Love Is...

Once upon a time, long, long ago (the little neighbor girl started her stories to me that way, I love it!)...
oh yes, many years ago there was a cartoon in the paper that started with "Love Is..." and it would always be something so cute and very appropriate.  I don't even know who the illustrator was.

Anyway, the other night we were listening to music on Pandora and we decided to dance, in the kitchen.  LOVE is dancing with my bewhiskered husband with my hair sticking every which way and we enjoying ourselves.  I just fell in love with him even more.  We both love to dance and I have been having sciatica and wondered if I could dance again.

Sorry, no pictures as we were the only ones here and even though the dog is part of the family, she hasn't mastered that yet!

What is your "Love is..." for the day?

Days of Yore and Today

"And it is what it was..."
That is the beginning of an Irish tale, I have read, so this is your wee Irish story.

Cowboy and I took a road trip today to go and see the new oil activity on the "old" Dutton place and just look around as he has been saying that he wanted to take me to the original homestead.  Cowboy cannot remember the last time he was over in that area.  It is pretty and rugged and it is just open country all around.  We looked at the Rattle Snake drainage and we looked at the Sage Hen drainage.  He told about some of the old timers that lived "here" and "there" but we didn't stop to take pictures, but the buildings have melted into the ground over time.

Bill didn't zoom in as no view finder, but you get the picture.  Beside the windmill to the left is a spring house where the windmill pumped water into the spring house to keep the milk and cream cold, whatever they wanted to keep cool.  We didn't walk up to old buildings as it was very muddy.  I  use the term buildings loosely as they are falling in ruin.  I was imagining children there and how very far it was from the highway.  If the old buildings could talk...

If we go again, I will take more pictures. 

There was far more activity here that I was expecting.  I had never seen a drilling operation.  Looks like everything is in a holding pattern.  We have been told they are going to "frack" this well, but it is all pure speculation on our part since we are NOT in the loop on this!

I could not help myself, I had to take pictures of the heavy equipment lined up beside the road.  Dad would have enjoyed looking at all of it.

There are stories to be told about the old homestead, but it won't be today...

Sock It to You!

I haven't been completely idle with my time!  I learned a new way to knit socks with a friend from Washington.  We went to Miles City to a former classmate of mine and she taught us the method of kitting "toe up" socks!  So much easier than 4-5 needles!!  I am here to tell you I don't feel all thumbs and I have been knitting a LONG time!

The "wee" pair was my first try.  They went to Gentry Dasinger, she was "wee" too having just been born shortly after I got that pair made.  The dark blue pair I made for Heston as we were in Miles City at the hospital with Granddad.  I showed them to him when I had about two inches knitted and he said, "You are going to have to make them a darned sight bigger than that!!"  We all laughed...

Of course the third pair I forgot to take a picture of them.  I had Marsha pick out the color which was pink and yellow variegated for me to make Kelli a pair.  I figured if they were too big for her, they would possibly fit Baylee.  I was in such a hurry to get them sent...no pic!  So actually there will be no picture of them as I kept calling down to Nevada and I was told, they haven't been tried on yet as they are setting on the bar.  The next time I called they were under something on the bar and hadn't been tried on.  This was all the beginning of November. 

 So in the mean time I started the variegated pink and purple pair for Jentry.  I got Jentry's done after Thanksgiving.  I was trying for Thanksgiving as they were come here that day.  We finally went to Miles City on Dec. 24 and tried them on Jentry.  Her foot had grown 1/2 inch and she couldn't get them on, but thankfully they fit Javon.  (I think they were a little big, but she will get a little use out of them).  To continue the Kelli story, I called in January and asked if they ever tried the socks on Kelli.  No, my son said, they are MIA.  He felt bad and said if they found them maybe Heston could wear them.  I said they were pink but HE probably wouldn't care since he is not even one yet.  Besides he needs to be told "tough boys wear pink!"

Then and there I decided that too much time is put in knitting socks for kids whose feet grow like weeds!  So from now on it will be adult socks.

Voila!  The variegated brown wool socks for the baby of the family at 5'11".  They fit and I don't think she will be growing anymore! She said they feel great!

So maybe you will be the next to be socked to!! 



Cinnamon Buns, the Best Yet!

