Pictures from CUPS

Aunt Bert, Anne, Mary, Traci in front

Aunt Bert and Anne discussing the nuances of tea and extension offices. (Bert was an extension agent at one time, Anne is married to one.)

Missing a picture of Marina! Drats! She said she'd email me one and when she does, it's going on the wall. Aren't Anne's cups beautiful? And isn't my little Aunt Bert beautiful?

Gwennie Miller, littlest Cupcake. I could kiss those cheeks all day...

AND I admire her fashion sense. That little hat is the bomb! Now if only she had some animal print...

And the bookclub selection for March is...

...in a stunning turn of events, a dark horse won the race! So dark it wasn't even part of the poll.

We will be reading the Kathleen Norris book Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and Woman's Work for the March selection.

Ten years ago this April, two newly married country school teachers read a Kathleen Norris book, Dakota, and the Underground Book Club was born. We revisit her writing in the little book mentioned above, and will celebrate a decade of friendship, insanely good meals, and 100 bookclub selections!

Mike, I apologize that Once Upon A Tart did not make the final cut, but you must know this: it was not a book about women of the night exchanging castoff clothing. Figuratively speaking. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it was a cookbook about pie tarts. And Wayland, I apologize for leading you astray on the poll by errantly listing People With Dirty Hands as People With Dirty People. Jeepers! The two men that read this blog were waiting for the showdown between those books and are sorely disappointed with the Quotidian Mysteries...

Stay tuned for a report on Bookclub at Clara's. But now you know how to place that Barnes and Noble order!

What Girl Scout cookie are you?

You Are Caramel deLites / Samosas

You are blessed with a brilliant, dynamic mind. It's sometimes hard to figure out what your focus should be. You're the type of person who does almost everything well. You are very competent but also unfocused. You're not an easy person to pin down. You are vibrantly complex. You have many facets to your personality, and they're often in competition with one another.

What Girl Scout Cookie Are You?

Cuppa love

First, to end the suspense, I lived through the dental ordeal! I have a temporary piece of silly putty in my tooth, am taking antibiotics and spent this morning lining up an appointment with an oral surgeon in Billings to remove what's left of this tooth and put in an implant. This is the second round with this molar, and I can't take the stress! So that's the latest on the tooth. The dentist was the same one my mother-in-law was talking about, but he was very kind and I think I can go back for a cleaning. With valium. (I'm NOT kidding about the valium...he prescribed it right away. This is so embarrassing.)





Now, to the really good stuff. CUPS met on Wednesday, in the Presbyterian Church basement because Mr. Miller was at death's door with the flu and we didn't really think he wanted a wake of women talking about seeds, Texas and the subtle nuances of Ghana vs. Venezualan chocolate. (The Ghana chocolate is far superior, by the way...)

Anne transported her teacup collection and real live Italian tea pot, AND about 12 different kinds of tea. It was a pretty serious tea party. She had Danish tea cookies, crackers, Laughing Cow cheese and I made the trailer court specialty of dill pickles wrapped in cream cheese and ham slices. (Someone has to keep it real. Real redneck, that is.)

My Aunt Bert and cousin Marina, from Texas, joined us. Honorary CUPS...or travel MUGS, really! It was really cozy, gathered around the 1940's chrome table, eating, laughing, kissing Gwennie, reading Aunt Bert's tea leaves. We talked about our Fontologist friend, while sampling the chocolate she'd sent, and about college days and how Aunt Bert and Uncle Bobby met, and how Robert and Marina met...good stuff!

Some very important determinations were made at this meeting.

1. Anne is interesting, Mary is weird, Traci is practical beige. This is not a news flash, but it's now an established fact.
2. Tea tastes better from fancy shmancy cups. And if it's loose leaf, it's superlative.
3. Redneck appetizers work for all occasions. Even morning tea with the relatives.
4. Texas needs CUPS. Marina is going to work on starting a group there.
5. We need bigger hair.
6. As soon as the kids can make their own PBJ's, a Montana CUPS contingency is headed to Texas as travel MUGS on a diplomatic mission.
7. Red Raider's fans outnumbered Longhorns fans at this meeting 3:1. Guns up!

