There's more than one type of rain!

Wet, Humid, Damp, Moist, Soaking, Rain. How many adjectives can you think up? I'll bet a lot would come to mind if you were here with us today and the non-stop rain! And, the day doesn't get a whole lot cheerier with our One-Upper on board. But, I'm trying to use her as a learning tool for myself. I ask myself - "Am I, or have I been in the past, a One-Upper?" Because I'm finding it's more than a little annoying! Every single thing that ANY body talks about, she chimes in: "Oh. I make an amazing ______" (you fill in the blank). Or "Oh, I've been doing _____ for years! I can show you EVERYTHING about it!" And, that probably wouldn't dig at me so much if it wasn't for the additional comments about how wonderful everything was here last year, & how great all the staff was & what an awesome time they all had together & how different it is w/ most of them gone... yadayadayada. So, I guess my petty & insecure self is showing here - so I'm trying to see past the bravado to what might be driving it. The first thought is that SHE is insecure w/ everything changed this year. Accordingly, I guess I'll need to try to be more supportive & understanding of that fear. But, what if it's just her normal personality & it never gets better? Ugh. Don't even THINK it! After all, if I was able to befriend Grumpy, this should be a piece of cake, right?

Poor Jeff is working his tail off. Not only with normal stuff (irrigation, feeding, etc) but the hydro has issues almost daily that require him to hike the mile up to the dam & adjust water flow. AND... the fencing is like a recurring nightmare. Every time he gets one hole fixed, the horses find another and go missing again. AND... all the little things that keep breaking down or needing fixed - like when the propane ran out in the crew cabin so all the heaters & hot water tanks went out. He changed propane & went to light all the pilot lights & discovered that the hot water tank (in Ben's room, but is for the whole building) has been leaking propane this whole time. So, now he's fixing that. AND.. the new prep cooked dropped her earring down her sink drain & needs it taken apart to find the earring. I haven't told him about that yet - I'm hoping it can wait until tomorrow. OH.. AND BOTH our washer AND dryer are dying - and they're the only ones we have right now. The housekeeper is driving us all bonkers with her ranting about it, but I guess it would be quite frustrating to have a lot of laundry & not be able to depend on the machines that you have to use. The 4-wheeler is having starting issues so isn't very dependable. And now the rain makes working on everything a real pleasure. He's pretty well exhausted at night these nights. But, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon as we might have a guy hired by the end of the week - hopefully he can start right away!

We had a great visit over lunch with our new prep cook (Donna). She is a Christian also and it is a pleasure to work w/ someone who is open & honest about it & such a hard worker. I think we're really going to enjoy having her here. She is enthusiastic about everything & very patient & complimentary to all. And, Sue has also been so willing to help wherever. She helped Jeff feed today & unloaded firewood for Bendigo & does dishes - just whatever needs done. If we had a whole crew like that, things would be almost easy! And, Bendigo was worn out this evening also. He's taken over moving all our lawn sprinklers every day (and we have a LOT) and he hauled firewood & did school & various other little errands.

So, I'm off to the cabin. I finished cutting up the jeans for my quilt today, and discovered I'm just one pair short of being able to cut my last 3 squares & start piecing - grrr. I only need 3 more 10.5 x 10.5" squares. When I told Jeff that, he said "No, you can't have any of my jeans". Bummer. So, I won't be working on that until I scare up a few more jeans.

Gypsy Horses

Well, the bell mare and her groupies have been missing for several days again, only this time, it’s like half the herd – around 30 animals! So, Sue and I decided to use our ride to go bring them back – again. Tyler had brought them back at least 3 times, but never fixed the fence. So, guess what’s on Jeff’s agenda for tomorrow!

