Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

Snowy Winter Wonderland......

So it rained alllllll day on Sunday and A LOT of our snow melted (obviously). We stayed up until about midnight watching movies we had rented and I believe it was still raining then. When we got up at 6am...there was like 6 inches of new snow on the ground!! It had been snowing like an inch an hour. It was very heavy wet snow.....and we lost power 3 times today. It was also very windy.....with the heavy wet snow clinging to the tall pines, when the wind would blow....it would cause a mini avalanche! It got Daisy all the time....she would hear it hitting the house and think someone was trying to get in the house....so she would start barking.

And The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney With Care...

So as if you couldn't guess which stocking is mine.....it's the 0ne with the moose (er...is it mooses?) on it! No, I didn't sew it...but I did buy it on Etsy!! For some reason John gets two stockings...hmmm.....how did that happen?? So,anyway, I thought I would take this opportunity to wish everyone......

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

so here is a picture of our Charlie Brown tree....that's what I call it....it's a wild tree....and when you put an ornament on it, the poor little branches sag under the weight...but oh well, it's ours and we still love it anyway! Notice Milton (the Muddy Moose) sitting in the chair next to the tree...

Milestone Reached...WOW!

Ok, so I "opened" my store on November 17....just 1 month ago yesterday....and I reached 100 SALES by November 16.....just under a month! YEAH! I don't expect to keep up that sort of volume..but who knows? I have lots of fun stuff planned for my Valentine's Day line.....just getting the supplies in now...so I guess I'll be busy(since no one applied for the job...haha) over the next couple of weeks...making product ...taking pictures...which are a whole ordeal in themselves....and posting! Just had to let someone know!

Brrrr...Baby It's Cold Outside.....

Hi...finally some cold weather and snow. It did snow over the weekend...we only ended up with about 4 inches. But it sure is cold. Last night on my way home from work the thermometer was reading -12....and mind you that is with out the windchill. It is supposed to warm up enough for us to get some snow and then drop back down. We are supposed to get 4 to 8 inches of snow Thurs-Fri....so that means more in the mountains. John will have some fun ahead of him...driving in the stuff!

For all the pet....well dog people out there...I had to share this site I found...it is pretty funny. Check it out. http://www.thingsmydogate.com/THINGS_MY_DOG_ATE8.html

Good 'Ol Montana Winter...

Greetings from (still) snowless Montana......BUT.....not for long......we are preparing for our first arctic blast of the season.......highs in the single digits and lows of -6! And that is WITHOUT the wind chill. With that figured in NW Montana is looking at lows of about 20-30 BELOW ZERO! I'm not too sure how much snow we will see here, but the Montana-Idaho border in calling for 20 inches, Glacier National Park is calling for about 12 inches.....I suspect we might see 4-6 inches. We do live in the "banana belt"....well gotta run..got someone coming to buy some stuff....gotta get the house in order!

Help Wanted...

Job Description:Small, growing, busy home-based business looking for some extra help during the holiday season(ie seasonal position)....your responsibilities include(but not limited to)...shipping, invoices, packaging, production, customer relations, customer service....cooking and cleaning not out of the question!
Perks: you get to be in MT....and ...you get to sample the product!
Drawback: sometimes working under stressful and hostile work environment (haha)
Wage: Room and Board...no tv or high speed internet on premise.

To apply, please email your resume to themuddymoose@wildblue.net by no later than Dec 12,2008 to be consider for the position.

ANY TAKERS??

Last Show...YEAH!!

Ok, so today was the last show for 2008...and I had figured that I have about 3 months off before I have to start gearing up for the Farmers Market next spring. They start really early around here...first Saturday in May will be the first....and it could conceivably snow! In those 3 months I have product lines to develop....I have lots of ideas kicking around in my head.....scrubs and massage candles are a high priority and then possibly a "Tween" line with lip butters like cotton candy and bubblegum....and maybe some glittery stuff! I also have some bread recipes to play around with....so I guess when it comes right down to it.....I really don't have any time off at all!

Speaking of snow.....I was a BEAUTIFUL day here in Montana...(but I guess in my opinion it is always a beautiful day here in MT)......54 degrees.....no snow in sight!! AND....gas is down to $1.55 a gallon!

For the last show of the season...it was mediocre...I think a number of factors were working against us....the weather.....there were also a number of other events planned for today....and life around here pretty much comes to a screeching halt when the Griz (MSU in Missoula) have a game....and today was a BIG game....they are in the playoffs...don't know for what and it is also a revenge game. The Griz have only lost 1 game all season and it was to the team they played today...don't know if they won or not. That's all for now....gotta go clean and catch up with some Etsy orders.

A Whole Lot of Nothing....

Well that pretty much sums up what has been going on around here....nothing. I had a show last weekend and my final one coming up this Saturday. I think there are a lot of shows going on this weekend, so I don't really anticipate a huge turnout. Um....let's see.....still no snow....gas is $1.58....and that pretty much sums it up. Ever since I started selling on Etsy.....a website dedicated to all hand-made items....I have had to go to the post office every day...so that is a good thing.....AND...I'm sure many of you have heard...I am INTERNATIONAL!! yeah! With customers in Canada and Germany! If you don't know what etsy is...you should really check it out you can choose to shop locally by state, city...narrow it down however you wish....you can even choose to shop by color...which is really cool. Anyway....check it out.... www.etsy.com . If you want to see my store directly it is http://www.themuddymoose.etsy.com/ .

What the hell was I thinking??!?!?!

Ok...not sure who we are going to be feeding......but I bought a 22 lb turkey!! I preped it yesterday and it has been soaking in brine ever since. So I have been getting dishes ready all night and baking rolls and pumpkin pie (just for John)....SOOOO, when I am at work tomorrow, John's job is the stuffing and the potatoes...well and I guess the turkey too! I will make the gravy when I get home from work. John has Thurs and Friday off and then I have a show to do on Saturday. Anyway, not too much else going on around here.....

Happy Thanksgiving to all !!

Just in case you need another reason......

Ok, so if seeing the awesome scenery, the abundant wildlife or coming to see your favorite niece, cousin, sil, daughter, son, brother....etc wasn't enough.....Our gas prices are now down to $1.78! So just think of all the savings! Not to metion it could be a mini "get away from the snow" vacation! Because we have NO SNOW!! Just wanted to throw that idea out there!

Just in time for Thanksgiving....

We have had turkey visiting us for the past few days.....I guess they know thanksgiving is right around the corner, so they have been sticking close to houses where they are safe! Last Sunday we took a ride after I got off work. We started making our way up to the trailhead to St. Marys Lookout....but we did not get the whole way up to the top before it got dark....oh well....there's always another day. I would like to hike to the lookout....there is a guy posted there during the summer (fire) season...just him, his supplies and his dog...that's pretty much it! On our way up to the top we spotted this nice buck! By eastern standards he was a nice 9 point, by western standards he was a nice 4 x 5...kinda like the point system for elk.....Which out he "general big game" season opened at the end of October and runs until the end of November...which means you can hunt whitetail, mulies, elk....and I think moose as well. But I can't even begin to tell you the special tags you need. I know for moose.....there is a lottery drawing....if you get a tag, irregardless whether you get a moose (bull or doe(?)) you cannot be eligible for another drawing for 7 years! I know because Gary and Lori's son drew a moose tag last year and got a female. Also please note.....NO SNOW!! We do not have a single inch of snow and the weather has been really mild over the past week....in the high 50's!

