Twilla B.

If you have been a Chronicle follower for a while, you probably know we had to euthanize our Irish Setter, Ruby, earlier this summer. It was one of the hardest things on our little family, and there's been a big hole where a floppy eared, silly red dog once filled in our hearts. About a week after we walked around, missing our left arm, so to speak, we decided to apply to adopt another setter from Save Our Setters. They are a rescue organization for Irish and (I hope this is right) English setters. The process is quite involved, and includes an extensive application, vet check, and several people reading through the application before we were even considered for a dog.

Last week, I got an email from the S.O.S. organization that said they had a dog that may be a good fit for our family. We looked at her profile, and after reading her story, knew that she belonged with us! What we didn't know was that about 20 other families thought she was the dog for them, too. Her foster mom, Shelly, called us, and we visited for the longest time, asking questions and actually interviewing each other! Shelly said that Twilla is an affectionate, gentle young dog that loves other dogs and kids, and would fit into a young family with a stable lifestyle. She said Twilla is still a little unsure about life, and rather timid, but that she will be good with a lot of love. And Shelly recommended to S.O.S that we should be Twilla's new family.

Twilla will come to live with us in October, when Shelly and her husband come for a vacation in Montana, and we can hardly wait! Maggie is having a hard time with her name, but in one of her fairy movies, there are Twillerbies, and she calls this little dog, Twilla B. I just got an email forward from Shelly that said Twilla was named after her rescuer's newborn neice, and that they just knew she was that special.

One of the unexpected blessings of this (rather long) story, has been getting to know Shelly, and having a new friendship. We are looking forward to having Twilla B. here, in October, and we are just as excited to meet Shelly and Don in person.

So, that's the beginning of the Twilla Tales. As we get more pictures and video, we'll put them up to share. Shelly told me that Twilla doesn't really care for "paparazzi" , so glamour shots are tough to get. Quite the opposite of Molly, my Brit, who actually pauses and poses....

*You should know that we are considered the Crazy Dog People in Cohagen. We chose non-stock dogs for our family, which was against the Code of the County, and proceeded to spend more money on their maintenance and care than some ranchers spend on a horse. Not that we're proud of that; it just is what it is. So you can imagine how much flack we are going to get for getting another setter....

I guess if we're going to be Crazy Dog People, we may as well embrace the title, and do it right!

Quiet time.....right.

I love my quiet time in the morning, with my coffee and my thoughts; it's where I read my Bible and pray and plan for the upcoming day.

And I haven't had it since the kids were born, except, maybe 3 times.

My kids have some sort of sensor (probably the same one that tunes into the phone when it rings) and will wake from some serious slumbering if there is a change in the ambient temperature of the kitchen air, due to my body being there.

I have tried everything. I've made the coffee the night before, and set the timer to go off at 4:30. They meet me at the pot at 4:35. I've gone outside to grind the coffee, under a heavy blanket and bathrobe, on the deck. They greet me at the door, blinking. I've tried getting up earlier. They could match my early-ness, and have more energy at 3:45 in the morning than any human being ought to have. My son now slips into our room around 3 a.m. and into our bed, so it's not like I can just take the coffee pot into our bedroom and sit on the floor under that heavy blanket over a steaming cup of joe and my Bible. They have all the bases covered.

To add insult to serious injury, I can call my best friends at 9:00 a.m. to see what they are up to, and they have the unmitigated gall to speak softly into the phone, "Well, ------ is still sleeping, so I'm just folding up my laundry and having a little quiet time." "Really?", I respond, " You guys must've had a late night..." (Hopefully)
"No, the kids were in bed by 9. " At which point I question exactly WHY we are really best friends. It was the same when the kids were infants. I'd call T. and H. and B. for a little sympathy, during the 15 minutes my daughter slept during the rinse cycle of the dishwasher, only to hear about little -----'s 4 hour nap, and how they got 2 rooms painted, the floor mopped, a shower taken and (you know what's coming...) a little quiet time.

Do they give them sedatives? Cough syrup? Tie them to the bed?

Now I must tell you that I do get prayer time. I pray while the kids are fighting, while Bob and Larry are singing that cheery little Veggie song, while I'm trying to get the stain out of what's left of our carpet, while dinner is burning, while I'm trying to locate the little darlings in the 200 square miles of prairie where they went on a "quest" with the dog and bum calves. Oh, I pray, all right! It's just not quiet. Sometimes I get to read my Bible, in about 3 minute spurts, while I tell them I'm going in to the bathroom. (That's when they escape to the prairie...)

