SUMMER PLEASE!

Hello one and all, It's me your favorite blogger and as ususal I am up to all sorts of things and very active... The last blog I was working on my yard and garden, Craig was out of town and the weather was awful. I worked for a few days putting bindings on quilts that I planned to enter in the up coming Quilt Show in Stevensville. I finished a project, which I would consider my best ever...at this time I cannot disclose the project but can tell you it involves 2 different fabrics. Our quilt club does a fabric "challenge" for every show. You get 2 fat quarters ( no a fat quarter is NOT a body part)and the rules are you can make ANYTHING as long as the fabrics are included. Now you will all just have to come to the show to see what I made or wait until after. If I win, I will post the photos of my special project. I do have 7 projects entered and 5 of those still are not 100% complete...I keep telling myself TODAY TODAY! So what am I doing here? Filling you all in on my day-to-day life! So Craig made it back from his male bonding trip to Yellowstone. We had exactly 4 days to rethink, repack and get ready for our next adventure, but first we had to take care of ranch business. The weather was sort of improving, sunnier and no wind so that meant a day of playing hired hand. I get to drive the ranch truck while we bring the herd in for spring shots. We have a very small herd of Herefords. The girls are all very sweet and gentle and provide us each year with beef for our freezer. Yes we do eat our pets...but the ones that end up in the freezer don't have names. The hired hand day consists of bringing in the herd, running each one down a cattle chute and administering shots, foot trimming, new ear tags and just a good going over to make sure everyone is healthy. I love seeing the new calves each spring. The next day I got down and dirty and planted the some more of my garden..this time it was lettuce, spinach, carrots and zuchini..it was nice and hot and got to 80*. Beautiful day for the middle of May. So May 16th we take off on a HUGE adventure....this will be our first actual trip out on Salty, our C Dory. We have been planning this for over a year. Drive out to Anacortes Washington and then boat from there to Friday Harbor, through the San Juan Islands to spend three glorious days on the water. We had so much fun and met some of the nicest folks...there were 43 boats ( all C Dorys)at the function. We were greeted by a welcoming committee at H Dock. Boats from all over Texas. Oregon, Arizona, Idaho Florida and British Columbia and of course Washington. The weather could not have been nicer... We pulled into our slip and immediately had new friends. Everyone could not believe we had 3 dogs with us....on a 22 ft boat. Tess loved sitting on the cooler and watching the world go by. She only jumped out of the boat once (a the dock)and promptly got in trouble for it. Getting out is a big NO-NO unless you are invited out! The 2nd day of our "gathering" Craig wanted to do a short day cruise.. Off we went on a day adventure to Jones Island. The dogs were able to get out stretch thier legs and get a good romp. It was a magical place and the day's perfect weather added to a perfect trip. You have to imagine these places are like water RV parks...boats come, hooked onto a mooring "ball" and sit and relax. Folks are sitting out on their decks with books and cocktails and just watching the world go by. Now it's time for us to go back and go to our Saturday evening potluck with all the other boat owners. Everyone brings a dish. One fellow from Texas entertains us with music and gets to know each other better. We plan to attend next year. Sunday we have to head back. We have checked out many other boats and done our homework about just how to actually campout on our boat. It is going to take putting on the canvas camperback...like this one..That will be this falls' project... Ours will be blue and we also plan to put the higher radar arch on the top so we can also haul our rubber dinghy. So much to do to get us ready to travel and be safe on the water. The camper back will add more "living" space. Keep the dogs safer and just add more to our travels. So after a week of water travels we head back to Montana. We decided it is best to leave Salty in Washington...Too much to do and too little time here in Montana to do boating AND horsey things. Salty is safely tucked away on dry land waiting for our return in September or October to do yet another week of exploring the San Juans. We head home to snow and cold weather... Next we attend our granddaughter's graduation in Kalispell. I cannot believe this wonderful young lady is finished with her high school education ad will be attending MSU this fall. The function was fun and it is always nice to be around family... I cannot continue with out a paragraph on Hadley....AND I cannot wait to see her. She is coming NEXT week to spend some time with her Montana family. And I have big plans for her. Praying the weather will be good so we can do some fun things... I think she is adorable...what about you? The totebag diva....just like her mom.. and she loves to go camping...she's got my heart....what a happy girl! So now it's getting to be June....our weather has been totally awful....cold wind rain but despite the crud I do manage to plant the rest of the garden on June 3...corn, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cukes, tomates, brussels sprouts, spaghetti squash and keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have that last blast of frost... Shoes also go on the horses and all the flowers are planted....I am now ready for summer but only instead we get more rain and cold.....depressing and I am flat getting mad. All I want to do is get outside and do something. On June 7th I get my first wish...the weather is decent so Craig and I load upand get our 1st horseback ride of the year....Are you kidding....June 7th for the 1st ride??? Ok I will take it and quit complaining... June is always very bittersweet for me. This year especially. I have been involved with Montana Mule Days for most of my married life. I volunteer each year to help do what I can. For the past several years I have worked the T shirt booth. Selling embroidered shirts and sweatshirts for the benefit of the club. It is a three day event and working gives me a sense of involvement. After losing my donkeys to old age in the past couple of years I am now out of the actual showing scene. It is very hard to just sit back and watch the fun. So I just sold my last cart...and realize that I really am finished with this chapter of my life......or am I? That will be determined in the next year...stay tuned for details.... So my very last adventure just happened this week. I sometimes wonder if I do too much. I just cannot sit still and guess I work better under pressure. So this week alone I did a 6 1/2 mile ride with Craig on our horses, lunch with the horse group I am riding with and then an all day bike ride on one of the most awesome bike trails in Montana and Idaho....the Hiawatha. a 17 mile ride through 7 tunnels and over 8 train trestles. What a great week it has been. One slight injury a twisted knee from a very uncoordinated bike dismount. I am still mending but looking forward to my next big adventure... Today I stay close to home....yep I am actually staying home, doing my wifely chores...awh you know we all need clean undies... Until next time Be kind and love one another. Life's too short to be crabby!