The views from St. Marys road were amazing...I can't wait to hike to the lookout tower!

Marcus Daly, The Daly Mansion and Holly Jolly Craft Show

Last weekend I did a show at the Daly Mansion in Hamilton. It was a 2 day event and I did very well. We were allowed to take pictures of the outside of the mansion, but not of the inside....it is considered a museum. I was set up in the sunroom...and if I do the show again next year, I would definately request that space again. The Daly Mansion has over 56 rooms, with 25 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, and 7 fireplaces-5 of which have imported Italian marble. The three-story, 24,000-square-foot mansion is situated on 50 tree-planted acres in the heart of the Bitterroot Valley. For more outside pictures.....go to our main site and then "photos of our Montana". Anyway....here's a little history lesson. Marcus Daly was pretty much the founding father of Hamilton.....and was one of the richest men alive. He made his millions in the copper mining industry. He was born to a poor Irish farming family and immigrated to the US in 1856. He was only 15 years old at the time. He did odd jobs for the first 5 years until he had saved enough money to buy passage to San Francisco via the Isthmus of Panama and then overland up the coast to California.

His first experience with mining was in California, where he teamed up with another young Irishman named Thomas Murphy. Daly learned quickly and found employment in one of the silver mines of the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, Nevada. It was here that Daly met George Hearst who became one of Daly's financial backers in years to come.

In 1874 Marcus Daly became a citizen of the United States. The Walker Brothers sent Daly to the Montana Territory in 1876 to find and invest in a silver mine. Daly bought the Alice mine for the company and retained a one fifth interest for himself. In 1881, Daly sold his interest in the Alice mine and purchased the Anaconda claim, with the backing of George Hearst and his associates, James Ben Ali Haggin and Lloyd Tevis. The Anaconda was mainly a silver mine until they hit the copper vein 300 feet deep and 100 feet wide.

Copper was just coming into use for telegraph wire and electricity. Thomas Edison had just completed the world's first electric light power plant in New York City. Copper was selling for between eighteen and twenty-three cents a pound in the early 1880's but smelting costs were high because the ore had to be shipped to smelters in Swansea, Wales. Daly realized that there could be a profit in copper if smelting costs could be reduced. Again with the backing of Hearst, Haggin, and Tevis, Daly built a smelter on a site twenty-eighty miles west of Butte. Daly built the town of Anaconda to support his smelter. By 1890, the copper mines of Butte were producing over seventeen million dollars worth of copper a year, and Marcus Daly, although a junior partner in the Anaconda venture, had become a very rich man.

He was so successful that Anaconda became almost a household word in the United States. Daly purchased coal mines to fuel his finances, bought forests to supply his timber and built power plants to supply the mines. He also established a number of banks, and a newspaper, the influential Anaconda Standard.

He bought land in Bitter Root Valley, Montana and built a mansion in the heart of the valley just outside the town of Hamilton, Montana. By 1889 he had a 22,000 acre ranch on which he had developed a huge agricultural enterprise. Daly in particular was very interested in horses and one of his most prized racehorses was Tommany, one of the most famous in America’s racing history.

Marcus Daly died in New York City aged 58 in 1900. When he died he was one of the major figures in American industry and was known as the copper king. More than any other man he built the Montana mining industry, he was a true son of Ireland, which he never forgot and helped.

Our weekend ride to ID and Gourmet Apples

A few weekends ago John wanted to show me where he loads sometimes....(in Idaho) so we took a day trip there. Here are a few pics we snapped along the way..... We will post more pics on the main site....will let ya know when that happens......We did not see many deer but we saw a lot of big horn sheep....here is this year's young looking over the edge at us.It was a beautiful fall day.....so I couldn't resist snapping this pic!

So I thought I would be nice and make my co-workers a halloween treat....ok, so really they were just my guinea pigs....but they know that and they don't mind one bit! I thought I would give my hand at some gourmet apples. For my first attempt I thought they came out pretty good. I had to use what was available to me.....so that meant carmels from a bag and what ever the hobby store in Missoula had for chocolate. If I do decide to make these on a regular basis I will be ordering Merkens chocolate and Peter's Carmel (online of course). I did have some minor issues with the carmel oozing (maybe I need to double dip in the chocolate?) and then I had some cracking(not sure why?). I made three different varieties. The top single picture is dipped in broken pretzel stick, the second picture is the plain and the third one is dipped in chopped pecans. Of course the two that were dipped in nuts and pretzels went first....so needless to say the people who had the day off get the plain ones...oh well....if they don't like it too bad!

Wow, it's been a while...sorry!

Well, I got back home safe and sound from the academy....some things I learned while I was there.....1. pepper spray does not work on everyone(saw video proof of this one) and 2.neither do pressure points (they have no/ VERY little effect on me). But it was a lot of fun to learn that kind of stuff, even though I will probably never use it again.....as I said before we are a hands off facility. The following weekend I had Apple Days.....it is sort of the grand finale of the Farmer's Market. It is hosted by the Historical society and is advertised as the Biggest Bake Sale Under the Big Sky! Volunteers pick, peel and prepare 700 apple pies that are for sale that day! I had 45 loaves of bread baked....was a little worried b/c they were calling for rain.....but it turned out to be a beautiful day and I was sold out of bread by noon (it lasted until 4:30). So needless to say I did VERY well as far as sales go! I am signed up to do 5 events for Christmas. 4 are for sure and the 5th one is tenative because it is a juried show....which means you need to apply....show pictures of your items....to prove that it is 100% handcrafted. It is in Missoula and set for Dec. 14th.....so I won't be too hurt if I don't get to do that one.....will need to see if my soap suppy holds out that long! So we have been busy here making soap....lotion....lip butter.....and pretty soon.....stacking wood. We now have had 3 cords of wood delivered (two just arrived today). As I'm sure most of you have heard.....Montana had it's first snow of the season! We did see snow here in the valley, but it did not stick to the ground......well, I think that's about all that's been going on.....gotta go bake some bread....have an order to fill today.

Cell Extractions

On Friday, we learned how to do cell extractions. It consists of a 5 person team. The front person is on pinshield, the next two each get an arm and the final two each get a leg. We are outfitted with a helmet with a faceshield, elbow pads and knee/shin guards. I found a video on youtube....this is pretty much exactly what we learned what to do on Friday, pretty violent stuff. It is pretty lenghty....but wanted to give you an idea of what I am learning.....there is on part in the video (a cartoon) that is a little vulgar...sorry about that. Next week we learn pressure points so I can take someone down. Where I work, we are strictly hands off....but at least I know this stuff should I ever need it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnSXGWGV3TU

The kids do everything in this video that they were portraying....holding stuff up in front of their windows...making weapons...you name it, they do it.

