Lizzie goes visiting

Lizzie goes visiting once in a while.  She has good friends at the nursing home in Plains (about 40 miles east of us), and she likes to go see them on Tuesday afternoons.  So I drive her down there and watch her work the hallway.

She loves to see these folks, and they love her.  We'll go from room to room, and she'll jump up on a patient's bed if she's invited.  The patients enjoy just watching her, feeling her warmth, stroking her, and reminiscing about the dogs they used to have as kids.

I'm not sure she understands how much joy she spreads when she visits them.  But I do know how much she gets out of it herself.

This little pit bull, who came to us via a Safeway parking lot puddle four years ago, has brightened many lives.  I'm very proud of her.

Don vs. Tasty: Don Wins

"Tasty" is the name of every buck who shows up on our property.  The does are all named "Sweetie."
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With about two weeks left in this year's season, Don had come up short one buck on all his hunting expeditions.  Fortuitously, "Tasty" himself wandered through our 41-acre property one day and Don nailed him.  The shot was clean, death was instant, and Tasty was promptly dressed out and delivered to the local butcher.  He yielded about 110 pound of absolutely exquisite meat--the best venison I've ever had in my life.  It tastes more like beef than wild game.  Really.

We attribute much of his good flavor to the way he was taken.  Augustus McCrae ("Lonesome Dove") would have said, "Yes sir, he died fine."

Welcome, "Women of Shooters Supply"

Don, Christina and Judy

Judy Pearson and Christina Ashbaugh came from Yakima to see us in October.

Judy is Jim Pearson's wife.  Both she and Jim have been dear friends of ours for several decades.  Christina is a good friend of Judy's, and also a former long-time Shooters Supply employee.  We were delighted to see both of them for a few days, and this was a first visit here for both of them.

Christina worked in Don's office at Shooters Supply.  She had lived and worked through the daily trials and tribulations Don shared during the building of our house here.  Those were stressful days back at Shooters Supply, involving lengthy phone conversations with the contractors here in Montana, and frequent long weekends when Don and I would escape to Montana to oversee the building project.  Christina was there through it all, listening to--and sharing--Don's frustrations.

"It's nice to see the finished project," she said while visiting us, "especially after living through all the day-to-day stress with you.  It all finally seems real now."

A Visit from an Old Friend

Peg Holloway is 96, but you wouldn't know it to look at her.  She still drives to and from church and the  food bank in Clarkston, Washington (where she volunteers several times a week), and she climbed in and out of our horse-drawn cart, without assistance, when she visited us here at Shorthorse in October. 

Peg and her late husband Marv were family friends of the Mannings when Don was growing up in Pomeroy, Washington.  Marv worked for the Forest Service.  The Holloways and Mannings spent  lots of time together camping, fishing, hunting, and playing in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington.

We've stayed in touch with Peg over the years and encouraged her to come visit us here n Montana.  Don's sister Martha finally made it possible when she drove Peg up to see us this past October.  We got to spend three great days in the company of both Peg and Martha (who now runs a bed and breakfast in Pomeroy).

While they were here, I was honored to take Peg for a couple rides in our horse-drawn cart.  Peg said it was like going back to her childhood in eastern Oregon, when horses and buggies were the only means of transportation.

It was great to have Peg and Martha visit us!  Ironically, we forgot to ask these special guests to sign our guestbook...which means they'd better come back in 2011 and do it!

The Sign Is Finally Up!

In 2006 we purchased a custom-made sign from J. Dubbs in Ellensburg.  The sign was our "logo" of Shorthorse, our place here in Montana.  We'd decided that, instead of the traditional log arch over our driveway, we'd just find a big rock and face it with this J. Dubbs sign.

It didn't happen until today, four years later, but it's been worth the wait.  The "Shorthorse" rock at the end of our driveway is now in place.  It needs a little landscaping and spiffing up, but basically it's THERE now.

