Day 8: World

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
                                                                                     -John 3:16

This was the first Bible verse I remember memorizing. It means even more to me, now that I have children and understand better what that kind of love is...

The Boys are Back in Town

Every spring, the bully-boys get moved to the pasture south of my house.
You know, because my lawn is soft and vulnerable, and my trees are just big enough to prove a challenge to tear down....
I don't think there's been a year yet that I haven't had a bull in my yard.  One night, there were 3 or 4 and they tore out a section of my fence because they were too lazy (or just ornery) to find the 10 foot OPEN portion just inches away.

This morning, as I was taking the doggins for a big tromp, I noticed the bulls headed over the hill toward our house where the gate was open.
DANG!
I double timed it back to the house, closed the gate and went in to get ready for a trip to town.  A few minutes later, I heard this terrible bull commotion so I tore out to the deck to see what was going on.

They'd found the closed gate and they were trying to work up a good fight so they could tear out some fence or something.  Bellowing, shoving each other around, stomping...

See him checking out the hinges?

One of the others was rubbing his head under the gate, trying to decide if he could pick it up and toss it.

This is only about half of the gang.  They tussled around for about 15 minutes, then tossed  their heads and wandered back up toward the haystack.
Didn't want any of those old juniper trees, anyway.
Besides....it was still frozen this morning and they couldn't have maximized the damage to my lawn.  These things shouldn't be rushed.

Day 7: Bread

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

-Ecclesiastes 9:7

I couldn't WAIT for this day on the Lenten challenge! BREAD! 

And I realize this is probably not the most contrite, appropriate verse for Lent, but I like it and I always eat my bread with joy. (Okay....AND drink my wine with a merry heart.)

Do you see the gorgeous cutting board that it's resting on?  That was made especially for me by a talented young man in Michigan named Andrew Dykstra! I got this surprise box in the mail yesterday, full of books, coffee, notes and a funny picture....and a beautiful cutting board made of ash, maple, cherry, oak and an African wood that he couldn't remember the name of.  It's big enough to be really useful, pretty enough to leave out, tough enough to use daily.  I'm so honored to have it!

This is a two-fer post.  You get the recipe for the Cranberry Sunflower Bread, too!  

Ingredients:

2/3 cup dried cranberries                                            1 cup rolled oats

2 cups HOT water                                                      2 eggs, beaten

2 pkgs active dry yeast                                               2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup honey                                                             1/3 cup shortening

1/4 cup molasses                                                         6 cups all purpose flour

1 cup warm water (for the yeast)                                 1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, soak cranberries in hot water. In a separate bowl, dissolve the yeast, honey and molasses in 1 cup warm water. Let stand until creamy, about ten minutes. Drain and chop the cranberries, reserving the liquid; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the reserved water, oats, eggs, salt , shortening and 2 cups of flour. Mix until well blended. Then stir in the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has started to pull together, add the cranberries and the sunflower seeds.
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
4. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into the prepared pans. (The dough can also be formed into longer loaves and placed on lightly greased baking sheets.) Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
5. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then decrease heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Turn out of pans a few minutes after removing from oven. You can brush all sides with a little butter or margarine, if desired. Don't cut this bread too quickly, it tastes best slightly warm or at room temperature.

This recipe actually makes enough for 3 smallish loaves or 2 large ones with a bitty-baby-tester loaf! 

It's a fine, sweetish bread that makes swoony toast.

Day 6: Darkness

And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

-John 1:5 

Also, it's impossible to photograph darkness without light...

Day 5: Wilderness

A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
                                                                                          -Isaiah 40:3-5

He will make mountains low.
*deep breath*
Isaiah hadn't been to the Swan Valley, but still....

"Too slow and too fast are right next to each other for beginners."

I read that in an article on how to prepare for your first downhill skiing experience.  Actually, I skimmed right over that little phrase because I was looking more for information on appropriate clothing and such. In retrospect, I wish I had paid more attention to the "technique" portion of the article, because that little nugget of wisdom was right on!

I know it's hard to believe that I'm 42-ish years old and have never been downhill skiing, especially since I live in Montana, land of the shining mountains and all.  I come from the prairie side of the state, though, and it's a good 4-5 hours to any ski hills. That's 4-5 hours of bad roads during ski season....which also happens to be "feed the cows every day" season.

