Just Like Magic...

The rains came at the right time, the end of the summer, and now we're getting some warm days so it feels like June instead of September.  I think this is God giving me a little gift after making me panic with the snow thing a week ago. (Yes. Snow. But this is Montana, after all...)

Last night I took the dogs for a tromp after supper; it works a little of the jumping beans out of Tessie and I love the evening as the prairie sighs good night to the day.  The moisture and warm days have produced bug hatches like you can't imagine, though, so it's sort of a swarmy type walk near the reservoir.

Mosquitoes weren't the only thing that hatched though.
The tiniest white moths you can imagine are everywhere, too.  They're not like the grey, creepy, dirty millers.  These are ethereal little things, so soft and tiny that when one lands on your arm you're not sure if you feel it, or just that you SHOULD feel it because you know it's there.

As I was walking back to the house, every step in the grass caused a little swirl of white moths to flutter up and around in front of me.  It looked as though invisible beings, perhaps angels or fairies, were throwing white flower petals in front of me as I went.  Enchanting!

I didn't have my tiara with me, sadly, which just goes to show you that I really shouldn't go anywhere without it.

When I was putting Maggie to bed, she talked about seeing them too, and had the same sort of feeling!

I hope we never lose the ability to see the magic in life.

Thoughts From the Corral

1. I don't care if everyone else IS all tense and driven, I have a better day if I pretend I'm one of Charlie's Angels with my Ivermectin gun.  

2. Cows have adorable chins.

3. And cheeks.

4. AND topknots.

5. But not snot.  That stuff is nasty. 

6. It's better to sweat like crazy in the corral than freeze down with icicles on your eyelashes and in your nose.

7. I'm always going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, so I don't know why I try so hard to get it right.  I mean, I could be in the pickup, three miles from the sorting operation and I'd STILL be in the wrong place. 

8.  Really, the "right place" is anywhere a person can't get run over by a cow or bull.  

9. Or a 600 lb calf. 

10. Which brings me to Daisy, the World's Most Beautiful Cow (OC 1); this year was her first bull calf, Cactus Jack.

11.  I'm beyond pleased to tell you all that Mr. Cactus Jack turned out to be a real axle buster! He's going to make the 625 lbs easily by October 26th! Maybe by next week. 

12. Even the Farmer had to admit she raised a great calf this year, but he said it was because the calf was standing next to such a sorry cow.

13. He also said it was probably because of an LO Bar Cattle Co. bull from last summer when Daisy spent 30 days in the neighbor's pasture.  

14. Whatever.  

15. "Bum calves never amount to anything..." is hard to swallow every year at calving, branding and weaning time for my very pragmatic, unsentimental, smart, rain-gauge-half-empty men of Langs Fork, Inc. 

16. Three inches of rain and good sunshine making grass like June didn't hurt anything, though, this year.  Holy moly, it's gorgeous here, now!

17. There's really nothing slower and more stubborn than a cow who's had enough pushing for three days.

18. Except 133 cows (and calves) that have had enough pushing for three days.  

19. I can't hug the cows.  Or the grass.  Or even the men, because that sort of thing is just not done.  But today I wanted to.  

20. Except when I wanted to throw the cow paddles at them.  All of them.  

21. (I'm SURE the feeling was mutual.)

22. Throwing things, not hugging.  If a cow could throw something besides dirty looks, manure from her tail, and snot, she'd throw sorting sticks too.  

23. Someone forgot to buy Pendleton whiskey for the preconditioning/imminent retirement stress/planting/shipping month.

24. Also, frozen pizza. 

25. Life is pretty darn good on the ranch, anyway.   

And for that, I'm grateful...

The translation of this photo is:

Life is full of little pleasures

Recently there's been a "Thankful Challenge" on Facebook, where someone lists three things they're thankful for each day for five days, then tag three friends to do the same.  I was tagged by my friend Shelly, but just could not bring myself to DO this on that particular website.  The Chronicles feel more personal, like we're sitting together drinking tea on the deck, discussing the things in life that we appreciate....thanks for joining me!

The kick that brought me to sharing all 15 in one post for you, my friend, was when I read that someone was having a hard time coming up with three things a day.  That astounded me!  I swear, I think of three things I'm grateful for before I even get out of bed...my comfy bed being one of them.