Using OC-10

Today the first half of the class started out with report writing....we watched an actual footage from Pine Hills...whenever a disruption starts, they have an officer grab a video camera and start rolling so everything is documented as much as possible. It showed a youth in his cell with make-shift weapons....a shank and books wrapped in a blanket. He was given the opportunity to comply and did not was hit once with OC (oleoresin capsicum) and it did not have any effect! He was given the chance to comply again and refused....and was sprayed (both times he not directly sprayed, just sprayed through the food hatch) for the second time with no effect....so needless to say the team had to go in make him comply. So just remember......pepper spray might not always work!!! If the receiving person is hyped up on drugs or alcohol or just so agitated and has so much adrenaline running through their system, it might not have any effect. So then after lunch it was our turn. They filled a cell with spray, we then had to enter the cell countdown (outloud) from 10 and then we were allowed to exit and decontaminate. We had to wait at the end of the long hallway....after a while the spray started to make its way down to those of us waiting...and we started coughing and some people's eyes started watering. I took my turn...it did not seem to have much effect on my eyes but I was coughing A LOT, and about halfway through I ran out of breath and had to inhale inside the cell.....it was like everything just closed up and you couldn't breathe. I is very powerful stuff! Very remarkable for that kid to be unaffected! They then escorted you out, and handed you a cold water-soaked towel to cover your face. My lips and the inside of my nose were burning......that lasted for about 10 minutes. I still have a little tickle in the back of my throat....3 hours later. They said that they don't spray directly in the face anymore bc someone got a detached retina and something else happened with their breathing....tomorrow:cell extractions.....we get to suit up and try to control an unruly "youth"....if you volunteer to be that youth, they make you sign a waiver saying they are not responsible for any injuries that you may sustain.

Greetings From Miles City, MT!

Sorry I have not posted for awhile...but I have not really done anything exciting. I am 550 miles from home on the other side of the state (the not so pretty part). I am one week into training and we are just getting into the "fun" stuff. The first week was just legal stuff...youth court act, prea (prison rape act). There are 12 people in the class...6 people from Pine Hills....2 from the Youth transition center in Great Falls and 2 people from Billings. Out of the 12 there are 3 girls...more on that later. Small world...one of the guys from Great Falls grew up in Pittsburgh! Well today we did patdowns and restraints.....so naturally the girls are in a group by themselves. So we need to practice......not too sure what has happened over the last week but this is the first time everyone has met....but the other two girls HATE each other!?! So needless to say....they CAN'T touch the other girl...so who get to get seached and handcuffed/shackeled (practice and tested). Not too happy about that situation, but was still fun/interesting. Then after that we got to do cell searches....they hid things in the cell and you had to find them. Me and my partner (Tanner from Pine Hills) found everything. Later this week is cell extractions and OC spray (like pepper spray)...still not sure if we take a hit or are just in a room where it was sprayed. Where I work....cell extractions are not used....at Pine Hills..they use them on a regular basis.....some not so nice kids here! Cell extractions are where a team of 5 get in their combat gear...the first one in has the shield.....the next two...each get an arm(one has handcuffs) and the next two...each get a leg (one has shackles). Very dangerous....scary just listening to some of their stories. Since I am stuck here over the weekend with no car and nothing to do, I asked to shadow a shift.....the minimum security unit....not sure that I am going to be allowed though, I think I would be too much of a liability if something were to happen. Well....that's all for now.

Fair Ribbons.....

Well, it's a cold, rainy day here in MT! We woke to fresh snow on the bench.....the bench of the Sapphire Mountains that is. The Sapphires are the eastern mountain which have a range of 5000-6000 ft (I think) so of course there was fresh snow in the western mountains as well. The Bitterroots have a range of 8000-9000 ft. We got to a high in the 50s today and supposed to get down to 37 tonight.....fall is on its way for sure! We scheduled for our first load of wood to arrive this week......have to schedule for another soon! Well, I picked up my ribbons yesterday...and much to my surprise....my $ as well. I got a whole $7. I could get rich doing this!! :) Some the comments on the card for my rye bread were...perfect amount of caraway seeds.....this is the way rye bread is supposed to taste.

How many moose do YOU see?

We took this picture yesterday in our back yard....just kidding!! This picture was taken in Canada....and if you said you saw three moose you are right!! For more cool moose pictures go to our main site...under "True Wildlife Encounters"......scroll down to "Obsessed With Moose" and then click on the hoof print!

Ravalli County Fair.....

Well today was the opening day of the fair....and needless to say I HAD to go and see how my bread made out. Well at first I was having a hard time finding it and I had to ask a lady. I told her that I did not see my bread and if the bread that did not place, was not displayed? She told me that all the bread was out and then helped me find mine. My sourdough took second place and my rye bread took first AND class! I will be able to pick the ribbons up on Sunday...will post a pic then. John was disappointed that I would not have them for my last farmer's market! He thought it would be really nice if I could hang them up for display!

Fair Bread

Well...as far as my list goes for the weekend....not much got accomplished on it! We got a late start on painting the house b/c when we went over at 9am to start....it was wet! It dewed in MT! Which is a little out of the ordinary. So we did not start until 11 or 12. So needless to say we did not get as much accomplished as we had wanted especially since I only spent about 2 hours over there b/c I was busy baking bread for the fair (and a birthday cake). I had high hopes of entering a carrot cake and a cheesecake...but only got two loaves of bread entered. My sourdough (above right) and my german rye (below left). Since I had some dough leftover...not enough to make a loaf...I made cute little sandwich rolls for John's lunch (below right). So....next week will be my last farmer's market for this season. I think for being new to the valley AND new to the farmer's market in general...I would have to say I am pretty happy with the results. I have one lady who orders sourdough bread on a regular basis.....one week I guess she thought that she would just buy it as opposed preordering....well we were sold out! When I told her that next week would be my last market...she was a little disappointed to say the least, so she ordered 4 loaves! But we have Apple Fest on October 4th. The last market for the season is Sept 27...so Apple Fest is sorta an extension of the the market. They are accepting donations for their raffle.....the vendors who donate will be promoted....so I figure why not?? I have to make that up today so I can drop it off before I have to leave for training. Well that's about all for now....HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

FRESH SNOW!!!

Yes....fresh snow(on top of the snow that was still there from last winter). After having close or over 100 degree weather on Sunday and Monday, there is fresh snow in the mountains! I don't really expect it to stay around long...but still, snow in August!!! I LOVE MONTANA!!!! Today the temperatures here in the valley struggled to make it into the 60s. It feels like fall. So far....we have had snow every month we have been here...except maybe May and July. Now granted it did not hang around long..but still snow none the less!

I've Been Tagged!

I've Been Tagged!
How it works:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers questions about themselves
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and post their names, then goes to their blogs and leave them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read the players blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers

Where were you 5 years ago? Living on the road, driving truck!

What are 5 things on your to do list for the weekend?
paint our landlord's house
make soap
clean
bake bread for the fair
clean again!
(fun list, huh?)