The rock fortuitously came from right across our road.  The neighbors, Jim and Kathy Hill, were gracious enough to let us dig it out of the embankment next to the road.  Actually, the guy who did the excavating was Jason Hill, who does it for a living and makes his home about a mile from our place.

Don didn't have any trouble drilling holes in the rock to mount the sign.

No one should have any trouble identifying our driveway anymore!

Night at Gem Peak Lookout

Continuing our new summer tradition (started in '09), we spent a full-moon night at another Forest Service lookout in the neighborhood in late July.  This year we went to Gem Peak, about 25 miles from home (as the crow flies), northwest of our place.  Like so many others, the lookout is no longer manned but is available for nightly rentals by the public.

We made our reservations on-line with the Forest Service back in February (you have to make them at least  180 days out), reserving a mid-week night with a full moon in July.  We packed our bags, a cooler, and one dog (we took Lizzie and left Angus with a housesitter) and headed up the mountain.

The weather upon arrival was mixed.  Within an hour of getting unpacked in our home three stories up, the storm hit.  The clouds swirled around us up there on the mountaintop, blowing mist in and out.  We got some thunder and lightning and a bit of rain.  Then it cleared up enough to see the full moon rise over the Clark Fork River far below.

We slept well, and awoke with glaring sun in our eyes (sunrise comes early on a mountaintop).  After breakfast, we headed back to civilization, stopping along the way to pick some huckleberries.

Hooked on Agility

Lizzie and I have taken the plunge from casual agility competitors to serious, hardcore agility athletes.  Not sure when it happened, but I discovered my little pit bull's amazing talent to work with me (or in spite of me) in this sport, and we've suddenly gotten serious.  Agility now shapes our days here, from working with the Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club, to training the 4-H kids for the fair, to pursuing our own competitive highs in trials around Montana and eastern Washington.  The camper we bought last fall has gotten some good workouts, since it's the home away from home for Lizzie and me when we travel to weekend trials.

I'm actually considering going to Yakima for the three-day agility trial there in October.  There's not much else that could get me back to Yakima, but the thought of competing on the old home turf of Fullbright Park (in Union Gap) once again is somewhat appealing.  If we go, I'll also swing by our old neighborhood out in the Ahtanum, and see if I can glean some apples off  "Uncle" Kenny Bates' trees.

Thus far this year, Lizzie and I have gone to agility trials in Spokane (twice), Lolo (twice), and Moscow, Idaho, and we've done well at all of them.  We have a trial coming up in early October in Helena, followed by Yakima two weeks later.

Visitors!

We have been blessed with lots of company this spring and summer.
 Among our visitors:

Barb Madsen (Yakima), Kate & Fred Riebe (Ellensburg), Bob Sears (Clinton, MT), Dusty Rosenthal (Yakima), Rollie Taylor (Yakima), Larry & Kathy DeMoss (Yakima), Christine Canter (Kennewick), Bob Rains, finally (Yakima), Jim and Jeannie Cassatt (Yakima), Teresa Bron (Granger), Jacki Cacchiotti (Yakima), Jim Pearson (Yakima), Tom Moore (Yakima), Dusty Rosenthal (Yakima), John Jay (Milton-Freewater), Jim Reddick (Yakima), Charlie Reddick (Yakima), Bob and Shirleen Jones (Grandview), Dale and Sheila Fosjord (Billings).

We've been delighted to see our old friends and share our new home, and we hope to see many more this fall and winter! 

The guest room is always ready and the pantry and bar are stocked!

The Driving Clinic

Friesians....they're big, black, beautiful horses with thick flowing black manes and tails and  "feathers" on their legs.  You've seen them in movies, usually ridden by knights or mythical beings.

We were graced with three Friesians in our pasture back in July when my friends Teresa Bron and Jacki Cacchiotti (from central Washington) brought them over to present a three-day "driving clinic" to local horse enthusiasts.  Two of the horses belonged to Teresa, and one to Jacki.

