More Montana Adventures

At the risk of assuring that none of my friends ever want to move to Montana, I want to share my latest adventure and also some pictures of the girls.

So far this week we had three days of no water, smoke pouring from an unused electrical socket, the van three miles away and a landlord who -- well -- is testing my character. Yesterday the four wheel drive truck that I bought -- even though the aforementioned landlord assured me that I did not need four wheel drive -- got solidly stuck in our own driveway. I dug, I put traction sand down, and I cried -- to no avail.

Some things are best just left for a new day and so that is what I did -- just left the stuck truck stuck and hoped we did not have an emergency. This morning I put rugs under the tires and tried again -- nothing. And so I trudged up the hill to a neighbor I have never met and asked for help and ten minutes later he came over in his big old truck -- with chains on the tires -- and got the stuck truck unstuck. I congratulated him on being someone's hero today.

The landlord was on her way over with an "electrician" whose name she has not given me even though I have asked twice. I decided that it was best for all involved if I left -- especially after I took a hard tumble on ice and thought even more uncharitable thoughts about her, as if even that was now her fault. And so the puppies and I headed off to town to do some shopping, and that is sometimes better than cookie dough, although a bit more expensive.

The landlord told Galen that I had overloaded the circuit, which just is not the case and besides wouldn't that just cause the circuit to blow rather than pour smoke out an unused socket??! (thanks to Elizabethanne for pointing that out). Another electrician is coming on Tuesday -- one I have spoken with so know he is a real electrician -- and so I intend to have a good conversation with him about things.

So, we have running water, we have not burned down, and the truck is no longer stuck -- things are looking up, wouldn't you say?


This is where the truck was stuck, which explains why we have throw rugs in the snow.


This is a beautiful sight -- the unstuck truck!


Yes, it is hard up here but look at how beautiful -- this is Zoey right behind the house.


Here is Sydney at nine weeks old -- she weighs 17 pounds now and is a fun, easy puppy.


And here she is again -- striking a pose.

I suspect I am supposed to learn something from all this but wonder if I could skip the lessons and know what it is?! So far I have learned that I hate renting, miss my house, my husband, my friends, and the paved streets with those wonderful snow plow drivers. But the darkest of winters is always followed by a spring, and so we just hang in there and wait for things to change -- because they always do. Soon the hillside will be covered with wildflowers and all this will just be a really funny story....