I think that about covers it. I was trying to download the photos from this meeting, but my camera battery died, so this pathetic little image is all I've got! More in a photo-mentary tomorrow.

Thank you, thank you for your prayers. I am ashamed to be that big a baby, but I'm thrilled that I have such good friends who care and prayer, so to speak. Tonight is bookclub. I still don't know what we're reading, because the poll was tied. I'll announce it, then post for you. Can you STAND the suspense? I'll bet you walk around all day, chewing your nails, wondering if the Farmer's Wife will live through her dental exam and what she will choose for the bookclub selection and how CUPS went. And if you do, I'm proud to be your friend, because our lives have about the same amount of interesting incidents...

Teef

Okay, true confession #263: I'm terrified of dentists.

And not just a little nervous. Not sort of apprehensive. I want to be under complete and total sedation before getting an x-ray, and don't discuss the details with me, just fix it before I come to.

My cousin Robert, who is here from Texas as I type, is a dentist...true story. I try not to hold it against him, but we don't talk about humorous stories from the office, if you know what I mean. Sorta like being related to a mortician, in my book. Someone has to do it, I just don't want to know about it.






And a couple of days ago, a temporary filling fell out of one of my molars. First, I was in denial. Then I had a cold drink and acknowledged the truth of the matter! Keep in mind the "temporary" filling had been put in when I was pregnant with Angus...2 1/2 years ago. Pretty good for temporary, huh? I wish I had been able to baby it along until he graduated from high school, but I got careless and ate some Grapenuts. Drats!

So I called a dentist this morning, after taking 3 Exedrine Migraines (not in denial anymore...) and they said I should be there by 1:30 p.m. for an x-ray. That's NOT enough time to work through all my issues! But I thought, "I'm a big girl. I can do this. I'm a grown woman. I can do this. I need a bottle of wine. I can do this." Then I called my mother-in-law to see if she could please watch the kids, (bear in mind this is the woman who went to Mexico to get her teeth done a couple of weeks ago, FOR VACATION) and the conversation went something like this:

• Mary: A filling fell out of one of my teeth and I managed to get an appointment tomorrow afternoon with that new dentist, so would it be possible for you to watch the kids while I do that?
• M.I.L.: I hope it isn't the guy that used to be with M--------. You won't like him, if it is.
• Mary: (Praying frantically, feverishly, fervently...) I think his name is Williams.
• M.I.L.: (Sensitively) Yeah, I think that was the one!
• Mary: (On the verge of swooning) Did you go to him? What was he like? (PLEASE say he was TOO nice....)
• M.I.L.: Yeah, I didn't like him. He was pretty rough and didn't use enough deadening. It hurt.
• Mary: (Head in hands, thinking of the rum in the cupboard, definitely woozy) Maybe that's why I got in so fast. Maybe he can just do something....temporary. Maybe it's not as dire as I think. There's a dentist in Billings that does sedation. Maybe I can be referred there. Maybe I should cancel.
• M.I.L.:(Compassionately) Oh, no. You'll be fine. Just tell him to give you the full deadening. I used to be just like you are, but after sitting hour after hour in the dentist's chair I got over it. I think it's just psychological.

That's about all I remember of the conversation. So I'm writing this post so that 14 followers will know what a chicken I am, and hopefully keep me accountable. I found this little advertisement for cocaine tooth drops, guaranteed to work. A bit drastic, but I can see how one might be tempted.

PRAY FOR ME, please. This is a heartfelt plea. And pray the dentist isn't the same one. And pray that if he IS the same one, that he does really good temporary fillings. With copious deadening. I don't care if I can't feel my face for 3 days. Or that I pass out when he shows me the x-ray and wake up after the root canal....God can do MIRACLES!!!! Hold me tight in your prayers.

The Relatives Came!

My Aunt Bert, cousin Robert and his wife Marina drove to Montana from Midland, TX to spend a week and we are SO excited!!! And baffled. Who in their right mind would come to Montana the first week of March? But we like crazy people...we love crazy people....we are crazy people, so we welcomed them with open arms! That's one thing about Duttons; we hug everyone, so the term "open arms" is very literal.

My sister and her little girls came from Miles City and Karen's daughter Cari came from Billings and we drove from Cohagen for the day. What a great time! We loaded up 4 cars and went to Sand Springs to church, (doubled the attendance) and then came back to Dad's for homemade pizza.