If you've been reading the Chronicles for a few years, you'll ALSO know that gratitude lists in November (especially), drive me nuts.  I mean, if one isn't aware every day ALL YEAR LONG, one month of looking for the stuff isn't really all that meaningful.  To me, that is.  Inversely, I'm also bugged by people who are thankful (for example) for a roach in their house because it means they have something good enough for a roach to want.  Please.  Don't go there.  Just don't.

I'm fulfilling the challenge (all 15 in one sitting, though) in September for my friend, so she won't think that I completely ignored it. If any of you feel compelled to come back here in November as a seasonal reminder, you'll be welcome.  It'll be hot tea on the deck in our Muck boots and Carhartts.  Under quilts.  But we'll be thankful, darn it!

*Note before I begin: I'm not going to list my family and friends, here. For some reason, I think it should be sort of an "understood" gratitude...if I started listing each one, it would take longer than anyone would care to read.  Yes, I'm THAT blessed with loved ones!  So, don't have hurty feelings if I didn't list you on my list of gratitude; you're not insignificant or taken for granted!

1. I'm grateful someone taught me to read. Quite a few "someone"s actually contributed to this blessing.  I don't remember ever NOT being able to read.  It's a huge gift to give a human being, and I never, ever forget this.

2. Clean sheets. (Do you ever slide between them and not think "thank you, thank you, thank you..."?)

3. Team sports.  Now, wait...hear me out on this one!  I'm not talking about the hype over the athletes and all that nonsense, I'm talking about the sports themselves.  Sometimes when my world has been crazy, hard, hurtful, incomprehensible, it's a comfort to me to be able to turn on football for example and see 11 men trying to move a little leather ball 10 yards in 4 tries.  (I know.  When it's written like that, it's almost laughable that we DO watch it.)  It's soothing to know the rules, know that everyone has a clear purpose, know everyone is working toward a common goal for 60 minutes.

4. Jimmy Buffett.  I think I listen to at least one of his songs every day.

5. A good, reliable hot water heater...I think of this every shower and breathe a little prayer of gratitude.

6. Home grown, ripe tomatoes.  You can sort of "fake" the flavor of other fruits and vegetables, but there's no way to even come close to the pure, delightful juicy goodness of a slightly warm tomato, freshly plucked from the vine.

7. While we're on the food topic, I'm grateful I can just pick up a gallon of milk for the family.  I don't have to feed the cow, milk her twice a day, strain the milk, separate the cream from the rest of it.  Having good fresh milk is a lot of stinkin' work done that way.  I love that there are dairies that do it for me.

8. Calvin and Hobbes.  I'm telling you, I can pick up a C & H book any time of any day and find something that I can relate to and laugh about!  Sometimes I'm Calvin, sometimes I'm raising him, but always it hits close to home and makes me smile. My Gramps used to clip his cartoons from the paper and send them to me in college, so Watterson's wit goes way back for me.

9. Air conditioning in cars and my house...pure luxury on the prairie.

10. The ability to run....legs and the means to use them.  I think about this a lot, actually.  At one point in my life, the idea of running was akin to working in a fertilizer plant: I could do it, but I'd rather die. When did we lose the sheer joy of going as fast as we can, like a child who can't help herself?  I can still run...it hurts and the ground shakes as I pass, but I can still run.  I'm so thankful for that.

11. My dog.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that more than once  Molly saved my life, and Tessie is proving to be the same sort of companion.

12. The six translations of the Bible that I have in my home.  This is richness, folks.  If I don't understand one translation, I go find another and lay it out on the table side by side with the first, and try to make sense of it. I know there are those who don't even have one copy of any translation, and I'm aware of how rare and special it is to have them at home.

13. Coffee.  It's predictable and boring on a gratitude list.  Whatever.  I'm thankful for it every day.

14. Big Spring Water.  Or as we used to call it as we were filling the 5 gallon jugs from Grandma Mosby's hose as kids, "Lewistown water".  Water in Garfield County is drinkable in a few locations, but for the most part, it's pretty darn stinky and unpalatable...and a lot of it will flat make you sick with stomach cramps and diarrhea.  So grateful for the availability of clean, yummy water to bring home!

