on the 2nd of January. The kit is very different from my December posting (at right)! A couple of shoot-outs will help me decide which lenses will stay and if any more will depart. 

Some things are clear though:

• The gold column is gone. I still own a few lenses, but they are bodiless and therefore useless to me.
• The green column is here physically but is no longer a factor in my decisions. One or two lenses may remain when it's over, but it wont be a factor in my planning. Assuming I can afford any more plans!
• I see eleven items in the μ43 column from early December. Six have changed (including both listed bodies), and an extra lens added. A few of those six may remain after the Purge - but definitely not many!

How it all came about

1. A new top body, the eM1.ii in Ex+ came first, funded by the Sony gear's departure. This would put the eM1 into the second spot and allow the A01 to find a new home. While I'm not a fan of flip screens, the many additional updates to the ii were quite persuasive.
2. After researching my ultrawide /astro options, I chose the TTArtisan 7.5/2 fisheye. It's a bit of a beast, especially compared to the 10 fisheye - but being three stops brighter was a worthwhile change to make. That made the 10/5.6 rather expendable despite its compactness, but I left that question unsettled for a bit.. like perhaps two paragraphs?
3. I then decided to grab a nicely-priced copy of the Lumix 20/1.7 to replace the TTArt 23/1.4 that I'd been using. A pinch less light and 'slow' AF, but enough benefits to take the spot and leave more space for the 30mm macro to get more use. I had considered if the Oly 17/1.8 would not have served a bit better.. but $50 less for very similar IQ and bulk helped. It may be that 10-17-23-30 is a better series than 10-20-30.. but for now I'm good.
4. OOPS! I found a Laowa 10/2 in good condition at a reseller, meaning it was affordable - but would be cheaper still if I were to let the eM1 v.1 depart. The Laowa is an excellent lens to have on hand for aurora seeking. It does force Shootout #1 between the TTArt and Laowa.. and the Br*10 for that matter: two fisheyes is one too many, as is two 10mm. It does reopen the slot for 2nd body.. for a little while. Speaking of shootouts, 
5. Whoa. A bargain Lumix 12-35/2.8 v.1 will battle the slower Lumix 12-60 as the 35-100/2.8's teammate. Sure I'd prefer the v.2 to match the 35-100, but this was in Bgn condition, therefore far less expensive than I expected for any copy of this lens! On an Oly body the Dual:IS boost of v.2 is irrelevant. Shootout #2 will be interesting as I yet again contemplate speed vs range!
6. Either way, the 14/2.5 and 23/1.4 have no real place if the 12-35 prevails. We'll see how results play out soon!
7. Um/Ah - then a GF7 appeared on eBay with little use and a reasonable price. Far more useful in my bag than the A01, it's a gx7 internally but in a simpler wrapper and with fewer bonus features. Great imaging on the inside though!

 So here's the µ43 update, with new items in red and gold. 

The only tempting change now is to swap out my Zonlai 50/1.4 with a slightly slower 42.5/45mm AF prime. That would save some weight, as the Zonlai is a dense little beast (listed at just under 200g, but the Oly45/1.8 is 115g). No hurry on this however. 

And as long as the Zonlai stays the TTArtisan 23 might also, since it's 2 stops faster than the 12-35; that could make a difference, now and then. Its resale value wouldn't be high anyway, and its focal length matches the sensor diagonal so it's the µ43 equivalent of a Fast Fifty!

I have assembled a little kit in my smallest camera bag. GF7 with Brightin* 10mm fe, 20/1.7, 30/3.5 and the Lumix 45-150. The 14mm and 12-60 are probably expendable now.. time and shootouts will tell.

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Shootout notes

12-35 v 12-60 28Dec 23

Both lenses show limited distortion when panning at 12mm, the 12-35 perhaps a bit less. Close focus is very close on both but the 12-60 wins with its longer range .. but that's at f/5.6. The 12-60 is f/5 at 32mm, so 1+2/3 stop slower than the 12-35. Focus depth does not really interfere at such distances but further off items will definitely blur out better with about two stops more light incoming. Weight of the 12-35 is a bit more, but it isn't apparent since the lens is so compact.

Result: this comes down to personal preference. Given the damaged 14-140 in hand (with minimal resale value) and >35mm coverage at f/2.8, the 12-35 makes good sense. While the 12-60 could hang out as the GF7 primary lens, the 12-35 is smaller even if heavier; a Lumix 14-42ii or 14-42X would do the job as well or better.

