Cohagen High School Rodeo, 2012

Mostly photos, but they're worth a million of my words!

Hot, sticky, blowing his $2 as fast as he can on liquid sugar...

This is about all the rodeo Maggie saw.  She gave a token ten minute glance, then it was off to...

...the DIRT PILE!!!

There was a goat tying clinic put on by a very competent, handsome young cowboy who was concerned that my kids didn't know the first thing about the event. 

He had a pretty good time on that run, but then the goat didn't offer a whole heck of a lot of resistance...

She had sort of a crush on my boy....

I could hardly STAND how adorable this child was!

You'll see more of her later.

It was all I could do not to smooch those grubby little cheeks every time I saw her.

Here's the older sister of the goat-tier and little girl with the crush,  running the poles.

I was too close, so you don't really SEE the run very well, but then it wasn't her best so maybe that's alright. The horse was fun to photograph!

Here's the pole bender with her granddad and friends...

Can't believe she turned around just when I was taking the picture!

(Incidentally, my introduction to this girl was when she was about a week old and her mom said to me, "Want to see the world's cutest baby?"

She's just gotten even prettier as she's grown...)

Love all the hats!  Black is the new trend and I think it's pretty classy.

Remember this little hat?  I was in the cookshack, visiting with my friends who immediately put me to work pouring pop and fetching chips, when I turned around to see this little miss standing on a cinder block to be tall enough to get her nose up to the counter.  She got some candy in a hurry and headed off to make sure there was a nice layer of dirt to cover the tell-tale sticky spots on her face...

The Gang, swapping candy and making elaborate plans...
Rodeos are a rockin' good time for the whole family, but those under the age of 10 seem to REALLY get the most fun out of the whole experience.

More cuties...
I really didn't see a lot of the rodeo, because I was very busy photographing dirty faced kids.

This is probably my favorite photo of the day.

The bull watching the kids at the chute getting ready for their bull rides.

Announcer and timers...man, what a long day for those folks!

And we have the first bull ride of the day!

According to THESE judges, it wasn't a qualified ride.  But it was deliciously dangerous and exciting!

More spectators...

I like the dog!

Little boots captivate me...

Downtown Cohagen, MT:

Everyday population, 4-6; 

High school rodeo weekend population, 250.

So We Run

Remember the Montana Women's Run that my sister talked me into doing?

It was this Saturday before Mother's Day!  

There was an option to run either the 5 mile or the 2 mile and of course, we went for the 5.  Two miles is such a piddly little distance and if we're going to run, we're going to REALLY run.  

Cari Mae, our sister (step, but we forget that most of the time) also signed up to run the 5 miles and Karen Leah (step mom, but we forget that most of the time) signed up to walk the 2 miles with her friend Kay.  It was a family affair!  Also, 8,700 other women signed up for the event.  Yes, you read that right.  I'm sure most of the Chronicles readers didn't think there were even that many women in the state, but it's true!  And they were all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, hair styles....amazing.

Now, before I talk about the race experience, I need to tell you that in our family each one of us kids is Dad and Karen's favorite.  We'll call and say, "It's your favorite daughter!" and they say, "You sure are!".  (We all know B.J. and Barry THINK they're the TRUE favorites and we let them because it would bruise their fragile egos to think that they aren't.)  So it was three of the Favorites running!  Our own little team in a way, and next year we're going to get our own tee shirts proclaiming that.  

I won't get into a mile-by-mile report, but I will tell you the highlights.

In BULLET POINTS, TOASTBA!

(That should make you happy.)