We chose two “dude” horses, that we figured would be safe enough taking off on our own – “Jim” and “Cowboy”. I led out on Jim and soon discovered that for a great big paint horse, he takes teeny-tiny steps – very uncomfortable. And, he’s LAZY. It was take 10 steps, stop. Take 10 steps, stop. And each time I’d beat his sides with my heels & he’d reluctantly plod on. Now, it WAS quite a steep trail to track the horses down – up, up, up one way and DOOOOWWWWNNNN all the way back. The wind was blowing like gale after we got a little ways up the hill, so that was pleasant also. One the flatter portions of trail, I’d try to get Jim to walk just a little faster. He’s the only horse that I’ve ever ridden who can take faster steps & yet move slower – I think his steps get shorter or something – weird.

Anyway, we finally got to the equine hideaway and it was, admittedly, quite a pleasant spot. We rounded up the group we could see & started back – they know where home is! Most of them were at a trot or lope most of the way back - and that sure woke up old Cowboy! He was nearly giddy with excitement and Sue kinda had her hands full with him. Then, on the last steep down hill portion of the trail into the ranch, Jim was stepping right out also. Susan said "He's not taking short little steps anymore!" and I replied "He just needed to get limbered up!" We had a really good time, even with the howling wind & cantankerous horses. But, our behinds will be aching in the a.m. I'll bet! And, we still only got about 14 of the horses back. The rest were way off on a very steep hillside & had about zero interest in coming down with the rest of the group we found, so they got left there for Jeff to wrangle tomorrow after he fixes fence!

We've also been fighting hydro issues for two days. We ran on the big diesel generator all day yesterday & last night. Mid-morning Jeff was able to switch back to hydro, but we're getting a lot of power fluctuations. They are very hard on lightbulbs! I'll be we blew at least a dozen or more bulbs just yesterday - probably closer to two dozen by the time we find them all!

Well, it's time to limp off to a hot shower & soft bed. Every year I find less of "Snowy River" in me and more of "Fried Green Tomatoes"!

Muddy Water

How many of you have heard the Keb Mo song "Muddy Water"? I like that song, these pics kind of remind me of that. They are certainly a change from the ones I took when we first got here, huh? Between the rain a couple days ago & warmer days before that, the runoff is starting, but it'll still be awhile before it hits high gear. But, even at this stage, the power of massive quantities of moving water is impressive. It gives just a small glimpse of what the Great Flood would have done to the earth!

We are quite relieved today as Tyler left this a.m. to ride out with the adjacent outfitter who stopped by last night. There is a palpable easing of the tension. Now, we are just wiggling to find the right fit with the housekeeper. She's definitely an odd duck, but we are hopeful that she'll lighten up with time. It is probably a little hard to be the only non-family member here right now. We are trying to include her in conversations & relax her a little, but it's slow going.

The weather is quite nice today - Sue & I hope to go for a ride tomorrow up to the hot springs if the weather cooperates. I haven't gotten far from the ranch since we've been here & we both think it would be cool to go up & see the hot springs. However, I doubt we'll taking a dip in them!

More Help

Well, the housekeeper arrived today, so we are glad to have more help! She's sure a talker (yes, worse than me!!). She's from NY and has that kind of accent & today she was asking if we have bears around - but we all thought she said "beer" - it was pretty funny. She's also older than we had expected - probably close to retirement age I'd guess. We're trusting that she's old enough to not be sucked into the drama king's act before we get him gone.

I'm working on being "just an employee". I get SO stressed over the personnel problems! But, they aren't really my problems - their Jeff's. And he worries a lot less than I do over them, "so why am I getting so worked up" I asked myself. So.... I'm trying... it's a lot of work! But, so is being stressed & upset - it exhausts me! So, "Let go, and Let God" is today's motto. I also realized something else today - remember the Serenity Prayer that Dad loved so much & we all know so well? I always assumed the "Grant me Serenity" part was the hard part for me (because I get so worked up over things), but I'm learning that it's actually the "wisdom to know the difference" part that I struggle with. I can ALWAYS change things if I try hard enough, right? But, that mindset is what prevents me from finding the Serenity to accept those things I can't change. Seems like a simple concept, I know, but for me, sometimes the most obvious ones are the hardest to see.