10/5.6fe vs 7.5/2fe v 10/2 still awaiting Laowa as of 30Dec*

All are now available, but the test hasn't happened yet - but one of these days.. !!

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* The Laowa 10/2 decided to spend an extra day exploring Shelby MT rather than reaching me on the 29th along with the 12-35/2.8.

GP MMXXIV preview

The one advantage of trying every d@#n camera in existence (and actually recalling that you've done so!) is that you inevitably learn what's important, and what is less so. 

Since 2009 and my Sony α200 I've tried nearly every Pentax dSLR (yes, the K-01 and Q too!), three Fujis, several Sonys (both mounts, both sensor sizes), a Nikon or three, Samsung NX and countless µ43 (all three brands!). Several of these were tried more than once, in various colors and/or Special Editions too! 

I refuse to count them as it will bring too much unneeded grief to this appalling process. I'm  really exhausted and frustrated by bouts of research on cameras I can't afford to equip, or will not use enough to justify even the shelf space to keep in sight or reach.. and so,

 we begin the Great Purge of 2024! 

My goals for the coming year:

• assemble a solid, affordable µ43 kit
• repair the K-s2 and let go of Pentax
• let go of Sony/Minolta
• organize digital photos
• scan non-digital ones from old media
• and take new photos. Better ones!

Step 1. µ43

Only one camera has brought me a hint of entertainment since the e-M1 original - and that is its immediate successor. That includes brief attempts to use the eM5.iii and the G9 - though not the eM1.iii which has not dropped to an accessible price for me. 

The eM1-ß's lone annoyances are the flipout screen & the menus, which are a touch more insane for its expanded capabilities. In return though, it gains in every spec that matters to me: battery life, processing power, improved sensor and additional features that I might actually use. Even 4k video, perhaps.. ?  It also uses a common USB connector for file transfers; too bad it won't charge that way, but USB chargers (even USBc options!) are ubiquitous now.

That sensor update not only improves resolution by a bit - it also increases its specs to my typical aps-c levels, which makes the K-s2 sensor a draw by dXo standards. I don't swear by the dXo data, but it does allow me to check gear in hand against each other; after all it's a competitive world where results at the modern end of the sensor scale could be biased, with or without intent.

*Late Surprise* a new small body for my kit, to replace the Air A01 and its randomly problematic phone interface. Since the eM1 had departed, the backup role was definitely available!

On the lens front, few changes are needed. A few primes will be reworked for better spacing, but the 12-60, 35-100/2.8 and ZD 70-300 zooms do very good work in typical lighting. Our plans to visit an auroral sweet spot next autumn will be a factor in the changes though!

Step 2: Pentax

I like so many things about Pentax - but it's been years since anything in my price range has been offered, and the mirrorless /live experience is better for what I do. I love its ability to crop to 4:3 and square in camera, and its post-capture raw save - but the eM1 can do the former and I can live without the latter. Once the solenoid has been fixed and demonstrated to be functioning properly, I'll offer up the camera and most of the lenses.

Step 3: Sony

And again, farewell. Love the tilt screens, miss the touch capability and other nice features that Sony has reserved for the latest = most expensive models, I don't get enough benefit from the 36x24 sensor, and their aps-c performance is similar enough to the eM1-ß. Despite my fondness for the Maxxum lenses that I have in hand (24-300mm range) it's time to accept that it isn't a realistic dream to unite them to a more modern body.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

As to organization and slide/neg scanning, those have been needed for years. My hiking web shots have corroded by jpeg duplication almost beyond recognition. The eM1 (either one) and the Oly 30 macro, plus a decent light box which I can improvise, will do most of the work other than attempting to balance the contrast and color issues that might arise.

I recently read about others who used some bracketing and/or hi res shooting to capture better digital reproductions with good results. It will be interesting to see better captures of my numerous old memories!!

And then - more shooting!

That sounds nice. 🙂

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

 So.. is it over?? 

yet another storm.. then some peace?

 

We've had three or four atmospheric rivers in the first week of December, putting us at 2/3 of normal monthly rainfall already. A quiet day today, then another punch coming for Saturday. 

Hints of a few days of quieter weather are showing on the models. Not entirely dry perhaps, but fewer 2-inch hits of tropical temperatures and rainfall. We'll see how it pans out. The forecast for the first week of December was 5-6 inches, and it was correct at this location - 5.65" for Dec 1-6, plus 1/2" on the 7th and 1/3" on Nov 30th.

