My New Pet

I didn't actually set out to get a new pet....

I didn't think I needed a new pet....

But I ended up with one anyway, even though our relationship is unorthodox, to say the least!

See, Caleb started his summer job on Tuesday (love you, Summer Job!) and my part, as the loving, supportive mum, is to take him to work at 7:00 every morning----FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER . He owes me.

And every morning, we kept passing a hawk sitting in a tree.  I was getting a little suspicious that all was not well, and when I saw the hawk walking across the road like a penguin my suspicions were confirmed. The poor hawk has an injured wing and is unable to fly.

I did the good citizen thing and called it in, but the state department informed me that raptors are covered by the federal Fish and Game, and the Fish and Game receptionist transferred me to the law enforcement branch---who hasn't returned my calls. And since the entire business is located in Bismarck, 4.5 hours away, I'm not real hopeful that they're going to be running right up here to help.

Of course, I know that raptors are protected, but I don't know of any law that prevents me from randomly collecting roadkill and putting it under certain random trees. And once the roadkill is there, it's none of my concern if a certain random hawk chooses to eat it.

There's even less of this poor pheasant now!

I never knew that roadkill was so rare until I started looking for it.  There's none to be found anywhere, in spite of the fact that people drive like maniacs around here. So I've had to supplement wild fare with some randomly deposited raw hamburger. This vegetarian finds the price of beef shocking these days!

Hopefully, I'll still be able to get in touch with Fish and Game. Or maybe, after this blog they'll be getting in touch with me! With handcuffs! I know it's probably not going to be feasible to get the hawk to a wildlife rescue. It will probably need to be humanely shot.

But I'll be switched if it's going to starve to death right in front of me.

Not when I can do something about it.

Randomly.

The Perfidy of Aging

I had very strong opinions as a youth. Decided tastes, too. And I was perfectly content to believe that those opinions and tastes were fact, not preference.


Alas, how age betrays us. Things we once thought solid and firm become flexible, saggy even.

How is it, that I, who once despised the color orange as a hue only fitted for pumpkins and autumn leaves, have come to have such a passionate love affair with an plush orange chair from the 60's?

Early-onset dementia?

I can't help it. Originally discovered in the abandoned house next to my sister's (don't worry, they bought it, so it's OK to forage), I laid claim on it, fully intending to cover it with something. In the meantime, it sat in the old house stocking up on must.

Last week I finally brought it home and set it in the living room. Where I---gasp---liked it! 

Maybe I'll cover it with something eventually, but for now, I'm enjoying it's sunny orange glow just the way it is.

Besides, Hobbes is thrilled to have a chair that matches his awesomeness. 

Green Pastures

A couple weeks ago I finally got to do something I've been wanting to do for the last 3 years. One of our church families owns a sheep ranch, and while I've visited a couple times in summer and winter, I've never made it out during lambing season.

Well, this year my mom really wanted to go to, and I can't deny that woman anything (she just snorted reading this) so off we went.

First, let me say that lambs are about the cutest things in nature. Full-grown sheep always remind me a bit to much of octopi with their weird eyes, but lambs manage to pull off the look in spades. There's just nothing quite like staring into the face of a sweet, innocent little lamb to melt the hardest heart. And let's just say my heart isn't that hard to begin with.

You couldn't move without stepping in heart puddles.

We were visiting the Walikonis farm, situated about 45 minutes beyond what most of you would think was the end of the earth. It's a beautiful spot, and Albert Walikonis' birthplace. If you ever stop by, ask him to show you the little school house he attended (and of course, walked to uphill both ways) as a boy.

Albert Walikonis, our host.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures of Jeanne, our wonderful hostess, but she was there as always, making sure we had a wonderful time.

Of course, you never visit a farm without being put to work (just ask my niece and nephews---I wonder why they don't visit more often....), so we got to learn a little about the lambing process. Unfortunately, no mothers obliged by giving birth while we were there, which meant my mother was unable to dust off her labor and delivery skills. But we got to help with a few of the day-old lambs in the barn.

Well, the boys did. I mostly took pictures.

As soon as a lamb is born, it's penned up with it's mama for a day or so to make sure everyone's OK and knows what to do. I didn't notice any slow learners in this bunch!

Before Mama and Baby (or babies if it's twins) can be released into the field, they have to be "branded" with coordinating numbers. I'm sure they can tell each other apart, but it's hard for the rest of us!







Devon got to hold the baby while it got its number. He took his shirt off so it wouldn't get dirty. Good Devon.









He got a special thrill from the slimy umbilical cord dangling down his bare chest...

Good thing he took his shirt off!

All ready to go! Albert, our resident shepherd, herded the little family out the door of the barn to explore the great, big world outside.

The lambs have never seen grass before, but they seem to know what it's good for right off bat. Nothing like a sun-warmed nap on a warm spring day.
 

Lambs are little bundles of cuddle-love with everyone, but my mom seemed to find herself somewhat of a sheep whisperer. First, she was smothered in lamby love...

and then smothered in affection from a very friendly---and very...er...masculine ram. I guess some people just have what it takes.