Robert and Marina graciously played with the kids...coloring, trucks, tutus, Incredibles movie....and when we left, Maggie was bawling in her carseat. I asked her what was the matter and she said, "I'm going to miss my friends!" I asked her if she meant her cousins, thinking Kamryn and Livvie Ann, but she sobbed, "No, my BIG cousins, Mommy!!" I felt like crying too.

We hope to get to visit again this week, with the BIG cousins and Aunt Bert. We need to give them some more hugging. And maybe some wool sweaters.

Am I too big for one of these?

Tutus! Frothy pink tutus! Aunt Bert made the little girls tutus and we all fell in love with them. Do you think 37 is too old to wear a tutu? (Besides, it's just really fun to say that word!)

Sunday Morning

Here are some pitures from our morning.

Angus taking a break from playing Thomas to watch a little "Uncle Fungus" (Ice Age). He calls it Fungus, because there's a scene in the movie where Sid the Sloth wakes up and the whole family is gone, including Uncle Fungus. The kids LOVE that name, Uncle Fungus, and the movie soon started going by the same title.

Maggie and baby Vesters the cat...she snatched Vesters up right away this morning and they have been sequestered in her room all morning. I went in to see if everyone (Vesters) was okay, and found Maggie playing with her animals and castle, and Vesters in the only safe place in the room. They seemed to be getting along fine, so I left them to their world.

Confessions...

I have a favorite book, from when I was a little girl. Perhaps some of you recognize Miss Suzy. She's a little brown squirrel who lives in a teeny tiny house in the top of a tall oak tree. She's the epitomy of cozy and content! She cleans her little corner of the world, and bakes while singing this little ditty: "Oh I love to cook, I love to bake; I think I'll make an acorn cake..." And Maggie and I sing that once in a while, when we are making cookies.

This winter, I've been working hard to cultivate that sort of contentedness with my life. And for the most part I've acheived it. BUT (Isn't there always a but?), I have a really hard time being content with my kitchen! I love to cook! I love to bake! My kitchen doesn't really support all that love. It REALLY doesn't support all that love when I invite others over.

Yesterday, I went to a party at Traci's and came home coveting a bigger kitchen. Don't you hate that? Just when you get all lined out, spiritually and mentally, the devil comes poking around and stirs up junk. I thought maybe I'd feel better if I showed you a picture of my "someday" kitchen. It's not a dream kitchen, by any means, because I really don't want the house that would support a dream kitchen. This is a "wow-maybe-that-would-be-attainable" kitchen!

I'm going to go swab my "this-is-for-right-now-and-perfectly-adequate" kitchen and perhaps bake a little cake for my Texas sweeties, now. Oh, and if you ever get your hands on a Miss Suzy book, by Miriam Young, grab it quick! You'll love it, I promise.

Penny

I was frantically cleaning out my closet this morning, trying to find some sheets for the camper that seem to have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle of my house, AND purging my closet of second-hand clothes to recycle through St. Vincent De Paul. (That's not a trendy boutique, despite it's French sounding name...it's the second hand store in Miles City. I buy most of my clothes there. The rest of my wardrobe comes from Karen's Closet, a very exclusive place in Billings. So exclusive, in fact, that only her daughters and I get the castoffs. The price is right, and Karen has impeccable taste. )

Anyway, I came across a white cotton sleeveless blouse that I've had for 12 years, if I've had it a day, and laughed out loud. "I have to tell them the story of Penny!", I thought to myself, while I continued to dig and fold and sort. (Yes, I have THAT type of closet...) I went on with my day, and took 4 bags of recycle-able clothes to Miles City and traded them for 1 bag of new-to-me clothes and 1 bag of books.

So here's the story. My friend Ty Yost once dated a very nice girl from Colorado named Penny, who also had impeccable taste in clothes. (Come to think of it, most of his girlfriends did!) I met her once, I believe, the first summer I lived with Yosts. Anyway, she had used this white shirt for a rag, and Karen Yost found it, unbelieving that she truly meant to treat it in this manner. Penny said that yes, it was old and she didn't want it any more. Karen, recognizing quality, quietly washed it up and put it in her own closet. After a couple of years of wear, she passed it on to me in a bag of hand-me-downs, and laughingly told me the story.