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?
ice cream
homemade sourdough toast with raspberry jam
crackers and cheese
veggies and dip
any kind of cheesy dips with bread/crackers

What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
share the wealth with family/friends
donate to some kind of animal shelter (spca, etc)
open a bakery and restaurant
buy lots of land
built a "green" house off the grid

What are five of your bad habits ?
I don't trust very many people
I waste too much time doing things other than what I am supposed to be doing
Wow...this one is hard.....
I prejudge people
I hold grudges/slow to forgive
I am anal about keeping my house clean ( although I have gotten better seeing as how busy I am)

What are five places you've lived?
Hampton, Virgina
near Pittsburgh, PA
Clarion, PA
Brockway, PA
Hamilton, MT
Stevensville, MT (oops that's 6)

What are 5 jobs you've had?
Juvenile Detention Officer
Truck Driver
Prudential Insurance Agent
Wal Mart
Supervisor at telemarketing firm

Five people I tag.
UM.....no one I know really blogs....BUT....
Cathy

Hotmail Issues....

For the past week or so we have been having problems with our hotmail accounts....we have not been able to log onto any of them....so we are not sure if we are going to continue to use those or just go with our wildblue account....should anyone need to email us....(since we can't email you.....we lost all of our addresses as well) please use djruhf@wildblue.net It would also be appreciated if you all could quickly email us so we can have your addresses....please.

Our weekend.....

Well, we are finally done preping (just a few minor repairs that need attended to) the "dollhouse" and can finally begin painting. So the goal is to be done BEFORE I leave for the academy in September. If not done, at least a majority of the painting done....we were supposed to also paint the house we are living in, but that looks like a job for next year. Our house won't be such a major undertaking....not much scraping....not much repair...pretty much wash and paint. Wesfinished early on Sunday so we went for another ride.....we did not go real far. The Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge is located right in Stevensville. I was really surprised at how pretty it was there. We were going to go for a hike.....we started out, but the mosquitos were too bad and we turned around. You can see pictures on the main site....click on "photos of our montana" and then click on "views of montana".....you will then see the album labeled Lee Metcalf. Some of the pictures came out really nice. Not much else going on here. We now have a BBQ grill thanks to Sue (our landlord)...she was in town for the last week...and tenants had moved out of her one house and left behind a gas grill and she gave it to us....YEAH!! John is very happy now...as he LOVES to BBQ! We just got it yesterday and we already have used it! Only 3 more markets to go, but I have to be ready....when I get home, the very next weekend is Apple Days...I guess it is supposed to be a pretty big event.

The Academy and Market Results.

I woke up (got to bed at 3:30 and woke at 5:30)this morning to a terrible thunderstorm! So I laid in bed wondering what exactly I was going to do with all that bread? So I called work to see what it was doing in Hamilton....so it was just raining lightly....ok...so there is hope! We slowly got up and got ready and packed and by the time we left at 7am, the sun was shining. The market was going good until the late morning storm came and scattered everyone...including all the vendors....so needless to say, I have bread left over...good for John, he'll have bread for lunch, and I'll make croutons with the rest. I tried two new breads today...plain cinnamon swirl (no nuts or raisins) and sauerkraut rye. I sold out of the swirl...the other, not so much (I don't plan on putting those in my crouton mix). Oh, well, you never know until you try. I am beginning to think I could make all cinnamon breads and people would be happy! I sell out of those all the time no matter how many I make...so I think it might be time to reevaluate my bread counts. But I guess it really does not make that much of a difference now, seeing as how I only have 3 markets left. The academy is back on for September in Miles City. I'm glad to go and get it over with. Plus not to mention, completion means a $1 raise!

September trip off?? Maybe?

I was supposed to go to the academy in Miles City, MT for three weeks in September. It is like 500+ miles away at the boys prision. I was really looking forward to going because this training is specifically for working with youth. But I went to work yesterday and someone got a wild hair up their butts and decided to change the schedule....instead of having the training in one three week time slot...they want to have it one week on/one week off. So since we don't have the extra money in our budget to spend on the extra expenses....we (meaning me and Gary) can't go to this training. So instead they want to send us to the adult academy in Helena in October. Gary isn't going to that one because of hunting season and I decided not to go b/c of my bday and our anniversary. But today I found out it might be back on for September...will find out definately by Friday. In the adult academy...instead of having to run through a room filled with pepper spray...I believe you actually take a full hit of it. They used to also tazer you at the adult academy, but I believe they did away with that part (I hope). So I guess the good part of this whole thing is that I will in turn have all of September to do the Farmer's Market. I had/have orders for bread to fill this week...today I had an order for 2 large loaves of sourdough and a bag of croutons and then on Friday I have an order for sourdough and cinnamon raisin swirl.

I WANT THAT MAILBOX!!

After spending most of the morning and early afternoon working over at the Sue's rental property (we are done scraping....YEAH!!), we decided to take the rest of the day off. We really didn't do anything very exciting. We just took Daisy swimming to the river and then took a ride around the area.....We did not see anything of much interest...just a bird....a quail or bobwhite and a mailbox! What's so special about this mailbox.....See pictures below...........................

In the first picture, you are looking to the north. The mountain range is the Bitterroot. In the second picture....I spotted him and made John back up the car to take his picture. He was so cute walking along the top railing of the fence. And then the last picture....cute mailbox, huh!?!

Where does the time go?? and wolves.

I can't believe it has been almost a week since I last posted. I guess that's what happens when you are busy. I had to fill a bread order (only 1 loaf) and a gift basket order this week. Every week since the start of the market (with the exception of the first week) I have had extra orders to fill throughout the week...whether it was bread or soaps...or both! I have been selling on average 8 loaves of sourdough each week....and I think I need to step up my cinnamon raisin swirl and cinnamon raisin walnut. I was sold out of both by 10 am...and the market only opened at 9! I had a another girl come and ask about soap and/or lotion bars for favors for her wedding. So I am thinking....another small intimate affair. Boy was I wrong!!! She was talking like for 400 people! So I can only make 4 batches of soap at a time.....each batch gives me 13 bars.....umm....that would take me like (realistically) about two weeks to fill her order! So I'm having mixed emotions about the possibility of this really happening. But I'm kinda leaning more towards hoping she'll pass on the idea. But I think that prospect of that is kinda slim because she is sorta trying to keep a theme going with her wedding. She is trying to get everything as local as possible, seeing as how her engagement ring is a Montana sapphire. Montana is know for their sapphires. Not too much else going on around here....in local news in the same article....a gray wolf was killed along I 90 and Sasquatch was also spotted along I 90. So I guess you'll never know what you'll find around the next corner.
Montana is planning on having their first wolf hunt this fall. The incident of livestock and pets being killed by wolves is becoming more and more prevalent. Just last week three llamas were killed just north of Stevi. Well, two were actually killed and one was so badly injured, it had to be put down. The week before that there was a report of a rancher killing a wolf because (supposedly) he had seen it harrassing his livestock. They are also for the first time planning on decreasing their elk harvest limits. Due to the increased number of wolves....their presence is dramatically impacting the herd numbers. So around here there are basically two groups of people wolf haters and those who want to save the wolves at all cost!

This Week's Results and Dogs, Dogs Everywhere!