I WAS going to weed some today outside & maybe even scatter some seeds, but the wind is C-O-L-D. I decided that since my job is "cook"! :) Why be outside in the cold when I don't have to? I did finish hemming curtains for the kitchen, though. So, as soon as Jeff gets me curtain rods I can hang those. And, I was able to get a little cleaning done.

Btw - did I mention that I finished Ben's curtains? He's quite pleased. I keep meaning to take pics, but either forget or don't want to go out in the cold - like now.

The elk are moving to higher country so we're not seeing them nearly as much. But, the deer are still here & come out every evening to browse on the grass in the yard. The other day there were a couple at the salt lick in the horses pen & Josie was laying at the hitching racks "watching" them like she does the horses. It was cute.

Updates

Warning!! Graphic images ahead! I've posted the current pics of the wounds on the horses - so be prepared!!

In addition to the wound pics, you can see that I've also posted pics of the kitchen in the cabin. Pretty nice for a little cabin, huh? Now it's just sit & wait.

Jeff is still battling a little over employees, but he is handling it with far more diplomacy than I might do in the same situation. We'll see how things progress over the next week. We have prayed for a certain caliber of applicant & that prayer was granted but Tammy is balking at Jeff's choice. So... it's a bit of a discussion at the moment.

As you can see from the wound pics, the chest one is healing well, and we think the leg one is also, but it still looks pretty bad. But, we're optimistic that he'll recover - the question is just to what extent.

Susan and I had quite a giggle tonight - to the extent we were in tears. We received an "application" from a young man in south Florida. It was just an email with one run-on paragraph - no punctuation or even capitals. His qualifications were that he'd dated a girl who rode barrel horses and he's a "well fit male". I told Sue that maybe I'd respond & tell him "No resume necessary, just send pictures". . Jeff & I actually kind of feel bad for the guy - at least he had enough gumption to send the inquiry, but it was just kinda funny.

Susan seems to really be enjoying working at setting up her store & is certainly in her element. With the exception of some of the beverages & candies that are yet to be sent in, she'll have it ready to go by the end of the week!

Well, off to my cold cabin (we turned off the 24/7 heat for the rest of the season, until fall) so I guess I'll be using the space heater tonight!

Almost "Home"

Well, the cabin is almost done! Here are some pics of the current status. Big difference from what we started with, huh? We're just waiting now on the floor guy to arrive w/ the flooring. Once that's done, Jeff can hook up the appliances & we can move in!! One of my pics didn't turn out so I'll take another one & post it tomorrow to show you the kitchen better. I've also posted a couple of the room at the B&B we stayed at in Salmon. And for those of you considering visiting, we highly recommend it. The cost was less than most motels in Salmon, especially considering you get a great breakfast with it!! The name is Solaas B&B & it's just 9 miles outside of town.

The "boss" was here last night & left this a.m. Obviously she's not thrilled that Jeff fired the one wrangler & is anxious for the other one to leave, but said she also understands why he feels the way he does. She's just worried about having no staff here that has been here before. But, Jeff pointed out that aside from the fact that we're fly-in only, the ranch duties are no different than any other ranch on the planet. And, those ranches change hands all the time & the new owners learn as they go. There's really nothing here that he isn't pretty comfortable with & is confident he can figure out if necessary.

So, we've posted job listings & are praying that we find some reliable, hardworking, wranglers that aren't alcoholics, liars or worse. We've already rec'd one application from a girl, which is promising. We've always had better luck w/ women than men - not sure why. They just seem to work harder & more willingly - perhaps because it's a male-dominated industry & they feel the need to prove themselves? Or, perhaps we've just been blessed.

Another beautiful day here today. Perhaps I'll plant some seeds - or clean windows. It's very nice to have fewer people to feed every meal for awhile! We're down to 5 people right now and will lose another one tomorrow. So for a couple days it'll be just us 4 family members. Speaking of which, it has been SO nice to have Sue here. I figured it would be cool to have a sister here, but with the staff issues, it's such a relief to have someone we don't have to worry or stress over! She's not trying to undermine authority or see what she can get away with, and she's VERY supportive & protective of Jeff's status as "boss". What a refreshing change from the other employees we've been dealing with!!

