Posts from the ‘Bear’ category

Bear and I go to market

Bear LOVES to go in the Jeep. If I say we are going in the “car” or if the garage door is open, I am hard pressed to get him into the woods for “business” before we go and mostly I don’t try as there are walk venues not too far down the road no matter which direction we head.

Saturday or Sunday mornings we typically head out on a supply gathering mission and depending on where all I go, we walk in one or more of the favored spots. Bear knows where there are usually cows or horses on our various routes and he keeps an eye out. Thankfully, he is no longer barking in my ear at full volume but he does move from side to side in the back of the Jeep to watch as we pass and sniff at the window to get their scent. Going anywhere in the Jeep in the weeks after Karl’s passing and before Bear arrived was too quiet, too lonely, not much fun and often I ended up in tears. Bear watches everything with a look of grand expectation and like Karl, makes sure to give me a kiss now and again!

This morning, we had a new destination: Kalispell Farmer’s Market.

Kalispell Farmer’s Market is in the parking lot of the Mountain Mall on the edge of downtown Kalispell.

Vendors line 6 aisles of parking lot in the back of the mall and include purveyors of doughnuts and kettle corn in case you arrive hungry.

My reason for this trip was to buy specifically from Farm to Market Pork, a local hog farm, that uses the Farmer’s Market as their summer Saturday “store”. And even more specifically, I had phoned ahead to request a package of fat to render for fresh lard.

Before you go running and screaming from your computer…and maybe you already know, but I didn’t….fresh lard as opposed to hydrogenated lard or even worse, shortening… is a healthy fat – in moderation. Healthier than butter! And rendering lard from fat is a simple operation: heat the fat over low heat, strain the result for the first rendering of the white lard used for soap and baking things like pie crust. Keep going and you have cracklins and a darker lard for savory baking. Good bye Crisco!! If all goes well, I will be making fresh tortillas with fresh lard next week.

On my way to the pork booth, I spotted this local honey supplier – oh, YES!

I was a little later than I intended, it was getting warm and although the Jeep was in shade, I didn’t want Bear to be waiting long so will return earlier another day and see what other treasures the Kalispell Farmer’s Market holds.

We continued on with a quick stop at the grocery, the liquor store, and a Bigfork cherry stand….

The loot: The pork fat, a beautiful bone-in ham, lean bacon, sweet cherries, a bottle of balsamic vinegar infused with cherries and other good stuff, 3 pounds of raw honey, and a bottle of Jack Daniels “Honey”…a new offering from Dr. Jack – liqueur infused Jack Daniels whiskey using Tennessee honey.

It was cloudless, breezeless and hazy as it moved into the heat which is forecast to reach 90 today. Everyone I spoke to and dealt with was pleasant, relaxed, enthusiastic about the day and/or what they were selling. It was an idyllic morning of simple errands in the company of Bear and with Joy all around us….AND, we were home by noon :)!

Afternoon walk

A month and a week into Summer and so far, so good. We hit 90 only once and even the upper 80’s have been rare. Weekends have been warm-hot and dry, midweek we get a day or 2 of clouds and a thunderstorm with rain. Things are staying fairly green and there is still snow up high…and a lot of green up top that is normally drying out by now.

My knee and shoulder are slowly feeling better so a bit more walking around home…this afternoon a bit of the loop walk.

This Friday

This Friday I had the pleasure of meeting Amy of Amy Elisabeth Photography, and her family – they were in the area on a family vacation…from the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan…territory I know and love from childhood vacations. They brought their lunch, I added a spot of tea and some peanut butter chocolate chip bars for dessert…ON the front porch :)!

A lovely, lovely family and I enjoyed being with them so very much. After some Bear and Bob, lunch and a visit, we took a short trip to Wayfarer’s, Bigfork and a Flathead Lake cherry vendor. I scored hugs from all 4 before we parted company.

Bear did very well. We are still working on a calm greeting, but the good news is that though the greeting phase is a bit over the top, he settles quickly and aside from a side affect that shall remain unmentionable….Bear joined us on the front porch and lay quietly while we ate and visited.

A good and busy week…ending on this Friday.

