Hike above Nuthatch Hill

We went on a hike in the mountains above our house. The view from here is spectacular. Unfortunately, Cali got a seed in her ear and spent the rest of the day shaking her head. We put ear cleaning goop in her ear and then she wouldn't come near us for the rest of the evening. She seems OK now so I guess it worked it's way out of her ear.

peach preserves

We had another jam session yesterday. This time it was peaches.

Dennis is filling the sterilized jars with the cooked peach goo. Such a pretty color.

Little jars of summer goodness. Unfortunately, it didn't set up. We now have 10 jars of peach ice cream topping. That's OK, we like ice cream in this house.

August rain

It's cold and rainy today. It's starting to feel more and more like fall. We probably won't have another day in the 90's until next year. 

At least Cali's got a big smile on her face. She loves the cooler weather.

Frozen Yogurt

With company coming and no time to make a pie I was wondering what else I could do with the blackberries we had left after making jam. Thanks to Orangette for the inspiration to make blackberry frozen yogurt. It was so refreshing and the perfect summer dessert. As you can see from the container, we ate every bite.

garden harvest

Squash, beans, 'Red Lady' potatoes and one weird looking cucumber. We're having our neighbor and his uncle over for dinner to help us eat all the goodies coming out of the garden.

Blackberry jam

Western Montana got hit with a huge storm Thursday and the berry guy at the farmer's market said he lost a lot of berries. We decided to buy 12 baskets from him to make blackberry jam. Luckily we had my cousin Jeff and his partner Dan with us to help carry everything.

Here Dennis is measuring how many mashed berries he has. He needs 5 cups.

I won't say how much sugar went into this recipe. Let's just say it's a good thing the hummingbirds have dwindled down to just a few as this was their sugar stash.

The finished product is so lovely.

family visit

My cousin Jeff stopped by for a visit. Here we are at the Clark Fork River Farmer's Market.

Here are Jeff and Dan in front of the Missoula courthouse. They were good sports about being dragged to both farmer's markets. They even helped carry some of the produce we bought.

last of the hummingbirds

This female Broad-tailed hummingbird stopped by the feeder early this morning. August is the only time I see this species up here. The Calliope and Rufous hummers have left for the year.

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

Away she goes.

Skunk food

The berries of the plant Kinnikinnick also called common bearberry. The plant is related to manzanita. Bears love this food source, but the skunks get to it first. I just like it because it's pretty, especially after a rainfall, and I like to say "Kinnikinnick".

Cali looks like a giant in relation to the low growing Kinnikinnick.

Nuthatch Hill Spa & Cafe

We offer a lovely outside shower in our custom built sprinklers.

 After your shower, you can enjoy a tasty goodie. You have to catch it yourself, however. The staff here on the Hill won't collect moths for you.

Blue rubberband

Dennis spotted this immature Western skink on the lawn while he was watering yesterday. He thought it was a blue rubberband and didn't want Cali to get it. This creature is a first for both of us. 

Chipmunk hunting

Poor Cali is being tormented by the chipmunks and squirrels. The chippys live in this drainage pipe and she spends a lot of her day staring into it.

This squirrel screamed at me for walking out on my own deck. I think he was headed for the water dish and didn't want to be interrupted. 

Ahhh, shade

Even the wildlife thinks it's hot today, 100.4 degrees. Too bad she's by the lilacs. I don't want her to think she's visiting the snack bar.

Not quite a peck...

...of pickled peppers.

Dennis canned a couple of jars of Hungarian Hot Wax peppers. This morning 3 bags of kale and 2 bags of green beans were prepped for the freezer. Tomorrow we're hoping to buy enough blackberries at the farmer's market to make blackberry jam. I need to figure out what to do with the nearly 100 green tomatoes that are still in the garden and will all ripen on the same day in late September.

Cali's new friend

Our friends, Jim & Lauren, got a new puppy from the same rescue group where we got Cali. Her name is Rio and she and her "sister" Lina came for a visit last night. Cali wasn't too sure what to do with the puppy, but eventually they all calmed down enough to get a few pictures. Well, Lina never calmed down enough for that, so she's not in any of the pictures.

A sad note this week. Our friend Cody lost his beloved Lab, Kanook, on Monday. Sienna has company in doggy heaven.

Already?

The nine bark has started to turn red. It's pretty, but Cali and I aren't quite ready for fall.

Only one fledgling emerged from the bluebird box. These eggs weren't viable. They are a beautiful color though.

Big guy

Dennis discovered this huge beetle while he was driving back from getting the paper. From a distance he thought it was toad poop and he was curious as to how the toad climbed up the rock wall to leave such a deposit. I would flip out if this thing flew toward me. I think Casey would like this beetle.

garden dinner

Our first harvest of potatoes. I dug up one plant and it yielded 4 "Red Lady" potatoes.

The final beet harvest and first parsnip harvest. 

Dennis took the parsnips, potatoes and the first green beans from the garden and created a delicious meal with beef short ribs. Cali enjoyed her first beef bone. She wasn't sure what to do with it, but it eventually disappeared.

Football players

Before the boys left for home yesterday, they played a little football on the grass. All was well until Cali got hold of the Nerf ball. Christian was a good sport and didn't complain about Cali destroying his ball. The boys are now safely back home. I hope they enjoyed their visit because we did.

Cali could be in an ad for Nerf if she didn't have the logo upside down.

Bear Creek hike

We went for a hike up Bear Creek which is 35 miles south of Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley. It sprinkled a little bit, but was very hot and humid. About 1.5 miles up the trail are pools for swimming. 

Grandpa, Christian and Cali.

Casey playing in one of the pools.

Here I am with my poor, hot dog.

Cali looks on as the boys and Grandpa look for gold. They didn't find any.

Yesterday's morning hike

We started off the day with a 2 mile hike in the forest. Casey tried his best to maintain the "leader" position. With Cali walking behind him it looks like Casey has a tail.

Day at the Fair

At the Western Montana Fair, the boys went on a few rides. Here they are in the upper right of this picture. Casey is in the red shirt, Christian is next to him in the blue shirt.

A little sustenance for the boys after the rides. Corn dogs for everyone.

Life lessons

The boys are getting exposed to country life up here on the Hill. The coyotes were going crazy last night and in the morning we stumbled across a pile of coyote scat. Grandpa explained to the boys how to tell the pile was from a coyote.

Farther down the trail we came to the choke cherry full of fruit that had been attacked by tent caterpillars. Casey seemed especially interested in them.

Christian got a lesson in Mule driving. He's been helping Grandpa get the paper in the morning and driving down the Hill to close the gate at night. He's now a pro.