So the farmer's market was definately not as busy as I had expected it would be...but definately better than last week's sales. My thinking on that was that we had to compete with Art in the Park, Daly Days and Brewfest...all going on in Hamilton, with Art in the Park only located less than a block away. So I figured that all those only happen once a year....we're here every weekend. But next week will be a down week. Stevensville is having Creamery Days (yes, I swear there are celebrations going on somewhere every weekend). This is a huge event...from what I have heard...two parades, vendors and the State BBQ Cookoff! There are a lot of vendors not participating in the market so they can participate in Stevi's Creamery Days. So I have decided to scale back my bread baking for this week. Also it was really weird this week I did not sell hardly any german rye (I usually sell out)....I had 4 loaves left. That made John happy though. And my most popular lip butter (cuke melon) from last week was my worst one this week. Musta been the alignment of the stars (haha)!

The Bitterroot Valley is definately a perfect fit for us....they are VERY VERY dog friendly. There are dogs in almost every store you go in...I had to go to ACE today and there were 3 dogs inside the store (all belonging to the owner/workers). And when we went last week to open a business checking account (you tell people to make the check out to me...but some don't listen and make it out to the business name anyway). And it was taking a little while and it was hot....so I asked John if he thought he should go out and check on Daisy....well the teller told us to bring her in....so we did! She laid on the floor in the AC building while we opened the account! She even got treats to boot!

Deal or No Deal?

Definately....NO DEAL. Well, on Thursday we walked on our "offer" to buy our rental properties. Seeing as how we were going to have this guy in our lives for the next 2 years...his actions and poor judgement made us think twice. The two main things that were the deal breakers for us was he was buying the properties without any inspections(not that we would have minded him having any done) and then he goes behind our backs and both realtors back and has his buddy pest inspector inspect the properties. Then (now this was the biggie)....he was supposed to take posession of the properties on August 1. Now, mind you nothing was signed yet.....BUT he went and told OUR tenants to not send us August rent, to just give it to him....WITHOUT consulting us first! The nerve! Now he is demanding in writing why we are rejecting his offer.....duh...think about it. So I told Al (our realtor) on Friday, absolutely not...no way was he getting anything in writing from us...especially since he said we would be hearing from his attorney. I anticipate he will be asking us to at least cover his attorney fees...but I think he could, in the end, owing US money. Because I don't expect August rent from him and there is already damage that he caused that we are aware of...who knows what else could be wrong. So when we called our other two tenants to let them know he would not be buying...they were both relieved. So we have two extremely happy tenants and one extremely ticked off one! So I am thinking we are just going to take them(the properties) off the market for now. Maybe down the road try and sell them again.

Venison and Farmer's Market

It was a slow farmer's market this week. I think it was because there was Logger Days going on in Darby....about 2o min from Hamilton. It is quite a fun and popular event. I really wanted to go, but unfortunately I had to work. Oh, well, there's always next year! This coming week's market should be VERY busy. Not only is it Daly Days, but also Brewfest and Art in the Park. Daly days honors Marcus Daly the copper baron responsible for founding Hamilton. He built a huge mansion in Hamilton for his wife to spend the summers here. However she hated it here (she was used to having all the amenities at her disposal like those found in Chicago and NYC) and only spent two summers here. This past weekend I sold out of all but 1 loaf of bread (marbled rye). I even had one guy ask to buy the loaf that I had cut samples off of! So I sold it to him half price! This weekend I think I am going to make sauerkraut rye!

So I love venison...and have not had any in probably about 12 years or so! So I work with Lori and Gary.....Lori is second in charge (used to be #1 but decided to step down) and Gary is Lori's ex. They also now are temporarily living together. So Gary is a huge outdoorsman and hunts just about everything under the sun! So he (and by default, Lori) have a freezer full of venison. Since Gary doesn't cook (and as Lori has put it her days of cooking for him are over and she can't stand it (venison...and well I suppose cooking for that matter as well), and since hunting season is just around the corner. Lori "suggested" that he should get rid of it. So she asked me if I wanted it.....so now I have a freezer full of venison. I was a little worried that it might be freezer burned....but the meat locker where he got it processed did a really good job at wrapping it. They first wrapped it in cling wrap and then freezer paper. So today we made a meatloaf (which tastes really good, but turned out a little dry....not used to cooking with such a lean meat) and a steak recipe that I found it has onions and baby bella mushrooms in it with a sherry sauce(haven't tasted that yet, but it smells wonderful). So I think that the nice thing to do is to bring Gary a plate of each meal....that way he can enjoy his hard work also!

Wedding Favors.

I got a phone call today from someone who had bought my soap a few weeks ago at the farmer's market (again immediate reaction....what's wrong...did it give you a rash, did you have an allergic reaction?) BUT she said that it was the BEST soap she has ever used and she wants some for her wedding this weekend to give as favors. Thankfully it is a very small wedding! I had enough to fill her order (sorta..she wanted all lavender but she picked out lilac and pink grapefruit to compensate for the lacking lavender). I am making custom labels for her with their names and date and a little saying like "thank you for joining us as we begin our new life together". At this rate I'm never going to get my stock built up....my lilac and pink grapefruit were supposed to be my full batches that were coming off the curing rack for this weekend. But I guess that is a good thing! I am working on a new website for The Muddy Moose Bath Boutique ( www.freewebs.com/themuddymoosebb ) it is not quite ready yet. I need to set aside time to take more pictures! I guess there are just not enough hours in the day. So maybe if anyone is planning on visiting...you might want to reconsider....you might be put to work!! (Just Kidding!!)

Yes, we have no banan....er, sourdough?

Well finally after two months, the stupid guy that bought the subaru has finally come to pick it up (well, ok have it towed away). He came all the way from Billings....which is like about 400+ miles away to buy a car with almost 300,000 miles on it! Not quite sure why. Crazy people. Well looks like I am going to have to look for a replacment bread for this weekend...something happened to my started and it died on me. I started a new one on Sunday, but it takes almost a week to "grow" a new one. So I think I might have some disappointed people on my hands on Saturday. I also have to call that lady that ordered the two additional loaves for this weekend. Not too much else exciting going on here...can still see snow in the mountains!

Ok, so I have no life....

So I guess that the farmer's market it pretty much my life right now and that is all I really do, so I have just realized that I really have nothing else to talk about right now but that! So I have topped my sales yet again...yeah! The morning started out slow, but when I walked around to the other vendors, the other street was extremely busy...and from talking to other vendors, I guess that early morning the produce section gets the business....people wanting to get the freshest pick of the veggies, ect.....and then we got busy in the afternoon.....I made 30 loaves of bread and sold 27......Leftovers: one german rye (John is extremely happy about that being leftover), one pumpernickel (good for crouton mix) and one half of a sourdough that we decided to sample out. My very first customer of the day came back(he bought some last week) to buy my croutons...he sampled my cinnamon raisin swirl, left and then came back to buy a loaf of that. I am also beginning to recoginze my repeat customers and by the fact that I started a soap club card (buy 10 get 11th free) and I am seeing repeats from there! I started my day with 8 different kinds of soap....I was really excited that I was beginning to build my stock up. I released a new scent today (one of my personal favs) clean cotton anxious to see how it would sell thinking I could reorder that scent and have some made before my stock ran out. WRONG! Ended the day with only 2 kinds of soap left....5 lavender goats milk and 5 lemon poppyseed. Which is kinda impressive because I had 3 full batches fresh off the curing rack today. Clean Cotton, Lemon Poppyseed and Lavender (full batch is 13 bars). I had one guy (who was from PA...small world, huh? Outside Philly area...guess he has houses in MT and PA) buy 11 bars! I was totally unprepared for this caliber farmers market...being used to a farmers market having 10-20 (max) vendors. We got a sheet today and it listed all the full time vendors(who have assigned spaces) and I counted 59! Next year I will be prepared! Oh I almost forgot, the lady who phoned and order 2 loaves of sourdough....she order 2 more for next week along with a cinnamon raisin walnut!

