Gratitude and a bad day...

Okay- so yesterday J went off elk hunting with his boss and since I had the whole day to myself, decided I would go into the big city and look at a piano. So I drove into town (well, got as far as the post office then remembered I should take my Jo-Ann's coupon since I needed 7 yards of fabric to back a quilt and at 40% off, it would be a lot cheaper so I turned around and drove the 4 miles back home and headed out again).

I went to Office Max, Home Depot, Big Bear sports, michaels, costco, scheel's, jo-ann's and then to the piano store. Alas, they were closed as they had gone to Vegas for the weekend. So I went to Albertson's got a few groceries that somehow added up to $177 for a few measly bags and absolutely no meat. Then I stopped at Wendy's to grab a hamburger, extra pickles, no fries no soda as I had a bottle of water. Glanced at my watch and saw I could be home by 1:00.

Started driving home and realized that my cell phone was not with me. I had just stuck my debit card in my pocket all day and had just been carrying my phone in my hand.

So what to do. I went back to Albertson's - "No, no one had turned it in." Back to Jo-Ann's - same answer. Back to Scheels, Costco, and Michaels - no one had turned it in. I knew I had it when I came out of Big Bear so thought it was totally gone.

Now, it was 1:30 - I decided I would drive home and call Alltel to report it missing. An hour and a half of my life wasted and I was really down in the dumps. I had had a bit of a nagging feeling that I should call my cell phone to see if anyone answered but figured clerks in the stores would be too busy and I had set the ringer to meeting anyway so it just rings really low and vibrates. Since I had driven to town through Red Lodge, I decided to go ahead and stay on the interstate and go home the other way.a Get's boring driving back and forth.

I got to Columbus about 2:15 and as I went by my Alltel store, I saw they were open. I went in and asked the girl if she could call my cell phone while I went out to my truck thinking maybe it's in here in these packages somewhere and I just haven't found it. Nope - I couldn't hear it ringing.

I went back into the store and told her I needed a replacement phone and showed her which one. She told me I would have to pay full price for it which was way too much but I wanted the same phone. I told her I don't use it very often and she said that if I found my other phone and the new one had less than 20 minutes, she would buy it back from me for full price. Okay - so she wrote down my old ESN and got the new phone up and running and set up my voice messaging.

She handed me the phone and went off to ring up the bill. Immeditely it popped up saying I had a message. It was from my mom - "call me - some guy said he has your phone". So, I called her and she gave me the phone number and I called back. A guy named Kevin had found my phone in the parking lot outside Jo-Ann's and had been calling a few people to see if he could find the owner. I called and his wife answered. She said they would meet me at the Holiday Station in Billings. I handed the phone back to the clerk who rang up a debit on my card and turned back on my old phone. Then I jumped in the truck and headed the 45 miles back to town.

When I got to the station, and saw all of the vehicles, I realized I should have asked what Kevin would be driving. But as I turned in, a young man in pretty old clothes, driving an old beater pickup, jumped out waving my phone. I asked him what I owed him and he said, "Nothing. It's what I would want someone to do if this happened to me." I thank him profusely and insisted he take the small amount of cash that I had in my pocket. It wasn't a lot but at least something for his trouble. I thanked him again and then headed back home, this time driving through Red Lodge and finally got home about 5.

I unloaded the vehicle and came down and sat for a few minutes thinking about how grateful I was to have my phone (Mainly I didn't want to lose the two little video clips of Jules I have on it) and how Heavenly Father continues to shower me with blessings even though I am not always doing what I should be doing. And I thought of the honesty of that young man and the efforts he put forth to return it.

Sometimes, I get a little put out because I've done something for someone and they don't even bother to say thanks. That is not my sole reason for doing things. I enjoy doing things for people - hearing thank you from them is a bonus to the good feeling I have for being able to do a particular thing. It shouldn't be my ulterior motive and I shouldn't stop doing things for people just because "The last time I did such and such for that person, they didn't even bother to say "THANK YOU". Then I think of all the things my Heavenly Father and my Savior have done for me and I am ashamed that I don't spend more time on my knees pouring out gratitude for those blessings. If they quit doing things for me because I failed to express gratitude, I am not sure where I would be today.

Officially Fall

Well, I guess it is official that fall is upon us - the first of many empty cattle trucks just rattled down the road on it's way to fill up. Time to wean the calves and get them off to market. Good thing its cooled down enough that we will have the windows open and won't hear the mama cows bawling for their babies the first couple of days.