The school lined up a deal with Showdown Mountain for the oldest kids (all three of them) to do a 2 day ski for P.E. program.  They needed chaperons. I happen to be a professional chaperon...who has always wanted to downhill ski.  Perfect!

As it turned out, the third kid wanted to go to basketball tournaments instead of freeze on a mountain in the middle of nowhere (can't imagine why), so it was just my daughter and her friend.  Her friend's mom wanted to drive, so the four of us took off on an adventure; the other mom was the only one who had ever downhill skied and that was back in 6th grade.  Those instructors had their work cut out for them...

I won't tell you about the whole trip or everyone else's experiences, just my own.  (I will tell you, though, that Maggie took to skiing like she'd been doing it for years. Part of me was proud; I told our instructor "That one's mine!"; part of me was envious, because I'm a natural born klutz and I wish I was the one she got the talent from.)

Here are some observations:

1. Ski boots are instruments of torture.  In fact, I think they probably use ski boots when interrogating difficult prisoners of war. I understand why they have to be tightish, inflexible and large, but even so...youch!
2. Ski instructors are, like, 12 years old and while they're good with the kids, they're annoying to geriatric adults who are on the same bunny hill.  They ski backward with no poles.  They ski on one leg when demonstrating where to put your weight when turning.  They make skiing look like strolling in the park, except on snow. 
3. There should be a big honkin' warning posted right outside the door of the lodge: YOU WILL USE MUSCLES YOU ONLY STUDIED IN BIOLOGY CLASS SO IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN DOING YOGA FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR BODY.  In fact, that should probably be on their website, too.  And in their promotional flyers.  And on that great little Showdown Mountain sticker they give you to put on your car or locker. 
4. Some people will fall down just like the textbook says...on their hip with their skis on the downhill part of the slope, no muss. (That was how Maggie fell.)  Some people will actually crash in a glorious explosion of skis, snow, sunglasses and hat, looking like a cartoon of bad skiing. (That was how I fell.)  There's a tree on the west side of the green run that will never be the same, now that I've been there.
5. The ski lift will bring you closer to God, spiritually speaking.  I prayed the whole time that I wouldn't fall off, that I wouldn't get caught under the next rider at the top of the hill, that it wouldn't stop, that it WOULD stop, and so forth. 
6. Orange cones on the bunny hill DO NOT prepare anyone for turns on the real mountain. Not. At. All. 
7. It IS possible to snowplow a-a-a-a-a-l-l the way to the bottom of the mountain, but you'll regret it. It IS good motivation, however, to learn how to turn properly and efficiently.
8. When you finally get back to the lodge after skiing all morning, you'll want to order a double cheeseburger with fries, two tacos, a small pepperoni pizza, milkshake, liter of water and a 2 pound brownie.  If you DO, it will cost you approximately $398. They've gotcha because you have to drive 30 miles for another option. 
9. Make friends with the people who are in charge of the rental shop.  Besides being way cool, dude, they're also the ones who know everything and everyone, and can make magic happen.  (Except in the food area.  You're on your own there, pal.)
10. Skiing is addictive.  I didn't want to leave.  I wanted one more run down that mountain because each run was better than the LAST run.  I think this is how people quit their ranch jobs and become ski bums.

That's my report for school. I'm hoping for at least a B+...

Daisy's a Grandma!

I'm pleased to introduce the newest member of the OC herd, Snapdragon! (We'll call him Snappy, though; much more manageable.)  He was born to my heifer Rosie today at 3:26 p.m. MST and looks just perfect to me.  Rosie is a nervous new mama and although she loves him and has him cleaned off really well, she keeps circling when he tries to get to her udder to nurse.  That first milk, with all its colostrum, is so important for the calf, so if she doesn't settle down, she'll find herself in a head catch in the barn so he can get a meal.  I hope that doesn't happen, though.  She picked a good day to calve...right now the temperature here at the house is 62.5 degrees, with a pretty good wind.  

I'll get more pictures tomorrow, but wanted to post this for my friend Montana Calamity, who has followed every step of the Daisy story from its beginning.