I loved the shirt! It's tailored, with subtle insets of stitching around the edges of the hems, and looks great with jeans, skirts, shorts, suits, capris...the perfect sleeveless linen-look cotton blouse without all the care of linen. I've worn it to family photo shoots, weddings, picnics, you name it. And somewhere along the line, I started calling it Penny. Penny and I are starting to look a little alike, sadly. Sort of dingy, a little worn around the edges. And when someone compliments me on my blouse, I say, "Oh, this old rag...?" and chuckle to myself at the truth of the matter.

Penny made the cut, once again, but I know it's not going to be too much longer she stays in my closet. I think I'm going to have to start wearing her when I garden or gather cows. I don't think I will ever be able to send her back to the rag bag, though. We have too much history, together. I have no idea what ever happened to the girl, Penny, but I think of her every time I wear the shirt and shake my head at her choice of rags. And I bless Karen for rescuing one of the nicest blouses I've had the pleasure of wearing.

Seedy

Okay, I have several weaknesses. Books are like kryptonite. Coffee, will bring me to my knees. (Or up off them!) And seeds and plants enslave me.
















Here's the short list for what I'm ordering from Cook's, Johnny's, Renee's and Scheeper's:

• Lemon cucumbers
• Forellenschuss lettuce (It's named after trout...how can I resist that?)
• Borettana Cippolini onion
• Milano Black zucchini
• Petit Poi Precoville peas (alliteration at it's best)
• Purple podded pole beans (a close second)
• Pinapple tomatillo
• Pistou basil
• Rapunzel (for Maggie)
• Kale (also for HRH)
• Kaleidoscope carrots (purple, red and yellow carrots)
• Blue and Yellow Duo peas
• Carillon beets
• Lemon balm
• Rouge d'Etamps pumpkins
• Charantais melon
• Borage
• Caribe cilantro
• Dukat dill
• Mignonette
• Starburst Aura Sunflower
• Snackers Delight tomato plants (an extravagant experiment)
• Cinnamon and lemondrop basil
• Stock
• Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate
• Status
• Ammi
• Golden Sunshine Bean (pole)
• Scheeper's Baby Leaf Salad mixture
• Lolla rossa lettuce
• Parisienne Cornichon de Bourbonne cucumbers

I'm not ordering them ALL for just me...some go to Traci, some go to Anne, some go to those who email me frantically with seed exchanges, some are for Maggie because she wants to plant her own salad.

AND, (for those who know my personality you'd better sit down) I have a planting diagram. And a garden journal. Those are some serious boundaries for someone who plants zucchini under the rose bush. We'll see. I'll place the seed order today, when the kids nap. If you have any requests or ideas, post quickly or email me! (And yes, many of these are French varieties....I can't pass up a Charantais when compared to a Sugar Baby. Wouldn't you rather wander through your garden dropping names like Cornichon de Bourbonne and Cippolini? Especially if you live in a flyspot on the map named Cohagen? I'm the only trailer in this park...)

We were one CUP short...

...of a tea party, but we gathered anyhow! Our Perpetual Hostess, Anne, told us she was flying to Dallas on Wednesday and would be unavailable for the party. SURE, she's flying to Dallas...(We'll see if the postcard shows up. We are not empty CUPS, I'll have you know! If she says she's going to Dallas, we need proof. Otherwise, it would appear she's avoiding us, and we'd take that rather personally. In a group of 3, one notices an absence...)

At any rate, the two remaining CUPS members and their Cupcakes met at Mary's house for Sumatra french press coffee and generous helpings of pumpkin gooey cake with cream. And we weren't actually feeling all that abused!

Because Mary was hostess, there were no crafts, BUT we DID peruse foodie magazines and seed catalogs. The seed order will be placed later today, and you'll have a complete report in the next post, because we know y'all are just dying to know what sorts of plants we're going to start, then neglect to death, this year in our gardens.

