BACKYARD BEAVER

We are in love with our backyard. Our property line ends right at a beautiful field that borders the Teton River. We spend a lot of time back there playing in the trees and the water. It's really fun how much wildlife we see in our mini wilderness. We've seen turtles, snakes, quail, ducks, Canadian geese, herons, bald eagles, coyotes, red foxes, and signs of or reports of moose, deer, bobcats, and even mountain lions.

The most conspicuous animal however, has been the beaver. The. dam. beaver. 

We actually lived here over a year before we ever saw the thing. But we knew it was there. It's home is huge...like, bigger than our bed, huge. Bigger than our bathroom, huge. If it just swam happily in the pretty river, I wouldn't complain. But instead, it spends its spare time cutting down half the trees in our private forest. 

I'm not exaggerating. We've counted 40+ trees downed! This spoils our back window views and makes me steaming mad.

The day we formally met for the first time, was a special day in June. Special because my little sister was visiting us all by her big-self from 2 states away. And special because it was as if the beaver's emergence was preserved specifically for her.

Throwing sticks in the river for Moose to retrieve, we heard what sounded like large rocks getting thrown into the water from the opposite bank. When there was no sign of anyone, we figured some boys were trying to be funny by hiding in the reeds. We ignored them. 

But it kept happening. And it was LOUD. 

Finally I spotted this guy! That beaver was slapping his tail against the water in an attempt to be threatening and scare us away! 

Fat Chance. We weren't going anywhere.  

At the time, all I had was a cell phone, but I caught this sweet action shot. 

And a video.

Soon, Andrew joined us with my camera, so I could get some real shots. By this time, all that tail thumping must have made the beaver hungry, because he was got out to munch on a bush...keeping one cautious eye on us at all times. 

This gave us an opportunity to see how big he really was. 

And he was fat. Fat from eating 40+ of my trees! 

I tried to get Moose to eat him, but our playful pup was only interested in the stick my sister was holding.

Like a big rat.

And then he was back in the water. Eventually, our excited family hiked home while I pondered the fashion forwardness of a beaver pelt hat. 

AAAAAND...WE'RE BACK!

Hi, there. It's been awhile. Andrew and I decided it was time to start blogging again--for reasons we will explain later. But in the meantime, here is a speedy update on the last four months via cell phone pics. I apologize if you are already an Instagram follower. 

A new school year began. I have fifteen third graders, and I love them. I'm excited to show off my entire camping theme classroom in a future post. 

The kids made class "camp shirts" with tie-dye. 

Andrew and I enjoyed a lovely Idaho autumn. This was our view from our hike up to Cress Creek.

Our garden was a success. 

Sort of. 

We have pumpkins, squash, and zucchini coming out our ears! But honestly, who actually wants very many squash and zucchini? 

The goal next year is to harvest a single onion, carrot, spinach, lettuce, or bean plant from the backyard. Apparently, the soil around is here is super heavy in clay. It takes a few years of rich fertilizer before you can have much of a reward with gardening. 

Andrew now officially runs his own business! It has been fun and a blessing that he's stayed busy. Here, he shows me the progress on a lovely house he's building in town. Andrew's good at what he does.

Moose is still kicking. This is largely due to the fact that he is no longer allowed to sleep with a blanket...regardless of how cold it is. He now gets wood shavings. Otherwise, there is a 99% chance he will chew it to bits, ingest a vast majority of the fiber, requiring a second expensive surgery to save his life. 

Big, crazy lug.

We've been enjoying a gym membership. 

Well, Andrew has been enjoying a gym membership. I still find little joy in formal exercise. As motivation, we shake it up with an occasional racquetball game. This picture is after a close, tiring battle...that didn't seem to wear Andrew out at all. 

Andrew lives and breathes BYU football. For his birthday, we bought a package deal and got tickets for two home games in Provo. Fun memories.

For Halloween, we dressed as a hiker and a bear. It took us approximately 20 minutes to throw it together, yet we ended up winning the award for "Most Original Costume."

