In a world where you can be anything you want- be kind.

A good friend of mine recently lost his best buddy, companion, ally of many, many years. When feeding the mares yesterday morning, I noticed our neighbor's gelding standing in his usual corner, but unlike always before, this time he was alone. I immediately started to worry.

Timber, the bay, and Red were put into the adjoining pasture to our mares sometime in early Spring of 2018. My ladies were huge fans of the elderly gentlemen, and more often than not, they would maneuver as close as possible to hang with their new friends.

 Wynter, that dirty horse who's supposed to be white! ;), especially loved Red. Wyn is stalled at night, but as soon as I'd release her into the pasture in the morning, she would call to the geldings, and gallop out to greet them. 

I, actually, knew the boys from two previous owners! They were the beloved horses of our county Sheriff! When he and his wife moved, they gave the boys to one of my past preschoolers- a kind, smart, little girl who was just learning to ride. When she grew up and left for college, Red and Timber were given to our neighbors for their grand-daughter's first horses. 

I was thrilled to have them so close- and so were my ladies. The five horses had to feel like they had their own little herd under the best, possible conditions- plenty of food and water and care. It's a good life, for sure. 

But yesterday... Timber was alone.

He was just standing in the corner, staring up the path to his barn... waiting. Alarmed, I ran to the house, and messaged our neighbors. The news I dreaded was confirmed. Red had died suddenly, from an apparent heart attack while climbing the small hill to the barn just days before. I was so sad but I, also, knew from experience how drastically horses can grieve, and I knew that Timber was 28, already on borrowed time. 

I knew because the whole reason we even had Wynter, was because we'd lost our daughter's pony, Koosa, who had been with my mare, Dakota, for 19 yrs. When Koosa died just short of her 40th birthday, Dakota went beserk... running the fence lines, and screaming, until she finally just stood in the middle of her pasture and refused to eat. She was inconsolable. Our little Sheltie, Piper, would go stand with her but I knew she needed a horse companion, and fast! So, Wynter joined our family, and I'll forever be grateful for her. She saved Dakota's life.

Now, I worried about Timber.

We've gotten so much snow this Winter, I've been keeping Journey and Magick in the pasture closer to the house. While they CAN reach Timber and Red's favorite corner, they haven't been. The snow is deep, and they rarely ventured out that far. They have each other, so friends could wait until Spring. I needed to facilitate a meeting.

First, I decided to trek out in the snow and discovered that it was over-my-knee deep. I forged ahead anyway, bringing a tiny treat to keep Timber occupied. 

Frankly, since he's well fed, he was more interested in just hanging out with me, but I hoped that Journey would see him eating, and be enticed to check in with her buddy. Journey loves her food.

Then, I did some juggling. I managed to get Journey in the pasture with Wynter, leaving Maggie in the far field alone. 

My reasoning was that Journey could break a path to Timber that Wynter could follow, and once Maggie saw the other two mares hanging with their buddy, she would break a path out to be with them! 

And it worked. 

For two days now, my mares have kept Timber company.

I know.

I know that no one asked me to love this horse. I know that he has a family that cares for him. I know many people are shaking their heads, and getting a superior chuckle at my expense. I know plenty of people who think animals are lesser beings unworthy and unaware of my efforts.

I don't care. I know they are wrong.

Grief is the final act of love. Where there is deep grief, there was great love. 

And I loved him.... this horse that was never mine.

And I love Timber, and a whole host of animals that cross my path. 

I just kinda roll like that. 

Rest well, Red. We will always love you.

Going Potty

It can be rough around here when you’re an active, inquisitive dog who needs to go potty. I would imagine that MOST dogs go to the door, scratch to be let out, their owners open the door, they run out, go potty and come back in.... right? OR the dog signals they need to go out, the owner clips on a lease, grabs a coat, opens the door, and they go out. Simple right?

Not here. 

Here, I have to check the windows.... Is anything out there? Then, I open the door, making noise, sometimes saying ‘Ooogly Boogly!!! We’re coming out!’ This must happen before I can even think about opening the door and letting the dogs out. With Skye, I like to have her training collar on, just in case I miss something outside, and she takes off. I like to be sure I have a way to get her to stop chasing and come back.

You see, here, there is, more often than not, SOMETHING outside.... a grouse! turkeys! Deer or elk! Sometimes it’s a coyote. Twice in the past 12 years it was a bear.... SOMETHING. Sometimes there are more than one!  Something I don’t want the dogs to chase away, or run after. I always have to check.

If the animal is taking it’s time moseying off into the distance, I’ll try the FRONT door.... and sometimes that works... but, sometimes there’s something ELSE out front! It’s often VERY difficult to wait... but wait we must. 

 

(Look closely at this photo- see the deer outside?)

Eventually, we get it sorted out, and the dogs get their time outside. It takes a bit of effort to live in harmony in rural Montana- but for me, it’s so worth it. 

Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This isn't a recipe blog, per se, but it IS a compilation about living life in rural Montana, and we eat.... so.... there's that. 

and with that said-

A couple of years ago, I bought Bruce an Air Fryer for Christmas! The amazing claims touted on the reviews just cinched it for me. I HAD to have low cal, better-for-you french fries, RIGHT???

The reality for us was a bit disappointing. I, actually, think the french fries I bake in the oven are as good, if not better. *sighs* It didn't seem to cut down on time- We aren't in the habit of using a lot of oil to cook with, so it didn't really cut down on fat consumption... It DID keep the kitchen cooler in the Summer, but it only cooked such small amounts at a time. 

