This year as our summer slips away, and the leaves start turning colors, I am excited for winter. I can't remember the last time I was as excited for the snow to fly. My oldest sister and ALL her family pack up and head to Fort Bridger Wyoming for the largest mountain man rendezvous this side of the mississippi. It really is a sight to behold, and so much fun. SIGH!
I will be moving my other sister down to my moms house on thursday, driving back on friday then heading up to Kilgore to camp with a bunch of our friends. This is the first time I will be camping this year, but not the last. We are gonna borrow dads camp trailer. One of the most fun things that happens for me in the fall, besides my birthday, is the Sage Hen 500. Even though I am a snob about who I spend my time with at this gathering, and most times just hide out in the camper (because it's raining) I love the time spent hunting the sage hen. September 19th is the opening day of the sage hen season in our area. Everyone hauls their campers, tents, and sometimes just a car, truck, or a sleeping bag out to sand creek starting on that wednesday sometimes, and by friday night the place is packed. Saturday morning everyone gets into their rigs (just like the daytona 500, hence the name) and heads out to get their birds. The limit of birds is two per person and USUALLY everyone gets their limit and they goto to Kelly (he is so awesome) who cooks them that night at a pot luck dinner the whole camp site is invited to. Everyone brings a dish, and there is tons, and I means tons of food! We play cards, go fishing, or just sit around talking. It is one of my favorite times in the year, as Jade and I spend so much time out driving around, talking, shooting, and sometimes killing a bird or two. Even though I would LOVE to move down to where my sister lives, if I could get Jade to move(when hell freezes over), we would have to come back up this country for the sage hen 500, and probably to snowmobile. Which brings me to why I am excited for snow. Last year I was working in Island Park and we went snowmobiling quite a bit, for me anyways. I learned a few things that I didn't know (love that), and am eager to learn more this winter. Jade is a good teacher, and very patient when it comes to me. It was fun, and snowmobiling has never been fun for me. So let it snow!
The garage sale I had this weekend was a big success. On friday, after most of the shoppers were done, and the day was slipping into evening, our cat came to hang out. He just really makes himself comfortable where ever he wants!

So, the other day ago I went to the cupboard to make dinner, and guess what? The cupboard was bear. Yes, in my house, that happens too. So, I made pancakes, and real eggs. Jade has high cholesterol, so real eggs are out. The treat wasn't just the eggs, which are fresh from the chicken butt (thanks misty), but I put huckleberries in the pancakes. My pictures aren't the greatest, because Jade was eating them ALMOST faster than I could make them. I did some jam also. The bottles are sugar free raspberry and the other is huckleberry/raspberry freezer jam....yummy! So sorry about the fuzzy picture...was in a hurry.

The fruits of our labors

Well here I am, back on the huckleberry subject. I thought I was done picking for the season, but my MIL has bought me a huckleberry rake. She won't be over in this neck of the woods until Friday, so it looks as if I must get up saturday morning (ug!) and try it out. I have to date, only a gallon and a half, which to some might be a lot, but to me is just a drop in the bucket. I am very excited though to try out the rake. The huckleberry season is well on it's way to being done. My SIL is the awesome one who has showed me the "fairyland" of picking and I am very grateful. I know it's her husband who has showed her, so thanks! Also I know there are TONS of pickers out there who guard there picking spots with their lives, any of their "picking" spots, but alas, I am not among those. I believe in the old proverb....teach a man to fish and all that jazz. If it wasn't for people like my SIL, I wouldn't have anywhere to go and pick either. I am a gatherer, just like I should be (who said that?). I find it very relaxing, and take great pleasure from it. Even greater pleasure when I have made something from what I have gathered, and shared it. The smiles and oohs and aahs.
I have a topsy turvy that I bought a few years ago and have never used, but this year I got around to it. A few of my tomatoes are almost ready to pick. I have picked one already, and it was very good. I am very excited about this, and I love the topsy turvy. Works really good for me, and was super simple. Enjoy the fruits of your labor this fall, I know I will.

Not much to post on today, but will tell you all of a new experience I had last night. I talked Jade into going with me to visit his sisters "firewood" camp last night. There were rumors of huckleberries to be picked, and I wanted to go. Anyways, it was raining and cold so I picked just a cup of berries before my hands were numb. The new experience was her husband cooked the best rib eye steaks on the coals of their fire. Who knew? Just put them right on the coals. He said to me, how do you think the indians did it. I'm sure I have read about how the indians did it, but was not at all convinced it would be good?! They just didn't have all the options we have now days, but let me tell you, it was "mag"! No burnt taste at all. Now I had heard that he cooked this way before, the kids just love it and think there's nothing better, and I must agree. Who needs a grill, or a pan.......
I a going to see if my rabbit skins are ready yet. The way to check they say is to boil a small piece of the hide in water, and if it curls, then it needs more soaking, if not, time to let it dry till damp, then begin "stretching" them. we'll see.
Also by the hits on my blog, I apparently need to blog about food, it is my passion. The chocolate mug cake is fast, fun and easy. I'm not sure I have a ton of those kinds of recipes. It never hurts to try I guess.
Ta Ta for now!

