Random Miscellaneous Info and Pics

Lets start with this video. I am so proud of my boy! Archery run with JB. 

Note: the video plays a little weird like it's in slow motion but it's kinda cool anyways. I couldn't fix it , it probably has something to do with the fact that it was from my phone. In case you can't get it to play, please bear with me while I try to work out the technical issues and enjoy the two photos below of  little JB getting warmed up prior to his archery runs.

Now onto other non-horse stuff, because that is all I have to share for horse stuff right now.. Hopefully more soon..

Glacier Park - 4th of July - 

Because Glacier National Park never gets old and June, July , August and September are the reasons I live in this place..

We took my parents to the Two Medicine area of Glacier Park. They had never been in that area. It was pretty special because my mom actually hiked back to the falls. It wasn't much of a hike but it was a long ways for her. I was pretty proud of her for making it .

That is a young bull Moose grazing in the pond. 

East side of Glacier Park

The Falls, I really had to resist the urge to running through it.. it was way to cold anyways.

More falls, it's so pretty

Bear Grass just beginning to bloom

The intrepid hikers , going back from the falls

Two Medicine Lake , Sinopah Mountain, our view while having lunch.. the wind was immense coming off the lake

Looking down on Two Medicine Lake from the upper road

Gardening Progress

The garden isn't much to write home about this season. I am not entirely sure what the issue is but even the spinach and kale was pathetic. Generally, it's pretty hard to mess up growing spinach and kale but this year, as soon as it was big enough to start cutting, (actually even before that) it was bolting. Bad seed? not sure.. it was last years seed. It did fine last year. Seed should last more than one year. Don't you think?  None of my garlic seems to have made it. Carrots were off to a slow start but have picked up steam in the last few weeks. The strawberries did fantastic this year and the onions look promising as well. Last year I had a great onion harvest, only to lose them to mold in the fridge over the winter. ALL of them.. apparently , the crisper isn't the place to store onions.. I was given bad advice and knew better too...lesson learned. 

On the other hand , the herb garden was off to a great start and really taking off ..that is ...until Duncan decided to excavate. 

I found him shoulder deep in the fresh , just watered the night before , black dirt. By the time I got curious enough to look around the corner ( I was planting the tomatoes and peppers on the other side of the house) to see why he was carrying on so much with his happy bark, he had managed to have all three basil plants pulled up, a lavendar plant broken and the parley in shambles. I could not believe it..

After telling him how bad he was  and fighting the urge to want to strangle him, I put together what I could. The basil took the worst of it but has managed to survive. It's a little anemic looking but growing.. I did manage to harvest enough off of  two plants to make some fantastic pesto. Every year, I make pesto and that is all I want for days on end. If a person could founder on something, pesto would be it for me. I eat it on everything from carrots to pepper , burgers to chicken and even roasted potatoes. Nothing is safe from a few dollops of pesto on it as long as I have basil to make it with. I try to resist the urge from plucking the plants too often but its really addicting..It's kind of like the poem of The Giving Tree by Silverstein..

Pesto founder.. its a real thing... but only with homemade pesto. No basil plant is safe around here. I just wish I had my own garlic to use with it.. 

Today I pulled down the Oregano that had been drying for a couple of weeks and separated the leaves from the stems and  put it in jars. I should have enough to get me through most of the winter and I would guess that I will probably have more to pick and dry in late August.I love drying herbs and putting them away for the season. It's a good feeling to be able to have your own food that you can store and use later. 

Today I also took care of the Rhubarb. It's was a little over due but I ended up with just over 8 lbs of the stuff. Most of it will go for Apple Rhubarb Wine that we will make. It's fanstastic.. almost tastes like a really good Chardonney. I might have to dig out some of the strawberries I froze and make atleast one strawberry Rhubarb crisp.. it's a seasonal must. 

Photo shamelessly borrowed from Wiki...

Harvesting rhubarb always reminds me of times I spent as a child with my Uncle and his garden. It was one of my favorite treats to go pick a stalk and dip it in sugar. The thought of doing that now makes my cheeks pucker but I have lots of great memories of my Uncle's garden. I think he and my grandfather were who instilled the love of gardening and growing good food  in me. 

SKINCARE (bear with me, it's sort of related to horses and endurance)

Gardening means spending time outdoors and spending time outdoors in warm dry weather here in Montana also means extra precautions with skin care. Whether your gardening , or as in the case of what we are all here in horsey blogosphere for... RIDING HORSES.... lets face it,  we get dirty and exposed to alot of sun. I am not in my 20's anymore and I am alot more careful with my skin, especially on my face. Being of Italian descent, I don't really burn easily,  but like any other woman in her mid (ok ....late )30's, wrinkles are something that I am more aware of. My skin routine is definitely more "involved" and have you looked at the prices of some of that stuff?? If I can find a more economical alternative and it saves me steps or time I am all for it.   I recently found some great DIY skin care treatments that helps me get through the season. Both  are all natural and can be made at home without alot of fuss. 

DIY Baking Soda Exfoliation

Place a tablespoon of Baking soda in palm of your handAdd a little water to make a loose paste Massage into your skin with gentle circular motions (Never Scrub!)You only want to rid yourself of the dead layer of skin, not damage the new layer underneath. This process should never hurt, if it’s hurting try less pressure.

As always, if you notice any discomfort rinse off immediately. Facial treatments are an individual thing so you can always try this on your hands first to see how you might react.  I have pretty sensitive skin and have had no issues.

Thats it.. Done.. 

If your skin is really hammered, hard worked, dried up , burned or just  in  need of a little extra treatment.. I often use clear Aloe Vera Gel for a quick fix or if I have some extra time,  try this on for size..

DIY Homemade Pineapple Facial

Take a small piece of pineapple. 
Rub all over yoru face(your going to feel weird doing this.. )
Be careful not to get Pineapple  juice in your eye but I think that goes without saying..
Wait 5-10 minutes until the mask dries.
Once dry, jump in the shower to rinse  off with hot steamy water for a good steam treatment.

I usually follow the Pineapple treatment with a baking soda exfoliation - When I’m in a hurry, one or the other treatment is still really effective on their own. 

Follow either treatment with your choice of moisturizer.

All in all this treatment requires no more than one minute to put on your face, making it really nice for those of us with alot of other crap to do, like ride a horse and get diry all over again.

So there you have it, my totally random , mostly unrelated post about "stuff" . I hope you are all out riding, enjoying the outdoors and getting dirty.

Thanks for reading!