15. Cameras and photographs.  I frame everything up in my head as though it was being photographed, anyway.  I always have, even from when I was a little girl, although I didn't know then that that was what I was doing.  It's a precious thing to be able to freeze a moment and share it with others, almost magical when you really think about it.  There's a connectedness between generations and cultures through photos...common stories and experiences that most all humans can relate to.

There you go.
I don't know about you, but I'm out of tea and attention span!  I won't tag anyone, but feel completely free to add your thoughts and lists in the comments of this post.  Or run with it on your own blog.

Big Happenings on the Little Dry

Cohagen School is back in session with an astonishing number of pupils for a community our size.  As of press time, 14 students are enrolled in grades 1-6!  The teacher is once again Mrs. Joni Carroll who has attained the status of "veteran" country school teacher in the county, since all the other country schools have hired teachers who are brand new to the county or have had fewer years at their schools than Mrs. Carroll. It should also be noted that the cloak rooms and entry of the school have been painted a bright, cheery white with apple green and grape purple accents by the veteran country school teacher, herself.  Wishing all the students and teacher a productive and safe school year!

After 35 years of service, our postmaster Kay Collins is retiring this month. There will be a potluck meal and party at the Cohagen Community Hall on September 7th at 5 p.m. to thank her for her many years of dedication to the community.  (Incidentally, this is the day after the Annual Farmer/Rancher Appreciation Banquet and Dance in Miles City, so some of those attending both events may be a little...tender headed.  Please be considerate and don't raise your voice to a hurtful level on Sunday.)  Sloppy joes will be provided by Mrs. Jenn Hafla, so bring salads and desserts for the potluck.  (Pie is nice. We only have two and a half months to practice before the Pie Auction, so this would be the opportune time to advertise your skills!)

Word on the street is that the Brandon and Brandi Dalton family have taken a position in New Zealand and will be moving sometime in October.  We wish them well in their new endeavor and will miss seeing them around the community!  (This will withdraw one student from the school, making an uneven number for P.E. and field trip buddies.  Another challenge for the veteran country school teacher...)

Exciting news from up the creek!  One of our young couples recently announced they are expecting a baby this upcoming spring! Jason and Destanie Pluhar will be welcoming their first child in March of 2015.  This begs all sorts of "calving season" comments with their due date, but let's not go there, folks.

In other news, many in the Cohagen community are placing bets as to whether Mr. and Mrs. Vern Pluhar really ARE retiring this fall.  They're building a house in Pryor Creek which should be finished the end of October or first part of November, so only a month or two to speculate and put money on the table.

The 2014 Garfield County District High School graduates have left for colleges all around the state of Montana.  I believe we have Cohagen kids at MSU-Bozeman, MSU-Billings, Miles Community College, Dawson Community College, Helena College of Technology, and University of Montana.  Fall work on the ranches is going to be a little more challenging without the help of these hands! And grocery bills a lot lighter...

Our school bus driver, Mrs. Rita Wemmer, is inquiring around as to who so kindly placed quite a lot of zucchini in her mailbox last week.  While she appreciates this generous gift, she also requests that such offerings not be repeated, since she finally sent her last child off to college and there's really only so much zucchini bread she and Mr. Wemmer can eat by themselves.  Tis the season for neighbors to pass around Walmart bags filled with zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes; more cars are locked in the county in September than at any other time of the year, simply because no one knows what to do with all these produce "gifts".

If the Chronicles made a glaring news omission, feel free to add a paragraph in the comment section.  Letters to the editor will be read just as voraciously as the current affairs listed above...

Summer Re-wind: Tour de Friends 2014 Part I

The kids and I planned and executed an epic road trip for the summer that would take us to Bigfork, Spokane, Belgrade, Billings, then home in ten days.  It would be filled (to the brim) with family and friends, adventures big and small, good food, Bigfoot hunting and swimming, among other things.  Here's the chronicle of that trip FINALLY...you know, two months later.
It was that epic.

We left home with high excitement, a less-than-impressed puppy, and travel bingo that Maggie had created the day before.

