WOO-HOO! NEW STUFF!

A new decorative shelf for the farm kitchen

It's summer and we have plenty to do. The back-packers returned Tuesday (August 3) from their three-day, two-night excursion into the Boulder and White Cloud Mountains in "the wild heart of Idaho." Son Clint returned to his home in Hagerman while Mike, Nick and Hallie came on to the Frog Ranch where I was waiting with a pan of lasagna for dinner. I have never seen so many mosquito bites! We've been cleaning camping gear, playing croquet, exercising in the sun, and sitting up late to watch the night sky as the grain ripens in the fields all around.

I seldom buy new things for my house. For one thing, I have a lot of old things and that makes it hard to justify buying more. For another, I am not confident of my ability to decorate my home, but I resist asking an "expert" to tell me what to do. And I'm careful about what I spend: I don't want things to be cheap but I also don't want them to be so expensive that I'm stuck with them forever. Believe me! I don't part with things easily.

Recently, though, this cute little shelf with "doorknob" hooks caught my eye at Pier 1 Imports. I didn't buy immediately, thinking that if I showed the shelf to Mike, maybe we could make one similar using old doorknobs here at the farm. Then Hallie sent a message: "If you want that little shelf, you'd better check into it. They are on sale now." By the time I was able to shop, just one of the shelves remained in stock at the Lewiston store, and of course, it had my name on it.

Shirley Anne, American "Farm" Girl, sits beside her new trunk. 

So with great care and as much precision as we could muster, Mike and I hung the shelf on the designated wall in the kitchen just outside the hallway. "That shelf looks great there," Mike would say every time he walked into the kitchen. "What are you going to hang on the hooks?" My plan is to make and hang aprons, perhaps as a means of seasonal decoration. Just one hangs there now – a crocheted number from my mother's collection. I've seen the pattern in vintage crochet books. The plate and cup in the wheat pattern and the clock were leftover from Ina's household. See what I mean about old stuff?

On the same shopping excursion, I bought this little decorative trunk for Shirley Anne, American *Farm* Girl. (Yes, I changed the title of my American Girl doll to better reflect the role I want her to illustrate.) I just couldn't see paying the exorbitant price for a genuine American Girl trunk, so I shopped the "decorative box" department at Ross and eventually came up with this nice little trunk for $20.00. Mike points out that for travel the clasps are not really sturdy enough, so I will make a security strap. The trunk is just a little short. I have to fit the doll in at an angle, but that's okay. KW


 

ONE LAST PRACTICE

“Today’s hike will not be as long but probably more strenuous,” announced Mike as he arose at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday (July 29). “We’re going to hike the perimeter of the farm. Are you coming?”

I love to tramp the perimeter at least once a season. By 6:30 the three of us were out the door – Mike and Nellie wearing their backpacks while I carried the camera.

We’d had a brief rain shower the night before, but initially the grain didn’t seem wet. We soon learned we were only walking in a protected spot. By the time we were 20 minutes into the hike, our left pant legs (on the grain side) and boots were sopped! It was uncomfortable but not cold. We kept moving.

The first photo just barely catches Mike as he makes steady progress along the edge of the field. You can see the elderberry “tree” with the white “fuzzy” clumps that will develop into berries. While this tree looks good, the elderberries here aren’t really accessible. The bushes we use were hit by the crop-dusters spray and don’t look good, a common occurrence according to Idaho Fish and Game. But – we know where we can find some elderberries in a more sheltered location.

I found it tough-going and as I paused to take pictures, I fell farther and farther behind. It didn’t matter. I knew where I was and my purpose was fulfilled – to see this beautiful morning reflected on the landscape. In the distance I could hear cattle lowing. Once upon a time there were animal sounds in this place. I called to Mike and a covey of Hungarian Partridge flushed, taking all of us by surprise, especially Nellie. She stood on point for a long time as if hoping to redeem herself with a straggler. It didn’t happen.

Anyway, Nellie knows a thing or two, and one thing she knows is that she’s not officially hunting. If she were hunting, Mike would have a gun. Eventually she forgave herself this lapse and moved on. Encumbered by her pack, she was nevertheless a good sport.

Here’s a picture of the house and grounds over the top of the barley in the south field. We continued our trek around the perimeter of the homesteads, coming out on Dobson Road. Mike decided to walk out to “Curfman’s corner” to round out his practice session. Miserable in wet jeans, I walked back to the farmhouse. I said to myself that by the time I reached the house, I would be able to see him coming down the lane. This proved to be the case.