Our Rental Properties.....and Sourdough Bread.

Things have been really slow at work.....no long term kids and when we do get any they are only in for a day. We are getting ready to do some painting for our landlord. She owns two other properties in Stevensville and the one house needs some repairs and then scraped and painted. After we finish with that house, the house we are living in is scheduled to be painted as well. So we are going to be busy. The first house we are going to paint is very tiny...we refer to it as the dollhouse....once we fix and scrape (or pressure wash) it should only take 2-3 days at the most to finish (not working full days of course).

We have sold our properties...so no need to worry about finding tenants of fill vacant apartments! No worry about fixing things. We sold it to the tenanat upstairs.....sort of .....we are doing an owner finance for 2 years then he must get his own financing. If he is not able to secure a loan at that time, he forfeits everything. Not the ideal situation, but after being on the market for a year and a half with this being the only interest, we decided to take it.

Ok, so our landline rarely rings......no one every calls us and if they do, they call on our cell phones.....so our phone rings today and I answered it. The lady on the other end of the phone was wondering if I was the lady who did the baking at the farmer's market. So, of course..."yes" (but in the back of my mind, I am thinking...one of the many). Turns out she wanted to preorder 2 loaves of my sourdough bread for Saturday. She told me that she would be there to pick it up before the end of the market. Pretty exciting!

Farmer's Market....last post about this, I PROMISE!!

Ok, so after my post about last week's farmer's market, I told myself that I would not bore you with any further details about it. Ok, so this will be the last one. I PROMISE! There is just a really exciting detail that I wanted to share with you. The day started out a little slow....but I figured it was due to being the day after the fourth, it was a little on the chilly side and it looked like it might rain. Then things really got going! We were super busy! I know if I did not have John with me, I might have lost some sales. There were actually people waiting outside my booth to get in! From a comment the market manager made it sounded like it was busy (at other vendors) but no one was buying. Not true for my booth! This was by far me biggest week yet! But the exciting part happened after the market was over. After dropping me off, John usually mosies home....stopping at a garage sale or two. When he got home he got a phone call from a lady saying that she had bought a loaf of bread at the market.....ok, so your immediate thought is "what's wrong?".....BUT.....she called to say that that was the BEST sourdough bread that she had ever had. She had bought it for her husband b/c he was the one who liked it...she never really did...but she LOVES mine! I sold out of all but two loaves of bread...one I had sold out twice before and the other was a new bread that I had wanted to try....a cinnamon raisin swirl bread....I think I goofed, I put a glaze on top...by the middle of the day, the icing kinda oozed and melted, so it did not look as pretty when it first started. Not sure what to do about that. Might reconsider including it in my lineup. I also sold out of almost all my stock of lotion bars again! Guess I have a busy week ahead of me again.

Happy Fourth of July

Hope everyone has a safe and happy fourth of July!!

Hell's Angels

Just incase any of you were planning a visit, I thought you might want to plan it around when Hell's Angels will be in the area. They are returning for another visit. I guess they were here(Missoula) back in 2000. Their visit will coincide with the Annual Testicle Festival. In honor of the rocky mountain oysters....It is held just east of Missoula in Rock Creek. If that's not quite your speed, there is Logger Days in the town of Darby. I think John and I will try to get to it. They have the log rolling competition that I would really like to see. There is LOTS to do here during the summer if anyone wants to come for a visit.......

Rainbow's End

Yesterday before I went into work I stopped at the natural store where I had dropped off some of my product last week....not only to check back but because I was out of a lot of things like millet, quinoa, vital gluten....ect. So I went about my business and while I was checking out I asked if the gentleman I had spoken with last week was there (I guess I should really learn his name....seeing as how he probably owns the place! So anyway.....he told me that he would carry my products!! He doesn't have a lot of space....so he told me for now 3 or 4 bars of 3 or 4 varieties of soap and the same for the lotion bars! I have also been eyeing up some (well, ok one) day spa in Stevi as well as some in Hamilton to approach as well. But right now, my soap suppy is very low because Monday, I fill three orders...two were for gift baskets, so that ate up a lot of my soaps. Each basket had 5-6 bars and the single order had 3. Condsidering that I only get 13 bars out of a batch and it takes 4 weeks to cure! A certain SIL (and it's not Kallie) has been hinting...well, I'm not quite sure if that is what you would call it, for some lemon poppy seed soap.....unfortunately I am out right now. As for my breads...there is a new girl at work and she suggested that I enter some of my breads into the fair (in Hamilton) at the end of August.....I think I just might do that...who knows?? Then next year (IF I were to win) I could call it award winning bread!! Well, gotta run....making croutons right now.

Sunday....day off finally!!

After having a screwy schedule for the last month and a half, John and I finally have a day off together! So we decided to head to the auction in Hamilton. We are looking for a pressure washer....there was one there...brand new.....price went too high for us. We bought a doggie cookie jar, some really really old kids books (I think), a small shop vac to keep by the wood burning stove in the winter, a little wire stand that I think I am going to use in my display at the farmer's market...and I think that's about it. As for the farmer's market....I think I pretty much have found my staple breads...sourdough (had a repeat customer!), german rye, cinnamon raisin walnut, pumpernickel, multigrain and seeded multigrain. I am going to make a cinnamon raisin swirl for next week also. I made it for this week (I stayed up to 4:30 am to bake it) but was not happy with the outcome. But the good news was that I only had ONE loaf left over! It was a pumpernickel...so I don't mind that too much because I like to add it to my homemade croutons to make it more interesting! Speaking of those....I sold 3 out of 4 so not too bad! Don't really expect to carry those every week though. Not too much else, I have to make lotion bars this week, I was totally wiped out! We even had to tear down the display because I did not have any tins left! Well that's about all for now, gotta finish cleaning....

Baking Disaster....almost!

So I think I kinda have my system down pretty good by now...still might be a few glitches to work out here and there. Except for this morning's glitch! I got my first loaves out of the oven by I think 6:30am and was getting ready to bake my sourdough.....OUT OF GAS!! John is not home, I have two other breads in different stages of their development and what do I do(except to call mom and cry)??? Thankfully John was due home in about an hour......so I quickly made room in the fridge and threw the doughs in there to retard them. When John got home he quickly ran to the next town to get propane.....thankfully disaster averted!!

News on this end...