Our own little wild kingdom…bats, fawns and a bear

Don’t get your hopes up…there are NO…I say NO – photos of the wildlife. I wish there were. But when the wild kingdom visits the fambly Summers, sometimes there is too much going on to take photos. I know…if I were a REAL photographer…

Anyway, you will have to rely on my ability to tell the story in words with a few illustrations from the local talent.

Bats. They were the first. About 10 days ago, at shortly after 2:00 a.m. I woke to the noise of fluttering wings. I thought…that is a really big moth. I turned on a light and noticed the curtain fluttering. I drew it back and thought, “A mouse! – on the window sill!!” But then the mouse flew… Oh… a bat. I closed the bedroom door so that now Bob, the Bat and I were all closed in the bedroom together. A little creepy. Some time later, with much head ducking and a bit of colorful language, Bob was in the motorhome, Bear was in the office, the bat was in the bedroom and then I removed screens from the bedroom windows so the bat could get out. They will follow air currents. I have some experience. Bat gone, it is now 3:00 a.m. I left Bob in the motorhome, put the screens back in, let Bear out of the office and went back to bed.

We pretty much repeated this the next morning except with the same or another bat in the entire rest of the house. This despite the fact that I closed the damper on the woodstove. I did say I have some experience. And NOW I have a reminder in my calendar for next Spring to close the damper on the woodstove, and the doors and the draft thingy on the back of the stove.

On to fawns. Those were fun. They are so sweet and playful and full of the exuberance of youth. But I was working and in an internet meeting and the camera was in another room.

This is how I look when I’m in an internet meeting. I have a wonderful wireless headset so I can actually wander about if I’m just listening. Flipping the microphone up mutes sound from my end so I can get a fresh cup of coffee, put laundry from the washer to the dryer, check on Bob, get the camera…. which usually I keep on my desk…in case something happens outside my window. It wasn’t on my desk when the fawns were frolicking in the yard and I wasn’t just listening. Rats.

And then!! – Yesterday!! Again the camera was not on my desk and I wasn’t just listening and a smallish black bear walked right in front of me…maybe 10 feet from my window. BUT, Bob was on the front porch!!!

Although the above photo is a re-creation, Bear was in the office with me. It was just after noon, I had the house closed against the heat. Bear did not react. I did, though! Fortunately, it was a work session versus a high falutin’ kind of meeting…although I probably would not have done much different…I was explaining something I’d coded when I saw the bear. Mid-sentence I gasped and then shouted “There’s a bear in my yard and my cat is outside…be right back”, flipped the mike up, shut Bear in the office and went to rescue Bob.

Now…bears are omnivores but mostly they eat vegetarian so I wasn’t thinking the bear would decide Bob would be a good lunch, but, still. When I opened the front door, Bob jetted inside to the bedroom grumble-growling all the way.

Wide-eyed, and tail thumping, he kept an eye on the bear as it made its way north onto the state land beyond my property.

He continued a low growl as he watched.

He watched for close to an hour before he relaxed. He declined an invitation to go back outside…

But today, he’s back on duty at his post…

As is the bear dog.

I feel very safe.

Hangin’ out

This day bed is in the “boy’s room” across from a high table that was Bob’s eating station and/or my craft table…although very little crafting has been done there… The table sits right under a large window that looks to the front porch and beyond.

When I go out without Bear, he doesn’t bolt for the door, he bolts for this day bed. He stands and watches to see where I go or what I do. I’m thrilled that there is no “making for the door and freedom” – I think, that since we always go out on leash AND have a routine of collar, down-stay, leash…open the door, wait various amount of time and then “Ok, Bear” to exit…it is unthinkable to dash out the door. Good deal!!

When I return from some outside errand, Bear is still on the day bed. We have a greeting, a small training treat and then resume whatever inside.

He also jumps on the day bed if he thinks there is something outside that he should keep an eye on. Yesterday, when I took this photo, he’d been making the rounds of the bed, living room chair, sunroom chair(s) and the day bed. He came and got me (YES, it is obvious when he comes and I am to come!) and I went with him to see what was up. Whatever was no longer in view…hence… just hangin’ out :)!