What a week!

What a week! Lots of ups & downs the last 5 days. We flew out to Salmon on Friday a.m., and finally had wonderful weather for the flight! We were able to fly directly to Salmon, no wandering around the clouds. Once landed, we discovered that Jeff had forgotten our car keys! The pilot was going back to the ranch right away & said he’d get them, but wouldn’t be back to Salmon until that eve. So, he volunteered his car for our use until then & we emailed Sue & Ben to let them know to have our keys at the airstrip for him to pick up. Ben emailed right back & said that Sue told us to just use her pickup, so that was one crisis avoided. And, we figured that it looked better to go to the horse sale in Sue’s pickup than our little metro anyway! (The pilot said they might have asked to see our financials if we went in our Metro!)

So, all loaded up in the pickup, we checked into the cute little B&B we were booked into, then off to the fairgrounds for the pre-events. We watched the Mule Trail class & looked over lots of mules & hung out until the sale started at 6:30pm. By the end, Jeff had purchased 3 mules that we have high hopes for. One is older than we’d planned (17) but is in great shape and seems very willing to do whatever is asked of him. And, they are all riding mules as well as packers.

The sale ended late and so we ate dinner around 9:30pm then went & danced for a short bit. It was a very strange dance floor, a triangle shape, that made it very difficult to 2-step especially with all the crazy dancers. Then, back to our room at the B&B & in bed by 11:30.

The next a.m., Sharon (the B&B lady) had our breakfast ready for us at 9am, as requested & it was very good. We had a great visit w/ she & her husband & then headed back to the fairgrounds for the horse sale. We watched the horse trail class & then headed to the sale. That day we ended up w/ 5 horses. It was somewhat frustrating as the auctioneer remembered us from the day before & every time Jeff would bed, the auctioneer would work the crowd a LONG time to get more $. Often Jeff would quit bidding because it went too high or he paid $150-$200 more than he should have for each one. But, overall we were quite happy w/ our horses & the total cost. Because we bought 5 horses, we got a $750 rebate so our average cost per horse/mule was around $1600. Most were 80-11 yrs old, but we did buy one 16 yr old.

That night we ate late again, but went right to bed – we were bushed! Then flew in early Sunday back to the ranch. Once here we went right back to work. Sue had done a great job taking care of the 2 guests, 4 crew, 4 shareholders as well as the unexpected drop in breakfast guests!

Monday was quite a day. We were busy cleaning up from everybody leaving on Sunday and much was accomplished. As we had been talking about the need to get a routine going for nightly dishes, Jeff asked the 2 wrangler to do the dinner dishes that night. He got little response & they both got up & left when they were done. We thought to give them a little time to come back but when they didn’t Sue & I did the dishes. Jeff went out to see what was going on & Conrad (one of the wranglers) came out of his cabin & asked if Jeff had told him to do dishes (well, “ask” is a polite way of putting it) and when Jeff said yes, Conrad told him that it wasn’t his job & for Jeff to do it himself. Jeff said “What did you say?” And so Conrad repeated it – all VERY belligerently. So, Jeff told him that he could pack his stuff & fly out the next morning. Which he did. And, the other wrangler isn’t in much better graces and today hasn’t helped much. So, it would appear that we’re going to be short all our wrangler staff.

Anyone need a job? We’re hiring!! Tonight Jeff is “visiting” with Tammy, our boss, as she came into for her bi-monthly over-nighter. It was a surprise to her to have one of the wranglers waiting for the plane out when she landed! We’ll see how that goes. So, lots of prayers for improvement in that particular situation would be greatly appreciated!!

And, that brings you all up to date!! The cabin is "done" for the moment. Just waiting on the floor guy (hopefully next week) and a couple appliances. I'll post pics tomorrow. No recent wolf activity and the horses are actually healing quite nicely. It’s been super nice weather in here – bordering on hot and tonight is extremely pleasant. Sue & I are enjoying the evening together while Jeff & Tammy talk. Who knows what surprises await us yet?!

Now we're cooking!