While I was stalking precious lamb pictures, the kids were tearing it up on the Walikonis' farm cart. A big thrill for a bunch of kids with no licenses.

Oh, it was a very fun day indeed, and I am so thankful I finally got to go.

I also think I need some sheep.

Green pastures, Montana style...

Pizza Rolls

I can't believe I haven't even posted yet this month! What can I say---it's been busy. May always hits like a steamroller, catapulting into my lap all those outdoor jobs that I haven't had to worry about since last fall. And it's just so intoxicating to get outside in the sun after so long indoors.

But since I'm having adventures as fast as ever (which isn't actually that fast), I'd better get cracking before I'm buried forever under an avalanche of backlogged bloggery....

Before Caleb and I left for Seattle, I made a few things for the train. This was a recipe I tried out (first seen on http://www.littlehouseliving.com/) and it was very tasty. Good make-ahead food for trips or to grab out of the freezer when you're on the go.

These are really easy to make, especially if you already know how to make bread. This is the dough recipe I used, just because it's my grandma's recipe and I know it by heart.

Bread Dough:
Mix 2 T yeast and 1/4 c sugar with 2 c warm/hot water. Let sit for about 10 min. to let the yeast work. Add in 2 t salt and 1/4 c oil. Mix in 5 c of flour (can be made with 3 c white and 2 c whole wheat if you want) and knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky.*

Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down and you're ready to make Pizza Rolls.

*Whenever I'm making pizza dough, I always dump in a bunch of seasonings like garlic, onion powder, basil, oregano, and rosemary.

Roll the dough out into a large, long rectangle. You may have to divide the dough in half if your counter space is small.

Cover with sauce, keeping it away from edges so you can seal the dough later.

Sprinkle with cheese, olives, onions, or other preferred topping, but don't make it too heavy and soupy or the rolls won't hold together very well.

Roll up your dough, pinching along the edges shut to seal the roll.

Slice off rolls about an inch to an inch and a half thick and lay them on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Let cool, and then you can eat them right away or freeze them for later.

I found that there's a powerful lot of bread to go with a smallish amount of sauce, so it's best to have a sauce with a very strong flavor. Sundried tomatoes and fresh basil would be delicious on these babies!

Underneath Seattle

What was I doing underneath Seattle, you ask? Why, taking the famed Underground Tour, of course. I love history. My grandfather was a history teacher and passed his love of the past onto my mother. The four of us kids grew up pickled in the stuff and now those of us who are parents are busy passing the history bug onto another hapless generation.

When I heard that there was a historical district to Seattle and some kind of underground tour of the original downtown, I put it on my must-see list. Pioneer Square is right next to the train station, so on our last day, Caleb and I walked over there while we waited for our departure time.

We couldn't find it at first, and a true Kahrs to the end, I hated to ask for directions. But at last, driven to desperation by hunger, we went to Subway and while ordering asked where we could find the Underground tour. Oh, the bitterness. We were right across the street from it---if I had turned around at the door I would have seen it and never had stoop to asking someone else.

We scarfed our sandwiches and hurried across the street just in time to join the group that was forming. The tour begins in a beautifully restored barroom where the tour guide gives the background of Seattle and how there came to be an underground.

It all had to do with toilets and fire. No, really, that's why. The original founders of the town were interested in a quick buck, not metropolis building. The industry of the town was logging, and downtown was built right at the tide line for ease of floating logs away and unloading cargo. The only problem was that this made it impossible to build a working sewer system. Before toilets, high tide would float out all the outhouses, and after toilets, high tide would cause a pressure backup that would shoot geysers up the backs of the unexperienced. The experienced knew that high tide meant "Hold it."

This went on for a number of years, only getting worse as Seattle grew. But then one day, a civic-minded immigrant named John Back burnt the downtown to the ground in 12 hours. He worked in a cabinet maker's shop and was heating glue that boiled over, igniting the wood chips and turpentine covering the floor. It might not have been so bad if the fire hadn't spread to all the saloons choking the area. Fueled by alcohol, the fire raged out of control.

Amazingly, when the smoke cleared, no loss of human life was reported, but it is said that up to 1 million rats perished in the flames. The fire turned out to be an opportunity to fix the mistakes of Seattle's first hasty construction. Obviously, the downtown area would have to be raised and sea walls put in.

But the city of Seattle put a time estimate of 10 years on the project. All the sad little business owners said "No way!", and started rebuilding at the original levels immediately. The downtown was rebuilt in 3 years. However, knowing that the level of the streets would eventually be raised, they built a main entrance on their ground floors, and another main entrance on their second floors. Good thinking, because the city was working hard to raise the streets.

Dirt was washed down from the bluffs above, filling retaining walls and making streets that were 10-30 feet higher than ground level. This was an awkward time. To shop, you had to climb down a ladder to reach the store. If you wanted to shop across the street, you had to climb back up, cross the street, and climb down again on the other side. Besides all that hassle, barrels would occasionally fall off the street and crush the shoppers below. Not good for business and the people demanded action from the city.