Tele conundrum

So my α7r now has its 28-70mm native lens with oss and some degree of weather protection. How nice, given its 1st-generation body has no stabilization within. 

Now I'm covered to 70mm with AF and x.shake..

and then?

A telephoto lens with autofocus, wx seals, and oss by any acronym would be ideal. But where are they? Oh they are out there, but not in my price range..

• The A-mount bodies had IS Inside so didn't need stabilized lenses (in fact Sigma and Tamron removed IS from their lenses in A and PK mounts!), and nearly all were screw-drive AF that would require an ea4 adapter ($200+).
• Sony E-mount native options are few. And recent, so still expensive! The bargains are in the aps-c format (same mount for different sensor size) which isn't quite what I seek.
• Tamron and Sigma have added to the E system.. but w/o stabilization below 400mm. Not ideal, as I'd be happy at 200-250mm but few players sell in that range. Other third-party companies have brought AF primes and a couple of zooms, but no wx or OIS capabilities.
• Oddly enough, the canon EF mount has better and thrifty options for me. $100 adapters are available, and some earlier Tamrons like the SP 70-300 (with oss not vxd) have VC in canon mount. Canon's own 70-300 comes with IS and AF for less, though it zooms in the opposite direction to almost everything else I own. Actually everything I own goes the other direction.. except the Olympus 70-300 monster tele with 43-micro adapter! Coincidence?

First attempts with adapted lenses have been ..instructive. On a 36Mpx sensor, focus is really critical. Images that look all right on a tiny screen look blurry above 1:2 magnification - so AF is more important than IS and wx seals on the α7R mk.1 body. I can manage with the fast Pentax 85/2 and 135/3.5 if I'm careful, but with slower m-focus zooms I revert to focus guessing even when peaking +zoom is enabled.

I test-drove a Metabones EF adapter with the 70-300 Canon IS USD. Many rave about the EF lenses, but apparently this particular lens is older than most and is quite leisurely to AF. And after updating firmwares all over the place it generally misses focus on my test shots. It nearly locks, then shifts one last time toward infinity. Multiple AF presses do not help. That pair is going back.

70-210rs with dumb adapter, 100-300D Apo, 24-105D

So on to plan B: the EA4 adapter for A-mount. That will give me pdAF in the adapter and true aperture control in the body, but better technique will have to sub for the lack of stabilization. The best thing about this option is that I already have the Maxxum trio (photo) so plenty of range is already on hand - plus a Tokina 20-35af. I found an EA4 for less than the usual used price, so that's another plus. And it brings PDaf to the α7R, though at the price of a whiny AF motor drive. Presumably the gains will outpoint the losses on this!

Fingers crossed that this will do the job well enough. 

I'm tired of looking at reviews and specs - especially since I generally miss the one site that says "don't expect this lens and that adapter work right with your current camera body". I've learned that particular lesson more than most.

another dry-ish month. And then..

We've reached the 22nd and the forecast is for a dry week. As we sit at 79% right now, it means another sub-standard month will go in the books without a large shift in the forecast.

Since November through January are the wettest of months here, being around 80% is a decent amount, just over seven inches - but last winter all three were drier than average and that's a bad habit to get into!

El Niño is upon us, big time this year, which often means weaker storms for us as more energy dives south to California. It often strikes early in the calendar year, so more storms in December would be a very good thing. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Update - maybe 1/4" on the 30th, but probably closer to 0.10". And then the floodgates open - as the models seem to do quite often at the turn of a month. I'll footnote this for certain to see how close we come to it! At our location we'll call it 5" - but the neighborhood is 4-9"  and boundaries are rather vague at this scale! 

This graphic runs through 4PM on the 4th, so nearly everything here is December 1-4.

11/30 update - wx. underground 1-6 Dec. Six-ish in the forecast. Today is at .21" with a pinch more possible around midnight.

α7R- refinements

The α7R is getting some spare bits: flash-shoe covers, a tripod plate, an extra battery. I also found it an Ugly 28-70mm oss for poor weather and lens stabilization, at a non-Ugly price.* In good weather, it can fight with the Minolta 24-105 for sensor time.

