Puppies Are Work

Oh, my--did I lose my mind when I decided to get a puppy??? She had us awake at 11pm and 3am! And, she has taken 20 minute naps all day--kind of hard to get any quilting done in 20 minute intervals!

We went for a walk this morning--Emmi walked a little but mostly rode inside Dad's vest.

We played with our toys today and ate puppy chow very well. She growls and tosses the toys in the air. We found out she is not fond of rain and it has rained off and on most of the day.



I think she wanted to help me take the photo.

Yesterday afternoon Dad gave Mom a break and took her outside, I couldn't resist taking this photo--they were both sound asleep.

The non-wedding cake. Jill's friend in the real estate office, Connie made the cake--it was beautiful.

From the left, Keri (Jill and Terry's daughter), Jeane, Jill and Kelli.

We are having the strangest July weather--it never got above 60 degrees today and it rained most of the day.

Emmi

If you haven't suspected by now, our trips all over the state of MT last week were in search of a new puppy to help us fill the void left by the death of our Jazzy girl.

On Tuesday last week we drove to Phillipsburg (4 hours one way) to look at a little black and silver male Schnauzer. We loved the breeder and where the puppies were raised but---the little guy didn't like us. The other two puppies all ready promised to other owners were all over us but when I picked up our little guy he yelped loudly and snapped at me. He did the same thing when Michael picked him up. The breeder took all the other Schnauzers outside and we tried again. The puppy ran from us and hid behind the couch. A friend of the breeder's was there and when she picked the little guy up he literally howled, yelping as if he were dying. Virginia, the breeder, was very understanding when we decided not to take him.

We were so disappointed but as I was reading the paper that evening a new ad had been placed for miniature Schnauzers in Emmigrant, MT about one and a half hours from here. I called the breeder and she had 4 males and one female so on Wednesday morning we drove over there. It is a working cattle ranch and the puppies looked happy and healthy plus they played with us. We picked out the little girl and decided to leave her with the mom and dad until Sunday morning as we had such a busy Thursday, Friday and Saturday planned.

So, today Emmi came home with us. She was 7 weeks old yesterday and will need lots of attention and training. We are excited and also a little sad--Jazz was a unique dog and Emmie will have big shoes to fill but all ready we think she is adorable. Our house was just too quiet and sad to live without a dog.

The Wedding

By 7:30am Friday morning I was pulling into the driveway of my friend Jill's. Jill and Terry's son Fritz and his fiance Amy were being honored at a pre-wedding reception on Saturday afternoon in the yard of Jill and Terry's home and we had shopping to do. So off we went to Billings. Jeane was meeting us in Billings after she dropped her car off for service work.

First stop was the party rental place to pick up the big tent, tablecloths and other stuff. Time for coffee and then on to Costco. We were back in Big Timber by noon and after picking up sandwiches for lunch we headed out to the house. After lunch we went back into Big Timber to the Catholic church and got chairs and tables. I left Jill's house at 8pm and we had most of the food preparation done, the big tent erected, silverware beribboned and watched what we hoped was the only thunderstorm we were having for the weekend--at least we found out the tent didn't leak! Jeane, Kelly, Jill, Keri and I had lots of fun gossiping and laughing as we worked.

Saturday morning Jeane and I were out at the house helping Jill with last minute stuff. Jeane should have been a florist in another life, the flowers were just awesome. At lunchtime I went back home to shower and get Michael. Lonnie and LoraLee surprised us with a quick visit--they have been so incredibly busy this summer with guests we have not seen them at all.

The party was beautiful--everything looked spectacular--the tents, the flowers, the food. Lots of friends and family.

Now, the story about the pre-wedding party. Fritz and Amy decided they did not want to spend money on a huge wedding and have decided to approach marriage in a wonderful, unique way. Tuesday they are flying to New York, getting married on Thursday in a registrar office by themselves and on Friday flying to Spain for what sounds like an awesome honeymoon. They will be in Spain for 3 weeks and a cruise will be part of the plan, too. Smart kids!! Fritz is finishing up a MBA degree and Amy has also graduated from college. We wish them all the best!

I will post more photos later, this is a start.

From the right, Jill the mother of the groom, Jeane, Keri-sister to the groom, Kelly and myself.

Fritz, Amy and the beautiful food table.
Fritz and Amy cutting the cake.