Traci took notes on cucumber health and we plotted out what to put in the ungainly bed in front of her house. She was not going to plant ANYTHING there, because of a possible garage! This offended my horticultural sensibilities greatly! Who has ever heard of someone not planting because of impending construction?!! The girl has a long ways to come, in her gardening obsession. ( Around here, if someone leaves a boot on the step too long; say, 36 hours, it's fair game to plant in. Flip-flops are tricky. I digress....) I think I have her convinced to put some scarlet runner beans and taller annuals there. It needs some height. We read up on Mrs. Greenthumbs classic Greek proportion; 2:1+1 (10 foot wall: 6 foot plant).

*And a word about Traci and her food magazines/cookbooks/recipes...

The girl needs help. At the risk of offending, I called it her porn. And she laughingly agreed! But, after we pulled out the seed catalogs/gardening books/planting diagrams and I reacted in much the same way, we called it even. Is there a twelve step program out there for people who can't stop cooking, or people who plant too much? If so, please leave the contact information discreetly in my comment box. Lives may be saved.

The Cupcakes played quietly, much to our surprise! Ben and Maggie, at this age, were snarling, biting, and whining. It was survival of the strongest. Angus and Allie circled each other, eyed each other, then went their separate ways. Shocking! But SO nice!

We missed Anne, terribly. She's just as crazy about food and plants, and offers a good balance for us. I guess I'll order her some mystery seeds from John Scheeper's and we'll see her next week. At her house.

Respectfully submitted,

Secretary and Arts and Crafts Director Mary Pluhar

When you start feeling abused...

...make yourself some Paula Deen Gooey Butter Cake and a big ole pot of Sumatra french roast coffee with a generous dollop of heavy whipping cream, and listen to a Beth Moore lesson. It'll pull you right out of those doldrums! And don't give me any whining about calories. You are feeding your SOUL, my dear...calories simply have nothing to do with medicine. (It's true! Go ahead and Google "gooey butter cake and medicine" and see what you come up with.)

Because my friend Traci is feeling sorry for herself, and I believe she has the recipe, but I'm not altogether positive, here it is. Do NOT skimp on the cream cheese or the sugar, sweetie! (Don't you think cream cheese has medicinal properties? It's bound to....I always feel better after ingesting some. Even just reading a recipe with cream cheese brightens my day.)

Gooey Butter Cake

Mix together: 1 box yellow cake mix

1 egg

1/2 c melted butter. (Use REAL buttah, darling; no margarine!)

Press mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.

With electric mixer, beat 1 8 oz package cream cheese until smooth;

add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon REAL vanilla, and mix.

Dump in 2 cups powdered sugar and blend.

Reduce speed of mixer and add 1/2 c melted butter; mix well.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes...until it smells done, and the middle acts fairly set up.

(If you put a toothpick in it, it will come out a little gooey. That's perfect!)

Cool until you can't take it anymore, then cut yourself a goodly portion and put it in a bowl.

Now, spoon some cherry or blueberry pie filling over it, and add gen-u-ine whipped cream. Don't skimp on the whipped cream! You should still have some left from the coffee, but if you don't, whup up some more.

If you feel the least bit abused, after a bowl of this, the coffee and Beth Moore, you probably need professional help. I've done my best, and so has Paula Deen.

Vote for the Book

Our bookclub reading theme this year is Non-Fiction...that's it. It's completely open to whatever we want, after that. I ADORE non-fiction! And I have to have my selection ready for the group by March 12. The big problem being: which of the 10 books to choose? I have it narrowed down to, gulp, 6 books. Hey,out of the original 27 choices, I think this is progress!

I've decided, with Patricia's encouraging comment, to let my blog readers (some who are also Underground Book Club members) choose the book and menu. Here's how it will work: I'll give the title and menu options in this post, then have a corresponding poll widget for you to vote on. If you have reasons for your choice, comment here. OR if you want to remain anonymous in your selection, that's cool, too.

1. Too Much Tuscan Sun-Confessions of a Chianti Tour Guide, by Dario Castagno

Menu: Crostini, spinach salad with weird stuff like cranberries, feta cheese, etc.; homemade pasta, wine, fruit tart.

2. People With Dirty Hands - The Passion For Gardening, by Robin Chotzinoff

Menu: Flower pot-pies, green salad with weird stuff like apples, almonds, sharp cheddar, etc.; veggie appetizers, lemonade, dirt cake.