Maggie hit the jackpot when she saw a road killed fox, and I thought I was going to get skunked by the "alk" until I almost hit a cow elk in Idaho on the interstate. Angus wasn't really trying, which was annoying to those of us who WERE, but it was still fun. You can see that NONE of us were able to cross Bigfoot off our bingo cards...probably the only disappointment of the whole trip.

First stop was in Lewistown, MT for haircuts.  I was completely fed up with the hair upkeep battles that Mags and I had been having for two years, so the deal was that if she wanted to do all the swimming she had planned for the trip, she was getting her hair cut into a more manageable length that she could care for by herself. 

My stylist and friend, Kenzie, (young and cool, so that helped) measured Maggie's hair and gave her the option of cutting it for Locks of Love, an organization that takes hair donations and makes wigs for kids who are losing their own hair due to chemotherapy.  Maggie took a look in the mirror, stuck her little chin out and said (very decisively), "Do it!" 

WOW!

This is a photo taken west of Great Falls...yes, I was driving but I didn't look through the viewfinder; just pointed and shot. (No clucking allowed! It was perfectly safe!)

We got to the 'fork in good shape, ready to collapse as usual after driving 500 miles.

Tessie got busy on the first of 30 rawhide chewies she'd destroy over the course of the tour.

Games were played...

It rained a LOT while we were there!  And it was cold.  But when there were breaks in the rain, we'd play outside for all we were worth.

We had to have a cookout, one day....

...carve on sticks...

...eat hot dogs one right after the other...

(Cooking them is an art that we take very seriously.)

Perhaps Tessie was the wrong one to guard the chips and hot dog buns, but she was no more dangerous than Grandpa Jasper or Angus, really.  Gotta watch them like a hawk around potato chips!

Mmmmmm!  Marshmallows!

The next evening, we had a little party with Uncle Frank and the cousins next door!  (Side note: my kids think all their very best friends are cousins, mainly because when they were much younger all their best friends WERE cousins for the most part.  Now we have "cousins" in Bigfork, Belgrade, Rosebud, Billings...none of which we're related to by blood, but all that we're related to by heart.)
Here Frank is showing Maggie and Cece how to properly peel shrimp.  They were experts after that.

Angus and Quinnie, taking a break from playing for a little chocolate milk refreshment.

The menu for the grown ups included G&Ts, which pair nicely with shrimp and potato chips!  (Turned out that Sara-from-next-door had never heard of the Bellamy Brothers, despite having grown up in Billings, MT. THIS was unacceptable, so the soundtrack for the evening was a Bellamy Brothers internet radio, which turned out to be perfect with the fun we were having. There's nothing like peeling shrimp to "Dancing Cowboys".)

This is pretty much how all of us looked the whole evening....happy to the core.

The next day, homemade ice cream!  Grandpa Jasper is the ice cream boss, but it never hurts to have someone reliable (like Quinn) close at hand in case there's taste testing to be done.

We all had seconds.  Some had THIRDS.
I love summer...

MORE cousins arrived from Kalispell for the day!  Larkin and Maggie are fairies of some sort...this is the only picture I got of the kids that day because they were running wild, playing their hearts out.

Meanwhile, at Sara-from-next-door's...
we moms got together for cocktails and deep discussions about matters that shall never be revealed here or anywhere else.  All I can say is that we laughed a lot...this picture of Sara pretty much encapsulates the afternoon for us.

Sam, who is one of my Bigfork besties, brought wonderful food and a little balance to the party...
(I say "balance", but it really translates as "cultural conversation" which we promptly found the humor in and laughed still.)

I loved Sara's pitcher for the hard cider tea!  She has the coolest style...

And that's the end of the first three days.  Or was it four? 

The next installment will be Spokane-y!

It's Just Not My Cup

I'm not a progressive person, technologically speaking.

I don't have an iPad/Pod or Kindle. 

I hate the computer panel in the "new" car that requires a 3 hour training to run.

My smart phone is getting a little too big for its britches and I shut it off frequently, rather than listen to it alert me to every message, score and update available. (By the way...YES, I KNOW my voice mail inbox is full. I keep it that way on purpose.)

And I think Keurig coffee makers are killing conviviality.

Whew!

There, I've said it...and probably will get some fall out for it. 

