Even though we take our dogs out on a walk every day, we’ve had so much snow lately that we haven’t been able to take many pictures. (Camera + precipitation is not a good thing.) On March 3, it stopped snowing long enough to take some pictures. I told a few people about how the snow is so deep that Fiona has to “swim” through it. These photos show you what I meant. Fiona toddling along her snow tunnel. And running back toward me. James, Kaylee, and...

When you spend a lot of time using computers, sometimes you need a “reality break” (to coin a term from Dano at SoulBuilders.net). That's why my hobbies have nothing to do with computers. They are all real-world activities. One of the best things about living here is that I have been able to create a huge organic veggie garden. In the late summer/fall, we  do a lot of canning and "putting up" of food from the garden. (This year 44+ pints of tomato sauce, for example.) Also I sew/quilt. Sometimes I even use my...

Yesterday, we took the young dogs out on a hike on Gold Hill Trail #3. It’s one of the many National Forest trails around here, so you can bring dogs. More info about the trail is on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests site, but the trail is 3.7 miles up and it has a 1,200 foot elevation gain. Yes, there’s a lot of up; we were tired by the time we got back to the car. But the view at the top is worth it. Here are a few pics from the journey (click for larger versions):  ...

When you work from home, no one really knows when (or if) you’re working. When you work from home and your home is located in the middle of 40 acres of forest, nobody even knows if you’re home. When it’s springtime and beautiful outside, it’s best to take advantage of the fine weather and do something fun. After all, a long winter will arrive all too soon. So here are 10 reasons to quit early and enjoy the day. 10. The dog is giving you that look that means “if you don’t take me out, you’ll be...

I’m going to experiment with posting some pictures that previously were only on Facebook. Since one of the reasons we live here is to spend time outside hiking, it seems appropriate to post them on this blog. The photos are from a trip we took to Roman Nose Lakes on 9/13/09. The lakes are located in the Selkirk Mountains in Northern Idaho. On this particular day, the huckleberry picking was mighty fine!   The view from the drive way up. All those reddish leaves are huckleberry plants. They were STILL loaded with berries!   ...