I hated to leave the farm on Friday, even though I knew I would return today (Sunday). At this time of year the fields change so rapidly. Turn my back for a moment and I feel out of touch. The barley is quickly losing its green-ness. The wheat is golden brown and looking cooked. Just a few more weeks until harvest. The hummingbirds have drained the feeders, so I made more nectar and refilled them, but they have yet to come. Maybe they’re gone now and won’t be back this season. (Oh! there's one now!) I did so hope they would put on their little show for Nick and Hallie when they come in from backpacking later this week. I gave my little raised bed garden extra water on Friday before I left, but the beans were looking parched and glad to see me. And I picked several cups of raspberries. KW

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

Our first destination for this day was Rocky Point Lookout and required us hauling the 4 wheeler up Highway 12 to the Powell Junction where we would again get on the Lolo Motorway. So after another cold cereal breakfast we were on our way. This part of the Motorway was vastly improved over what we had traveled the previous day. We made good time and after only one wrong turn we made it up to Rocky Point. The lookout attendant had arrived just ahead of us. She stays up there about 5 days at a time and often has her two children with her but didn’t this time. She knew about the geocache which we found quickly. She invited us up in the lookout tower and had us sign the guest book. It’s a great location for a lookout as there were panoramic views in all directions. After looking around a bit we made a quick trip back to the truck having traveled only 18 relatively easy miles in contrast to the day before.

Our next goal was to hike into Jerry Johnson Hot Springs and find a cache that we suspected was going to be a problem because the only 2 finders had indicated that the coordinates were at least 100’ off. I thought I knew where the footbridge was that we would use to cross the river so I didn’t even have my GPSr turned on. After traveling well past the bridge I realized we had somehow missed it. As it turns out the bridge was right in the middle of a road work area where we had been stopped while workers were clearing a slide off the road. I guess I had been looking at the slide and road work when we passed the bridge. So we reversed course and this time parked at a pullout within the work area.

It was about a mile and a half one way hike up to the springs. We had been warned that there might be “nudies” about. We saw one couple that Jack swore had no clothes on but they were wrapped in towels when we saw them. There was, however, a young lady from Holland in a bikini that could have qualified for a Playboy Bunny. The cache was just as difficult as we suspected but we did eventually find it. We posted accurate coordinates so future geocachers shouldn’t have so much trouble.

It was a hot day so it didn’t take long for me to get enough of the hot springs and make my way down to the creek which was only about 50’ away. Besides, that’s where the Bunny was (with her parents). Tenderfoot that I am I didn’t want to walk back to the hot springs so I called to Jack to bring me my boots. He didn’t come but kept protesting but I couldn’t hear what he was saying due to the loud roar of the creek. Finally I gimped my way back to the springs to find that a Jaccident had occurred. He had slipped on a rock and torn the toenail loose on his pinkie. I had a small multitool with me but it had no scissors, just wire cutters. I said, “Jack, this is going to hurt you worse than me”. Actually, I just cut a small portion of the nail back so his sock wouldn’t hang on it. Jack bravely limped the mile and a half back to the truck still ready for more.

The next cache attempt was a real nightmare. The writeup made it sound as if it was an easy cache just down by the river. However, after busting through the brush down to the river we found it was on the other side of the river. To make a long story short we drove a mile or so back to the Wilderness Gateway campground which was across the river and eventually found a trail we thought might lead to the cache. After a laborious hike of a half mile or so mostly uphill we still couldn’t get any closer than 1/3 mile from the cache. Of course, Jack is doing this with a very sore toe. We gave up on that one and I tried to temper my language. The only positive note was that we saw a moose near the trailhead.

Our last cache of the day was way down below Lowell called “Life’s a Beach”. As you would think, it was on a beautiful beach and a family was swimming there. This one took a bit of looking but we finally found it under a tree root obscured by a rock. The hint was “At the base of a fir tree”. Guess what? There are fir trees all over.

We didn’t get back to the farm until after 8:00 where Kathy had a delicious hot lasagna dinner waiting for us.

We pretty much took it easy the next day although we did go over to the Gilbert Cemetery where I gave Jack some supervision in getting my “Gilbert Scale Pine” cache. It’s been there several years but it wasn’t until this year that I felt he was big enough to tackle it. The cache is a jar that hangs about 40’ up in a big Ponderosa pine. As you can see from the pictures, he made it just fine.

We did a little rifle shooting in the afternoon and generally took it easy although I did take a 16 mile mountain bike ride in the late afternoon. I told Jack it was necessary for me to do those things so I can continue to keep up with him for a while. And it’s true.

The next morning we headed into town. I had several caches lined up for Jack so he could reach the century mark. He lacked about 7 or 8 and I had already done all but two of them. The most eventful one was near the river a few miles out of Lewiston. Jack got over anxious and slid down into a steep little ravine. However, the cache wasn’t down there and he didn’t have his hiking boots on so he took forever to get out. What was down there was the mother lode of biting insects. He counted 55 bites and was itching like a man on a fuzzy tree.

