But back to the cabin. It was a great time. This particular cabin was built in the 1930s, and while the roof appeared new (which only makes sense in this harsh environment) you can tell the rest of it had some history behind it. It was nice and clean inside with smooth wood floors and decent cupboards. There’s no running water, but there is electricity and even a stove. Pots, pans, dishes and utensils are all there. A small wood stove is the heat source, and I was tickled to find a pile of split wood ready to go. It was nice. And I was relieved to find no evidence of mice even though there were signs all over about hantavirus. (I almost brought along a spray bottle of bleach water, but refrained.)

This is a two room cabin with 2 sets of bunk beds, one of which is a double bed, so it sleeps six easily. The main area was the kitchen, wood burner and dining table. There was also a big woodshed, outside fire ring, and a nice pit toilet (I’ve been to some where it’s a rickety old thing where you think you’re going to fall in, so I appreciate a solid seat!)

I was a little rusty in my packing. I forgot the ketchup and mustard, as well as butter and cream for breakfast and my coffee. Frankly, more food would’ve been good, too. I also wanted to bring wool blankets for the boys. Next time I’ll definitely bring more water. We only had 3 gallons, but I had to be very conservative with it, particularly with washing dishes, so we wouldn’t run out. And I definitely will include a smoke detector to whatever cabin we rent. I was surprised there wasn’t one in the cabin. It appears there was at one point, but no longer. With the wood stove (where I could see the fire because the seal was missing) you could see the fire, and I could just picture a spark flying out and hitting the box of paper. (Yes, this is how my mind works.) And, of course, my nose was all off because we all smelled like smoke.

The boys loved it from the beginning. Of course, it was even more special because their big brother, Blaine, joined us for the trip. They hadn’t seen him since around Christmas so they were pretty excited. They loved the beds, the fire, roasting hot dogs, marshmallows… the whole thing. John thought we should just stay there forever. He calls it “Our Cabin.” They had a great time with Blaine, too, as they hunkered around the outdoor fire, or tossed baseballs. This is something they’re going to remember forever.

We went for a little walk up Deadman Trail until we could see the slopes of Showdown Ski Area. I definitely felt the difference. I noticed I couldn’t breathe as deeply as I normally could. I guess it hasn’t been a month, yet, since the surgery so I shouldn’t be terrible surprised. Terribly frustrated, but not surprised. Then we decided to drive to the top. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as we gained elevation the road seemed to narrow and the slope steepened. There are no photos from this jaunt, not because Grant wasn’t kind enough to offer to stop so I could take photos, but because I was clinging onto the car like a cat perched above the bathtub, I urged him to continue moving. (I will tell you the shooting star flowers were lovely, but I didn’t take a picture of them.) On top it opens up and is beautiful.

After a few games of Scrabble and Bible trivia, Sam and John couldn’t wait to go to bed. So I got them dressed, and squared around where each of them slept. That last for 10 minutes. Originally Sam wanted me to sleep with him in the bottom double bunk, and John as going to sleep by himself on the bottom single. Then they were both in the bottom bed chatting away.

Grant, Blaine and I played a couple of games of Yahtzee before decided to retire. I got to sleep between Sam and John in the space where the 2 twin mattresses meet. Comfy. I had a blinding headache, so I lay in bed for 2 hours before giving in and getting up. I read all of the entries in the journals there, recognizing a few of the people. I spent a lot of time feeding and tending to the fire because I was concerned the boys would be cold. I even started a letter to a friend I haven’t written in years. Finally, around 2 a.m. I decided to take Ibuprofen for the headache. Thankfully, once that started working I felt sleepy so I went to bed. Of course, both boys were completely out of their sleeping bags. I scootched them back inside and crawled in my own bag between them. I slept for probably 3 hours before I heard Grant get up and stoke up the fire. So, even though I slept very little, it never became terribly cold in the cabin.

For breakfast I made egg and cheese burritos. Grant chopped more wood to replace what we used, and then I cleaned up the cabin and we headed home. It was a short trip, but a lot of fun. I highly recommend renting one of these cabins to anyone, and really want to try more so we can see great new places in Montana.

So you can imagine my delight when a new website, Montana Mountain Mamas, came online a few months ago. It’s wonderful to find like-minded ladies who take advantage of everything our beautiful state has to offer, and to see what they’re doing throughout the area.  From mountain biking, hiking or playing in that nasty stuff called snow, these women and their families live life to the fullest. So you can imagine how honored I was when they asked me to join the ranks of the Montana Mountain Mamas to add my experiences in gardening and eating real food in Big Sky country! 

My first post, A Lesson for the Not-So-Patient Gardener, deals with a recent setback that put a significant dent in my gardening schedule. I consider myself someone who is pretty ready for most bumps along the way, but I must admit that this was never on the radar. As always, it proves to be a learning experience.

In 1995 I noticed one honey bee all summer long in my gardens in Coram, Montana. It had been a rough winter, so I thought I needed to do my part and learn how to keep bees. It was a c

I finished adding dirt to my second hugelkultur garden, and finally knocked down the rest of the dirt pile from last year. I still don’t have enough to cover all of the areas I want to turn into gardens, but it’ll be fine for now. Once the general garden footprint was done, I actually took out paper and a pen to sketch them out and create somewhat of a plan. I’m not good about putting together a precise map because, in my experience, it never works. But I need to have a general idea of where I’m going to plant everything on my extensive list. I still don’t know if it’s all going to fit, but we’ll give it a try.

Since the soil temperature was over 50 degrees F it was time to plant potatoes and a few other veggies. I planted potatoes at my Electric City Conservatory community garden plot, plus added a couple of rows here at home. The few extra potatoes I had went into the hugelkultur beds. It’s good to mix the varieties on the bed to have a true polyculture environment. It’ll also be a good experiment.

I planted the broccoli and 3 of the ‘Kaitlin’ cabbage plants (these are a type used for sauerkraut), and then covered them with the floating row cover. Cabbage and broccoli are both pretty hardy and will withstand below freezing temperatures, but the row cover protects them from the wind as much as anything. Little seedlings take a beating when the wind is howling around 45 mph.(And it looks like our cat Josephus appreciates the protection, too.) 

We ran out of onions last year, so I’m determined to plant more. My favorite variety is ‘Copra.’ It’s a yellow onion that reaches 3-4 inches in diameter, and is a champion when it comes to long term storage. During normal years, we’re still eating last year’s onions in May. I started the ‘Copra’ seed in February and early March, and the boys helped me plant a bed with roughly 160 plants. I would’ve liked to cover this bed, too, but didn’t have enough floating row cover because the mice chewed them to pieces in the garden shed.  I wasn’t happy. (The other pieces are being used in the greenhouse.) The row cover also helps retain moisture since the wind sucks every bit of moisture out of the soil. Once more arrives, I’ll cut off a piece and pull it over the onions to give the poor things a little protection.

The boys planted a few things in their garden beds. They used the beet seed tape my friend Nancy sent to us, and thought that was pretty neat. They also planted the ‘Ogalla’ strawberries I purchased from Bundi Gardens. It’s a Zone 3 strawberry so I want to give it a try. Sam seeded ‘New Red Fire’ lettuce, ‘Yaya’ carrots and ‘Neon’ Swiss chard from Renee’s Garden Seeds. John put in ‘Yellowstone’ carrots, watermelon radishes and buttercrunch lettuce. Once again, the wind proves to be a challenge because it dries out the seed bed badly, but they should do okay. 

There’s a whole lot we need to do as the days grow more mild, but it was good to start the season by putting a few things in the ground this weekend.