We've gotten quite a bit of rain - 2 inches last weekend and probably another 2 this week. The mountains are starting to turn white again. We are hoping for a good wet winter to quench this dry land. It is pretty sad when the ground is so dry it is cracking everywhere. Even if you dig down 2 feet, it is still dry. The crab apple tree is bowing low with apples so the deer come in everynight to feast. A couple of days ago, 3 little racoons came by and spent the day in the tree - they would eat a while then relax in or on the big magpie nest in the tree. I thought they had gone, but I see they decided to leave a little evidence of their visit last night on the front porch - yuck!

Two weeks from today (and I'm for sure not ready) we'll be heading east to do our antelope hunting. My absolutely favorite time of the year, I think - at least as far as hunting goes. We tried the camping out thing last year and it was pretty miserable so J asked me the other night if I'd made reservations - I had presumed he was planning on camping again so I hadn't. As soon as he mentioned it though, I whipped out my wallet and grabbed the business card I have been carrying around for the past 2 years and made reservations for sure. It does make hunting nicer when you know at the end of the day you can get to a somewhat comfortable bed and even more importantly a shower.

hmm - course, we will be listening to those cattle trucks all night since it's fall - time to move the cattle and every cattle truck seems to go right through Broadus.

Was it real?

Wow - I cannot believe that it was last Monday I drove home from Portland or did I really even go there (good thing I have pictures cause it seems like a dream). About 900 miles, 13 1/2 hours to get home - in that time, I made 2 10 minute stops to fill up the tank and grab some more junk food. All I've done since I got home is sleep and work.

Really enjoyed visiting Alexshuman. The bathroom is still in progress but is a major improvement over the blue and purple. The house is coming along and I love the dark colors in the living room, dining room and entry way.

We spent the first day in Vancouver and went to see Wicked. It was fantastic - if any of you have an opportunity to go, I highly recommend that. Just be sure to get there a little early so you have time to get settled - we got there without too much time to spare so the lights went out before we got G'ma to her seat and it was a royal pain convincing her she could make it down the stairs. That evening, V took us to Jerusalem Cafe for dinner - the food was absolutely delicious. The lemon garlic chicken was so flavorful and tender - yummy.

When we got back to V's, I took Alex for a walk to the Dairy Queen for a small cone. After purchasing the cone, I led her around to the side where "she wouldn't make a mess when the constarted dripping". At least that's what my mind was thinking but what actually happened is in the first bite, she had all of the ice cream off down to the cone, second bit was halfway down the cone (only because I hadn't taken off the paper and wouldn't let her put as much in her mouth as she wanted to.)

On Friday, we went to IHOP for breakfast - the caramel banana french toast is delicious. Then headed south and east - stopped at Timberline Lodge - that is a really neat building. I didn't realize you could get so close to the top of Mount Hood.

Here's a picture of V & G'ma in front of one of the fireplaces in the lodge.


That evening, we spent the night at Hood River and went on the Hood River RR train ride. The sad thing was, you couldn't see a lot out of the train windows and it got dark fairly quickly (the train was probably moving about 10 miles an hour at the most. On the return trip, they did have a Mystery Theater and it had a few funny moments - part of the time I wasn't sure if the people were in character or had checked out of their roles to get other things (such as matches). It was hard to tell what was part of the play and what was a mistake - such as when the bounty hunter exclaimed, "I think I shot him in the wrong car".

The next morning, we drove back through Vancouver and on out west to the ocean. We stopped at Cannon beach and made G'ma hike down the path to the view point. The pointy rock in the background is Haystack Rock.



From there, we stopped at Seaside so I could get some taffy - I ate the last few pieces of the taffy Carter had gotten for Suzy when he went up there so felt I needed to buy some to send down to her. It took me quite a while to pick out what I wanted from the 170 flavors they have - I knew jalapeno was not going to be on my list. I think black widow is probably my favorite as it combines licorice with a cinnamon center.

After eating lunch we headed on north to Astoria to spend the night. Poor G'ma had been eating so much more than she was used to so she stayed at the hotel while we went to dinner. V ordered some steamer clams and they were good, the crab cakes were good also.

Our room was at the Cannery Pier right on the bay so we had a great view. Too bad we were all so tired to really enjoy it.

The next morning, we got up and went to this place called Pig and Pancake for breakfast. They had a whole bunch of different kinds of pancakes. We ate and then drove by a pier to see the sea lions sunning themselves. The piers were filled with them.

Then, we headed back into Portland to take G'ma to the Portland Rose Test Garden (excellent choice V). I couldn't believe the variety of roses.

We went from there back to V's so she could get some rest as she had to work that night. We decided to go eat an early dinner so us 3 girls and Dan went to a place to have sushi - well 2 of us ate sushi and the other 2 opted for cooked food. Yummy - dragon roll and caterpillar.