Before we took a nice swim in the Snake that afternoon Jack had accumulated 101 caches so, mission accomplished.

We had Jackson at the airport in Spokane for his 6:15 a.m. flight the next morning. If he had nearly as much fun as I did it was a successful visit. M/W

JULY AFTERNOON STORM

Wednesday (July 28) we were out the door right after breakfast. Mike and Nellie continue to practice their backpacking skills while I tag along for the exercise. I laugh to myself that Mike exercises regularly to be able to do this hiking while I call the hike my exercise. We walked up Dobson Road and out Curfman Road toward the cemetery -- just short of two miles. If we had known the distance was short of two miles, we'd have walked a bit farther.

I am so happy to report that the repair I did to Nellie's pack is working well. I simply sewed denim over the top of the fleecy fabric tabs that protect her belly from the buckles. Unfortunately the fleecy stuff acted as a magnet for weed seeds, but the denim does stay clean.

It was a beautiful morning, but in the afternoon the dark sky to the south west announced the possibility of a storm, which brings a different kind of beauty. "I'd better get my bike ride then, " said Mike. (See what I mean about the exercise.) Nellie also let me know that since Mike was riding his bike, we should go for our afternoon walk, despite our earlier hike.


So I took the camera for some shots of the distant storm. Here's a picture of the farmhouse over the top of the barley in the north field.




These pictures just look off across the prairie. I love the grain in the foreground and for miles around with the backdrop of the dark sky. I saw only a few lightning strikes on the other side of the canyon with faint thunder. "Did you hear that?" said Nellie, her eyes asking for reassurance. Nellie doesn't like thunder and lightning. "Come on," I said. "It's way over there."




It's times like this that I wish I knew how to use the panorama feature on my camera. Hmmmm . . . daughter and husband coming for visit. Something to play with . . .



Evening sun through the clouds after the storm. Very little rain came from it. KW

MORE ADVENTURES OF THE DYNAMIC DUO

After a good night’s sleep we got up early and had cold cereal for breakfast. It was just a short trip to where we parked the truck and off loaded the 4 wheeler. Our objective was to find geocaches at 3 lookouts. I had waypoints in my GPSr for all of the roads we would have to take. A good portion of our journey was to be on the Lolo Motorway which has been used for centuries for commerce and trade among several Indian tribes. Our starting point was on Saddle Camp road which was about good enough to take your family auto. I figured the famous Lolo Motorway would be at least as good – wrong. I would not enjoy taking my truck on a good portion of the Motorway. We were in 3^rd and 4^th gears most of the time on the 4 wheeler.

We arrived at Castle Butte Lookout about 9:30 and found the geocache immediately. We were only the 3^rd party and the 2^nd this year to log this cache. We looked around the lookout and area and took a little break before departing.

Our next destination was Indian Post Office Lake which not only has a lookout but a geocache that Ken and I placed there seven years ago. We had to do some back tracking before arriving at the lookout site (the actual lookout is gone) about midday and again found the cache along with a benchmark right away. This cache was placed in 2008 and we were the first to log it. After a brief look around we traveled the short distance back to my cache (Indian Post Office Lake View) which Jack found and logged. We had lunch right there and enjoyed the beautiful view.

After lunch we had to back track a ways west before turning north toward Horseshoe Lake Lookout. We arrived at the lookout site (the actual lookout was long gone here too) in about an hour. The rock formations at this site were absolutely fantastic – very much like something you would see in southern Utah only a different color. Unfortunately, we did not find the geocache. I had seen recent 4 wheeler tracks up to this area and I’m pretty sure the cache was stolen. The same party owned this cache as the other 3 lookouts we visited and they were all well done and easily found.

We arrived back at camp before 5:00 after having traveled 65 rough miles on the 4 wheeler. That gave us plenty of time for a refreshing swim before supper. I had planned on this being a longer day than it was so we had a cold tuna/chicken macaroni dish for supper. Again Jack made us a nice camp fire for the evening. We turned in fairly early and Jack hung his flashlight up in the tent so we read for a while. I slept even better this night than the one before. To be continued. M/W

BACKPACK PRACTICE WITH MIKE AND NELLIE

"I thought maybe you would come with us today," invited Mike. "I can use the company to take my mind off the pain," he laughed. Mike and Nellie are practicing for the upcoming backpacking trip into the Boulder White Clouds area of central Idaho accompanied by Hallie, Nick and Clint. I will stay at home. I am the self-appointed anchor person. When they arrive at the house, my role is to say the important thing: "Go take a shower. Dinner will be ready in half an hour." Without me they would be tired and at a loss to organize themselves and get dinner and I know it.