Wow - what progress huh? The final window was installed & the trim painted. The bathroom vanity & counter installed, the kitchen cabinets are partially in, and the propane guy got all the propane items ready to go! It's looking good!

We had deer watching us at dinner time - it must have smelled good!

We're going out to the Salmon Horse Sale in the a.m., Bendigo will stay & help his Aunt Sue cook for the men. I'm getting special treatment since I'm the boss's wife, but told Tammy I'd only take 2 days off on one of my upcoming 4-day's so that it all works out ok. We are really looking forward to the sale, for many reasons, but not least of which is the dance after the sale each night!

No wolf activity to speak of today, but the horses are closer to us, so perhaps that'll make them a little more careful. Tyler & Conrad found the missing 9 animals 3 ridges over & brought them home today.

I am still fighting w/ cookies & bread. I can make the basic white bread fine now, but can't seem to do any of the other options - sourdough, french, etc. And, nearly all the cookies come out crispy. I made French bread today & it just didn't come out like it should. Ugh.

New Hearth

Isn't this going to be a great fireplace? It turned out very well, in my opinion. The 2 guys you see are our two volunteers, Kevin & Luke, who've done the lion's share of the work.

We are having wolf trouble lately. A couple days ago, a horse showed up w/ a very bad gash in it's shoulder, we assume from landing on a t-post. Today, another one showed up w/ a terrible wound on the front of his hock - I'm not sure he'll recover to a point we can use him to the level we need to. There were wolves in the pasture this a.m., above the horses and lots of tracks down in the water gap. And, we're missing between 2 and 6 horses also. (No, we're not sure of the exact # for reasons too lengthy to explain). So, we've moved them closer & hope to actually see the wolves harassing the horses as that would give us the needed reason to eliminate some. It's so frustrating to see horses show up with such terrible wounds that are totally preventable! I wish some environmentalists could see the damage wolves do.

Native River Rock Hearth

Isn't the hearth going to be neat? This is all rock that the volunteers brought up from the river to build the hearth with. It should be finished by the end of Tuesday (this pic was taken Monday eve). And, the outlets & light switches are being wired today also! I've been working on paint colors for an accent color & it's looking like a reddish color will be ok. (How boring am I? I'm sure you all are riveted to a discussion of paint colors on my wall! haha)

I made Shepherds Pie Sunday night for dinner to use up some leftovers - or at least that's what it was supposed to be. It turned out more like running stew w/ cheese on top. The last 3 times i made it, I didn't put in enough gravy/liquid so it was dry - I kind of overcompensated this time! So, tonight is a roast chicken dinner with fresh rolls, fresh cookies, rice pilaf, and cherry cheesecake. Hopefully I can make up for some of my disasters lately!

Jennet was kind enough to email me a great basic mix to use for many things (biscuits, & lots of other things) so I made that up today & made biscuits also. And, Sue & I have been discussing some of Mom's old recipes & different things we remember her cooking. Susan always loved her rice pudding (I think we found that recipe today) and the cookies I made today are identical to ones Mom used to make, but we can't remember what she called hers. Mine are "Melting Madness" I think... they're very puffy & soft & have nuts.

Well, that's about it for today. Other than it's been COLD here today & windy! Feels like winter!

The Beige Blues

Ok, so let me ask you - would you call this color "beige"? I don't know if you can see it well at all - but to me, it's more like slate grey. Anyway, guess it's what I've got to work with, so am trying to pick out a good accent color for it.

Here are some pics of Ben on his 4-wheeler also and one of taken just downriver from us. Nothing else much to report.

Sister and Easter

My sister Susan arrived yesterday and got all settled in. It was very exciting to have her finally get here! And, it looks like she plans on staying awhile! :) It took a whole plane to get everything in, but they made it. It's nice to see someone else who packs like I do.

I spent most of yesterday baking - cookies, muffins, bread & buns. And, doing laundry - I'll sure be glad when the housekeeper gets here! And the prep cook!

The crew worked on texturing the walls saturday in the cabin. Cabinets should be arriving soon - it was supposed to be yesterday but the weather in McCall didn't allow them to fly it in. So, we're awaiting today to see if they make it.