There are women who nearly glow, talking about their quiet time in the morning, with God. Focus on the Family applauds the endeavor, Today's Christian Woman just assumes all women get this. I always feel like sort of scrunching down in my seat when I hear of it.

I realize that these years go fast, and pretty soon all I will have is quiet time. I will be wishing for little bouncing bodies and chattery voices and sticky kisses before my coffee in the morning! And I do love them. I just wish I could figure out a time to recharge that isn't somewhere between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. (I'm sure they'd figure that one out, though...)

(And if you think I could be having quiet time, instead of blogging, you should know that I'm typing this while the kids are running back and forth, chasing the cat, and Wayland is trying to capture them to eat Cocoa Pebbles or yogurt. It's not quiet. And it's not yet 7 a.m.)

Pick your poison...in a preschool sort of way!

Can you match the ice cream flavor with the member of the Pluhar household?

1. Chocolate Fudge Brownie
2. Huckleberry
3. Chubby Hubby
4. Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle

A. The Farmer's Wife B. Maggie C. The Farmer D. Angus

We had an ice cream revolution this week, and instead of buying our usual gallon of vanilla, and toppings, we purchased 4 pints of fun flavors. Tonight was the first night of the tastage. The Chocolate Fudge Brownie was met with near rapture. The Huckleberry was examined with great suspicion, but as it was ice cream, it was given the benefit of the doubt and consumed. The Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle raised eyebrows and lowered some members' opinions of what was acceptable in dairy products. Chubby Hubby is still in the freezer, unopened, awaiting a big debut tomorrow. (Notice I didn't say 'tomorrow night'...)

What's your favorite flavor? Is there any ice cream you absolutely won't eat?

Racing the wind...

So, here's a secret: I love racing with antelope. (Don't tell my mother...)

When I was a girl, about 8 or 9 years old, I think, I was with my Dad and Gramps in the back of the pasture, coming back from checking mineral or something mundane like that. We were in the old feed pickup, and it was hot, so the windows were rolled down, and there was a breeze stirring the dust around. We startled a small bunch of buck antelope, and they started to run, not quite alongside us, but parallel to the pickup. I remember Dad giving the pickup a little gas, and the antelope gave it a little gas. We were on a good road (for the pasture) and Dad got a little smile and gave it some more gas, and the antelope picked up speed, too. They love to race....I think it's because nothing in their world can run as fast as they can, so the challenge of a really fast opponent is too good to let go. Anyway, I can remember feeling like we were flying and the antelope were, too. Finally, we had to slow down a little, for a change in the road, and they turned and blew across the road in front of us, and pulled up, too. They had won, and that was all they had to prove. I can see that whole thing in my mind as clear as if it had happened yesterday.

Yesterday, I took the Honda Big Red and Molly, and put out salt and checked wells in the big Winter Pasture, that we are using in the summer. (Another thing to confuse me, but that makes perfect sense to the Farmer and his father...) We had gotten done with the project and were on our way back, on the road, and this little band of buck antelope, who'd been turning up where we were and looking for a rumble, gave us a serious challenge. The road was good, so I took them up on their offer. We were running pretty good, for about a quarter of a mile, when a butte rose up between us. I took the left, they took the right, and I thought our race was over, because there was a good chunk of rough country for them to run through, to get back to the road I was on. I drove on, thinking about my Dad and how fun it was to run the antelope.

When I got to the flat, they blew out from behind a hill, running with all their hearts. They really must've wanted to race, because they had a lot of opportunity through that terrain to veer off and leave. I smiled to myself, and gave Big Red some gas. They really poured on the coal and gave it all they had. I could see that I was going to have to slow up a bit, because of the road, and the moment the lead buck sensed my heisitancy, he turned and the whole bunch ran in front of me. Their mouths were open, their bodies stretched out, rumps fluffed, and they were having the best time rubbing my nose in the dust, figuratively speaking. When they had proven they had won the race, they pulled up and watched me drive on. They really earned that win, and I had to laugh at their insistance on a run.

The pronghorn is classified as the second-fastest land mammal, just behind the cheetah, although they can maintain their speed longer. I didn't realize it, growing up, but they are found only in a small area of the United States and Canada, and are just as exotic as African animals to others around the world. I don't know all the scientific data on them, but I do know that they run like the wind blows and they love a worthy competitor. When they run alongside the outfit, they do look like they are almost in flight, and it makes my heart thrill.