V went to work and the rest of us went to bed so we could get up dark and early the next morning to get G'ma to the airport. I know we wore her out but hopefully she had a good time too.

HOT! DRY! FIRE!

Here's the latest on the fire from the local newspaper: Fortunately for us, all we are currently dealing with is the smoke.


Story available at http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/08/31/news/state/21-fire.txt
Published on Thursday, August 31, 2006.Last modified on 8/31/2006 at 1:05 am
Towns of Fishtail, Nye under evacuation order
By The Gazette Staff
Hundreds of residents in Stillwater and Sweet Grass counties have evacuated their homes as the Derby fire exploded to an estimated 80,000 acres.High temperatures, low humidity and shifting wind fueled a rapid spread to the east Wednesday afternoon and evening, said fire information officer Pat Cross. That means the fire that began 20 miles south of Big Timber doubled in size on Tuesday and again Wednesday.On Wednesday night, flames were burning to the south of Interstate 90 as far east as Reed Point, while the southeastern flank marched toward communities in the Absarokee area."A lot of the expansion has happened since the afternoon," Cross said. "It burned through most of the night (Tuesday) night, and there's no reason to believe it's not going to do that again (Wednesday night)."A home and two outbuildings were lost on West Bridger Creek Road in Sweet Grass County, said Kerry O'Connell, the county's Disaster and Emergency Services coordinator. She could not provide addresses, and further details were unavailable.Officials in both counties say it's likely that further losses will be discovered.A Type 1 Incident Management Team is expected to begin coordinating suppression efforts this morning.By 11 p.m. Wednesday, emergency officials estimated that evacuation orders had been delivered to more than 150 homes in Sweet Grass County and as many as 300 homes in Stillwater County, including the towns of Nye and Fishtail. Many other homes fell under alerts to be ready to evacuate."The winds are just awesome," O'Connell said. "It's hard to keep up when it goes this fast."Late Wednesday, the fire had jumped the Stillwater River in the vicinity of Midnight Canyon in Stillwater County and had involved the Grove Creek area south of Absarokee and north of Fishtail."We've got high winds blowing from the northwest and moving a 5-mile line of fire to the southeast," Ken Mesch, the Stillwater County DES coordinator, said at 11 p.m. "People are coming into our evacuation center saying they left just as fire surrounded their homes. At this point, I'd say it's very likely (structures were lost) ... but we have no confirmed reports."Tammy Milliken, who was assisting the county's public-information officer, said everything west and south of Absarokee, all the way to and including the Stillwater Mine, was under evacuation.The areas under evacuation in Stillwater County are Meyers Creek Road, Curry Flat Lane, Limestone Road, Cow Face Road, Stockade Road, Spring Creek Road, Stillwater River Road to Johnson Bridge on the east, the town of Nye, the Fishtail area and Grove Creek. Evacuees can check in at the county fairgrounds; livestock may also be brought there.Karen Tyra, the public-information officer for Stillwater County, said the county had also initiated pre-evacuation alerts for areas to the west of Columbus up to I-90. Areas under evacuation alert are Absarokee, Huntley Butte Road, Countryman Creek Estates, Yellowstone River Ranch Estates, Whistle Creek Road, Brumfield Road, Pine Hill Road, Jack Stone Road and Owl Canyon Road.Because the emergency notification system works via land lines, anyone who has received the message is encouraged to contact neighbors who rely solely on cell phones.Areas under evacuation in Sweet Grass County are Hump Creek Road, Mysse Road, Bridger Creek Frontage Road, Stockade Road, Main Bridger Creek Road to I-90 from the intersection with West Bridger Creek, Work Creek, Lower Deer Creek and West Bridger Creek. Later additions covered Pine Hills Road, Dillon Gulch Trail and Homestead Lane.The Stillwater Mining Co. canceled the Wednesday night shift at the Stillwater Mine near Nye because of concerns about travel conditions. The area was also included in a mandatory evacuation order.About 200 employees will be affected. Supervisors will decide at 3:30 a.m. today whether to call off the day shift. Employees scheduled to work today may call 406-322-8777 after 3:30 a.m. to find out whether to report to work.Absarokee schools were canceled today because of concerns about the fire's proximity, said David Huether, superintendent of schools. A girls varsity volleyball match against Red Lodge High School was also canceled. Schools were expected to resume classes Friday.The fire camp used as a base of operations near the I-90 Bridger Creek exit was partially evacuated at 4 p.m. because of encroaching flames, Cross said. Thirty firefighters remained behind to protect four to five houses, Cross said. Other personnel were allowed to return by 9 p.m.I-90 was closed between Livingston and Columbus from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. because of poor visibility. Transportation officials were to monitor the road throughout the night.Despite message boards in Billings and Bozeman, vehicles collected at interchanges in both Livingston and Columbus before turning back or searching for an alternate route, said Jim Stevenson, maintenance chief for the Montana Department of Transportation.Helicopters dropped water on the fire throughout the day Wednesday, and firefighters lit a large backfire on a heavily timbered ridge near Greycliff to prevent the fire from crossing the interstate.Tuesday night was long and scary as winds continually switched direction, pushing the fire randomly. Embers blew across defensive lines and spotted in heavy timber, Incident Commander Glen McNitt told a group of about 100 people at a public meeting in Big Timber on Wednesday morning."It became a plume fire that makes its own weather," McNitt said. "It created its own winds. It even created its own lightning. There was lightning in the plume last night."Fire rolled through canyons, blackening a mile an hour."Considering what we've been facing, it's burning so intense, it's more than most of us have seen in a long, long time, if ever," he said.Firefighters are facing the lowest fuel-moisture levels on record, McNitt said."Kiln-dried lumber has a 15 to 16 percent fuel moisture. Fuels here are down to 8 percent," he said. "They are twice as dry as what you get from a lumber yard."Some residents in the evacuation or pre-evacuation zones stayed put Tuesday and were hoping to hold out through today, which could be the most dangerous day of the fire."We're not going to take you out in handcuffs," Sweet Grass County Undersheriff Jerry Mahlum told those gathered for the public meeting at the Congregational Church. "We are going to ask you to sign a waiver that you've been warned and to let us know the next-of-kin you want notified."The Red Cross was supervising a shelter in the Big Timber Civic Center.More than 400 people were fighting the blaze under the direction of a Type 2 incident management team. Resources assigned include eight bulldozers, 24 fire engines and two helicopters. Two Type 1 Hot Shot crews were also dedicated to suppression efforts.For more information on the Derby fire, go to www.inciweb.org or call 406-932-3113. For local information on the evacuation status, call 322-8051 or go to Disaster and Emergency Services at www.co.stillwater.mt.us.Wednesday's warm temperatures and wind also kicked up the Big Creek fire near Livingston.The fire has burned 12,600 acres, according to the Livingston Ranger District of the Gallatin National forest.A helicopter has been dropping water on hot spots.Two single-engine air tankers were also to drop retardant on the fire's northern perimeter.A public information meeting about the Big Creek and Passage Falls fires will be tonight at 7 at Arrowhead School.Gazette reporters Lorna Thackeray and Lance Benzel contributed to this report. Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