3. The Rock that is Higher - Story as Truth, by Madeleine L'Engle

Menu: Homemade tortillas, chorizo-potato filling, watergate salad, tortilla chips and salsa, rock-y road cheesecake.

4. Confederates In the Attic, by Tony Horowitz

Menu: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade rolls, coconut cream pie or chocolate cream pie.

5. Why Beauty Matters, by Karen Lee-Thorp and Cynthia Hicks

Menu: Spa food...fruit smoothies, cucumbers to eat and to put on puffy eyes, great build-it-yourself salad bar, beautiful dessert...cream puffs with strawberries, kiwi and peaches.

6. Once Upon a Tart, by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau

Menu: Three onion soup, roasted potato tart with tarragon, sauteed mushrooms and melted gruyere cheese; peach and blueberry free-form tart, baked lemon tart, couscous salad with roasted veggies and sun-dried tomatoes. All recipes from the book, which happens to be a cookbook that I've read over and over!

You see my dilemma. If you want a closer look, I got the pictures at Amazon, and they have excerpts there.

Too much!

Alright, the kids went with their dad to go feeding AND visit the grandparents and I'm ignoring the dishes and laundry. The house is totally quiet, with the exception of that noisy betta fish in the corner....all day long: burble, bubble, slosh!

So I wanted to blog, of course! And all day yesterday, I wrote them in my head. I was eloquent, descriptive, witty, clever....all those things. Today, with no one hanging on me, I can't seem to form a paragraph! But I have a bunch of random thoughts, so I'll toss those out and see what we come up with.

1. I have about 600 packets of seeds, marked in my catalogs and I can't seem to narrow down enough to order any. There's no possible way to plant that many flowers and vegetables without a staff of 6 Mexicans to help tend them!

2. We may have a problem. My daughter says she's from Texas. And when pressed: Cohagen, Texas. Perhaps I took the Red Raider thing too far...

3. Maggie ALSO has a list of seeds to order for HER garden. She likes exotic things, like ruffled kale and kaleidescope carrots. So we have to till up another acre for her crops. And she'll eat them, too, which is the exciting part!

4. I have to figure out where to put an antique upright piano in an already crowded trailer house. And how to prevent young Beethoven from playing it, less than tunefully, all the time. Perhaps it's time to build on.

5. #703 had a bull calf yesterday morning....let the games begin!

6. I have a list of about 10 possible choices for my bookclub selection next month, and I need to narrow that down to 1. Would you all be willing to vote on a poll, to help me choose? I have menus to go with them, if that would influence choice.

7. Guess what we found in the heat vent, yesterday? (No, it wasn't the other 85 socks...) A bigfoot truck, two crayons and a bunch of ponytail holders. And this was because we were stopping Angus from putting the cat down there.

8. I had one of the blog lurkers call yesterday to see if I was alright! I guess the Cohagen Chronicles ARE read by more than my husband and sister-in-law. So, for those faithful readers who didn't get any Chronicles for a week, I apologize...and I miss you, too. I live for the comments. (And that's a sad little commentary on my life, right there!)

I guess that's about it for this morning. Now I'm going to ease back into the kitchen and do dishes. And throw some clothes in the washer. I like to let them get down to their LAST pair of underwear before I get in a hurry. That way the whole laundry process is applauded and given the weight it deserves. You've never seen a more grateful man than one who is staring at an empty underwear drawer, then Voila! boxers appear before his very eyes! (Maybe that falls under the category of too much information. Well, now you have something on the Farmer....)

Puzzled...

I really, really, really loathe jigsaw puzzles.

Maggie really, really, really loves jigsaw puzzles.

"Mommy, will you help me with George?"

"PLEASE?!!!"

Who bought this child a puzzle, anyway? And how did it get into our house?

How CAN he explain....?

I LOVE this ad! My husband will read this post and snort...I've long since ceased being a "sensitive young wife". These days it's more like, "toughened old ball-and-chain".

He's thanking his lucky stars that the heifers are starting to calve, because even though he's going to have to get up every 3 hours to check them, he'll have the luxury of sleeping in the 5th wheel camper with no children or little wifee to pester. Oh sure, it's a hardship, but he can take his laptop and watch movies with guns, car chases, naughty words and manly themes.