Parenting 101 , Part 1

My friend Marisa is going to have her first child, sometime in September; we are so THRILLED! Everytime I talk to her on the phone, I end up giving her a cautionary child-rearing tip...mostly because she can hear what's going on in the background and that's the best way to explain it. I am compiling, here, a list in one spot for her to refer to. Hopefully eliminating the need for her to write the tips down on stray papers in her house, causing her husband to wonder, as he finds them.

1. Any breakfast cereal with the word "Pebbles" in it is banned from the house. When moistened with milk, the little chocolate/fruit coated puffed rice will stick to children like ticks on a sheep, then fall off around the house as they dry...for Mom to step on and powder.
2. Toads make lousy pets. As do grasshoppers, fish from the reservoir and large spiders captured from the deck. The mortality rate is pretty high.
3. Learn to like cold food, because that's going to be the temperature of your sustenance from here on out.
4. Nothing draws a whiny, needy child to you like a phone call. Seriously. If the phone rings, it sets off an alert in their little bodies, compelling them to locate the Mama to hang onto and whine. The more important the phone call, the greater the volume. They will want ONLY things they know they can't have, and sob like you are beating them when you indicate with your free hand, "No!".
5. The same woman who raised you on the principle "Spare the rod, spoil the child", will tell you that you shouldn't be so hard on your babies. This may cause some bewilderment on your part; just know that the minute you have a baby, the rules change for your parents. Grit your teeth and smile, and go ahead and buy that economy pack of wooden spoons.
6. All children's toys come with 59 accessories and parts that must interface in order for the toy to work. You will NEVER have all the parts at the same time. You will, however, locate them tangled in your vaccuum or under the refrigerator when you move 20 years later.
7. They don't play with those toys, anyway. They like boxes and sticks and rocks and anything belonging to a parent. Save your money.
8. Children have amazing memories (for some things) and the minute you throw away the 112th picture or broken Happy Meal toy, they will NEED it. They will also remember every embarrassing detail about life in your household and share this information with any old person in the grocery check-out line. These are the same children who are unable to recall where they left their new tennis shoes outside, how to unplug the sink for the water to drain, and the complicated procedure of putting on a stocking cap.
9. The days are 73 hours long, the years are 10 minutes. This is the strangest time warp, and one you'll never be able to wrap your brain around.
10. You will long for peace and quiet, but when you finally do get it, it will be TOO quiet, and you'll want them back, with their grubby little fingerprinting paws and their chirpy little voices.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and will be added to as tips come along. Feel free to add your own tips in the comment box.

Redneckedness

Before you judge us too harshly....

We can afford to buy a real kiddie pool, and we did, early this summer. AND we bought swimsuits, too. Biggest waste of $15.95 I've ever spent.

This is what it looks like: the calf water trough. And yes, you can tell by the wet, wet hair that they probably got right down in it. It was disgusting....all that kid-dirt floating around in there....the calves wouldn't go near it, for awhile afterwards. Not that I blame them.

Maggie has finally learned how to pull out the blue kiddie pool and fill it herself, but it lacks that cowboy ambience, and also it doesn't warm in the sun as nicely as this black tub.

(Wayland's sister, Dawn, has very civilized pictures of her kids swimming in Kentucky on her blog Stonefield Stories. The pool is clean, not green, and the children are appropriately clothed. We represent the rural, hick-ish side of the family. Someone has to be the redneck cousins.)

The light on this is not great, but I love how free Maggie looks and how big the sky is.

Check this out...

It's very seldom I read an article on the internet that I want to pass on. It's even more rare that I want to stand up, after reading one, and shout, "AMEN, Brother! Preach on!"

I happened upon a blog that was discussing vegetarian vs. omnivorian lifestyles, and took the time to comment...quite strenuously, as you may have guessed. I was reading through the other comments, an article kept popping up in those who supported the meat-eating faction, so I thought I'd go there and see what was so outstanding about this piece of journalism.

There's no way for me to do the article justice. I encourage you to read it, by the link I'll put here, if you eat food. Yes, that's right, just if you eat food. Which, in my estimation, will cover the entire population....

Tell me what you think, after you get done with The Ominivore's Delusion.

Oh, For Tech's Sake!