• When we five-milers lined up for the race, (all 3,000 of us) the announcer said, "Anyone who runs slower than a 5 minute mile needs to move back from the front."  And the entire crowd laughed heartily. Except for the 6 women in front who actually DID run a 5 minute mile; they were quite serious about the run.  
• I looked down during the line up and was just FASCINATED by all the different shoes! Brand new, old scruffs, big ones, small ones, what-in-the-world-is-THAT ones, every color imaginable...crazy.  
• I learned I'm a really, really slow runner.  Especially when I don't know the course in order to pace myself...who knew when mile 3 was going to end?!  I ran a 10 minute mile through the whole thing except for the last block.  I really wish I'd pushed myself harder.
• Speaking of the finish line...my sisters are faster than me by 3-5 minutes and they'd run together most of the way.  When I got there, they immediately met me and we hugged...we lived!  Then Cari asked me if I'd had fun.  "No! I did NOT HAVE FUN.  This was NOT fun, Cari.  Nothing about this was FUN, do you hear me?!"  Later, I realized it really HAD been fun but we all learned the important lesson: never ask a runner who has just crossed the finish line if they had fun.  It won't be a pretty response.  
• My only goal was to run the whole thing without walking at all; goal accomplished.
• When we were trying to get Karen's attention at HER starting line up, we hollered, "MOM!" and all these heads turned around to see if it was THEIR kids.  That was funny!  She told us to look for a pink hat and a purple race tee shirt; I'm not exaggerating when I say there were probably 60 women with pink hats and purple race tee shirts.  We called quite a few of them Mom, but they didn't seem to mind.   
• I was ridiculously hungry after running, but not really tired or sore, which was wonderful!  My sisters were exhausted, almost too much to eat.  After the race, I had half a sweet roll...bless Perkins' heart for donating them....then at the pizza joint took on a largish salad, half a Thai Pie, a beer and bunches of water.  Followed by a bunch of Milk Duds on the ride home.  Appalling amounts of food.  
• I don't think I'm a great racer.  And I'm certainly not a great racer with that many people involved.  If it was a race with 5 friends, I'd run until bloody to beat them but I don't really care when there's 8,000 or so.  But I'm glad I did it.  
• My sister is NOW training for a half-marathon.  I told her I'd send her flowers.  My next thing will be a series of 5 and 10Ks for fun...especially if they have groovy tee shirts. 

Pictures to follow!

A Cautionary Note from Maggie:

Flaming sugar balls...

We have FIRE!

We have SUGAR!

And the perfect evening to combine kids with those two elements...

 Doesn't that make your mouth water?!

Here's the best part:

Even Jack Sparrow likes marshmallows! 

The Barnacles, right before the sugar hit their bloodstream.

We have FIRE!

But no marshmallows.

Dang.

That's okay.

We'll just put sticks in the fire, wait until they catch flame, then pull them out and wave them around.

It's GREAT!

Inappropriate, if any, footwear...

We live on the edge.

Of sanity.

*Grandparents, don't look!*

Studying the effects of hot air on fire-brands...

Guarding everyone...Molly gets worried when we do things that she KNOWS could go wrong.

She finally crawled into my lap and hugged me...

What a beautiful evening for a fire!

I'm going to town this afternoon to pick up vet supplies for branding tomorrow and marshmallows for the campfire tomorrow night.

Want to join us?

*~*~*~*~*~*

I have this pergola; a beautiful, open-yet-shaded place that I designed and the Farmer built.  At each corner is a big raised planter where I put my vegetable and flower mess.  (Try as I may, I cannot plant vegetables without flowers. And vice-versa.) There's a fire pit on the northeast corner and a picnic table under the center, and though my plans were to eat there, we generally end up sitting there with beverages, not food, dogs panting underneath, and talking about really important things such as whether hummingbirds really hum with their beaks or whether the carrots are ready.  (It's designed, you see, to be able to graze as we visit....plucking a pea in mid-sentence or deadheading with a glass of wine in hand.) 

Last year, I saw in a catalog that there was such a thing as solar powered white lights.  You know, the little white Christmas lights one drapes on a Christmas tree?  Immediately I thought of the pergola!  She needed those.  She HAD to HAVE those!  So I ordered some.  Three sets, to be exact; two strings for the pergola, one string for my garden gate/seat....I wanted the pretty sparkles, the little stars in the night.  And they did not disappoint!

Tonight, after the whole family was in bed, sleeping sweetly and deeply, I wandered out with my glass of  chardonney and strawberries to sit in the pergola at the picnic table. It's so incredibly serene here when the wind isn't blowing, and the stars were brilliant.  The moon was nearly to the mouse's whisker stage...slivered and white.  Earlier in the day, the prairie was LOUD with birds and wind, but now....soft and quiet!