They arrived on a Thursday evening.   Friday morning the three of us went for a two-hour trail ride on these massive yet graceful horses.  It was my first time on a Friesian; till then I'd only fantasized about riding (or owning) one.  "Durk," Teresa's nine-year-old, was my horse for the weekend.  Teresa rode "Micah," and Jacki rode her horse "Fabio."

Friday evening Teresa began the clinic at the local arena, with about seven eager students.  The clinic continued on Saturday and Sunday, offering everyone the chance to drive the Friesians behind a two-wheeled cart.  As frosting on the cake, many of us had another chance to ride them around the indoor arena.  These three huge black horses stirred up some dust and made the ground shake!

We hope to host Teresa and her husband Will, and hopefully Jacki too, some time next summer in another driving clinic.  Teresa and Will drive and exhibit all over the western U.S. and are gaining quite a reputation on the show circuit, so hopefully we'll be able to find a time when they can treat Sanders County to another weekend of Friesians!  Meanwhile, we extend a heartfelt "thank you" to Teresa and Jacki for giving us a wonderful and educational experience.

Huckleberry Festival 2010

Last year Don came up with the idea of a "Huckleberry Homesteader Pentathlon" for the annual Huckleberry Festival in Trout Creek.  The festival features arts and crafts vendors from all over the west, and has been held every August for 31 years.  Don thought it would be good to offer an activity that involved everyone visiting the festival, so the "Pentathlon" was born.

It involves 5 timed/scored events:  pounding nails, pumping water, shooting an AirSoft pistol, casting a fishing line, and sawing a log.  The Homesteader Pentathlon booth was one of the most popular events at the Huckleberry Festival this year, so Don is probably hooked into doing this every year from now on.

Meanwhile, right next door to Don at the festival, our Huckleberry Hounds Agility Club hosted a "fun match" and public demo.  This was our third year to be invited to the event, which was great exposure for our sport of dog agility.

We had help at both our activities from friends from central Washington:  Bob Rains, Christine Canter, and Barb Madsen.

I tried my luck in the Huckleberry Dessert contest again this year, after taking second place two years ago.  But my recipe for huckleberry buckle didn't place, so Don and our guests got to eat the results.  If I do say so myself, this year's entry was even better than the last one I entered!

Weather was tremendous and everyone was happily exhausted at the end of the three-day event, held Aug. 13-15.

Angus grows

Here it is September 1, and little Angus isn't little anymore.  At just five months he's huge--tall and rangy--and due to be snipped on Sept. 22, his six-month birthday.

He is an exceptionally sweet boy with a strong will to please.  He doesn't do the things that so many Labs do...like dig, chew on siding, jump on people, play-bite, bark incessantly, chase shadows, eat rocks, etc....nor does he retrieve very much.  Hmmm.  He's improving in that category, however, as Don works with him.  He is not ball-obsessive, thank goodness...in fact, he doesn't have any obsessions at all, which is wonderful.  He will retrieve happily and obediently three or four times in a row, and then we quit before he gets bored with it.

He also loves to swim (finally).  I had to get in over my head to prove to him it was safe, but once he discovered his own buoyancy he was fine.  He's very good at retrieving from the water.

Angus did suffer a mishap that nearly cost him his tail back in July.  One of the horses went after him when he was sneaking a horse turd out of the corral.  The horse bit his tail so badly the vet was afraid he might lose it.  Fortunately the tail mended and Angus gained a healthy respect for the horses.

Lizzie and Angus get along famously.  Lizzie's a bit peaved Angus has gotten bigger than she is, since she can no longer boss him around as easily.  But they're bosom buddies.

Angus Update

Angus is now 11 weeks old.  Everyone thinks their own kids are brilliant, but I've had enough "slightly dim bulb" dogs to know when one is exceptional.  Angus is one nice little boy.

He is amiable, eager to work, and totally non-defiant.  He knows basic obedience commands and has better moves than many adult dogs I've trained and shown in obedience competition.