Day 4: Listen

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

-John 10:27

Day 3: Return

And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart and all thy soul.
                                                                                           -Deuteronomy 30:2 KJV

This was taken last summer, but I couldn't seem to get a "return" picture that I liked.  This is the house I grew up in for the most part and I always feel the true meaning of "return" when I go back.

Day 2: Prepare

O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and of Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee.
                                                                                                                                         -1 Chronicles 29:18

Day 1: Dust

And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
                                                                                    -Genesis 2:7 KJV


Talk about a humbling beginning to a blog challenge!

reLent

My sister and I are doing a photo challenge for Lent.  At least I THINK she's doing it with me.  She SAID she was doing it with me, but that was a week ago and as we all know, life interferes sometimes.  I've done photo challenges before and have made it to about...oh....Day 20, so don't expect huge things here, folks.  The hard thing about this one is that it takes place during calving AND winter, so it's not like I have an abundance of garden things to photograph.  It's pretty much dirty snow, black calves, muck boots, and sunsets.  This really WILL be a challenge!  (Did you see that April 15 is "crowd"?  A Cohagen "crowd" would be 3 people at the post office at the same time.  I'll have to really be on the ball.)

I also reserve the right to post a couple of days at a time, if I get a great photo opportunity, and to insert non-challenge posts in the midst of it.   You know; we'll do it our way.  (*happy sigh* The Laverne and Shirley theme song isn't played often enough, in my opinion....)

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Food Fad

It seems that every year the cooking world jumps on a vogue food as though they JUST DISCOVERED IT even though it's been around for ages, lurking in culinary shadows and refrigerators.  I noticed this when I started reading Gourmet and then Bon Appetit magazines.  One year it was kale...we had kale chips, kale in stew, kale salads, kale baked, kale boiled, kale in smoothies, kale pasta (remember Forrest Gump's list of shrimp dishes?  Just like that.), Kale was the "It" ingredient. There was a good run on roasted red peppers for a while, asparagus had her day, bacon never really goes out of style but it got a little tedious, Greek yogurt had pretty good billing for some time, too.  

I think in my mom's day, it was cream cheese. Brilliant. Now THERE'S a food fad I can get behind!

That was before everyone got food religion and started cleaning up their cholesterol, thus prompting the vegetable fads.

This year (and I'm gagging as I type), it's cauliflower.  

People are MAD for it!  

They're making pseudo-mashed potatoes out of the stuff, pizza crusts, crackers, soups, salads, dips...

It's nuts!  

And it makes me throw up.

I'm allergic to cauliflower.

(And no, it doesn't matter how it's prepared...even if you have a super-secret wonderbun recipe from your granny, my body will reject it.)

(No offense to your granny.)

Even the smell...ugh.  

My kids will have to get it from some other mom (preferably across the county from me), because that vegetable is not entering the house. 

I'm getting really nervous about potlucks, now, and even look the jello salads over pretty good before taking any.  EVEN JELLO could be contaminated!  It's so popular on Pinterest that there's almost a cult following..."Look at this fudge! My kids will never know there's cauliflower in it!" and everyone applauds.  It's inescapable. 

I was so happy to get Bon Appetit this month and see my old friend, kale and his sidekick swiss chard!

There were at least four recipes with cabbage in them....perhaps we're moving on to a new food fad.

Oh, please...oh, please...

  

Oh, MY!

A while back, I invited myself to go to a Bible study with a friend who had politely offered to stay home from it, since I was there on a visit.  (In retrospect, perhaps she really didn't want me crashing the study, but I insisted. Dear me! Nothing like a nice Bible study being disrupted by someone strange who speaks whatever is floating through her brain at the time...)

AND....
It was a CATHOLIC Bible study!
I'm not.
I thought it should be safe, since they were studying Matthew, which my Bible also has.  (I didn't know for the longest time that Catholics have extra books in their Bibles.)

I didn't know what to expect.
Would there be novenas (whatever they are)?  Would we kneel and do the Rosary? (I've heard about that, too.)  Would there be confession?

Well, there WAS a confession, but it wasn't mine.  And I still smile, thinking about it!
 
