Titled "WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER...WORKATION"

Here I am!  Im finally writing an update!

We're going on an adventure! 

I have been procrastinating. 

Mr. Foresterman says though I cant call it procrastinating 

unless I finally do what Im procrastinating about. 

So look, I was actually procrastinating all that time and now Im finally doing that thing 

I find so hard to do when I just want to role play "slug" 

I WAZ PROCRAZTINATING!

Prior to role playing as a slug this past month, 

I used this as my motto for a bit -  

"either write something worth reading

  or

 do something worth writing "

      - benjamin franklin

I was doing a whole lotta something worth writing about. Really.

I know you know this but I need to make sure we all know what we be knowing here.

Got that?  

We own our Consulting Forestry Business. 

We arent exactly retired, because we are young (cue Pat Benatar!) 

and someone needs to take care of. All. The. Stuff.

   

Our work pays the bills, 

and it isnt supported by any rich relatives, 

talking horses or hidden treasure...

not yet.  

Anyhow, what we were doing up until the 

beginning of August was

Timbercruising in the Black Hills. 

Heres some photo proof -

It was dress like "fidel castro" field day.

Mr. Foresterman likes to have these days so I have something to look forward to,

especially when the woods looks like this -

Work aint exactly a walk in the park.

I do once in a while threaten to call OSHA,

except the cell reception is bad.

"Suck it up, Buttercup" 

has become a mantra for me.

Better then trying to run away,

because

"woods"

*shrug*

Our golfball sized hail attractant traveling dog and people home.

There is this story that needs to be told...

Okay. Enough of work for now. But not really...we have another USFS contract in the works, so back in the woods we go this month...hence slug role playing RIGHT NOW. Knowing what is involved with our work, having time out doing slug-like activities is on top of the do-list for me RIGHT NOW. Slugging on. yep. 

We then got in some visitation from our Wisconsin Daughter and her man...and our granddog, Sparty. We got to babysit our granddog for the first time, and we loved every minute of it.  Im pretty sure he gained a pound or two from grandma's treats...But we had fun !

Heres photo proof -

Sparty learned how to swim at our local fishing hole!

And Ranger learned that he needed to swim faster then his nephew 

if he was to retrieve the frisbee...

Actually, Ranger doesnt look like he having too much fun there...

but hey, my daughter got to take my Mustang for a spin!!

My Soninlaw David took this photo.

I think he should take lots more...!

Here Ranger got to the beef bone before Sparty did.

Ranger works better on land than under water.

But it didnt matter,

Because Sparty is a happy sort of guy!

Then it was the other Daughter and her man's turn to visit with us.  We did that at Chico Hot Springs, in Pray, Montana - my favorite place to go and dip in hotsprings and eat and hike and fish...

Heres photo proof of that - 

Here our guys are chasing us up the hill after a Steak & lamb chop meal... slowly.

Chico not only has an excellent restaurant, but a riding stable, 

dog sled rides in the winter, live bands at their tavern, and of course, 

a natural hotspring pool they empty and refill every day!

And tepees.  They have tepees too!

 Chico Hot Springs is surrounded by the Absaroka Mountain range, 

and the Yellowstone river runs through nearby...

sigh.

...

...

...

Oh yes, where were we?  Well, after I got off of work, I spent the first two weeks of August in Bismarck, North Dakota, in my Daughters & Doc to be Hubby's apartment.  I had lots of quiet time to write.  It was wonderful!  I actually was able to rewrite a chapter that has been giving me troubles in a book im working on.  And I spent time with their cats.

Photo proof - 

The boys watched me as I worked through writer's angst everyday.

There should always be a cat on standby for that.

I dont know if they rent these specific cats out, but dang they were good.

Speaking of cats, when i was ready to come home, I found out exactly what Mr. Foresterman was doing while I was gone....

Incriminating photo proof-

As long as Ranger didnt try to retrieve the bait he just casted out, 

Mr. Foresterman was good to go

 

  Little ones got tossed back to grow up...

and the big ones tasted reaaal good.

Channel Catfish soaked in milk for an hour, 

then double battered dipped and fried in walnut oil.

yum.

So I was pretty much okay for his clandestine fishing.

It was also dry this year.  Normally we hay approx. 80 acres in July, but this year, there was no growth.  No growth meant there was not enough rain at the right times. Not enough rain meant fires.  We did have a few around us; the closest one was 3 miles, and Mr. Foresterman was fighting fire for a bit at this one at the neighbors ranch to the south.

Heres faraway photo proof -

This one was the one that was 3 miles away.

We ended up with quite a bit of smoke 

in our valley from other fires 

that were west of us.

 The end result was beautifully tragic sunsets 

from all the fires,

including the ones in Washington, 

and the west side of Montana.

Since it was a poor growing season, 

we have let the horses out so they can 

eat all. the. things. 

Except they chose do it all 

around. the. house. 

I dont have a fence up yet around the house, 

as we are still working on it from the 2012 fire...

so my horses have become perpetrating peeping toms.  

Needless to say, Its been freaking all of us out.

Nasty photo proof -

Mustangs hate dogs.

You be in trouble, dog.

And poor Georgy wonders if it will ever be safe to go out again...

Hopefully we will have a fence up soon, 

after we get done with this housework

 before we go back to work.

We have his and hers scaffolds.

Heres working photo proof -

His.

Outside and stucco'ing the damaged dormers with a specially prepared concrete.

They will never burn now!

BWAHHHHHHAHAHA!

Hers.

The roof was damaged from the fire, even though it was steel.  

Things like insulation in the vents melted.

Water seeped in, and guess who knows how to patch drywall?

I am the drywall queen, young and sweet and only sluggishly mean...

?

!

Finally, We have also been social butterflies.

We arent just friendly, we're lonely.

But its been lotsa fun catching up with the neighbors!

(whom we all know within a 20 mile radius...really.)

In the last month we have been to 

one ranch picnic,

one Sayle hall dance,

and of course,

the annual fall community auction!

Want to see what I scored this time?

Of course you do!

Photo scorin' proof -

I picked up these DVD's so we can watch Deadwood

in our golfball sized hail attractant traveling dog and people home

on my laptop in the Black hills where we are working,

after work!

$5 bucks for all our viewing pleasure!

And

a free bonus for my run on sentence!

Whatta deal!

Then theres this-

 Mister loaf breadmaker 

to replace the one I dropped on our concrete floor

(please let me watch Sparty again!)

for only $1.00 !

and this...

$2.50.

I had a weak moment.

But dammit, it comes with its own gravy ladle too.

But these next two items I got for free,

since a nice lady didnt want an extra box 

(the auctioneers were lumping boxes together)

so that makes up for my weak turkey moment....

A yellow and blue spongeware bowl, no markings.

anyone know its birthplace or age?

and

these butter holdin' crabs

made in Czechoslovakia.

CRABS!

How could I pass them up?

FREE CRABS.

  But really, this next bid

was the cat's meow for me.

A Hereford Brand Tex Tan, 

Yoakum, Texas

Western Saddle

good fleece,

no tears,

15 inch seat,

Fancy tooling....

For $50. 

Yep.

BOOM!

*drops mic & walks to the scaffold to sluggishly patch ceilings*

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Edited to add: Today, September 21, 2015, The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council were in unanimous decision to oppose the proposed Tongue River Railroad!!!!!!     Such wonderful news !!!!  :) 

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