A "temporary" fix was put in place---what were essentially brick bridges joining the street level to the second stories of the buildings. The plan was to fill in the space underneath, but somehow the city never got around to it. Shopkeepers continued to use the space for commerce, even putting skylights in the sidewalks (some of which can still be seen today). In 1907 the space was condemned after bubonic plague was discovered in the passageways. The once-busy sidewalks were abandoned to Vice and Corruption

Eventually, even Vice and Corruption got tired of it down there, and the Underground was largely forgotten until the 60's when the downtown area was restored. Portions of the Underground were cleaned out and made safe for the tours that have continued to this day.

After our introduction to the area's history, our group trundled outside and across the street. We entered the Underground through this unmarked door and down a narrow stairway.

Underneath the buildings is private property, but Underground Tours pays for permission to use certain portions of it as access. The sidewalk passageways are city property and are used to run utilities. We gathered in a dimly lit room for more fascinating information from Tour Guide Dave before continuing.

The walk ways are rugged and uneven. Artifacts from Seattle's past lurk in the dark corners. (Or they were carefully placed there by the tour to give ambiance. Whatever. It LOOKS authentic.) The whole experience has a deliciously adventurous feel to it.

 

I was enjoying myself SO much. I love breathing in the atmosphere of past generations (or was that mildew?). If there really were time machines, I would so get one!

After exploring one side of the street, we had to go back up to street level to get to the other side. Those same pesky retaining walls are still there! The other side of the street had some of the original banking facade, complete with teller's stall. When the Yukon gold rush occurred, all of that gold came pouring into Seattle. And Seattle did its best to see that it stayed there. Lots of---shall we say---"cottage industries" sprang up, run by entrepreneurial-spirited women.

There was lots more information along those lines, but I will spare you the details. You will have to go and take the tour yourself to find out. The whole experience was loads of fun and if I ever return to Seattle, I will definitely be taking the tour again.


And again.


And again.


I will be a tour stalker. I'm sure they are used to them.

Male Bonding

Our third day in Seattle was a big day for Caleb. He got to spend the whole day with his dad, whom he hasn't seen in about 7 years. Lots of excitement, anticipation, and more nerves than a girl at her first prom.


Caleb (left) and his brother about the age he last saw his dad:

Caleb now:

The one thing Caleb wanted to do with his dad above all else was to go fishing. He and his dad both love to fish, but sadly for Caleb, he is the lone fishing castaway on the desert island of the Kahrs family. So it was going to be a big treat for him to fish with someone who actually liked to do it.

Meanwhile, I gritted my teeth good-naturedly and packed a bag with things to do.


Not. Nearly. Enough.

The artist at work.

10 minutes later:  the artist bored out of her skull and nearly frozen to death.

Fishing is the perfect sport for male bonding opportunities. You stand (or sit) around, not talking much, and staring into space. The only thing that could make it more perfect is the occasional guttural growl or full-body tackle.

Now if two women were getting together after not seeing each other for 7 years, they'd go get their nails done, have a facial, do lunch, hit the shops, and all the while be exchanging more information than two Cray Titan supercomputers.

I asked Caleb about it afterward and he said they'd been having a mind-meld. Okay, then. As long as you both felt bonded, that's good enough for me. I do not have to understand men.

Caleb was the only fisherman to make a catch that day. And all he caught was duckweed.
 

But from what I understand, fishing is about the experience, anyway. Or maybe that's just what they tell themselves after they don't catch any fish! Still, it was a great day and one that both of them will remember with happiness for the rest of their lives.


I guess that is enough success for anyone.

Seattle Sights...

I came to Seattle with a laundry list of things I wanted to do and see---as usual, I was way too optimistic in what I could accomplish in the time I had allotted. All I managed to accomplish in my 2 full and 2 half days sightseeing was to figure out what I wanted to do if I ever came to Seattle again!

But I took LOTS of pictures. After so long on the prairie, it was nice to be a little hemmed in. And I happen to love urban photography---maybe because I so seldom encounter any urbans at home. You, dear readers will pay the price for my enthusiasm. There is no way I can whittle down my photos to a decent amount, so I am going to post them allllllllllllll. Lucky, lucky you.

Pioneer Square: The historical district of Seattle. Filled with beautiful brick buildings, creeping ivy, fascinating alleyways, tourists everywhere you turn, and a large amount of homeless people. Location of the Underground Tour, my absolute favorite thing we did on our trip. But more about that later...

Seattle Center: The iconic (and expensive to ascend) Space Needle is located here along with several museums and more souvenir shops than you can shake a stick at. We didn't go up to the top of the Space Needle, but we went in the store at the bottom. That counts for something, doesn't it? We were too late to get into the Science Museum, but we did get to admire the exterior of the EMP museum. It is an amazing building; the monorail runs right through it!

Random Seattle scenery: As it turns out, I have somewhat of an addiction to alleyways. They make such nice linear subjects to photograph and I happen to be a rigid, geometrical kind of gal!

Sadly, I wasn't able to take the ferry around Puget Sound or visit the Seattle Art Museum, or go to the tulip festival, or take the Duck Tour, or see a movie at the IMAX, or kayak along the islands, or...or...or...

Oh, well, there's always next time.