Housebreaking is coming along on schedule.

He and Lizzie get along famously.

While I'm doing the obedience training, Don has started on the hunting training.  Angus isn't a "high drive" dog, which means he'd just as soon play or take a nap as fetch a training dummy.  But he has a lot of growing and learning ahead of him.  We are actually pleased he's as laid back as he is, since he'll make a much better family member/companion dog the way he is.

Angus at 8 weeks

In his eighth week of life, Angus is already promising to be exactly what we had hoped for.  He's sensible, fairly calm, inquisitive, eager to please, not too emotionally sensitive, unflappable around just about everything, and not bratty.  For this package, we thank Terry and Laurie Scott (the breeders) who raise physically and emotionally sound Labradors.  We thank the early training and exposure to stimuli at Scotts' house during those first 49 days.  Personally, I also thank my lucky stars.

Angus is doing exceptionally well in his "home schooling."  He's learned not to play-bite or jump up.  He's learned to COME (and sit in front), he's learning STAY, CURB (don't rush thru doors, etc.), and is learning DOWN and LEAVE IT and LET'S GO.  He also walks very acceptingly with a leash.  He sleeps quietly through the night in his crate (in our bedroom).  He eats 3 meals a day, and takes a 1.5-mile walk every morning with us to go get the paper.  He's been swimming and has shown that fetching agrees with him.  He's been around a ton of healthy, vaccinated dogs and lots of people. His big sister Lizzie, the pit bull, is a wonderful mentor/playmate for him.

Don has a buddy once again to sleep at his feet in the living room or rest on a mat out in his shop.  Today Angus "helped" him rototill the garden by following along behind him.  It reminded me of that hokey old Walter Brennan song about "Old Rivers and Me."

Sanders Sippers: Bourbon Night!

Eleven of us gathered at the Shorthorse bar last night to sample and learn about Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

We started the warm-up act with traditional frosty Mint Juleps.  Next came the main course of food:  barbecued pork (with whiskey sauce), cheese grits, cole slaw, corn muffins, and bourbon pecan tarts.

Dessert was, of course, the headliner:  Bourbon!  We sampled:
Makers Mark--got rave reviews from everyone.  Smooth, tasty, well balanced.
Wild Turkey--whoa!  At 101 proof, it tasted as strong as it was.  Okay if you can handle the bite.
Russell's--Surprise!  We'd never even heard of this one till Deb Oliver who owns D&D Liquor suggested we try it.  Unanimously great reviews!  Super smooth, with a little less kick than Makers Mark.  Close to the same price too.
Buffalo Trace--another fun discovery.  The bottle was appealing, so we got it.  Buffalo Trace is not as smooth as Russell's, but very sippable, with an interesting long, very sweet finish, almost like a blended Scotch.
Rebel Yell--nothing wrong with this one either, but definitely less smooth and distinctive.
Early Times--Eeugh!  Bottom shelf.  I'll use this one for cooking.  Acceptable if that's all you have, or if you're out roughing it.  But if you order bourbon in a bar, spend a couple more dollars and ask for something that's truly outstanding.  You would not believe the difference...until you taste them!

The scores:

1.  Makers Mark

2.  Wild Turkey

3.  Russell's

4.  Buffalo Trace

Angus comes home

On May 10 we drove back to Helena to pick up Angus, now 50 days old.  He weighed 14 pounds.

Meet Angus Manning

Angus is a 4-week-old pointing Lab puppy from Foxhaven Kennels in Helena.  Angus is ours, but we won't be taking him home till he's 49 days old, which will be in three more weeks.  Today we made the four-hour drive over to Helena to meet him.

This is primarily Don's dog/buddy/hunting companion.  He's wanted a Lab, specifically one that points, for a long time.  At 4 weeks Angus doesn't show much real personality yet, other than being extremely laid-back and a bit chunky (8 1/4 lbs.)  The laid-back disposition should make him very compatible with Lizzie.