The bluish-white lights that I had strung on the pergola were softly dancing in the darkness with the slight breeze, casting j-u-s-t enough light for me to set my wine glass down and see the little coat that had been left on the picnic table when it got too hot for a cowboy (or Indian) to wear denim.  I hadn't thought it would be cold wearing just my pajamas, but it was, a little, so I draped the coat on my shoulders to break the breeze, blessing and admonishing at the same time the child who had dropped it there. 

The cats found me.
And they were mystified..
It was the time for people-bodies to be in bed and for CATS to be ruling the yard! 
I had no food (curses!) and I had no blanket (drat!) so they gave me a very quick "we-know-you're-crazy-but-we-understand" rub on the ankle and bounced off into the night to do their cat jobs. (Which I hope consists of slaying mice and laying waste to meadow moles; sworn enemies of mine.)

The dark covers up all the warts and wrinkles of my yard and garden and leaves just the form, the scent and the...feeling.  In the light of day, all I see is what I'm not getting done and what is lacking, but at night it's so serene and lovely!  I sit there with my child's coat on my shoulders and see the Big Dipper, which was the first constellation I ever recognized when I was a child, and think about how teensy I really am, how amazingly miraculous it is that I'm allowed to spend even 15 minutes in this world, how incredibly blessed I was to be born and live in Montana, and how my wine is getting bugs in it because of the solar lights. 

There's no such thing as Better Homes and Gardens moments, here; no matter how great the build up.  :)

So, I wave good night to the moon and promise her I'll be back another night, accidentally wander back through the 15 inch tall maple twigs, and toast the cats' efforts with the soggy strawberries in the bottom of my wine glass...

Summer is coming...

It's different!

*Warning!  If you're not an adventurous food person, you may want to just scroll quickly to the next post.*

I've had this idea for a long time, but have never actually tried it out, mostly because breakfast at our house is not a good place to present surprises.  My kids are great about trying new offerings, but they'd really rather start the day with familiar dishes like....pancakes.  Angus would have pancakes DAILY.  And if we could work them in at supper, that would be nice, too.  Maggie's more of a sausage gravy and biscuits girl.  And the Farmer just lurches to the table and eats whatever lands in front of him.

I've been wanting to do a savory French toast.
*gulp*
I know.
You have to think outside the box for a minute.
Work with me....and let me give you more details.

I wanted to slice a cheddar jalapeno artisan bread, soak it in the egg custard with salt and pepper, cook it just like regular French toast, except sprinkling it with chili powder.  And serving with cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream.

My mother-in-law gave me part of a loaf of garlic cheddar bread, so last week, I just made it.
Exactly like I just described to you, except in a stroke of genius (it never happens, so it's remarkable), I put the shredded cheddar on the toast and melted it (by putting a lid over, so the egg-iness wouldn't burn).

The Farmer was the first recipient/victim.
And he said it was (and I quote) "Alright."
He says that about EVERYTHING I cook.

Maggie was next.
"Is this an omelet?"
"No, it's sort of a...cheesy French toast.  Try it!  Dad likes it..."
Yeah.  Right.
She cautiously cut off a piece and chewed it for a minute.
"It's GOOD!  Like cheese pizza!  For breakfast!  I really like it!!!"
Bless your heart, child.

Angus ate about half of his and wondered if maybe we could have pancakes tomorrow.
Again.

I was the last to try it and was very happy with the results!  It's almost like a Mexican omelet, but starchy, obviously.  If it was just me, I'd make it with the jalapeno cheddar bread because I like the kick.  All I could think (as I ate my second piece) was, "Why doesn't anyone do this?"  I've never seen it on any of the internet recipe sites.  But now you, my faithful readers, have the recipe.  Of sorts.

Try it, if you like something a little different for breakfast, and let me know how yours turns out!
(I'm sorry there are no pictures.  Maybe next time, if I make it on a weekend when we don't have to meet the school bus at a specific time!)