Well, after a ten day settling in and putting our fires melee, we finally got a day off!
So of course I baked something, I mean, it is me.
Every other night or so, I have been hiking or ATVing out to the huckleberry patches I have found and picking my heart out. It takes a while to pick a respectable amount of huckleberries, and I know they will be gone before I know it, plus, up here in the mountains winter is always looming, so even though I have been working so dang hard to get settled in on the ranch and square away two years of mismanagement, I have still carved out time to pick the delectable purple berries of taste bud bliss!
The hubs is still smiling, as I saved out a cup and a half to make him scones for breakfast. He is spoiled. Which makes me happy, I like spoiling him.
The rest of the berries I have been spreading in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet before bagging them so I can grab out what I need instead of having one big frozen clump. It's the little things that make life more fun.
Plus, with it just being the hubs and I, I don't need to make big amounts of anything, although word has got out that I bake a lot, so even here in the people-less place, people still manage to drift in.
I'm not sad about it though.
As someone who grew up on the fringes of civilization, I have been feeling the squeeze of our growing population on my soul. I didn't realize how much it was effecting me until I got out here. My chest feels lighter. It's not that I don't love people, it's just that I feel and sense all of them all of the time, and as a kid I lived in the woods a lot of the time or was in the woods where there weren't any people. It feels really good to be back to that kind of living situation again. A true blessing that I will cherish for as long as I am here. I mean, look at where I get to live!!!
One of the things that I am looking forward to making with the huckleberries is huckleberry syrup. I love buckwheat pancakes, slathered in butter, and heavily drizzled in huckleberry syrup. I also am going to make some of the huckleberry cinnamon rolls I made at the theme park for the last two summers. They are so, so yummy.
Today though, today I am taking it easy. I am tired. And this week I have to square the garden enclosure away and get the fall crops seeded. Not that I find that work or anything, and really, after this past week and a half dealing with all the former management drama and resulting mess, I find myself looking forward to such a thing.
Tomorrow, I get to meet with representatives from the Montana Loon Society. I am very excited about that, as we have one of only 72 pairs of loons in the state here on the ranch. The loons are my absolute favorite, even now, with it being super windy outside with an incoming front, I can still hear the haunting trill of my loon friends. They are just the coolest, I can't wait to learn more about them!
The ranch owner also ordered me this incredible foraging bag! It's oiled canvas, convertible, and has a waterproof inside liner. They also got me the Forage Idaho book, which I am ecstatic about, as I used to check that book out to patrons all the time when I was a librarian. Now, as a restoration consultant, I can spend a chunk of my time foraging for all sorts of wilderness delights! I already found a massive patch of wild onions, I can't wait to delve into the other tasty things!
There's a part of me, and the hubs too, that keep thinking we have stepped into a dream. My entire life has upended and now I am living quite literally my dream life. It's such a gift, and you can bet I'll cherish each and every day I get to spend in this magical place.
Even if Millicent and Becky constantly look at me with aloof doe disdain due to my fashion choices. Who knew whitetails were such fashion snobs...
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