Irish Whiskey Night

Sanders County Sippers celebrated St. Patrick's Day a day late at the Mannings'.  On Thursday, March 18, 12 of us gathered to sample and learn about Irish Whiskeys.  We featured:

Jameson

Bushmills

Redbreast

Powers

They finished in this order of popularity:.

1. Redbreast (smooth and rich, long finish)
2.  Jameson (good, but not as good or expensive as Redbreast)
3.  Powers (VERY comparable to Jameson and several $$ cheaper!)
4. Bushmills (tasted like colored water compared to everything else)

As accompaniments we had corned beef on home-made biscuits, plus Irish Butter Shortbread Cookies (pictured above, in Waterford crystal, compliments of Christina Ashbaugh!  Thanks, Christina, we proudly use it all the time!!!)

We finished the evening with a classic Irish Coffee....

• Pour strong, hot coffee into mug
• Dissolve 2 tsp. cane sugar in coffee
• Add 1 oz. Jameson
• Top with frothy floating cream, gently poured over the back of a spoon.

To prepare cream, shake heavy cream just until it is barely "pourable."  Add a dash of Licor 43 (Mexican vanilla liqueor) for flavor and sweetener.  I had no Licor 43, but used Kahlua instead, and it was sensational.

I'm not a big fan of Irish whiskey, but this Irish Coffee recipe is an absolutely decadent treat at evening's end!

One downside to this spirits education we're giving ourselves:  we really, unfortunately, CAN tell the difference between the good stuff and the cheap stuff, and will never be quite satisfied with bottom-shelf again.  However, consider that a bottle of really good spirits will be sipped and savored over a year or two, rather than masked and quickly guzzled in mixed drinks.   It's worth paying $10-$15 more for a bottle of great product.  Life is short, after all...too short to waste on inferior anything!

A Hot Time in Trout Creek!

Don is now a "roady."  I am now a"performer." Amazing the new roles we have begun learning in the past two years here!

Last Saturday night we took part in the Trout Creek Gala Event of the Year...the fund-raising comedy show to benefit the local animal shelter.  This was the fourth year for the event, which we've attended annually, but this was the first time I actually performed as part of the cast.  About 16 local folks, all with varied comedic and theatrical talents, got together to produce a splendidly entertaining show.  The room at the Lakeside Resort was set up to hold 160, but nearly 250 bodies scrunched into the standing-room-only show.

Each eight-minute act was a take-off on a TV show.   Our audience got to watch "Dragnet," "All in the Family," "The Honeymooners," PBS opera, "Trout Creek Gots Talent," and (my act) "Hee Haw."  Dave Oliver, our good friend and professional entertainer extraordinaire, paired up with me for a Buck Owens/Roy Clark skit.  In true Hee Haw form we sang "Where, where are you tonight," (complete with spitting in each other's faces at the end of the song), we told cornfield jokes, I sang and yodeled my creation of "Into the Dog Pen" (to the tune of "Under the Boardwalk,") and we ended our set with a wild fiddle hoedown.  Dave accompanied me on his guitar.

After the show, the cast retired to the Naughty Pine Saloon next door and closed down the joint.  What a hoot!

And Don's role in all this?  First, he helped write "Into the Dog Pen," he coached Dave and me in practice, he spent half a day moving and setting up stage, lighting and sound equipment, endured a dress rehearsal, and spent the "morning after" tearing down and packing up the stage.

Oh yes, and he also drove me home after the cast party....good thing, because I never would have made it out the door without him!

"Lonesome Dove Day" in Thompson Falls

It had long been a dream of mine to see the original TV mini-series "Lonesome Dove" (first shown in 1989) on a full-size theater screen.  Apparently I shared that dream with a few others, because we made it happen today at the Rex Theater in Thompson Falls.  A small but enthusiastic first-time crowd of 23 turned out at 11 a.m. to see all six-plus hours, shown straight through except for a one-hour lunch/eyeball break in the middle.