Some of you know that I really, really love football. Some of you know that I really, really, really love the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Some of you know that I also really, really love my friends, Scott and Traci Glasscock who love the Texas Longhorns. Some of you know that three of us friends have a girl's weekend for our birthdays in September, and the husbands join us on Day 2. It's the best weekend of the year, and we all look forward to it and hang on to the promise of it when things are going rough the rest of the year.

I just looked at the Red Raider's football schedule.

Yes, as you can see, my Red Raiders play their Longhorns on Couple's Night of the getaway weekend. When we are supposed to be sitting in Old Piney Dell Restaurant, plowing our way through the best food to be had in the great state of Montana. When we are celebrating Traci's and my birthday. When we laugh and drink outrageous wine and talk about anything but kids and farming.

This is going to be a SERIOUS test of our commitment to friendship, tradition, and sportsmanship.

I just have to say this: Last year, the Red Raiders, in a stunning ESPN-worthy moment, dehorned Texas in a really big, televised game. So the Horns are out for revenge. AND this 2009 game is televised, on ABC.

SO....

Scott Glasscock and I will be sitting there, at the restaurant, trying not to bolt to the nearest television, and making small talk with the others while trying to hurry them along with their steaks and twice baked potatoes. And I realize not everyone is quite as excited about football as I am, so I'm going to work on cultivating some self-control between now and then.

And I also realize the odds of the Red Raiders winning this game are not all that encouraging (Texas is #2 in the pre-season polls), but anything can happen, you know?

Mercy!

Stay tuned, the weekend of September 18-20th, to find out how it ends. (Hopefully, not the friendship...)

Bulls

Today is Day 3 of the Bull Removal and Relocation program, a job we do every early August. They've been in with the cows for a little over a month, taking care of business, and now it's time they come home, to rest up and prepare for NEXT June. Yeah, it takes them that long.

As you know, when we move cows, I wear makeup and earrings, because it's good to remind the guys that there is a woman in the mix. It doesn't seem to create any more empathy or leniency, but at least they are reminded. But when I get ready to move bulls, I always think, "It's so I'll look good in the ambulance."

I'll tell you right here and now that I am really scared of bulls. My Dad did a good job of putting the fear of those black devils in me, and I've seen what they can do. They weigh over 2000 lbs, easily, and they don't care if they smash whatever is in their way. Yesterday, one of them shoved another with all his might, and the underdog's leg snapped, in two. Their legs are BIG, like the rest of their bodies, and it just popped like a twig.

We are on 4-wheelers, and there's no protection, to my perception. To the bulls, we are just really irritating flies with wheels. And my father-in-law and husband really and truly expect me to wade in there and show them who's boss. Neither the bull, nor I, are really convinced of that. It's some pretty high adreneline stuff, considering we are in rough country, the bull has the weight and mobility advantage, and knows the pasture better than me. I keep telling myself that I can do long division and he can't, but somehow that's not all that reassuring, the idea of superior intelligence. And if you take a whole person, and divide them up into the parts that a bull could make you, it's less comforting. Perhaps I should look into another example of higher thinking....

And the guys really are not all that worried or concerned, and they are rather amused by the bulls, after they ram them with their 4-wheelers and shout obscenities at them. And they know I'm scared, so that makes it a little more amusing.

My Dad wouldn't let us near the bulls, and I remember him on one occasion, using buckshot on a bull. I have a lot of respect for that man. If I had had a gun yesterday, I think I would've used it. But the job has to be done, and we are down to using women in the mix. It's a hard-won privilege, to be allowed to help with the cows, and I really do love being out there. With the COWS.

So, I see by the clock that the hour has come to face the job. My funeral plans are in the front of my Bible, along with the list of pallbearers and choice of minister. (You laugh; it's true!) I'm going to wrastle the kids into the car and haul them to Grandma's house, and put on my Texas Tech cap and Nutra-lix sweatshirt for courage, and wade in. (That's the best I can do, armor-wise. Sad, sad, sad...)

The Chronicles continue....

*Update: I lived! Unfortunately, the bull with the broken leg did not. There is no way to repair a broken leg on a bull, and we were unable to get him to the sale barn in Miles City. If we had taken him to the sale barn, he would've had to have been able to walk off the trailer on his own power, AND not have a fever, which he almost certainly would've had, in order to sell him through the ring. And we had just taken another lame bull to the packing plant for hamburger, so there was no possible way to salvage the meat. A sad ending for the bull, but I'm glad he isn't hurting anymore. Without being unnecessarily graphic, the leg was only held on by hide. It was awful and this was the right thing to do.