I was introduced to the most interesting, intelligent group of women over the age of 60 (my guess), as a rancher's wife visiting from Cohagen, MT; we did the study, which was fascinating and not bewildering at all for a Protestant guest, then watched a little video that went with it. The ladies were very gracious when I shared my thoughts on Matthew and included me in the discussion.  It was great!

Afterward, as the Bible study was breaking up, a bright eyed, sharp looking little lady came over (maybe in her 70's) and introduced herself, saying that she'd ridden horses for a ranch near Malta and was familiar with some of the families in Jordan.  When I asked how she'd come to be in western Montana, she said that her husband had died and her friend's wife had died and they decided to move there.
Together.
"We're living in sin," she confided.
I hadn't seen THAT one coming and was trying to think of some way to move the conversation along when she offered, "But we don't do anything.  We're too old for that, you know."
Mercy!
Truly, I didn't know, I didn't WANT to know, and it was all I could do not to giggle because she was telling me "girlfriend stuff" right there in the church basement. 
She proceeded to explain that they were both German and it was a lively relationship because of it.
Hand over my mouth, still unable to speak...
Fortunately (or regrettably, however you choose to look at it), the conversation moved on to a story of a deadly train wreck in which two wonderful, young people were tragically killed, leaving their children orphans, one of whom is the father of one of my best friends.
Yet more amazing information!

I can honestly tell you that I have never been to a more interesting Bible study.
I learned a LOT.
If you are ever in the position to invite yourself to a Catholic Bible study, I strongly recommend you do so. (Be sure to eat plenty of refreshments and be prepared for confessions.)

Upstairs/Downstairs

Confession #451:
I haven't watched a single episode of Downton Abbey, Season 4.
(I'm sorry Alice! But you see, the NFL playoff games occur at the same time and I don't have the emotional energy to watch all of it.)

I HAVE been secretly working my way through Downton Abbey's "grandmother" series, Upstairs/Downstairs.  I call it the "grandmother" because Downton Abbey is a descendant of this show. In fact, the first season was astonishingly similar in plots and characters.

I didn't mean to get all involved in the Bellamy affairs!  I was in Bigfork for a week earlier in January, in a weakened state from travel and then a medical procedure, and agreed to try the first couple episodes of Season One.  By the time I left, I was hopelessly hooked.  It doesn't really make sense, either, because it's not a particularly riveting, action-packed show.  The characters are interesting, but not "J.R. Ewing"-interesting, if you know what I mean.  It's just...sort of like cheap chocolates; you can't really figure out why you keep going back to the box, because they aren't fabulous, but you just can't leave them alone!

Upstairs/Downstairs is set in a wealthy household in London at the turn of the century (1900's) and just like Downton, the viewer is seeing the drama of the prosperous family as well as the servants, often intertwined. At first glance, it seems as though all they do is drink tea and/or cocktails, and chat about society. But I'm on Season Three  Five, right now, and just went through a shocking episode that involved a former servant who ended up with a butcher knife and...
Well.
I can't tell you more.

The funny thing about BBC shows is that if you watch one episode, you're fine.
If you watch TWO episodes in a row, you'll answer the phone "Hullo? Oh, not a bit, old chap! I was preparing to have a cup of tea...would you care to join me, say, around 3? Veddy good!"
If you watch THREE episodes in one day...which you can only really do if you're bed bound and out of John Grisham novels...you'll be convinced you need to get a ladies maid (or valet, if you're a gentleman), and that celebrating Armistice Day this year wouldn't be a bad idea.
After tea, of course.

January

It's like the trees are waving to the clouds...

And the fences have fur...

Cows at the "cow-feteria"...

 Some days, this is the most color we see here!

PURE HAPPINESS!  There's nothing like taking a Brittany pup for a tromp.  Really.  

(Used the "sports/action" setting on the camera to catch this shot.)

Layers of ice over the grass...

The edge you see here has a layer of air underneath it.  The ice is rather like layers of flaky pastry in a croissant, if you can imagine.  Each layer is distinct and separate which is interesting to look at, but cuts the cows' feet a little after a while.  When they come in to feed, you can tell they're tender and very careful about where they choose to walk.

At the end of the day, it's good to have a pal to hang out with!