I can't believe what a difference it makes to have someone do dishes for each meal!! Susan jumped right in and it is SO nice! I feel like i have tons of extra time - to do more work naturally! Today we're making a big Easter dinner. I didn't have a ham, so we're having pork roast - same animal, right? And, we'll have Strawberry-Rhubarb pie and Cherry pie. And rolls that i made yesterday. Oh, any my Sweet Corn Potluck Pudding.

We had an injured horse today - not sure how. When Jeff fed, he saw it so we brought it up. It must have happened at least a day or two ago, so we couldn't suture it. So, just cleaned it up good & hope it heals.

Well, off to use all my free time to work on getting my MESSY cabin cleaned up! Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter!!

Deer Mugger

Ok, so today was one of THOSE days. Not one of those days in the sense of it being bad, but one of those days that affirms you are exactly where you want to be. I mean really - how often does a teenage boy get to go mug deer? Or get a tour of a helicopter? Especially both in the same day? It was a very good day.

The Idaho Fish & Game were here catching deer to radio collar. But, they were way short of the # of volunteers who said they'd come. So, we went & helped. The pictures you see here are of setting up the fence, the helicopter herding the deer to the net, Jeff lying in wait, Jeff mugging a deer, Bendigo helping mug & hold a deer, etc. Surprisingly, the net only holds the deer about 10 seconds - if you're lucky. So, the deer hit the net & whoever is closest tackles it(or "mugs it" in the vernacular). Or, sometimes, 3 people (including me) are TRYING to catch the deer while the biologist is yelling "GET IT! GET IT!" They are slippery little suckers! Then, you put a blindfold on it, tie the back legs, get it in a safe position (for the deer, not for us). Then the biologist puts on the collar & ear tags, measures the body diameter & length of hind leg. If it's a fawn, as in these pics, it also gets weighed. This fawn was tagged with #7302, so I hope to watch it grow up & have babies - not become wolf fodder.

I'm not going to post any helicopter pics here of Ben's "field trip" as I expect he'll want to post them himself and tell you all about his very interesting day!

No cabin pics today. The volunteers helped w/ deer & then spent the afternoon shooting trap (can you believe they took a day off?). Hopefully more progress tomorrow.

We DID get our first official guests of the season! Unexpectedly, no less. I received an email about 10 minutes before they landed. So, we're scrambling to make sure their stay is a good one.

Always an Adventure

(WARNING - Long blog follows). Well, we're back home at the ranch after a very nice mini-vacation in Richland. We'd hoped to have our truck ready to go when we got there, but unfortunately it has far more problems than we anticipated. So, it sits at the Bond Ranch (Thanks Gordon!) for the near future. We plan to just wait & buy one in June or July - but that means no new bed for me for awhile since all the cash will have to go to a different truck. :(

I DID get lots of used jeans for the quilt I'm working on. I went to the second hand store & they have piles of "freebies" and I found everything I needed! AND... I also visited the quilt shop of course and got the other things I needed to be able to finish the quilt. Now I just need time.

Our first Shareholder's meeting went very well. We met a LOT of people at the banquet on Friday eve and then on Saturday was the board meeting. Jeff's report was well received and they pretty much just told him to do what he needs to do unless it require large sums of money. Then, just get approval first. So, he was pleased with that, as well as the extra sums of $ they allocated to him to purchase horses. So, he plans on buying at least 12 animals at the upcoming sale.

Our trip home was an adventure - as always. (Louis L'mour says that "Adventure is just another word for poor planning!) We left Richland on Tues eve and drove nearly to Boise. We stayed the night in a La Quinta Motel (which I'll shamelessly plug here - it was great. Clean, no pet fee, very good price, excellent free breakfast, good beds!) Then, Wednesday we slept in and after breakfast decided to take the "short cut" through Idaho City, which is supposed to be an hour and a half shorter (notice I said "supposed to be").

