What a Great Group of Folks...

Today about 100 people volunteered with Fish and Game to come and plant bitterbrush seedlings on our property. It was impressive! Mary Dudley, the volunteer coordinator, had originally told us that they would want to eat about 1pm (we cooked them all lunch). As it turned out, they had so many volunteers that they were completely done planting the 3,500 seedlings by 10:30.

We bought 5 large hackberry trees (the birds love them) and they got those planted as well.

So, Ival got on the pig cooker and fixed them all lunch.

There was even a guy teaching people how to use this wind parachute after all the work was done. Cool!


Joe and Rick used a surveyor thingey and all of Ival's buddies helped and they got all the fence posts set for the hot wire.  We'll only have the hot wire turned on the two weeks of the year when the cows come through.  After all, we want the deer and other critters to feel free to use our place.

Wow, what a productive and wonderful day. Thanks everyone, for your help.  You worked your butts off and you have no idea how much we appreciate it!

Finally, it WAS the Governor!

My sister Linda used to own a store in Meridian called Water and Wood.  She had some really fun things in that store.  She would often call me and ask "Guess who just came into the store?!" and for some reason, the first time she called, I said, "the Governor?"

So, every time she called after that, it was always my reply.  Usually, it was someone we hadn't seen for years.  So now, Linda lives in Portland and works at 7 D's Nursery.

A few minutes ago she called and said, "Guess who just came into the store!?"  My reply of course was the same as it's always been.  I could tell she was grinning just by the sound of her voice.  "YES!"  then she went on to say, "I've been waiting for 11 years to be able to say that!"

Of course I had to find a picture of him for this post, you know how visual I am. He looks like a mighty fine Governor...

The Bullshit Merchant...

My brother is so cool, I just love him.  If you remember, he's a logger.  He's been driving a logging truck since he was old enough to drive.  He lives up north and once a year he braves the Boise traffic to come see us city folk.

His last trip down, he handed me his "business card."  I asked why he needed a business card and he replied, "because they were only $34 for a hundred of 'em."  Well, that explains everything.  So, here they are.  If you're ever in need of the services he provides, let me know and I can get you in touch with him...

I think he should have added, "logging camps and forests burned down."  He did that once you know.  He was so excited to be done with a particular logging job that he burned down the camp - and the forest.  I think that was a very expensive celebration for him.  Nothing he does ever surprises me.

Preliminary Barnhouse Drawings...

My brother-in-law Joe, drew up these "rough" drafts of the house plan.  They are the second set actually, the first set came after an evidently sleepless night of "drink."  That set had a built-in gun safe, a built in meat locker and walk-in beer cooler.  I think he was planning on moving in with Elmer.

We've decided to leave off the computer room and will take the bathtub out of the master bath - we'll save some money by having only one tub.  I'm not sure what all the "food storage" area is for - I know we're expecting Armageddon in 2012, but since we don't have a bunker, I'm thinking food storage isn't going to be much help.

So here's our simple barn house (double click the picture to make it big enough to see).  Thanks FBNL!   I love the "big ass doors" in front.

You like?

Happy First Day of Spring!!!

Happy Spring Everyone!

My Most Prized Possession...

I'm "friends" with American Pickers on Facebook.  I love that show!  For those of you who don't know, some of my fondest memories come from when my sister Linda and I used to buy and sell antiques.  We'd go to auctions and estate sales and buy "stuff" then do antique shows and have our own sales to sell things.  It was so much fun not only finding wonderful things, but spending the time with my sister.  Those were the good ol' days...

Every few days, American Pickers asks their friends to upload a picture of their most prized possession. Wow, I have so many but one of my favorites is the Little Orphan Annie stove that was my mom's when she was a little girl. I love that thing and wouldn't trade or sell it for any amount of money. She also had some Mickey Mouse dishes that I've kept with the stove.

I remember playing with this when I was little too, as did my sisters - although I imagine Kate used it to cook her Barbies.  I'm surprised that after all the "love" that was bestowed on this stove, that it's still in such good shape.

Do you have a prized possession that you wouldn't part with?

Our Hillbilly Soulmates...

have just moved in across the street.

I drove up the street toward home a few minutes ago and look at what I saw in the neighbor's driveway. It's a homemade rib cooker and even has a dual exhaust.


I've been oogeling over the truck they pulled into the driveway a few days ago. Oh how I love this truck.


I had to throw in this picture of the beautiful color on the mountains after the storm the other night.

Apparitions on Toast...

This fascinates me. However, I admit that I'm easily amused.

I don't remember what started this search on the Internet this morning, but did you know there are hundreds of pictures of apparitions on/in odd objects?

Here, we have the Pope in fire. This is good!


The Virgin Mary on a turtle...


and on toast.


Mother Teresa on a sticky bun...


and lots of photos of Jesus. I hope you don't find this disrespectful, I'm a believer, but I just find this very fascinating! This really looks like Jesus in a cloud - it was supposedly taken from an airplane...


and on a wall...


and (Dear Lord, please realize I'm just a little "off" and found this funny) on a dog's hind end...


and Michael Jackson seems to pop up in the most interesting places. Here he is on a piece of sheet metal...


naturally, he had to appear on a piece of toast...


and a car hood.


Saving the best for last, this is some guy named Larry on toast.


Do your own search and see what you come up with! Fascinating!

Bear Scare/Why I Should be in Therapy...

My friend Casey, at All I'm Saying just wrote a post about her "encounter" with Bigfoot. She is, understandably, now terrified of bigfoot.

Her story reminded me of why I'm terrified of bears. Growing up in Garden Valley, bears weren't uncommon. Sometimes we would see them right out our back door. We burned our garbage in a big 50 gal. drum outside our little cabin so sometimes the bears would scavenge for any food that may have been in there.

One day, I had just finished riding my horse home from the valley and had taken her to her pasture about 1/4 mile from our house. I was walking down the little dirt road toward home when I heard some crackling in the brush directly in front of me and between the road and the barbed wire fence that ran next to the road. I had been riding bareback so all I was carrying (thankfully) was my bridle. I suddenly heard the most horrendous sound just 15 feet from where I was, but unfortunately, it was also between me and home. BEAR!



I could have turned and run the other direction, but there wasn't any sign of human life until Centerville, so, even though it went against every ounce of adrenaline coursing through my body, I started running toward the terrifying sound. As I passed the tree where the growling was coming from, I swear my feet grew freaking wings. I had never run so fast.

I got home and ran into the house, heart pounding and terrified more than I had ever been. I may have even been crying - those of you who know me, I don't do that. After being in the safety of home for a few minutes, my brother - who I absolutely adored, walked into the house, laughing hysterically.

He told me how funny it had been to watch me beating cheeks as he had hid behind a tree and sounded like a bear. WTF? I didn't leave home by any means other than a car for months. I was scarred for life.

Many years later, my sister Linda and I were in McCall participating in the Antiques Show at Shore Lodge. It was a beautiful evening after the show had closed and we decided to go for a drive up a dirt logging road just to get out of town. I had to pee and so we stopped and got out of the truck. Crouching with my pants down we suddenly heard a HUGE crashing through the brush within 50 feet of where we were. My first thought - BEAR! I pulled up my pants so fast I peed all over the back of them and we jumped in the truck. We listened for a few more minutes from the safety of the truck but couldn't see what was making the noise.

To this very day, thanks to my wonderful brother, I am STILL terrified of bears. Really, does it get more scarey than this...





So what are you scared to death of and what made you that way?