What round are we on, now?

Are you looking forward to the colder months ahead? What do your winter days look like vs. your summer days?
The bummer, for me, about winter is how short the days are. That part is hard. But I’m going to use the endless dark hours to my advantage this winter and hopefully get another book written. In the meantime, I’ve been doing some hardcore fall cleaning, which does not have the same ring as spring cleaning but actually makes much more sense. In the spring, I think, “the weather is changing, I’m about to spend all my time outside, who cares if my house is a mess!” But in the fall, I think, “the weather is changing, I’m about to spend way more time inside, time to clean every nook and cranny and purge all that is unnecessary.”

You have accomplished a lot since moving to Wyoming and building your house and in the process you have picked up quite a few skills you didn’t possess before. Looking back, which skill are you the most proud of learning and what skill do you look forward to learning in the future?
“…building your house” gives me far too much credit. With Mike’s help, I took the cabin from “glorified tent” to “hovel.” As for skills ~ this is a hard one, to pick just one. Probably learning how to speak cow. And I really look forward to mastering cheesemaking. I’ve not had much time this summer to spend experimenting but hope to try my hand at some aged cheeses this fall.

How did things turn out with the intern? / Will you ever have another temporary assistant? / Do you still have that AWESOME trailer out back?
It ended way back in 2010 for very specific reasons, but I did realize some general things that I needed to address before doing it again (which I would very much like to do) ~ for instance, paying for propane to heat the trailer 24/7 nearly broke my bank. I do still have the glorious Psychedelic Jellybean and use it as an extension of my house ~ it’s shipping HQ / writing room / a nice place for random naps.

Is Chloe spayed? I am curious simply because I have heard there are new options such as tubal ligations available. Thinking in the future I may go the tubal ligation route vs a full hysterectomy (spay) for my female pup.
She is. But this is interesting info!

Do you have a huge vet bill in general?
Not usually, but this year it’s going to be significant with the summer trauma trifecta of Sir Baby, Daisy, and Mushy.

You might have said, but I don’t remember, how the vet takes to Charlie, or whether that’s evolved over time.
They’ve never personally met. I’ve done Charlie’s vacs and treatments myself, but I do have him muzzle trained in case he and the vet ever need to meet face to face.

Do you handle your own dog-cat-coyote vaccinations?
Some but not all.

It seems like your days are very full. Do you ever feel like it’s a grind or experience burnout? If so, what do you do to restore your balance?
Of course! I watched the entire first season of Downton Abbey in one day. That was restorative, to be totally indulgent and just blob for a day (and why doesn’t Netflix streaming have Season 2?!?) The animals are grounding and lightening ~ they’re like four-legged meditations all around me. A soak in my outdoor cast iron tub is transcendent. Ignoring the computer, ignoring the time, being with friends, being with Mike…

Speaking of, I’m going to go spend an afternoon hour on my bull.
I’m only a fraction of the way through your Q’s…. more on the way!

Another Smattering

The Q&A sesh continues… {part I, part II, part III}

Do you keep a journal?
Not really. I write when I have to get something out of me or when I have to figure something out. But it’s usually on scraps of paper and old envelopes which I then toss in a shoebox.

If you had to live off the grid, what type of energy source do you prefer – solar or wind?
Solar. If you’re powered by your own windmill, it means it’s windy, and I do not like wind.

What is your favorite spice?
A wink from Mike.

You have to live the rest of your life in a museum. Which of the world’s museums do you choose and why.
The Museum of Natural History in New York. When I was a starving artist I prioritized an annual museum pass over food. I love that place.

For some reason this idea came to my mind today so thought I would share it with you although your experience was one of the funniest posts ever. Of course it is about the charcoal poultice and the problem (ha ha) of keeping an animal still while it hardens. Couldn’t you just load some cheese cloth with the charcoal and tie it on? Not so much fun for us or said male animal, but easier for you.
I don’t know that that would work ~ imagine gooping it on and tying it on your ankle and then walking around. I think it would slip unless you had it dangerously tight.

I really miss the handwritten posts from last summer.
Then I shall do some handwritten posts just for the fun of it!

if Charlie hears a coyote- what is his reaction?
No reaction ~ never once. It’s like it doesn’t register to him that coyotes are related to him. But if a cat meows, he will start to howl.

Is Charlie neutered?
Yep. It’s detailed in the book ~ the how’s and why’s.

This has been my first real summer out west (Idaho), and the wildfires have been horrible. What kinds of plans do ranchers make for times such as this? Packing up our photos and cats seems bad enough, but being responsible for a farmily such as yours would fill me with worry.
I asked around for this one, which confirmed what I suspected. To quote one rancher: “Hope like hell it doesn’t happen.” There’s really no way to plan. Everyone carries fencing pliers in their truck and will cut fences if need be. Cut fences, let the animals run, and sort it out later.

Does Mike still work for the vile and misnamed USDA Wildlife Services agency that kills our native wildlife, using our tax dollars, on our lands? I hope not!
No ~ I wrote a bit about that here.

Do you like chocolate milk? thought i’d give you an easy one ;)
Thank you! I actually don’t.

What would your ideal future look like?
There’s a fine line between visualization and setting goals, and becoming rigid and self-sabatoging…. I try not to think about an “ideal future,” simply because I would never have conjured any of my present!

If you had to get a job, what would you want to do?
I have a job.

I would love to see a photo of the short do!!
OK FINE I’LL THINK ABOUT IT!