Meh.

AND YET... we have a very dear friend who just SWEARS by his- enough so that I went looking for air fryer recipes, determined to give it another try. 

And I found.....

Air Fried Butterflied Stuffed Chicken Breasts

YUM!!!!

Basically, you take 2 chicken breasts, and slice them lengthwise through the middle but not all the way through. Then, you stuff them with broccoli and cheddar cheese, close them up, and secure with toothpicks.  You are supposed to coat the outside of the chicken with flour, but apparently, I didn't spritz it with enough oil (isn't that the POINT?) so, the flour was just .... well- flour on the outside even when the chicken breast was cooked. Next time, I'll just season the outside of the chicken breast. You really don't need it breaded. I served it with rice and additional broccoli. OH my! it was delicious... very simple, and we'll definitely be making it again! 
Here's the link to the recipe:
https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/chicken/air-fried-butterflied-stuffed-chicken-breast.html?r=1

So- maybe we'll keep the air fryer. I just won't bother making french fries in it. 

Frosty

It’s been a fairly mild Winter this year. Only about 8” of snow on the ground and I don’t think we’ve had a single day of sub-zero weather (unlike 2 yrs. ago when we had WEEKS of below zero temps). But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get a mite nippy once the sun goes down. Our crystal clear skies at night are an indicator of frosty mornings to come.

 

So, I bundle up to feed the horses, and give them a bit of extra hay.

The deer have learned that when I’m feeding the 3 mares, and walking some distance to do so, I tend to drop some stray hay on the ground. When they hear the rattle of the chain on the gates, they appear- watching- hoping. 

 

Every wire, every fence post, and gate is covered with glistening crystals.

The animals are frisky, the cold turning them into smoking dragons as their visible breath wafts slowly skyward. Everything is crisp, and clean, and each step reverberates- crunch, crunch, crunch.

I hear plenty of people grumble about Winter. They dislike the cold, and they are afraid to drive on snow (I TOTALLY understand that. It’s always a concern). As for me, I honestly would hate living somewhere without 4 distinct seasons- somewhere warm all year round. It might be easier to drive, but  I would desperately miss Winters without snow, Falls without intense colors, Springs where the new leaves emerge so GREEN in contrast to the black, bare branches of Winter. I would miss breathing in cold, clean air. I would miss my daily treks to the barn- in all kinds of weather where nothing is ever exactly the same day to day. I’ll take Montana over your easily driveable, over-crowded roads any day. I’m here to stay. ;) 

Black Magic cake

OH! do I EVER have a cake recipe for you! 

It's a moist, from-scratch recipe that's easy-peasy to make!

And OH! is it ever delicious!!!!

Black Magic Chocolate Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9x13 cake pan.

Mix together:  1 3/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Add:  2 eggs

1 cup cold, strong coffee

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat on medium speed for 2 min. The batter will be thin.

Pour into the 9x13 greased pan, and bake 35-40 min. in a 350 degree oven, or until cake is done in the middle.

Let cool. Frost with white or chocolate frosting! 

Here's the link to the website where I found the recipe!

https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/black-magic-cake-best-chocolate-cake-ever-5.html

Enjoy!!!

Incredulous

Yesterday, I was beside myself. A friend of mine, someone in authority, with influence, posted a ridiculous video on FB. It was so outrageous, I was disheartened to think anyone could watch it and not question it... not research it... not consider the source- but here was this person, this intelligent person, totally, and blindly, not only re-posting it, but tagging people to join her in her disgust about something that wasn't happening, and was blatantly untrue.

Unfortunately, this is human nature. It is SO freakin' fun to bash and hate an abstract group- in this case it was California liberals, in other cases, it could be almost anyone. Participating in THEM vs US mentality makes us feel superior- makes us feel like WE are the ones on the CORRECT side- makes us feel smug- so very smug. We are powerful with allies, and it's so much easier to trot out cliches and platitudes and campaign slogans than it is to think and empathize and understand. That's the whole point behind the names, and finger pointing: Snowflakes, Libtards, Tree-huggers, etc. to make yourself feel better, and smarter than the person with a differing opinion. 

BUT I digress... this really WASN'T what I wanted to blog about. Suffice to say, I was dealing with being angry, hurt, and disappointed when I looked outside and saw two of my mares alerting to something in the far pasture. When I pulled on my boots, and walked outside, Journey and Magick were prancing in circles, stopping, queued into to something out of my sight, snorting and pawing before cantering off to a safer distance. What could I do but go investigate? 

I didn't have to walk far before I saw the source of their discomfort- a lovely, young, cow elk.

I'm sure she must have been with others who were safely ensconced in the woods, but I never saw them.

I watched her for awhile before turning for home.

And that's when I heard them.... 

A pair of eagles, sitting in our tree, overlooking the house and barn.

They were magnificent.

As you can see, I couldn't stop snapping photos! 

I started getting a little nervous for our feral, barn cat, Salem. If he strolled out, unaware, these two would have no trouble picking him up for lunch- so, with some regret, I shoo-ed them on their way.

Once again, Wind's Echo had grounded me, calmed me, soothed me. I stood quietly, breathing in deeply, appreciating the beauty around me, and realigning my priorities once more.

I know more about my friend now-

unfortunately.

But knowledge is a good thing.

And I decided I liked who, what and where I was in Life- 

despite being a Feminist, lazy, Liberal. 

;)