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.