So, everything went well for awhile, except that the road is VERY windy (twisty-turny, not like blowing wind) over the first pass. Then, we went through Lowman & Idaho City & up the next pass - and this is where it got interesting! It had been raining & of course up high - it was snow. (Remember that we are in the little green machine - my Geo Metro - with 3 adult-size people, 2 dogs and all our luggage). It wasn't long before the tires started slipping (which was quite surprising since it usually goes great) and then there we were - stuck. So, we got out our one chain (yes, ONE chain) and put it on the tire w/ the least tread. But, realized that we didn't have any bungee cords to keep it tight. So, I said a little prayer and sure enough, a pickup stopped to help & they had bungee cords. So, problem solved - until we started moving. The chain stayed on all of about 10 seconds & spun off, but we were moving (kinda) & Jeff didn't want to stop. So, we spun our way about mile up the road. And then were stuck again. So, Jeff trooped back the mile & got the chain (I resisted the urge for the "I told you so"). Put it back on & we went about another 1/4 mile - & were stuck & lost the chain again. We put the chain in the car & debated what to do. Finally decided that all the weight in the car was keeping the weight OFF the front tires where it needed to be, so Jeff & Ben got out & pushed. Jeff said if I got going, not to stop until I got to the top (which was supposed to be quite close according to all the people who went by). So, it only took about 10 feet to get going and off I went - & left them. And it was NOT as close as we thought to the top. But, I got there & pulled over to wait - and worry (It was about this time I was recalling a quote from a survivor of the Donner Party. She was giving a cousin advice that said "Never take shortcuts and hurry along as fast as you can").

Pretty soon an Idaho DOT truck pulls up and I asked if they'd seen my guys. They said "Yes, but they didn't want a ride" I said "Do they know how far it is?" and they replied "We told them at least a mile and a half". I said "I'm worried about them on the road". So, they responded "Do you want us to go back & get them?" (Well, duh!!) "Yes, please" I asked. So, off they went. They returned shortly w/ Jeff & Ben & we were on our way (and so were they - a truck had stopped & said another couple was stuck back down the pass & pretty panicked). So, that was our adventure getting home.

And, as my final story of the day (maybe, unless I think of more) we had a very cool activity going on here across from the ranch. Idaho Fish & Game are in here to radio collar deer. So, they've been bringing in supplies in a helicopter and then used the heli to herd deer into a net they set up. We have a front-row seat to watch! AND.. they are short help, so said Ben & anyone else who wants to can help. Tonight we didn't get our schedules right, but in the a.m. we hope to go help them tackle deer. How cool huh? Ben & I took lots of pics today & I think he'll post the best ones on his site, so be sure & check that in the next day or so. We'll try & take more tomorrow if we actually get to help.

Final note - we have sheetrock on our walls! And a pile of rocks waiting to be a fire hearth. If the pic uploads, I'll put one on here, otherwise it'll be on tomorrow's blog. Boy, the place looks a lot smaller w/ walls! But, I'm very excited. I got paint samples while I was out so will be working on that.

Vacation!

Hello Everyone! We are enjoying our time out, but will also be glad to get home. We went to the banquet Friday night & met many Shareholders. It was very nice and enjoyable. Saturday was our board meeting & that went well. We've received good comments & lots of support from everyone so far. We'll hope that continues!

We're staying at Denny & RanDee's for a night or two & really enjoying our time here. But, I have to use his computer to get online, so I'll post a more in depth blog when I get back on my own. So, see you all in a few days!

The Wolf Pack

The weather had been playing it’s favorite bait-&-switch game all day. Earlier, great gusts of snow-laden wind had suddenly darkened the ranch yard where moments before bluebirds had been cavorting in the sun. Now, the snow had momentarily turned to a cold mist that lightened the surrounding hills.

A long echoing howl floatd down, followed and then overtaken by melodic harmonies alternately holding a note and then fading, just to have another take it’s place with a yip and chittering yowl.