Ok, so I am feeling a little under-prepared for this weekend...but I guess it will all come together. As far as the baking end, I am definately ditching the cookies...not sure what I will replace it with. But this weekend will probably be breads, homemade croutons....and well, I guess that's it! As for the other side of the business....I have two orders for gift baskets....one is from Aunt Lindy, so not sure if that counts or not and the other order I just got today from Lori at work. And the BIG news is that our local (again in Hamilton) bulk/health food store, called Rainbow's End, is considering carrying my soaps and lotion bars. I have to stop back next week to discuss things! Well, it's late and I just got home from work....heading to bed now.

Happiness Is......

Yesterday was the happiest day of my life......ok, well, second happiest day of my life (I guess I would (or should) say next to the day I married John. JUST KIDDING) !!! All joking aside...after two years of waiting and praying....hoping that one day a stand mixer would just fall from the sky like manna from heaven....John forced me to buy one. Now I say "forced" because he took me to the store...where I drive by every day and drool over the mixer in the window...and I guess when push came to shove, I just did not want to part with the $. But seems we made a deal (I seem to have dementia....as I do not remember this)....he told me that when my sales at the farmers market reaced over XXX amount of dollars we would go and buy one. Well yesterday's market was that day! I TRIPLED my sales from last week. I sold out of german rye and sourdough again. I also sold out of my multigrain and my cinnamon raisin walnut. I also sold 1 loaf of pumpernickle. But I thought I would give italian a try again....this time just spice it up with herbs (called it Herbed Italian) but NO SALE!! I thought I was going to sell a loaf, but then she spotted the multigrain and bought that instead. Last week I also did not sell a single solid lotion bar...this week was a different story though....sold out of 3 out of my 7 scents! AND I made some soap this week and debated as to whether I should make another batch of Lemon Poppyseed....good thing I did. I don't think my current stock will hold until this batch cures (4 weeks).

Oh, back to the mixer.....our local (and I mean in Hamilton....20 miles away) kitchen store did not carry KitchenAid Mixers...only Cuisinart. So after doing some research I found that they appear to be rated over KitchenAids anyway (don't mean to offend any KitchenAid supporters out there) and they are A LOT lighter AND I seem to think (can't remember for sure right now) that their top motor was either 575 or 625 watts. This Cuisinart has 1000 watts! Now I understand what the recipes means when it says be careful not to over mix. I think that would be easy to do with this!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.....How Does YOUR Garden Grow??

I just thought I would share with you all our first attempts at Montana gardening. Thie first picture are of our Irises. Ok, so we really didn't have anything truly to do with these. They we here when we got here. But the ONLY one that has a flower is one of the ones we transplated. I guess we should thin some more out this fall?? Not too sure when that should be done....guess I'll have to consult with the gardening expert....Nan! Now here are our tomato plants....although they don't look too healthy but we do have a tomato!

And Finally our (well, ok probably my) pride and joy.....the roses. We planted 3 rose bushes when we got here and so far two out the the three have roses getting ready to blossom. I would have to say that John is definately more excited about the tomato, though!!

Sunset and Moonscape

Last night after John left for work Daisy and I walked down to the end of our driveway to get some pictures ....The first time, it was pretty, but just wasn't what I was after....

So we had to walk down again.....Daisy didn't mind at all! This is what we were after....

Breads....

I forgot I had taken these. I thought I would share them with you. I am trying something different this week. Instead of baking ahead (which I did not like any way); all my bread will be baked on Friday before work...work is 3-11...and then I plan on staying up and baking anything that did not get done. I really need to be as efficient as possible...there is really no time for any down time or errors. Wish me luck! I think I have my two replacements figured out for this week......I am keeping the Italian as a base, but am adding spices and herbs for an Italian Herb and then I am going to make an Cinnamon Raisin Walnut....got the recipe out of a book I have. The first pic is of my German Rye bread, the next is of my Multigrain and the final picture is of my Sourdough. I guess I did not take any pictures of my Italian or my White...but I guess they weren't too impressive anyway!!

Quickie Post

I can't believe that last week at this time we had a fire built and it was snowing(in Missoula). Today it is supposed to be 80 degrees!! What a change. Last night I left for work early because it was such a pretty night. I snapped this photo at the end of our driveway. I used my camera phone, so pardon the poor quality.....little did I know our good camera was actually in the car with me the whole time! That's the moon....really cool! Since it was so full last night, I might try to snap some better pictures tonight.

First Farmer's Market.

Today was my first farmer's market (they actually started in May...but with the move, I decided to sit out for a while to get settled). My permanent spot is directly under an tree and I was completly shaded! So there I sat with a blanket wraped around me.....guess I will appreciate the shade in the hot summer though. I went into this expecting not to sell anything today...but did not do half bad. They say it takes about a year for people to get to know you and your product...any way. I had 5 different kinds of bread. Sourdough, German Rye, Italian, Whole Grain, and White. I sold out of the sourdough and the rye and I sold half of my whole grain. I did not sell a single loaf of Italian or white. Now it's back to the drawing board to figure out what to replace them with. I sold some cookies, some bath bombs. Most of my money today came from my soap sales! I guess from what the market manager said, today was a slow day. There are a TON of things going on....Mule Days in Hamilton, Cheif Victor Days in Victor and Western Heritage Days in Stevensville. Lori (from work) says that when veggies are in season, you can't even move around, the streets are so packed. Since we don't have any kids, Gary and I are splitting a shift. I am working the first half and he is working the second. So I am thinking about going to the Heritage Days in Stevi. Huey Lewis is giving a free concert there tonight. He lives in the Stevi area. Other famous Bitterrooters.....Lindsey Wagner, Hank Williams Jr(I don't think he owns a place here anymore though...but have not heard too many nice things about him), Mel Gibson (I heard owns a place in Darby) and the professor from the Back to the Future movies (I think he's dead now....but he owned a place in Darby and his wife had an art gallery there). Just interesting pieces of info I thought I would share.....I think John took some pictures of my booth set up, so I will post those when I get home from work......

No snow.....

How disappointing is that? Get our hopes up calling for all that snow....and then it doesn't. It definately snowed in the higher elevations...you can see the snow line. But I guess it just stayed too warm here in the valley. I guess Missoula had snow pretty much all day. But here, it just rained and rained and rained some more. It was a good day for baking....I'm getting ready for my first famer's market.

Be sure to check out our main site.....just in today!!! Check out the true wildlife encounters page.

Winter Storm Warning.....

No kidding we are under a winter storm warning! We did have some snow here in the valley yesterday, nothing that was anything to speak of.....flakes in the sky, but did not hit or stick to the ground......today however we are under a winterstorm warning until noon today. We are expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow. Right now is it 0645....and no snow yet, so if we are going to get 5 inches by noon, it had better hurry up! I got cold yesterday while John was sleeping, so I built a fire.....I was having trouble, since my kindling (the pinecones.....they are good for something!!) was wet. He woke up once (on his own) and came to my rescue and got it going better. It was just enough to take the chill off the house.

Heat Wave, What Heat Wave?

