OMG – IT’S FINALLY SPRING………

And, when I got up this morning it was 8 degrees with fresh snow!!!

My trip from New Mexico to Montana was uneventful – and very pleasant.   I stopped in Sheridan WY to see my nephew one day – it was a very nice visit. My nephew is a highly acclaimed tattoo artist – his art work is outstanding.

I didn’t realize how much I missed Montana until I started seeing the mountains – the Colorado mountains are beautiful, too – but to me, the Montana mountains are special

We drove down the road a bit one day because I needed some willow to repair the farm set.  The creek was frozen over so I gave Tucker a chance to check it out!

    Tucker on ice

 

Shortly after arriving in Belt, we left for Bozeman to visit my cousin’s daughter.  Her place is beautiful – out in the Gallatin Valley, perhaps 10 miles from the foot of the Bridger mountains.

    Bridger mountains

 

It’s a mile from the house to the nearest road – so Tucker gets to run free during the day while we are there – also, there is Booger (dog) and Itty Bit (cat) for him to play with.

 

     Tucker and Itty Bit (full name Itty Bitty Stinky Kitty)

 And the food!   Well, of course there was good food.   We had a huge pineapple upside down cake,  another day we had a coconut pie – Yum!   And toward the end of our visit – Shelley and I started talking about wanting something chocolate – don’t know what happened, but I ended up making a white almond cake – but flavoring it with peach schnaaps – really good!   With Chocolate frosting. – On St. Patricks day, we had corned beef and cabbage, of course.  

We had taco dip one night, hot crab dip another time, and short ribs – gosh, I can’t remember all the good stuff we ate.

One day we were driving on main street – a residential area – headed to the Olive Garden (we weren’t in the outskirts, we were in the middle of town!)  I spotted a deer walking out between houses -   I counted 12 mule deer in the group – the lead doe stepped off the curb, then stepped back – and I swear, she looked up at the light, saw it was green and proceeded to lead the group safely across the street.   12 Deer – in the middle of town!!!!

One day while Tucker and I were out walking, he unknowingly flushed a pheasant – he was about 20’ ahead of me – he switched ends and high-tailed it back to me – I could just about hear him saying, “Mom!, Mom!, Up!, Up!, What WAS that?”   The next day, he was more prepared – and purposely flushed two birds.

Shelley had a large bucket of “Twizzler” type candy.   I grabbed a couple of them and curled up

On the sofa with a book – naturally, Tucker, suspecting I had food was immediately on my lap.  I kept telling him that those were my “bones” and he couldn’t have them.  Then he became protective of them- growling over them, and lying on top of them.  I finally lifted him up and discovered the little twit was swallowing one of them – whole.  I grabbed his jaw and started pulling the end of the twizzler, slowly and carefully, afraid I would cause it to break off – I successfully removed it from his mouth – and he had swallowed fully ½ of the thing! That’s nearly half his own length.

Of course, while in Bozeman, I visited the quilt shops – I needed three more pieces for Angie’s quilt and I found 2 of them (they had another, but I have one picked out on-line)  At the third shop, which is out in the country and on a farm, I picked up some hand embroidery patterns – this will be my new interest – once I get my sewing projects finished.  The setting of the shop was charming – complete with a flock of sheep – which kept Diane entertained while she waited in the car for us.

We chose to leave Bozeman on Wednesday morning because Wednesday night there was a

Wicked storm due.   We were not 2 miles from Shelley’s when we ran into snow – and it continued, getting more intense all the way down, around and through the Bridgers – then, as suddenly as it began, the snow stopped and it was clear sailing the rest of the way to Belt.

Tucker is once again attending church with us – he is so popular with everyone there!  It’s like he knows he must be quiet during the service  – he just curls up on my lap and listens!

    Tucker, on his way to Church

While we were in Bozeman, Diane’s son built a railing around her loft – now I feel much more secure when I’m up there – it is to be my sewing area while I’m here.  Although I haven’t moved my sewing machines up there yet – maybe tomorrow – I can start on some of my projects.  Kit sent me the fabric for the reverse side of her quilt, so I can get started on that.

I’m also gathering, or at least trying to gather info for a family tree – and I’ve started on the Family History book – have to have all this done by mid-July for our reunion.  My mother was one of five siblings – I started with my 4 great -grandparents,  and with I have so far, I have over 200 people documented on the family tree – I have three of the families mostly completed, nothing on one line, and only half on the fifth family – so, there could be another fifty or so to add.

In any event, I certainly won’t have time to get bored!!!

Diane called out to me the other evening to “look at Belt Butte” and this is what I saw – it faded some in just the few seconds it took to grab my camera – but it was an amazing sight anyway.

    Belt Butte

The day I arrived in Belt, I saw some of the deer in the neighbor’s field – but none since then – until this morning -  I counted ten of them in the field down the hill -   it’s almost time for them to start dropping their babies – I’m looking forward to seeing the fawns.

Until next time,

Bear Hugs
Luv n’ Boots n' Tucker n' the Bear

She believed she could do it, so she did!