Adventures in Sourdough

I know.
Some people have adventures in Abu Dhabi or Greece.  I have adventures in sourdough.  It's cheaper and more accessible, but I'm finding it takes approximately the same time frame as those other adventures.

In order to have a sourdough loaf by Friday, I have to start last Sunday.
Seriously!

Here's the wording off the envelope of starter:
*ahem*

Place water, flour and culture in the bowl; mix until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 24 hours in warm draft free place.

Okay...good enough....I expected the starter to take a while.

NOW...to make the bread:
Take a portion of the "mother sponge" and put it in a bowl.  Feed it (add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup flour) and let it rest for 6-8 hours at room temperature.

After the baby sponge is all happy and restored, add the remaining ingredients to it, mix until smooth, then let it rest for 6-8 hours. (We're about 42 hours into the recipe and all I've got is some well-fed, well-rested baby sourdough.)

On floured surface, shape the loaf and place it in a greased pan, cover with plastic wrap AGAIN and....wait for it....let it rest for 4-6 hours until doubled in size.  (I would HOPE it would grow...I mean, my goodness!...48 hours of this pampering!)

Finally I get to bake the loaf in a hot oven that has carefully been prepared with steam so its little crust will be just so...for about 40 minutes.

That's right, folks.
FIFTY HOURS from start to finish!

But wait.
There's more.

The directions also say:
(I'm not making this up.)
Think of the Mother Sponge as sort of a pet; you want to feed it (recommended twice a day) and let it acclimate to its environment.
The Mother Sponge will become more sour when held at room temperature and fed often.

The tricky thing about this sour Mother Sponge is that she really stinks.  REALLY stinks.  Last night, when I was caring for Her Royal Spongie-ness, making sure she was fed and acclimated, Angus said "Mom!  I think the cat pooped in the house!"
Um...
Actually, no...but you pegged the odor, kid.

The one loaf I managed to produce was pretty good.  Not 50 hours and twice daily feedings to the Mother Sponge good, but pretty good.  I'm not sure what to do, now, though.  Should I give baby sponges away to my friends, as one would with kittens?  Or would it be more appropriate to give them to people I DON'T like? (As one would with kittens?)  Bake it all up and never go there again?  Bury it?

Who needs to go abroad, when such thrills can be had in one's own kitchen?

Christmas

The people walking in darkness    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness    a light has dawned.3 You have enlarged the nation    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you    as people rejoice at the harvest
Isaiah 9:2-3a

We have also seen a movie or two during Christmas vacation.

You'll sort of wish you hadn't seen this picture of a "manly elf".

(According to Angus, elves ALL wear their pants pulled up to their armpits. 

Really.)

Maggie makes them sit on her lap and "be friends".

She's CONSTANTLY telling Tessie, "Cats are friends, not food..."

It's very baffling.

First, we can't touch the presents or tear off the bows.

Then, for no apparent reason, EVERYONE is touching presents, tearing off paper and bows!

Now...

Not allowed to touch the presents, again.

*deep puppy sigh*

Evening sky...

Eerie morning sky, with the rained upon snow...

Soon, we'll go sledding!

Isn't it odd and lovely?

As though the prairie has turned to glass!

I got very homesick for the ocean this morning...

This truly is how my kids have looked for most of Christmas vacation!

Of course, we're only on Day Five, and the Santa Threat has been removed...

She has had enough of frolicking in the snow!  Can't we all just go back to the house and take a nap???

The day after Christmas, I always feel like the tree looks...

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  I chose not to take pictures of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, simply because sometimes I end up missing the moment in trying to capture it; this year, I was part of it.  It was very good.

(Apologies for the mess on the blog.  PLEASE don't "share" any of my posts on social media!  I can't get that crummy function off of the template, but didn't want to wait any longer to write a post.)

All is merry and bright!

Naughty AND nice...

It's sort of a moment to moment thing.

Same story here...

I only got a couple pictures of decorating the tree...it got kind of wild!  Kids and puppy were all excited and couldn't stop wiggling.

Maggie pointed out to me that our tree had a San Francisco 49ers color theme going on.

I don't know what she's talking about....

Snowed in...

Alice is STILL a bookish sort of cat!  She's also well loved by Tessie Lou.

That's our home this evening.  I hope things are happy in yours, too!