We only have one more bunch of bulls to get, and we're going to wait a few days on them. The guys are working on getting the combine running for harvest, and grain cleaned out of the bins. There's so much tension, because we are teetering at the edge of harvest, and it continues to shower, the hoppers continue to close in, and the crops are ripening unevenly. Without a big heat blast, to finish it up, the crops languish. And every rain lowers the protein in the seed heads, which is the big nutrient, and the higher the protein, the better the money. It's a nail biter, I tell you, this ranching business! More later...

Ten Commandments of Coffee (according to me...)

1. Thou shalt have no beverage before coffee. In the morning, that is.
2. Thou shall NOT REHEAT old coffee left in the carafe, defiling the sacred cup. (And you know who you are....) There's always time to make one little fresh serving. Or to swing by a coffee shop, if thou art in a civilized geographical location.
3. Thou shall buy fresh beans, not grounds.
4. Thou shall not hoard thy fresh beans. Buy in smaller packages, and if they are in danger of going stale, have a coffee klatch to use them up.
5. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's espresso machine. Make the best coffee thy can within thy means, and be grateful for thy French press.
6. Thou shall NOT consume or serve decaffienated coffee between the hours of 4 a.m. and 2 p.m.
7. Thou shall NOT BREW WEAK COFFEE. It is better to not brew coffee at all, than to dishonor the sacred bean in this manner.
8. Thou art prohibited from referring to instant granules and tiny tea-bags o'java granules as coffee. They also defile the sacred cup.
9. Thou shall consume coffee in conservative amounts on six days of the week, but on the seventh day, thou may pour an extra cup on the day of rest. (There are some, again, you know who you are, who abstain everyday except Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thou art twisted, sad individuals, and I am praying for you.)
10. If thine office coffee offends thee, step up and provide good coffee for the work force when thy can. They shall fall down and call you blessed, and thine influence will extend far beyond those generous carafes.

I just can't help it...

If you are looking for something to make you smile, if not out-right laugh, try http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ (The description is: When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong. They speak the truth.) On the right hand side-bar, there's a category called "Beyond Bizarre" that is not to be missed. I laughed until I had tears! Of course, it may be funnier to those of us who have attempted to decorate a cake, but they are still pretty humorous.

This is an example of one of the cakes....Peeps, for a wedding cake.

I may live in a trailer, and drink wine from a box, occasionally, but I've managed to avoid faux pas such as this.......so far.

Out of the nest

Daddy bird, swooping around to protect the little ones.Mama bird, calm as usual. Probably tuckered out from fetching up grasshoppers for...

....the Baby birds, who finally ventured out of the rain gutter nest and on to the roof.

Aren't they just funny? Fat little things!

We've been watching the story unfold all summer. This little bird couple built a nest in the end of our rain gutter, the end of May, and hung on with great tenacity through some real gully-washers in June. The last 2 weeks, they've been working themselves to a frazzle, feeding TWO little grubby babies. We're all shocked they made it through all the weather, and I've been trembling at the thought of them being "discovered" by our cats. I think they're going to make it. The parents are incredibly protective, and our cats are big chickens. These are the birds Maggie has been praying for. (And me, too, truth be told!)

Written and Illustrated

A story...written, illustrated, published and bound by Her Royal Highness Maggie Isabella:Once upon a time there was a fairy named Maggie...
All the fairies danced around a flower...

...The End!

( It's hard to develop a really good plot, when you don't know how to spell.)

Corn-y

Avenue Montaigne

I've been watching a French movie called Avenue Montaigne in 15 minute chunks of time over the last 3 days. It's a PG-13, which is edgy for me, but it got that rating because of some objectionable language. The great thing about watching movies in another language is that you don't know when they are saying those things, AND you don't have to read them in the sub-titles! It's true.

Anyway, the film is about a fresh little wide-eyed girl, Jessica, whose grandmother told her about not being able to afford a life of luxury, but the ability to work in that life. So Jessica goes to Paris, to the upscale Avenue Montaigne, and gets a job as a waitress in a cafe' visited by everyone...actors, stage-hands, truck drivers and musicians; all sorts. She is absolutely guileless, and in a short time has gotten involved in some of her regular customer's lives. An art collector is agonizing over the sale of his collection, but there's more there than meets the eye. A television/stage actress is trying to get out of the box and into the movies, but she keeps flubbing her chances. A famous pianist wants to quit his touring and be part of life with real people.