5 minute Chocolate Mug Cake

I'm not sure where Deanna got this recipe, but it looks good and is totally easy. For all of you whose e-mail I don't have here is the recipe. I would mix it in a separate bowl and spray the mug with pam. Also after it's cooked I would of course, put ganache on it. Enjoy!
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world ?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

My sister wrote about not having any panache.....then, reconsidering, decided she had some. It makes me laugh, because I think that she has always had panache, and like some of my sisters-in-laws, will always have it. Me on the other hand, hum, LOL! I am sure everyone has a little panache at times, but really, who wants to have it all the time? You become predictable and boring. Right? Anyways on to bigger and better things, like huckleberries. Jade and I went up to Tetonia with his sister sunday afternoon and picked for about an hour and a half and came home with 1/2 gallon. Not too bad, and so I'm making the journey again today, and hopefully will pick for hours this time. I plan on selling jam this winter up in I.P. although I have been offered a job at the Horseshoe in town, and plan to take it, so I'm not sure how that all will work out. I have been working at the job I quit 2 days a week and occasionally one weekend night. It doesn't hurt to have a little extra cash, does it? But that will all stop once I start working at the shoe. Right now it will only be 24 hours a week, hopefully not weekends, cuz there's so much summer still left. I also plan on freezing some huckleberries so Jade can have himself a milkshake whenever his heart desires, and pancakes, waffles, and syrup. I guess I could go on for days about what I could do with the berries. I just need to get with it and pick.
So, after I went and spent all that time pulling up that hardwood flooring, Jade decided it was going to be WAY too much work to actually put them in. "What do I have to do, to make you not want those floors?" Jade said. "Buy me what I really want" I says.......so, I will have laminate slate flooring in my kitchen! From the first time I saw it, I loved it. I actually saw a whole kitchen done in real slate the color I wanted, and it was just beautiful, but, too much work for us. The laminate will do me just fine.
My hides are still soaking...very excited about that, still. Jade built shelves in the niche in our bedroom, and we have put our shoes on them, out of the way, and behind a curtain. I love that. I guess nothing else is new. Have a great day....oh and happy birthday to the twins G and T, your Auntie Annie and Uncle Jade love you!

Today I'm just gonna blog about my experience "fleshing" my rabbit hides. I have 4 of them, but left one for Jade to do, just so he can see. It was harder than I thought it was going to be. Most of the "flesh" came off pretty easy, with a firm grip and some pulling, but there had to be some that just wouldn't come off, and that's where it got hard. So I have some little holes, and some not so little holes in my hides, which you don't want. Also the 2 white hides were WAY easier than the black one, and also they had thicker hides. I'm not sure if that's indicative of the white rabbit or not, but made the fleshing process much easier. So now I am to the point where the hides have to soak for 7 days. They almost sat that long on the first step because I just couldn't bring myself to do it. (LAZY and all that). Anyways I'm very excited already about the hides.
I am using 1c. aluminum sulphate 1c. non iodized salt and 2 gallons of room temp water. It seems that this recipe is good, although I have nothing else to compare it to. Anyways here are a few pictures.

Tanning

Okay, so I love to do new and exciting things. I have a ton of "projects" that I have started, but never finished. I am not a closer. So today on my list of things to do is to run to Alta, WY to look at, and possibly bring home hardwood floors. They are free for the taking, and how could I not drive a little to end up with wonderful free hardwood floors? Jade has lots of reasons, one being he doesn't want hardwood, but I digress. The one project that I started then had to work the weekend at the lodge, is tanning 4 rabbit hides. David gave me the idea of alum tanning, and by doing a little research on the web, have decided it's the cheapest, and easiest way to tan these little hides, so thanks David. Anyways they are soaking, and I need to get them out of their bucket to scrape all the "ick" off them. I know this part of the task isn't going to be easy, so I am putting it off until I can't any longer. Today, right now, after blogging, the priority is hardwood, then I can come home and scrape the skins. Jade is also wanting to goto Lagoon this weekend, he is such a little kid at heart. So here is a picture of step one of the tanning process, the soaking of the hides.