Barbs

Earlier this summer.... wait it's not summer any more.....waaah.....

Excuse me. Back when it was summer--warm, glorious, summer--Glenn talked me into helping him roll out barbed wire for a new stretch of fence. Being the nice wife I am (and having the generous, willing, cooperative husband I have who would do just about anything for me), I agreed.

The reason my superhuman husband couldn't roll the wire out by himself (although I wouldn't put it past him to try), is because a new roll of wire weighs about 80 pounds. In case you ever need to put up a barbed wire fence, I will explain how to roll out new wire. You slide the 80lb roll of wire onto a hefty stick, grab one end, put your spouse on the other end, and away you go, letting it roll out behind you. Beware of the barbs. They're called barbs for good reason. They are incredibly sharp and barb-like! FYI.

It felt like a quarter mile of fence. I'm sure it wasn't, but it was long and I'm a wimp! Thankfully, we rolled the wire out in the downhill direction. For that I am eternally grateful.

The one plus was the gorgeous view. If you ever decide to roll out barbed wire, be sure you have a great view to appreciate while you're recovering from packing 80 pounds of wire.

Brave Girl

Glenn and I took some friends out on our second white water rafting trip last weekend. Nicole came along and we were having a gay old time until we hit a rock in the middle of a rapid. Because of the way Nicole was perched on the front of the boat, she fell in the water. It's such a terrible feeling as a mother to see your child bobbing along in the water and know there's nothing you can do for them until you get into slower water.

I'm sure I sounded rather frantic when I yelled to her, "You're okay." I said it twice. I'm not sure if I was reassuring her or me! I think me, because she got out of the water all smiles. No big deal, mom, I'm fine. She even swam over to get the oar that had been pulled from the oarlock. (Thankfully, we have a third oar strapped to the boat in case we ever truly lose one. )

She was a little chilly when she climbed out, but otherwise just fine. Glenn has since talked to a few people who say the low water right now exposes a lot more rocks which can be problematic.

Otherwise, it was a fabulous day. Glenn's a great boatman. And Nicole's a brave girl!

Funny Stuff From the Phone

Thank goodness that Glenn's smartphone can take pictures. You never know when you might need to take pictures of the crazy things that people do.

I wasn't present when this photo was taken. I'm sure there's a great story as to why the girls are standing inside the curtain at a motel room.

(I asked. They were ready to go to the pool, but their suits were damp so they were warming up with the heater. Nothing worse than putting on a wet swimming suit.)

Glenn took this picture also. This was the day the girls went to pick out their piggies. Glenn had some leftover donuts from work in his pickup, and Ellea wanted one. But she hadn't washed her hands yet after leaving the stinky pig farm. She's such a clever girl. Who needs hands? Just eat it directly out of the donut box!

Welcome Home, Jasper

The new horse we bought Nicole finally came home last night. The woman we bought him from was gracious enough to agree to give Nicole a few lessons on him so she'd have a better understanding of the cues he's been trained to respond to.

She had one last lesson and said goodbye. She's such a compassionate girl that she felt badly taking him away from his previous owner. But they're happy that he's going to a good home with a horse crazy teenager.

Welcome home, Jasper. You will be well loved.

Seventeen Years

For our 17th wedding anniversary, we went to dinner and to a movie. The Mexican restaurant in Grangeville is the only restaurant around here that has outside seating. (Maybe because you can only sit outside for only 3 months or less of the year!) It was so nice to sit outside in the warm evening air.

After dinner, we hit the drive-in theater. First time we've made it this year. Batman was playing. We're not usually big Batman fans, but we were just happy to go on a date. It was an exciting movie. A little confusing at times, as I don't think we've seen the other movies in the series, but we had fun.

I love the drive in. They use an FM station to broadcast the audio, so it comes through your car speakers. We tilted the seats back in Glenn's pickup and got cozy. With the switch to digital movies, I'm not sure the drive-in will survive much longer, which makes me sad.

And that's how we celebrate 17 years of wedded bliss!

Campfire Popcorn

We've discovered the joys of making Jiffy Pop over the campfire. You know, the kind that starts out flat in a metal pie pan and puffs up as it pops? It's not meant to be used over a campfire, but it sure is fun! Glenn has become well-versed in the skills necessary for perfectly popped corn.

He quickly discovered that the little metal handle isn't nearly long enough for a hot campfire. Our solution? Duct tape it to a long stick! Duct tape fixes everything.

Doesn't that look yummy?!