100 Degrees

Whew it was hot in Billings today. At one point in time the car thermometer said 100 degrees!! We left the house right at 8am and our first stop was to get my hair cut. Michael went to his favorite store, Harbor Freight while I was getting beautified.

JoAnn's for a few quilting supplies was our next stop and Michael picked up some vinyl to try his hand at upholstering--we bought a leather sewing machine several years ago and have not used it for much of anything.

We had lunch at CJ's--Michael had a hamburger, imagine that! and I had beef brisket. Yum!

Costco was our last stop in Billings and we managed to find several things we couldn't live without and a few groceries, too.

When we got home and got the car unloaded, Michael headed to the hay field to stack the bales in rows in preparation for loading the bales onto the semi tomorrow. I put all the groceries away and made a killer batch of salsa. I did two loads of laundry and washed the Explorer--I'm pooped and I think that is enough for one day.

I'm off to Billings again tomorrow with Jill and Jeane--we are picking up the rented tent for the wedding bar-b-que on Saturday and some last minute food items at Costco.

Another Drive

We drove over to the little town of Emmigrant in the Paradise Valley south of Livingston and met Chuck and Mom for lunch. It was a very hot day in Montana.

As we were all driving back to Big Timber, my Aunt Bonnie called and she and her husband Derrick were in Big Timber with their RV. They were returning from Washington where they had visited her daughter. We all chatted for a while then went our separate ways--Bonnie and Derrick were headed to Laurel for the night. Michael headed home and the rest of us, Mom, Chuck and I went to the Crazy Mountain Museum to see the antique sewing machines--so cool, I even own a couple similar to some on display.

We then headed to Pioneer Meats and got some more brats from Bryan--he has won national awards with his custom made brats recipes. My favorite is the wild rice and onion--very tasty. I grilled some of those for dinner and served them with a huge salad made with lettuce from my garden and homemade bread.

Mom and Chuck are staying the night here with us--Michael and I are getting an early start in the morning, I have a 10:00 appointment with the hairdresser in Billings and Mom has an appointment with the hairdresser in Big Timber at 11am.

We are putting lots of miles on those new tires we got Tuesday!

Another Beautiful Summer Day

It was a beautiful day in Montana again--warm but not hot and sunny blue skies. We decided to get away from the house for a while and drove to Three Forks to look at some enclosed trailers for pulling behind the motorhome. We had lunch, a heart attack on a plate--a pork chop sandwich and tater tots--but boy was it good. I may have gained the pounds I have lost since Jazzy died all back in one day!

Friends from Vancouver Island called and they will be leaving VI on Thursday headed for Sturgis on a motorcycle. They will be here just after the first of August. We met them several years ago while participating in Cowboy Action Shooting--Garnet is a shooter, Jeanine is not. They have the mildest mannered Chow, Kallie--she is old and just barely tolerated Jazz buzzing around all over her. Garnet and Jeanine go south to Tucson every winter, they own a park model in a very busy, social RV park in Tucson.

Our friends and family have been so supportive of us since Jazz died and we appreciate it so much. We received several cards in the mail yesterday, so sweet.

Haying All Finished

All that remains is hauling the hay bales in out of the field here at our house and the haying season will be finished. Michael will still have to load the semi on Saturday and Sunday with the hay from the neighbor's that Lonnie is buying. Our tractor and swather are both 40 years old and Michael managed to keep them both running to get this hay crop harvested.

Mike put away all the haying stuff--tools, parts and twine today and baled our hay up in the pasture. After a lunch of yesterday's leftovers we dragged his old 1995 truck into the garage. You all know that I brag on Michael all the time--he can fix anything--well, this old truck has him stumped. When Angie and Ralph were here in the summer of 2007, the truck ran one day and the next it didn't. Michael tried for a while to get it running and then we took it to the garage in town--they couldn't get it running either! Mike worked on the truck a lot last summer but never could get it to run so he is trying again. It is a great truck, still looks good and has lots of power if he could just get it to run!

I worked on my bear quilt today--what a bear of a quilt!! Spent 3 hours ripping out stitching yesterday and ripped some more today. Obviously this quilt is NOT going to be ready for the fair--oh, well, it will still look good on the bed in the RV.

We have noticed a yellow warbler going in and out of this wild rose bush just outside our bathroom window. We investigated last evening and sure enough there is a nest and if you look close the yellow thing is a beak. There were 3 babies in the nest.

It was a beautiful, cool summer Montana day.