I also loaded it up with Apps that I bought almost a year ago for the α7ii, and since I paid for them they are still available. Such things as time-lapse video, action and composite shots, a wave-your-hand shutter release (not to be confused with the big-smile shutter release!) and a couple of other 'features' that most cameras tend to have in place without extra effort/expense. But it works fine and didn't cost much the first time - so I've been treated far worse than this. But what can I do with that extra 43MB of memory? I expect the answer is: lumpit.

So this camera weighs less than the eM1, and its 50/2 is smaller than the equivalent 23/1.4 on my µ43 mainstay camera. The eM1 is replete with amazing features, so the question becomes how much I would miss those in exchange for the larger sensor, higher resolution and a bit less bulk in a few circumstances.

First off, I'll look into the shutter-shock issue that ruined nearly every review for the α7R; some users laugh about its overblown presence, while others cry and point to evidence. My turn to evaluate!

*Update - as I've seen more than once, KEH Ugly label brings me a great lens, but with no caps or hood. The sucker looks new to me.

skeptical

 We shall see how November starts - but given that most October forecasts came up short, this looks pretty .. enthusiastic.

Here's the news 7-day map. It also appears to be convinced.

Update - Nov 1-7 total ended up at 4.8", a bit lower than most forecasts but not a bust for a wide-area map that put us in the 5-7 inch range. Monday's rain was from the 3rd atmospheric river of the bunch and was pegged as the weakest, but location is everything with such streams of moisture. We had 1½" for the day and its the 4th day since mid-October to be over 0.85". 

We're over 50% for November after the first seven days! The upcoming week may only add an inch or so, putting us at six inches at mid-month. Time will tell, as it so often does..

Updates, on many subjects

 October has been ..active. Here's a summary of the Story so far:

• My health is pretty decent after surgery, but it took several days to be sure that the gut aches were gone since the surgery hurt the same areas of my gut! It seems that all went fine, best evidence being my late-evening discharge. I'll learn more from the doctors in early November.
• Weather has been underperforming for the month, as every large forecast has dried out upon reaching us. Split flow is common with el Niño patterns, as strong fronts are spun up to our north and the southern end does a soft landing near the California border. Maybe they will consolidate more in coming weeks, but October is looking like a 50-60% kind of month.
• Camera gear was a surprise, as the new acquisitions of recent months all slipped through my willing fingers. I'm back to an eM1 and K-s2 - and am convinced that these are the best fits and image quality that I need. I'm a big fan of 4:3 images, more so than 3:2; thankfully Pentax crops to square and 4:3 very easily after capture.

So things are going decently well, other than the somewhat dry weather. More coming tomorrow though!

Riding the tide

I made an informed and reasonable decision, and put the G9 up for sale. The eM5³ was a better fit for me; still not the best fit, but preferable to the Lumix. The g9 was very nice but would require new muscle memory that was unlike my K-s2 and .. well, every advanced digital camera I'd used in 15 years!! Including every Lumix ever made, in the case of the front control dial.

So off went the G9 to market. 

And there it sat.
I dropped the price thrice and had spare time for surgery.. but no one claimed it in three-plus weeks.

Well all right, I can take a hint. Let's put the eM5³ up and test the market with that. An offer came swiftly, though a bit low. I'll wait a bit on that.

But.. what if Both sell ??!??

Honestly? I could live with that.

Update 10-19: I accepted the offer on the eM5³. The listing said I had four followers, so three said flat nothing to me as the price was lowered enough to show the 'price-drop' flag to them. Maybe that's typical; I've never watched such riveting online events before.

I have announced the G9's final price drop, but I won't pull it off-screen just yet. 

Again, whatever happens I can live with it, whether K-s2, G9 or another eM1 Classic.

Update 10-21: the G9 is claimed! In response I grabbed another black eM1 with tripod plate. The more things change the less they stay the same! 

And the end of my time of experiments; the eM1 is my best-fit camera in µ43 format, and now I've tried every alternative except the GX9. Wasting money on cameras isn't much fun any more.

And the K-s2 is just what I'd seek in a Pentax, with its compactness, decent live-view system and great Pentax ergonomics that I could use in my sleep. I really liked the K-5, but its video specs and a few other features make the diagonal step worthwhile. And once the solenoid is swapped out, results could be magical!

Over, and out

Wow. My surgery is done, and I'm resting at home!

The date changed several times before locking down on 10/12. The procedure name changed a few times too. And late in the game, the overnight stay became a 4-day stay! My wife needed to pack many items to stick with her diet plan, and her mom came down to keep her company.