I used to get to go check heifers, too, back before kids, and oddly enough, I really enjoyed it. There's just something about being out in the starry spring nights that really is sort of fun. Even though I checked each cow twice, worried I'd miss something, it was good to be part of the calving. And for some reason, I always felt less abused checking heifers than I ever did getting up to feed a baby...still don't understand that.

My job now is to have a big, hot breakfast ready for the returning calver. And there is nothing nicer to find, at the end of a long night in the barn, than pancakes, eggs and bacon, or sausage gravy and biscuits, and hot, strong coffee! It's wretched to sit down to a bowl of Cheerios and Sanka.

I've been promised the opportunity to return to the barn when the kids get older, and I'm hanging on to that. When the old cows start calving, I do get involved a lot more, because, well, they can't keep me away.

I guess that's the latest, from Cohagen! It's been so long since I posted, I probably lost all my readers...except my sister-in-law and Wayland, poor souls. The kids and I are still battling sinus infections and strep, so there's not a lot going on here, except medicine and movies. Even the dog is looking for a reason to go to the barn!

Let's play Silly Me!

Forgive me, I'm a bit fuzzy still, from my cold and the medicine I'm using to combat it. Still can't seem to shake it and my family is about to cart me off to the doctor.

Anyways, I've been trying to sleep it off and sometimes in the middle of the night I get up and go to the couch so as not to wake the one healthy member of the household, my husband. Last night, I threw my pillows on the couch, grabbed a blanket and flopped down. From out of the depths of the couch came a voice, "Hi! I'm Mr. Potato Head! Let's play Silly Me!....AACHOO! Oh no! I've lost my ears! Can you find my ears?!"

Apparently, the little handheld Mr. Potato Head game I bought at the second-hand store for the kids to play in the car was lost somewhere under the couch and my hefty bounce revived him. Well, I wasn't about to turn on the light and dig around in the scary couch innards at 2 a.m., so I just snuggled down and went to sleep. But everytime I rolled over, he would announce his name and want to play Silly Me. Can you beat that?!! And this morning, it really was funny to think about!

Step away from the stove, woman!

There should be a warning on the cold medicine box, right after the "Do not operate heavy machinery while taking this medicine." Something like, "You may experience slight culinery blackouts" or "Cooking while under the influence of this medicine may have hazardous results".

First of all, I'm a fairly instinctive cook. (Translation: doesn't follow recipes well. See #30 in the Farmer's Wife Trivia) My family knows this and doesn't seem concerned; some of my friends are wary...fair enough!

AND I'm stubborn. I decided a few days ago, when I was hearty and hale, that I'd make seafood enchiladas and a sourcream raisin pie with meringue for the family...two of my favorites. (NOT their favorites, but they are good sports.)

Yesterday, I came down with a horrible cold in my chest, throat and head. It's a doozy! I actually think it's a remnant of the cold last week, but I can't prove anything. Anyway, I decided today was the day for the food. AFTER taking some Dayquil. I should've just put the frozen pizza in, like I felt like doing, and we'd all have been better off!

So here's my Suzy Homemaker tip for the day: If you are generally an instinctive cook, and use your nose as a guide, FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR FAMILY JUST WALK OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!

The cats and dogs got a triple helping of warm seafood enchiladas and it turns out I am the only person who likes sour cream meringue pie in this house. Wayland, Maggie and Angus ate PBJ, at my urging, and I went to bed. So bad!

As of 5:00 p.m. , everyone (except me) seems to be feeling fine. The cats look a bit rotund and groggy, but that's probably not food poisoning, it's just gluttony.

Farm kids

*I must preface the body of this blog with an explanation. I never know how the spacing is going to work out, when I add pictures. I've tried all different ways, and am not happy with any of them.

Here are the grubby faced farm kids. One of their favorite things to do is to ride in the tractor, with Daddy or Poppops. They've been closely watching how to turn on the tractor, and put it in gear, so the guys always take the keys with them. Foiled again! I love these pictures and how natural they are....AND how dirty everything is! Do you see how drab the winters are, here? Even the little birds that stay around are tan and gray. I think that must be why I love the color red so much.

Anyway, here are the latest pictures from Montana!