I'm only about half-way through the movie, but it has been such fun! It's like a virtual post-card from Paris, and occasionally I catch myself just looking at the architecture and fashion around the actors, and forgetting about the plot. And then I have to go back and re-read those sections. I've never thought of it, before now, but perhaps that's why I like foreign films...I can read them!

Vocabulary lessons

My daughter learned a new word.

Decay

Only she calls it "decave".

And she's been walking around our yard and house, pointing out things that are evidence of "decave".
Apples that fell from our little tree, and bruised....decaved.
A peach on the counter, that is getting a little soft....decaved.
FRESH meatloaf on her plate....that's not decaved, is it Mom? (Mercy, I would hope not!)
She was headed toward the fridge, on her quest for decaving organisms and I steered her back outside. I can only take so much, you know? And the next thing you know, she'd be pointing out the circles under my eyes....definite decave, there.

It's good to know that even though my physical body is "decaving", my soul won't, in the Lord.

Here's the ride of my dreams! Do you think women with fat fenders should drive something with fat fenders? Okay, maybe something with curves. That's a nicer way of saying the same thing, really.

Can you see this little pickup, going down an Eastern Montana dirt road, playing jazz and carrying a couple flats of flowers and a bag of calf crumbles? Backed up to the trees for a picnic of fried chicken, grapes, Havarti cheese, bottle of wine and sinful chocolate pie? Taking two friends to Miles City for "groceries" (Kafe Utza coffee) and a manicure? Going fishing with two excited kids?

Golden Day

Yesterday was one of those ordinary, puttery days that turned out to be one of the best I've had in a long time. You know, nothing about the day really stood out as exceptional, but all the little things added up to make it a treasure.

It was cool, cool....felt like mountain air in the fall, crisp as an apple you pick in September. There was a little moisture on the grass, from showers in the night, so the cats were picking their way around the yard on prissy feet, shaking them and looking disgusted. My calves made a break for freedom, and were eating on peas in the field, as fast as they could, pretending they didn't hear me shaking the feed bucket but watching carefully out of the corner of thier sly little eyes.

The kids went with their father and I felt like the calves...free time! Of course, no time is really free, when you work in and around the home. I decided to do some baking to get ready for those long harvest days, fast approaching. Dug out some old CD's to listen to and set to making cookies as fast as I could!

Have you ever heard the soundtrack to "Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood"? It's great if you like Cajun, blues, big band/swing, and pure jazz, all together in one place. Jazz and big band are good to cook to, for me. That, and it seems to run everyone out of the kitchen when I put it on!

Anyway, my Aunt Bert called, right in the middle of the mess, and we talked about going to a folk school this next year to learn some soapmaking, stained glass, knitting and bookbinding, to name a few ideas. I can't think of a better time to spend with her than that.

I made gingersnaps first, then, for some impulsive reason decided to make Annie's Vermont Maple Cookies....usually reserved for Christmas, according to her rules. Rules, shmules. They taste like little tiny maple bar donuts, without the frying. For a bad day, take two of Annie's cookies and a cup of dark, smooth coffee on the deck for about 10 minutes. You'll be a new person.

I've been threatening to post this recipe, because of the Fontologist's cookie challenge and also because I think it should be in the hands of the people....so, here you go...enjoy!

Annie's Vermont Maple Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup commercial sour cream

1 tsp maple flavoring

2 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

Mix shortening, sugar and eggs thoroughly. Stir in sour cream and maple flavoring. Blend in dry ingredients. (This dough is VERY soft...don't be concerned.)

Heat oven to 375. Drop teaspoons of dough on GREASED cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes or until imprint remains when touched lightly. Cool completely, then frost with Maple Glaze.

Maple Glaze

Heat 1/2 cup real butter until golden brown. Blend in 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar and 2 tsp maple flavoring. (It will look AWFUL, I can promise you...the next step will fix that.) Stir in 2-4 tablespoons HOT water until icing spreads smooth. (During the frosting process, you may need to add little bits of water to maintain consistancy. It won't hurt it.)

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Now go find yourself some Taj Mahal and Ann Savoy to listen to, grind yourself some French Roast and get baking, if you've a mind! (Fontie, I'm pretty sure this will win the contest, but I don't know who gets the prize....it's Annie's recipe and my submission.)