Do you know what Keurig coffee makers are?  Those space age looking machines that sit on the counter of everyone's kitchen now; you tip out a little door, insert a minuscule canister of premeasured coffee grounds, close, place your coffee cup under the spout, push a button and in seconds you have a steaming cup of coffee.  It's very convenient, quicker than lightening, no muss, no fuss...

I can see why they're popular.  Especially for someone living alone who doesn't want to brew a whole pot of coffee just for themselves, or for families with all sorts of crazy schedules who leave the house at different times.  

But that's just the thing:

How welcoming is THAT?  

Coffee brings people together.

I was raised with certain coffee rituals.  

The first smell in the morning was of the coffee my folks were brewing. Plans for the day were made over cups of coffee; not just between Mom and Dad, but also when there was a crew for branding or shipping.  When kids were dropped off at school, there was sometimes a migration of moms back to our house to discuss life, laundry stains and refill the go-cups. Pots were put on when we saw dust up the road: "Grandpa and Grandma Mosby are here!" 

There's a certain script that used to be followed by everyone:

Host: Can I get you a cup of coffee?

Guest: (politely) Oh, don't go to any trouble...I'd have a cup if you were going to make some for yourself.

Host: (relieved) It's no trouble at all!  (bustles around, filling the pot, measuring coffee, etc.) 

There's chatting while the coffee is brewing, then...

Host: How do you like your coffee? Cream or sugar?

Guest: I'd take a little cream if you have it.

And the conversation commences.

This little back and forth opening sequence to a visit is hard to pull off if all the host has to do is push a button for coffee to appear in a cup and handed over.  It ISN'T any trouble and the guest knows it.  

Then there's the personality of a brew.

In our family, weak coffee was a sign of weak character.  

A good strong cup of coffee was redemptive...all sorts of things could be said about someone, but if "they sure make good coffee" then they were probably all right at the core.  

Many times, there was only time for one cup so it had to count...you can't make it all morning on a namby-pamby cup of java, you know?  Besides which, it's just a waste of grounds to simply color the water.  

Warnings or praise would be issued prior to visits to someone's house. "They make awfully weak coffee..." or "One thing about it, __________ sure can make coffee!"

Keurigs are disappointingly, industrially predictable and one can't determine a thing from the cups issued thereof.  The owners can buy different pods of different flavors, but ultimately it comes out the same...smooth and balanced.   

I've gone back to a percolator, myself, simply because it takes up less space and looks charming on my counter.  There are no filters to buy and it makes happy little burbles as it cooks.  It makes enough coffee for two to four people at once. I can carry it all around the house if I wish, and it doesn't leave a scorched taste in the coffee if I forget to unplug it right away.  When I have company, we follow the time honored script you read above, the little pot chugging and glugging away in the background as we wait and visit.  My friends and family know I make my coffee a little too strong, and there's probably warnings to that effect as they come up the drive.  That's okay...you can always add water or cream, but you can't fix a weak cup of coffee.  

Progress is very good, and I admire people who roll with it easily.  This post wasn't to castigate anyone who has a Keurig....which would be about 80% of the U.S. population, now....so if you have one and love it, great!  I just hope the culture of hospitality and the art of making coffee from grounds in a pot is not lost in the convenience and practicality of the space age coffee machines being used today.  

Happy birthday, son of mine!

(Photo taken in Spokane, WA.)

Happy 10th Birthday, Maggie 'Bella!

Dear new mommy,

I'm thinking of you today.
And I have something I want to tell you.

Someday you're going to find yourself folding clothes in the same room that you brought her home to. To your great shock the labels will read "Size 12", not "12 months".  You'll look at the soft yellow walls that you've been putting off painting (bright apple green, because she's fearless in her color choices), and realize that she's growing at light speed.  The sunshine tinted walls were perfect for a baby, a little girl who brought sunshine into a room as she exploded into it, but it really IS time for the green.

You'll put the underwear away and be surprised (even though YOU bought them) that there are training bras.  Her shirts will still be modest enough, because you're buying those, too, and still have a say in THAT, but they'll be stronger in color and message.  These aren't the sweet little lace suntops that you remember putting away just yesterday...10 years ago.  She might have camouflage jeans for you to tuck away, and you'll smile because you understand she's trying to connect with her dad at this odd girl-woman stage.