Well after Erynn mentioned that they were on our site a couple of times a week and that they never showed up.....magically the next day Frisco,TX appears on my map.....must have woke the monkeys up that are operating the maping system and started them working! I looked....Frisco, TX is like 10 miles from where they live. Anyway, no response from Mountain View, CA. John seems to think that that might be us logging on from our home computer. Since we live way out in the sticks, we have to have satellite based internet and who knows where that signal is coming from?!!?

For the rest of the country that seems to be in a heat wave.....we are calling for snow tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday. Don't think it will amount to anything, but nonetheless....snow in June. We can still see LOTS of snow in the mountains. So by my predictions....(not that I know anything) I think the snow in the mountains will be totally gone by sometime in mid/end of July. And then reappear in October. So that means two whole months of not seeing any snow. According to Lori (from my work)....the latest she has seen it snow here (in the valley) was July 4th! Crazy Montana weather!!

Sunday afternoon stroll.

Sunday was a beautiful day here in Montana. The sun was shining....the temperatures were bearable (unlike the other parts of the country). It was a breezy, comfortable 58 degrees. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon hike. So John, Daisy and I loaded into the blazer and headed to the trailhead that is about 1 mile from our house. I wasn't quite up to walking to the the trailhead and then hiking....and then having to walk home. So I convinced John to drive us there. We have no idea exactly how long the trail is (Kootenai Creek Trailhead) or if it joins any other trails...ect. There was no maps available at the trailhead and we were not able to find any information on it on the state parks website. So we did not venture too far. I would say we only did about 1 mile. It is an easy/moderate hike....some slight uphill climbs. If anyone comes to visit....this is a definate must do. Especially since it is so close to our house. Be sure to check out the pictures posted on the main site...the album is under Stevensville, MT. Once you click on that you can't miss it....it says "NEW" Kootenai Creek TRAIL. Hope you enjoy!!

Just Curious....

As I am sure you have noticed....in the upper right hand corner of the blog, I added a map to track the places from which my blog was viewed. The "idea" was actually stolen from my cousin Peg's blog. Anyway, we don't get too many views....especially compared to the Texas Twins blog. So this has just gotten my curiosity up.....could the person from Mountain View, CA area please identify themselves? When I input the name into mapquest, it appears as though there are 2 Mountain View, CAs....one is near San Jose and the other is near Hepsperia/Victorville. The reason I am mentioning this is because when I log onto the page at work.....I believe I am the Fort Harrison MT listing. Anyway, I am just curious if we know you or you have just happened upon our page or if you happened upon us from my cousin's sites. Please, I really would like to know who you are....

Busy day in the Kitchen...

I have been busy in the kitchen all morning..........

This is my sourdough bread in its initial rise. I think I will finally be able to actually bake it today!!! This bread has been a week long process just to get to this stage! The first part was making a wild yeast starter. Which is then made into a barm, which you must feed in order for it to remain active...then only yesterday was I able to actually start making the bread itself......then refridgerate overnight and then today make the final dough. There is absolutely no commercial yeast of any type, just basically water and flour (bread flour and high gluten flour). I hope it was well worth the wait and the workout....I had to knead this dough for about 30 minutes to get it to pass the windowpane test. This is how you know that your bread has been sufficiently kneaded.....cut off a small piece of dough and begin to stretch it into a thin membrane. If the dough breaks apart before a membrane can be acheived....you must knead somemore. Now I have to let it rise for 3-4 hours.....shape and then let rise for another 2-3. Luckily I don't have to be to work today until 11pm. It is better to let the bread rise slowly, rather than encourage it to raise more quickly; a slow rise allows the flavors more time to develop. I will let you know how it turns out.

This was my next project for today. Right now it is still cooling in the oven. There are two main points to acheiving a great cheesecake.....do not over mix the ingredients......I only use a mixer for the initial mixing of the sugar and cream cheese and mix the rest by hand and to let it cool in a closed oven for about 5 hours. Cooling in the oven will prevent the cheesecake from cracking and falling, while not overmixing will ensure a creamy consistency. I also bake my cheesecakes in a water bath. So this is a new recipe also...will let you know how this turns out as well.

Ok, so I didn't make all of these soaps today, but I just thought I would share with you....I have 7 different kinds of soap made(and many more ideas kicking aournd in my head)....I made 2 batches yesterday and cut them both today. They are on the "curing rack" Cold-process soap must cure for about 4 weeks before it is ready to use. This gives it suffiencent time to dry and ensure a harder, long lasting bar of soap. Starting in the back left.....lemon poppyseed (poppyseed for exfoilating), moving right, coffee house kitchen soap, it is made with coffee and has coffee grounds in it for an exfoilant. It is a kitchen soap b/c the coffee removes smells from your hands such as onion, garlic, ect. Next to it is my Honey Oats (made with goat's milk)....oats for exfoilating....this version is unscented. Next to it on the very end is basically the same thing only it is lightly scented. In the front row is beer soap made with our local brew...Moose Drool. The purple soap in the middle is Lavender Goats Milk and finally Vanilla Goats Milk. I have been thinking about participating in Daly Days in Hamilton...they are looking for artisians to demonstrate and sell their wares...things that were made at the turn of the century. Marcus Daly is pretty much the founding father of Hamilton...I believe he was a copper baron. The event will be held at his mansion which is now a museum.

Who was right, who was wrong??

Here is and update on the weed or flower debate: Ok, I am not necessarily admitting to defeat, BUT....the weed that I wanted to remove, now has a flower on it. I still say it is just a flowering weed, but it is still cool looking. I couldn't get the second picture to come out real well, but I wanted to show the backside of the flower too....

I was also not quite feeling ready to dive into the farmer's market this Saturday.....well my prayers were answered....I am not invited to this Saturday's market. I guess you had to sign up to be a part of some sort of fundraiser going on this Saturday, so since I did not register...I get a whole extra week to prepare. Also on another note...after weeks of "stalking" my old neighborhood. I have finally gotten my answer. There is someone moving into our old apartment. They must have taken posession of it on the first. So that is a relief that they won't be docking our security deposit and holding us responsible for rent until the end of our lease (which was up at the end of June). So now we just have to wait.....and wait...and wait for the refund to come!!

Daisy May and the Magpies....PART 2

We gave her the bone yesterday afternoon and were able to capture some pictures. Although they are pretty birds(and rather large), they are a nuisance not only to humans, but to the birds world as well. They are just like the blue jays back home. They are scavengers and also raiders. They raid other birds nests and take the eggs. We do not have blue jays out here. We do have a "cousin" of the blue jay, but not at this altitude. They tend to live farther up in the mountains. They are the stellar jay. They are mainly blue but have a dark gray/black head. As you can see in the second picture (of the magpie) they also have blue/black sheen. When they are in the sunlight, the back part of their body and tail look bluish. These are also now Daisy's new trigger. Instead of yelling "SQUIRRELS", now we say "GET THE BIRDS". They also tend to be a little more fun for her to chase. They squawk at her and taunt her. They play the game better than the squirrels. They also call for reinforcments. If Daisy gets too outnumbered, we go and pick up the bone and put it in a "safe place" for her.

They fly from tree to tree making Daisy chase them....while another one circles back to scavenge some more!!