 Sponsoring the event was the Rocky Mountain Rangers cowboy action shooting club from up the road in Noxon.  This is is Don's cowboy shooting club, and they're a fine bunch of folks.  Joining them at the theater today were cowboys shooters from Missoula, Kettle Falls, Wash., and some locals from Thompson Falls.

We decided beforehand to donate any proceeds to the Sanders County Sheriff's Office fund for the care and feeding of horses it has rescued.  We took in enough to make a nice little donation.

Next year we may try this feat again, with more regional advertising to draw outsiders.  Maybe we'll look into getting some good musical entertainment for a dance after the show.  The possibilities are endless!

The real "Galt's Gulch"

In Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged, there was a secret town in Colorado called "Galt's Gulch."  The residents were the most brilliant artists, performers, scientists and industrialists of the socialistic society they'd gladly left behind.  They reinvented their own money exchange, which was based on gold.  They offered their services to one another at subsistence rates, and frequently bartered.  Sometimes the services were voluntarily shared with others at no cost.  The system promoted individual achievement, and the town's hand-picked residents were motivated to work hard and produce excellence in all their endeavors.

Sanders County, Montana, is a "Galt's Gulch" of sorts.  The longer we live here, the more brilliant people we discover who have dropped out of the world and settled into a quiet existence in this very unassuming and unpretentious valley.  Nobody flaunts anything here--not wealth, appearance or background.  The person sitting in the booth behind you at Minnie's Cafe could be a retired nuclear physicist or former Broadway choreographer.  They're all wearing flannel shirts, jeans and Carhartt jackets now.  They all drive dirty pickups with dogs in the cab.

There's a guy who--unlike Al Gore--really was instrumental in the invention of the Internet.  He's lived all over the world and is a wealth of stories and knowledge.  Now he spends his time building or repairing saddles, for next to nothing.  He likes the work.

There's another guy who was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton for seven years.  He's just a regular member of the community now, although I can't look at him without feeling deep emotion and awe.  He's shared his stories of what real torture is.  How he can live a normal life after seven years of that is beyond my comprehension.  He will tell the story if you ask him, but otherwise blends into this eclectic community. 

There's an 83-year-old woman who's the world's best "tatter."  She's a true artist with her shuttle.  She hosts several yearly seminars, which draw tatting devotees from all over the country.  She feeds and houses up to 30 tatters for each seminar, and she does it without any compensation at all.  She simply wants to share her knowledge with those who seek it.

There's a reknown gunsmith (I bet you know him) who offers his services for next to nothing.  Yesterday a guy called, wanting Don to look at his gun, which was giving him fits.  He drove down to the house and Don fixed him up in about 10 minutes.  Basically his scope needed adjustment.  The charge:  $3.

There's a woman whose musical background is from Juliard.  She's done operatic arrangements and choreographed dances on Broadway.  She offers her services freely now, to whoever wants to learn to sing or dance.

There's a guy across the river from us who used to play guitar and piano with some of the top rock'n'roll and jazz groups of the '60s.  Arthritis has slowed him down now, but he can occasionally still be convinced to pick up an "axe" if it's for a good cause, like a musical fundraiser for the local animal shelter.

We have a friend--our Realtor, in fact--who played professional music for 12 years.  As an emcee, comedian and entertainer, he's as good as they get.  You'll see him donating his services to groups all year long.

There's the Master Gardener down the road, who freely shares her knowledge with those who seek it.  The accomplished woodworker next door, who can exquisitely craft anything you can imagine, and will charge very little for it because he does it for his own enjoyment.  The nationally recognized dog trainer who donates her services to those who can't pay.  The phenomenally successful water witcher who will find you a well and charge nothing.

Compensation comes in other forms besides an exchange of currency.  Jams, preserves, fresh baked goods, firewood, and good deeds done "in turn" seem to work out very well here in "Galt's Gulch," where extraordinary people have chosen to live quiet lives with like-minded believers in the production of excellence.