This morning at Gilbert is cool and overcast, though not cold -- a great morning for a hike.

So, Mike snapped a very excited Nellie into her pack, hefted his pack onto his back, and picked up his walking poles. Off we went. Much of the time was passed in silence. I could think of nothing to say and he was concentrating.


At the corner I stopped to take these pictures as Mike moved on down Curfman Road. I paused for only a few minutes, but Mike was walking with uncharacteristic speed and I eventually had to break into a trot to catch him. At the Belding place we turned back, which would make a hike of three miles. We felt drops of rain -- didn't amount to much.



The wheat is turning from green to amber, and it looks good. A farmer never knows until harvest, but this crop of wheat appears exceptional.



And then, as Mike walked back down "Plank's Pitch," I thought the vista in front of me was beautiful -- the dark clouds over the grain fields on Central Ridge with the sun glowing off the wheat on this side of Little Canyon.

We were glad to be back at the farmhouse. Nellie's pack weighed in at 11.5 pounds, Mike's at 41. That's more weight than either of them will carry on the actual trip.

My sewing? Sunday I made a pouch for the water purification kit embroidered with the "M/W" that Hallie designed for us. I made it of some lightweight polyester fabric we picked up at Jo-Ann's as we left town on Saturday. (I tried to talk Mike into letting me re-purpose a cycling shirt he tore when he wrecked his bike a couple of years ago. "I wear that shirt on the farm," he replied incredulously; "that's a nice shirt!" Well, I tried.) Yesterday I repaired Nellie's backpack. Today? Not just sure yet. Several projects call out for finishing, and so do a couple of machine embroidery designs. Hmmmm.

Yesterday I spend some time working at my dilapidated raised bed garden. It can't be said that we're growing our own vegetables -- not yet -- though the other night we had some spinach I had frozen from the garden in town. Here at the farm I have bush beans and lemon cucumbers coming up well, but the carrots, beets, and lettuce were mostly no shows. Why? Old seed? Some critter? Too late in the season? I don't know. But yesterday I replanted -- beans, carrots, beets, lettuce. We'll see. It's probably too late but I had the space . . . KW

MORE ADVENTURES OF ACTION JACKSON AND THE GETALONG GRAMPA

We picked up grandson, Jackson, from Denver last late Friday evening in Spokane. Saturday we made some final preparations for our adventure and then headed for the farm. The next morning we were off early in the Dakota towing the 4 wheeler heading up Highway 12 along the Clearwater river and later the Lochsa river. Our first stop for a couple of geocaches was in Greer a few miles up river from Orofino. We were successful on only one, however, which was hidden just off the highway toward the river.

We stopped in Kamiah to gas up both the truck and 4 wheeler and then made a stop in Kooskia. We went to a nice park there where Jack found the smallest cache he had ever found. The next stop was a short way up river where we took a Pathtag from a cache. A Pathtag is a collectable enameled decorated coin about the size of a nickel with a small hole in it.

Our main mission for this day was to do an 11 mile hike up Fish Creek and back to find a geocache there. Many years ago Murray and I had backpacked this same route so it was somewhat familiar. I had a belt that would carry two 34 ounce bottles of water and at first I considered carrying just one but fortunately decided to carry two. As it turned out, we could have used four. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Jack drinks water like an elephant.

We started up the trail at 10:30 and it was already very hot. The first two thirds of the trail was in good shape but we could have used a machete for the last third. It is an old well packed trail and nothing was growing in it but there were bushes grown over it that you had to push through. We finally arrived at the cache site a little before 1:00. We looked and looked and looked some more but could not find the geocache. We stopped for lunch and then looked some more to no avail. It was very disappointing but that’s the way it is sometimes. We were already out of water by this time and I was fervently wishing I had brought my water purifier filter along. I cannot remember when I’ve been as thirsty as I was by the time we got back to the truck. We drank our fill of ice water and downed a couple of Dr. Peppers immediately.

We had planned to stay at the Wilderness Gateway campground nearby but after looking it over we didn’t like that it wasn’t really close to the river. Also it was 40 miles from our next morning starting point with the 4 wheeler. So after picking up a couple more geocaches we headed up river. We checked out two river access places but campers were already there. Finally, less than a mile from our next morning starting point we found the White Pine River Access. It was absolutely perfect – room for one campsite (ours) a beautiful beach and a little stream right behind the tent. There was also a little spot to put the trailer. We had complete privacy and a great camp.

I set up the cooker and did a beer butt chicken and vegetables wrapped in foil. It was pretty good but I should have brought more charcoal. We also had a nice swim/bath after setting up the tent. Jack expertly made a fire and after supper he roasted some peanut butter Golden Graham cookies that Kathy had made. I passed on that but he said they were really good. To be continued: M/W