I have discovered an even better recipe than the one I have been using for years and years!  Yes, can you believe that one can keep improving their cinnamon rolls?

If you haven't read or heard of Ree Drummond you are now in for a treat.  She has a blog The Pioneer Woman but I am receiving her emails and she periodically sends recipes throughout the week.  In December she had two recipes.  One of the recipes was for Sticky Pecan Mini-Buns (the picture on the left) and the other recipe was for Cinnamon Rolls (center).  The bread recipe is the same for both except she used half of the cinnamon roll recipe for the sticky buns.  I made mini buns which go in mini muffin tins until my rolls got too big, so I made buns to go in the regular muffin tins.  THEN, I still had dough left so thought I would try one pan of the cinnamon rolls.  They are frosted with a maple frosting that has brewed coffee in it. Yummy doesn't even begin to describe the frosted rolls!!!  Three of us ate the WHOLE pan with a very, very small piece left over.  You know it is not polite to eat it all, so none of us would eat that last little piece. Ree said she and a friend get together at Christmas time and make the frosted cinnamon rolls and wrap them with starched cloth and a fancy bow and deliver them to friends/family for Christmas.

The sticky mini buns would be perfect for  a coffee date with the "girls."  They would only be one good bite for the men.  I will make them all again sometime, but I need a really good reason such as lots of people are coming!!!!  They are hard on an expanding waistline but oh so delicious!!

I didn't know if I could post her recipe, so I will let you find it on her site.  I might add that the dough will be almost runny and I left it in the pan I mixed it in and then put in the 1/2 cup of flour after and hour and it was perfect to work.

Every once in awhile Cowboy or I will say, boy, wouldn't one of those buns taste good???

Sharpshooters in the Making!!

Cowboy thought it might be good for ALL of his favorite girls to learn how to shoot.  (Are you listening FAVORITES?)  Because of the murder in a small town in Eastern Montana people are becoming jumpy.  For those of you who don't know, a lady was running and was abducted.  They have two people in custody but have not found the body.  This is a small town that has been hit by the oil boom.  We wonder if anyone is "safe" any more.  Thus on to the subject of protection...

  We like our freedom and we want to protect the life as we have known it.  We are talking about locking doors and battening down the hatches when we leave the ranch.  We have been friendly and helpful to any and all that might need it.  It is not unheard of to stop and ask if someone needs help (when Bill is along of course!).  Gone are the days when I gave a hitch hiker a ride.  It gives me the shudders to think about that now!
 

We were wishing that The Farmer had been able to stay and target shoot with us.  Cowboy thought that The Farmer could have given us pointers!  I laughed when Cari took aim and her gun was waving just a little as she took aim.  Well, my dear friends, she had the last laugh as I was a wobbling mess and they both stood waaaaay behind me!  I aimed every time at that darned bull's eye and I would hit high or low and sometimes off the target altogether!  When I was in one of the four quadrants I cheered!  Cowboy did some shooting too.  Cari and I tried two different pistols.  Bill had brought a third but neither of us wanted to try it.  I understand it takes practice.  I have never liked guns but have lived with them my whole life.  I was brought up being taught that EVERY gun is loaded and dangerous.  Cowboy showed us how to check the gun EVERY time to see whether it is loaded, how to load it, how to unload it, and Cari got a lesson this morning in cleaning the gun. 

I know Rosie O'Grady drove with a gun in her car when she drove from Texas to Montana.  I never thought it would get to this, I am a Grandma!  After I get my concealed weapons permit, maybe I will change my name to Pistol Packin' Granny!  No, I don't think so, I don't like the ring to that!  I will be taking Hunter Safety with the young people this year. 

The trick I learned was you mark the person's shots ahead of you and then you can see where YOUR shots go or don't go as the case may be.  I shot left handed, I shot right handed, I shot with both hands on the gun, I shot with one hand on the gun and the other on my elbow, I tried aiming with the left eye (the stronger of the two) and I aimed with the right eye, I am right handed, so it was all interesting.  But I do sweep left handed... does that count?

I tried making the last two pictures larger!  Ugh!  Computers!  Anyway, here is a sharpshooter in the making.  Youth...she did much better than her mother.  I will learn how to do this in case I have to protect any of my loved ones, with God's help, I may not have to.

A word to the wise, be sure to call if you are coming to visit at night and I am alone...