Rushing to the spotting scope, I beheld my first sighting of a Frank Church wolf pack. Sitting perfectly and spaced as precisely as if choreographed, the ten wolves were surveying the lower kingdom from their perch on a high crest. The light snow falling at that elevation softened their outlines through the scope, but the details were still evident. Nine grey with black members arrayed themselves around one monstrous white wolf, sitting off-center in the pack.

As I watched, the white wolf lifted it’s muzzle to the side and formed a perfect “O”. Immediately, several other mimicked the motion. Seconds later their brief serenade drifted to my wondering ears again.

Then, within moments, a decision was made with no visible sign. The pack rose & turned left and disappeared as a unit over the crest. But, as if to tantalize, a few reappeared briefly, then they too faded into the darkening eve and let the snow cover their tracks.

"Whew! We Made It"

Well, we flew out today - twice. The planes were late getting to the strip this morning, they didn't arrive until almost 9am instead of 8am. And, that was all the difference! We took off & made a turn downriver. The pilot would look over his left shoulder & shake his head, then over his right & shake his head & grimace. Then he took another turn up a drainage, turned around & went back, went downstream a little further & tried another drainage... no luck. The clouds were dropping lower every second (literally) and much of the time you couldn't see the mountains on each side. Then the snow started. Pretty soon, I start seeing familiar ground and we're landing! Back where we started! The weather had moved in too fast so both planes (there were 2 groups of us trying to get out) got back to the ranch & had to just wait it out. There was some concern that it might take a day or two but the pilots kept checking the aviation weather website & watching outside. After about 3 hours, they jumped up and said "It looks like we've got a small window here, let's try it again!" So we all rushed back to the airstrip & loaded up. It was better the second time, but not my favorite flight ever! I was glad I was resting in God's Grace today! We landed here in Salmon, safe & sound. And then the pilot said "That was a great flight! Pretty smooth. Way better than some of those flights in hot weather in the summer." Oh.... Great. Maybe I'll just stay at the ranch until October.

Now we're in a motel in Salmon, Jeff didn't want to drive to Boise today. Ben and I went and saw a movie (fun!) and we all did a little shopping. Jeff is currently rooting Penn State on in their championship game. Tomorrow we head to Boise and then up to Richland Saturday afternoon for our 4-day break! Yeah!

Ooohhhh Pretty

Isn't my ceiling pretty? I have to say that with all the areas they were trying to cut costs (not nit-picky, but just trying to conserve funds) they DID agree to a TNG ceiling - wierd huh? But good! This is Knotty Pine. It'll be nice, don't you think?

We are sitting here waiting on the pilot - hope they make it!! If so, we'll be out in Salmon this a.m. & then will either stay the night there or drive to Boise. When we get settled somewhere, I have another (very short) "story" for you - are you excited?

Btw- sorry to everyone I got all worked up over the horses! Apparently Rob Stacey was playing an April Fools on Sherril (and ultimately on me). The horses are still there and still fine. Wait until I see him!!

Btw - the picture of the cat - Josie & Sage have had a running battle w/ this stupid (I mean that literally). Even though the dogs chase it every time it shows up, it never learns! It just strolls through the yard, meowing LOUD (yes, it's the same one that keeps us up at night) - doesn't even TRY to avoid the dogs! Well, yesterday, it was almost lunch for the dogs. There are currently four dogs on the ranch, counting ours, and the cat got caught between them. So, up the tree it went - and stayed - for HOURS. Funny pic, tho, huh?

Welcome!

Welcome little Madison Mae Barr! My new little great niece was born this morning and was 7#2oz. I must say that the pics I received showed a surprisingly pretty baby!!

These are pics from last night. You can see the new breaker box and outlets. And, there's also a pic of my ceiling boards sitting in the snow storm!

We also are praying for Jeff's sister, Julie, as we received word that her cancer has returned. We are still awaiting the decisions to be made at her upcoming appointments, but it appears that surgery is again imminent. This is the 3rd go around with the Beast, and as I'm sure Julie would agree, it doesn't get easier with practice.

We will be flying out early due to weather concerns, so will arrive in Salmon tomorrow (Thursday) and aren't yet sure if we'll spend the night there or try to get on down to Boise. We'll see.