It's just not fair!!!

Okay so here I am in beautiful Montana except that there has been no rain and everything is drying up so you would think that it would be impossible to gather chokecherries as dry as it is. But no, the bushes are loaded and they are a lovely dark purple so I decided to gather some and make some jelly. I've never tried that before but I found a recipe and it's easy enough so I have my first batch of jelly cooling and the berries for a 2nd batch are simmering on the stove.

Yeah fun - great way to spend a Friday afternoon huh? But the highlight of the weekend is actually going to start at 4:15 because that's when John gets home and guess what we get to do then? You'd think we'd get to go out and enjoy the hills, ride the horses, go for a drive or something but no... we get to unload 4.28 tons of grass hay - 89 bails about 96 lbs per bail into the barn. Then tomorrow morning, we get to go into Red Lodge, get another 4 tons and get that into the barn too. So there goes another weekend. :-(

The pasture is so dry that, unlike last year when we were able to leave them on the pasture until mid-October and just kind of forget about them, we have been supplementing their feed since mid-July and within a couple of weeks, will have to start feeding them twice a day.

So, as I finished my first batch of jelly, I decided to give Alex's human a shout and see if she wants me to bring her any. I had taken her a few jars in 2004 but hadn't heard if she liked it or not. She answers the phone on the first ring and where is she - at home slaving away? at home sleeping after a night of working? doing laundry? Not - none of the above, she is at the beach near Seaside having a nice outing with the people from the day care center. She is actually getting to enjoy the gorgeous weather and doing what people are supposed to do on a weekend. Kick back and relax.

Lately they have been running a commercial about Montana on the tv. It shows people driving around with blinders on (all Montanan's of course) Showing just how we are - so busy with our daily lives that we aren't taking time to enjoy the beauty of this state - the reason we really moved up here. Somehow, I have to get my priorities straight - declutter my life of all this stuff that means absolutely nothing and find more time to escape to the outside world and enjoy life.

So here I go, back up to clean the kitchen and get ready to get outside and relax a bit before I turn into slave labor. Have a wonderful weekend.