We inherited 800 square feet of free sod from a neighbor. This isn't a lot of grass, but we feel blessed to have a patch of green in our backyard. Moose is strangely squeamish of too much mud and dirt, so he has been especially grateful to have it...rolling around on his back for ten solid minutes for no obvious reason except to revel in its soft glory.

The rest of the sod will have to wait until spring. In the meantime, we have been busy making progress with steel banding to create flower beds on three sides of the house, and a handful of twiggy trees planted along the driveway and deck. 

The sprinklers are also installed and ready to go. 

In somewhat related news, Andrew is still studly in plaid. 

My last blog post (back in July!) was asking for input about a rug for the front room. This is the one I chose. 

Unfortunately, it was not the lovely light blue it appeared to be online. It was more of a hunter green! Thus it did not match, and it was shipped off to be returned. I have yet to replace it with another one.

My current project is a painting for over the fireplace. Here it is in its early stages. My inspiration is our view from the kitchen window. It's been fun to get back into art after so long!

Well, I'll be seeing more of you from now on. I'm going to have to dust off my 'ol Canon, so I can have some real pictures for you next time!

ULTIMATUM

We went hiking with our Shlect friends.

And here's the awkward shot of the Ashmores. 
.
Before it was taken, I warned Andrew NOT to make a goofy face. So instead, my obedient husband attempted a normal smile. 

I suppose it was better than this picture...one I'm sure you remember.

Or this one. 

Or this. 

Or this. 

I could keep going all day, but I think you get the idea. 

But anyway, Andrew's inability to be normal in front of a camera is not the point. 

It's about the Schlect's moving. And the fact that too many of our friends in the past have done so before them. 

I've decided it's not allowed anymore! No more graduating college and leaving for jobs several states away! I mean, why is everyone so anxious to leave this quaint town...without Super Wal-Marts, shopping malls, or things to do after 10pm? 

Don't answer that. 

Where else can you get such beautiful, wide-open views and have so many fun things to do outside? It was raining by the time we reached the summit. From there, we watched an incredible electrical storm...until we decided it probably wasn't smart to stand up there like human lightning rods. So we headed home. 

It was a grand, last hurrah, with the last of our friends allowed to move away from this place.  

p.s. please ignore that my last line slightly hints of psycho, serial killer tendencies. thanks.

OUTNUMBERED

These guys drove up from Utah...

To help this guy...

...do this. 

.

We loved having them.

We took them to the St. Anthony Pioneer Day Rodeo on Saturday. 

I like to imagine this cowboy is thinking something similar to...

AAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!
.

What do you think?

That's all my mind would have room for if I were on the back of a bucking bronco.

Got 'em!

And my favorite action shot of the evening.

It was a fun weekend with the guys.

COWGIRL UP! {written by andrew}

I took Rachel for a drive to Kilgore, Idaho, on Sunday. I wanted to show her the area. It is so beautiful, and she had never been. 

As with any drive we go on, Rachel spent 80% if the time behind her camera lens.We had pulled over beside a cattle field, so she could snap some pictures of the wildflowers. 

As she was crouched down, completely consumed by the pretty flowers, she was unaware she had an audience gathering...

She was quite surprised when she stood up to about 100 head of cattle  lined along the fence to watch her.

Even as she joined me in the car and we began to drive away, they still followed, bellowing after us.This intrigued Rachel, so like a scientist, she began to experiment.

After having me move the car around back and forth...taunting the cattle no doubt...Rachel got back out and started taking pictures of them.

Then, out of nowhere, she started sprinting down the dirt road. Of course, the cows thundered after her, following her back and forth down the fence line. I would move the car, but they would stay put unless Rachel was with me.

This kept her occupied for quite some time. I am sure all those ranchers driving by thought she was some girl from New York City who had never seen a cow before, and just had to take pictures.

Regardless, she was happy, and strongly believed, as we finally drove away, those cows' moos were calling her back with calls of "Mama!"

Personally, I think they just wanted to be fed. Or maybe, Rachel's just my little cow whisperer. What can I say?