Home on the Range...

You can take the girl out of the country, but never the country out of the girl! I've been visiting my parents back in Montana for the last 2 weeks, and it was a blast! The weather was so nice, a great break from the Las Vegas heat. I loved being back in the mountains, and the color green! :-)



My parents own 5 acres and 3 horses, 2 goats and all the accessories. I love their house, made of pine logs and just what you'd expect in the Montana country. Always something to do on the ranch - Dad's latest project was landscaping the edge of the driveway. He's got rocks on the brain, and scoured the mountainside finding the perfect boulders to use in his wall. Rumor has it he even caused rock slides to get to the right ones! If you ask me, it turned out beautifully.



Mom and I spent a lot of time redecorating rooms inside the house. Now that Tieg, my youngest brother, is out of the house too, Mom wanted to give his room a make-over. She had this great idea of using the musical instruments that had been passed down from her father and grandfather (and played by her father and my brothers, actually) and some old pictures she had of them. We spent a lot of time picking out picture frames and figuring out where to put the instruments on the wall, but after all our hard work, Mom has the best room design! I am amazed at the history and the stories on that wall. It is a true work of art.



This room naturally led to reorganizing other rooms, so a lot of time was spent measuring wall space and thinking really hard (which causes major headaches!). We were able to get a lot done, but she's got lots more ideas and projects, which I am handing over to her sister, who will be visiting her next week. Tami - watch out and good luck! Mom'll put you to work! :-)


We also got to show off our musical abilities. Pioneer day was celebrated while I was there, and the Stevensville Stake celebrated with music and games, and cobblers galore. Ya'll know we have a family band (Mom on mandolin, Dad on banjo and me on fiddle) and we teamed up with 2 others to play some bluegrass at the celebration. What a fun time! Nothing beats a little Rocky Top! Some songs went more smoothly than others, but all in all the Bitterroot Rascals stole the show! It was great to have us together, playing again. I love to play with Mom and Dad, they have a great program of music and cowboy poetry, and I'm proud to be a part of the band in some small way.


After all the shopping, decorating and jammin' I was one worn out little lady as I boarded the plane back to Vegas. I swear, time passes faster in Montana, and I was out of time way before I was ready...but I've got some remodelling of my own to do here at the house. And a deadline, October is right around the corner!



Thanks Mom and Dad, for a wonderful time at home! I love you guys!