A Thankful Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

Next to Halloween, this is probably my favorite holiday. Both have small expectations with great fun and rewards, these are my simple joys. We are going to our friends house in town for some home cooked food, drinks and hot tubbing. After MAJOR family Fletcher consternation, we decided that an 8 hour drive to Hettinger, ND in -20 to -40 degree temps on ice, for a pheasant hunt, would not be the wisest decision. Albeit, a tough decision, we had just driven this same stretch last weekend on ice, not fun!

The following pictures document our deer hunt last weekend near Ekalaka, MT. Let me say ahead of time that I did a fair amount of talking with God, given the cold weather and that I harvested a deer. This is never easy for me and takes a ton of mental preparation. Which is to say, that if I had a good shot, one that I was comfortable with, I would have to take it. This is my 5th year of deer hunting and I have only got one deer 4 years ago. So while this was a success for me, I owe it all to my husband whom is my #1 GUIDE and who ensures that all my equipment will provide for a successful hunt. This was a thrill to him too!

Game face,

with camo makeup.

And I got glasses to help me see

far.

My #1 GUIDE

Our buddy Don came along

for the first time.

A nice 4x4 Whitetail buck,

still in velvet.

After a bit of research,

we call this deer a stag.

It ended quick, one shot and

done.

I am grateful.

Home Sweet Home

Brother in Law, Steven,

cooking crab and brie stuffed salmon.

We always eat amazingly!

Da Boyz,

Steven, Don and Scott

Waiting in anticipation for the sun to rise.

Battle Butte (L) and Lone Woman Butte (R)

There was no shortage of whiskey drinking :)

A Fletcher Family Tradition,

the butt warmer.

Do it when no one is looking or do it when all your friends

can do it at once.

That way, no one sees.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Sam always brings Jagermeister,

for us deer hunters.

Tent camping

Fancy Cocktail

made by hubby.

Yummy lasagne and salad.

The pooper.

Brenda, my very fun

mother-in-law.

Wishing you the best of Thanksgivings.

Cheers,

Krissy Pants

A Great Trip

We made it home and had an amazing time. The weather was in the mid-50's most days with clear skies and very little wind, just perfect for hunting. We were thrilled to have no rain. Moisture makes these roads turn into what we call "gumbo". And it isn't any joke, we always take chains with us and have had to use them. I really love the landscape in eastern Montana: grass, coulees, Big Sky as far as the eye can see, antelope, more deer than people in this county, cows, Ponderosa Pine, sandstone buttes. We were successful and Scott got a nice White Tail buck, Sam and Steven both got Mule Deer does. Really, Scott and I spent most of our time "deer hiking" in this gorgeous country and weather. I also enjoyed smelling forbes, the dried Yarrow and Sagewort, the vanilla in Ponderosa Pine bark furrows and watching the green moss still growing. When hunting, you have an amazing amount of time trying to be the quietiest while listening and looking. Very little of your time is actually harvesting the animal. I shot once and missed a nice White Tail buck. I will be going to the gun range, as well as, getting some shooting sticks. I know I can shoot, I just buckle under the very intense moments of hunting. But I really do love it, quiet time in the forest with hubby. And the best part, I am getting to be a better hunter. They don't call it GETTING, it makes you hungry and proud all at once.

Enjoy the pictures, click on them for more detail.

sandstone buttes

Wagon Wheel Restaurant:

the whole show is run by two ladies easily in their 70's, a must dine.

This road is CRAZY!

battery operated blender

Steve made us salmon stuffed with Brie and crab,

YUMMY!

The Fletcher Condo goes anywhere.

target practice in the grass:

Brenda and Steven

camoed up

This area was frequented by Teddy Roosevelt in the early 1900's.

Me, Brenda, Scott, Steven, Sam

The Fletchers

Downtown Ekalaka, MT

Geeez, we are busy. So we repacked and did laundry tonight so we could turn around and drive east for Thanksgiving. We are pheasant hunting with some friends from Colorado in Sidney, MT. The trip is our maiden voyage to explore this area and we are excited. I have more prep to do before I am ready including a pumpkin pie, custom jewel orders, work, and a handful of other chores. I guess I will sleep when I die because I may possibly never catch up in this lifetime.

Have a swell Tuesday,

since now we are on to the next day,

or a nice Monday ending, which ever.

Burning the midnight oil as usual,

xoxoxo, KLF

Busy Bee

The $100 question of the day is:

Will I get everything packed, prepped and baked before we leave tomorrow

for Ekalaka?

Mmmm yes, giv 'er heck.

Here are some earrings that I whipped up.

I will list at least a pair today in the shop.

And now to the Jelly

I finally fixed my Pear Apple Jelly.

It only took me three times to get the right consistency.

The third time is the charm and it is OH SO GOOD!

The jelly hoarding will now begin.

The lighter color is from the first batch of jelly.

While it wasn't really runny, I needed thicker jelly.

So I re-processed some of the jelly and it got darker.

Probably more yummy?

Such a pretty fruit, the Pear Apple, grown in town.

I had never even seen these before making them into jelly.

Thanks Martins, for giving us the fruit.

This marks my second batch of jelly and I am hooked:

easy, so delicious, and the steps of canning

tickle my fancy.

I have a bit of work to do...

grocery

bake bread and cookies

pack

list

hurry up.

I hope your day is fantanstic,

KLF