Instead of being just another chore to check off your list, you'll discover that doing laundry has given you a very personal, very sweet moment of reflection and insight.  It may be akin to the feeling you had when you put her in her crib in that yellow room for the first time and thought, "Well, baby...here we go! What an adventure THIS is going to be...".

Only THIS round, there'll be apple green walls for a background.

Brace yourself.

With much love, empathy and prayers for you in your adventure,
The Farmer's Wife

Sunday Hike

I KNOW.
This is the fourth or fifth post in as many days...what gives, right?

Something you should know about my little family:
We are Overpreparedness ROYALTY.
Let's take packing for a hike in one of our north pastures for a couple hours, for example.  Each person had a backpack with water, an extra shirt or socks (depending on the person), snacks and so forth.  Maggie's pack also had a wooden box with colored pencils, her nature journal, two reference books for birds and pond life (published 1953 or thereabouts).  Angus had bug spray, LEGOs (I'm sure of it), a couple containers to carry bugs home in, gloves, and hand sanitizer that he brought out at every pause in the hike and offered around.  I don't know what was in the Farmer's pack, but right before we left, he was fiddling around with two way radios, and there was a bowl for the dogs to drink out of.  Mine had my phone, camera, and the dogs' water.  And we had a small cooler with lunch, too.
It looked like we were setting off for Queensland or something.
Perhaps we've watched too many episodes of Gilligan's Isle and it's scarred us all for life.

Anyway...

Here are some pictures of the two hour tour.
Warning: There are a LOT of rock pictures.  We dig rocks.

But first, a cactus flower!  Thank goodness they were blooming, because it helped us locate the cactus piles easier...

Fixing to begin the hike.  Maggie is lecturing us on hiking etiquette, here...
She got a cactus in her shoe approximately 3 minutes later, prompting dire warnings about the dangers of wilderness and how to avoid them.

Gumbo lilies are the most ephemeral flower, giving up petals about 5 minutes after they're picked....

...like this one that was picked by Angus instantly upon spying it.
You'll note the BB gun.
He desperately wanted something to attack us so he'd have an occasion to save the party with his weapon.
No such luck. *sigh*

This is very exciting.  The dogs spied something DEAD and bounced over to investigate.

Not everyone will think this is a lovely photo, but I'm struck by the delicate swirls of the nasal passages...
there's beauty in our creation, far under our skin, even!

 These are layers of rock, like stacks of paper or cardboard...

Happiest doggins in the world at that moment! Her whole body was smiling!

Maggie tried to journal at every point.  Right before I took this photo, her dad stepped on her sandwich.  AAARRGGHH!  

Here's the poem she was working on sitting on the rock with the sky behind her:

When I feel the rain coming down

and the wind in my face,

I feel something.

When I can feel the grass on my bare feet

and smell roses bloom,

I feel something.

I feel.....

Home.

 It could be Montana, it could be craters on the moon...

LOOK!  A TREE!!!  It's noteworthy, here.

 Another happy doggins.  Happy and TIRED.  Twillie kept up pretty well, but she thought the fun part ended with the emptying of the lunch bucket.  Hike over! Let's go home, folks; my couch is calling!

A side shot of a gumbo lily glowing in the sun...

We found ONE yucca that was preparing to bloom.  Not a good year for yucca blossoms, I guess.

We eventually made it to the reservoir to the south.  The dogs were completely delighted with the swampy coolness of the water!  Angus WANTED to wade in, but the cow pie mud was a bit more than he wanted to tackle.  

(I love the line in this picture.  Sometimes all the elements come together in the photo like I see them in my brain at the moment.)

OH! While we were waiting for the Farmer to return with the Trailblazer, I took pictures of the mama duck and her babies across the reservoir.  They were too far away for me to identify, but when I was cropping the pictures on my computer I discovered it was a canvasback hen and her ducklings! (The two interlopers by Mama Canvasback are grebes.  They're cheeky.  She's trying to ignore them.)  I don't remember ever seeing a canvasback around here, so this was big for me!

I also tried to take pictures of the many azure dragonflies, but prairie dragonflies are nervous little things and even too fast for the sports setting on my camera.  Here's the best I could do. They seemed to adore the sagebrush!