In the end it did some real-time adjusting!

• The 1:30 schedule slid to 4:00 or so
• The time required was a bit less, and
• They threw me out at 9:30!!

Night one of our..one-night stay

Since we had 3 nights scheduled at an on-site room, my wife had done plenty of unpacking. And I couldn't help her to repack! Thankfully her mom helped to get everything crammed into her car, and we left OHSU around 10pm - meaning arrival at home around 11:40pm. I stumbled toward the bed (and past the cats who wondered why they had a 4-day supply of food!) and marveled at how much had changed in 12 hours.

Pain was strong but manageable, though my shoulder ached terribly - which I learned today is a common side effect of laparoscopic surgery. I am more mobile and less miserable now (5pm Saturday) - but that trip was completely impossible to plan!

Results did go according to plan though: no more gallstone factory, and no more liver with a pint-size cyst crowding my belly. And the laparoscopic punctures were entirely predictable. 

It was the clock that never could meet expectations. Ah well, 'tis done.

The next waves

After a nice few days in the 70s, the next cold fronts are set to drop in for a visit. Such is October on the PacNW west slopes: 80s, storm, 70s, storms, low 60s, and.. storms through early March. 

Tomorrow will bring 1/2" of rain, and Tuesday will add over an inch. Maybe two. Similar to the previous set, the forecast Is for around 3" here over the next seven days.

Gold means 5" or more in 7 days

This is why our average each November and December is around eight inches. Three weeks of 2½" and a "dry" week of perhaps an inch. And 60° highs will only come with tropical air; solar energy isn't enough after mid-October.

A milestone

 For no particular reason. I refreshed the DPReview/forum screen after posting. 

Wow, it was my 4000th post!?!

No doubt a few of them were relevant to the topic, eased some tension or produced a chuckle. I was never banned during the dozen years or so that I've participated, which would lead some to conclude that I was pretty boring. I can live with that, from them at least.

I doubt that I'll double this number .. but
here's to the next thousand!

WY 2023 Fini

And so water year 2023 comes to its close. This was the driest year of our hill-top record (at 43 1/3 inches), and by a decent amount: over 12" below normal. Only April and August came in above normal, and August only did so because the 31st was so wet! November is now our wettest month by its 30-year average, so its reaching 95% kept the deficit from turning worse.

September came in just like the rest of the year: right around 75% of normal. What's surprising is that the wet season And the dry season each came in at 75% also! Looking back I see that 2020 nearly did that (117% wet season, 114% dry season) - most years the difference was more than 25% favoring the wet months. Only in 2022 did the dry-season outperform the wet on a %normal basis. 

Funny are the stories that numbers tell..

Hasty workouts

The wet weather forecast got me in gear for a week's good work!

My 2023 health issues have been documented in this blog (see the health tag). The result has been plenty of downtime and deferred projects.

When the forecast turned damp for the last week of September I finally got busy, or at least gave my best effort with my low stamina.

First up: the woodpile!

I had plenty of brush from last winter, but also several thick lengths of wood from the previous winter. I hacked the logs into wood stove lengths, then split them with the long axe and stuffed them under cover while the weather was good. 

Evenings were spent relaxing on a heating pad.

Thankfully, a few more dry days were left to me, allowing for another speed task: knocking last year's moss growth off the roof.

Part two: roof prep 

The temperature was dropping fast and shade had taken over much of the yard and house, so these last two days began in fleece and long pants. I brought up a rough brush and the cordless leaf blower and got to work. The roof will need replacing next year so a gentle scrub wasn't important this time. I got about 2/3 finished the first day before again relaxing with the heating pad.

Day two found me blasting out one set of gutters with the leaf blower and a fresh battery before attacking the greener north facing roof. By late afternoon I was done up top, but plenty of moss tribbles were strewn across the north-side deck and south-side driveway. I was able to clean up the deck before dark, leaving a few dry hours on day three to blow the driveway from massive clutter to two thick clumps of green. 

One more task remained for the last dry day, so I opened the large lawn-nourishment bag I had hoped to use six months ago and spread it across as much lawn as it could reasonably cover. It had clumped and congealed a bit but not too badly.

With firewood and roof ready for the wet season, I considered things to be as good as could be managed. The storms were less soaking than was expected, so I soaked the lawn where trees had blocked the rainfall.

Now to await the coming dry spell late this week, to see how the grass and weeds respond to water and chemistry!