Oh! And in the cool afternoon, after naps, we got to go move the heifers to another pasture. It was so much fun! Then we loaded up and went to visit Glasscocks while the guys had Bible Study. A glorious day, full of little pleasures.

(Dutton Crest. My Grandma did extensive research on the medieval origins, and this is what she came up with: "William the Conqueror led the Norman conquest of England, defeating the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He expelled the clergy from the English churches, replacing them with Normans or other foreigners. To add insult to injury, he insisted that French be used in the courts and in law proceedings. He ordered the French language to replace the use of English in schools.

Six Dutton brothers accompanied their uncle, Hugh Lupus, into England in the train of William the Conqueror, who was their great-uncle. They were: Nigel, Geffry, Odard or Huddard, Edard, Horswin and Wolfaith."

At least we weren't descendants of old William the Conqueror...)

Just got back from the Dutton Family Reunion, in Miles City, last night, with some tired, tired babies. Usually, the reunion is held in the Lewistown area, at Camp Maiden, but for reasons I'm not entirely clear about, we had to find an alternative site, so we went to the CowTown.

Dutton reunions are held every two years. We started out, every 5 years, I think, but then the family decided that since some of the older members were dying off (I know, isn't that terrible?) that we should have them with a little more frequency. That, and I think we all just like each other so much that we really wanted to see each other more often. We would've ended up getting together that often, anyway, so may as well just make it formal. We have them on the odd years, because, as my cousin Connie so eloquently put it, "It's so appropriate..."!

If you ever accidentally stumble upon of one of these gatherings, or marry in, or take a National Geographic job documenting the nuances of English/Irish families, here are some things you might observe:

1. Huggage. Duttons hug everyone. They will hug you if they know you, they will hug you to get to know you, they will hug you if you stand still for 3 consecutive minutes in one spot. This is one of my favorite things about my family, but one of the most distressing things for my husband, who professes to be allergic to hugs. He has been known to walk around the Dutton reunion with a cooler of water/beer/juice in front of him, in order to not be hugged. It doesn't matter. They hug him from the side, and he can't fight back.
2. Nicknames. We all have them, we all use them, and some of us have forgotten what the actual, legal name of some of the cousins are. This also is distressing to my husband, as he will be introduced to, say, Peaches (whose real name is Margaret), then later someone will tell him about Margaret (who may or may not be Peaches, as about 30 Margarets actually are floating around) and he's completely confused. Speed's real name is Roy, Dittie is Dorothea, etc. Sometimes, in lieu of a nickname, you will have your middle name used in conjunction with your first name....Carl Lee, Mary Margaret, and so forth. Tricky.
3. Storytelling. I assume this comes from Grannie's side of the family, but I'm not sure. You can almost always pick a Dutton out by the story he tells. Great mimickry, attention to funny details, caricature and good build-up in the plot. They aren't picky about exact dates or facts, most of the time, which drives my Grandma (married in), crazy. And sometimes, they are laughing so hard at their own stories, it takes awhile to finish.
4. (This pertains to the women...) The Dutton butt. Yes, you read that right...the Dutton butt. Dutton women are amply endowed with wide rear ends. My cousin, Cynthia told me that one of her sisters (to remain un-named) said it was like going to a pear convention. I just about fell out of my chair laughing at that! It's true, and it's WONDERFUL to spend two days with a bunch of women with butts as large or larger than yourself, hugging on you and telling you that you look good. Bless their hearts!
5. Admiration for each other. Aunt Bert once told me that one of the things she loved about the Duttons was that they are just so proud of each other.
6. Teasing. I thought all families teased, but they don't, I guess. My family is TERRIBLE about teasing, and the more they like you, the more they tease you. This, too, can be distressing for those dear ones that marry in. And it's not malicious teasing, but sometimes rather sarcastic and occasionally dry.
7. One doesn't marry OUT of the Dutton family, others marry in. I am considered a token Pluhar, but a true Dutton. I don't know why. My husband married in. He just donated a new last name to the list, and two beautiful new little Dutton children. And he gets teased mercilessly. They really like him.

*AND The Farmer missed this reunion...something about hauling hay, looking at a trailer at the neighbor's place, checking wells. He came up with a myriad of reasons.

We are returning to Lewistown, in two years, and I'm looking forward to it. The kids should be old enough that I won't have to herd them around all the time, and I should get some good visiting in. And the Farmer will be required to attend, so he'd better get his game face on!