Howling Winds, Party Planning and Snake Free Hiking

These are just a few things happening lately!

The wind hitting the windows rattled me awake in the middle of the night. You'd think I should be used to the wind in Great Falls, but sometimes it still catches me off guard. Last night was one of those. With sustained winds bouncing between 40 to 45 mph and gusts bumping 72 mph, there are reports of semis toppling over on the interstate, sheds flipping on their sides, trees uprooting, and roofs being lifted from buildings. It's another reminder that we are not in control. 

Starting the Day Right

Being a morning person, I would prefer to do everything I need to do for the day within the first hour, but alas, that's not how reality works. I'm also happiest to be up and at 'em before the sun rises. If it's light outside when I open my peepers, my entire day feels off. 

This week, I found myself in the kitchen before the boys were awake. On Tuesday, I peeled and sliced a box of Gala apples from our little farm market at Big Sky Deli, adding lemon, sugar, and cinnamon to the 10 cups of apples in each bag, so they are ready to go for John to bake apple pies this winter. 

I also made a delicious lasagna in the middle of the week, plus a 9x13 casserole of Johnny Marzetti on Saturday. The latter is a classic Midwestern dish with burger, tomatoes, and elbow macaroni, topped with delicious grated parmesan and cheddar cheese. They served it during lunches at school, but I've found many people are unfamiliar with the name. My husband said his mom made something similar and called it succotash, and I've heard others call it goulash, which is entirely off-base because it's not even close to a Hungarian Goulash. I'm curious to hear from readers who have had it!

Getting a Jump on Christmas Gifts

Thursday was soap-making day, and I'm already looking at some new recipes for small-batch specialty soaps, including a pumpkin pie spice soap with real pumpkin in it. But I need to get on the ball if I'm going to have them done before Christmas. 

Party Planning

I also had a terrific discussion with my author-liaison at Reedy Press for the 100 Things to Do in Bozeman Before You Die book. Part of their strategy is supporting writers in their marketing focus, and it's time for me to step up my game to line up events for 2025. At the moment, I'll be in Bozeman at the Kimpton Armory Hotel on March 14 and the Gallatin Barnes & Noble on May 31. Plus, I'm setting up a book launch party here in Great Falls, as well as a book signing at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and set up at the Great Falls Farmers' Market when it opens in June.

Promoting the Bozeman project will add to an already busy season, but I'm particularly looking forward to the book launch. I have never hosted one for my other two books, and it's kind of fun planning a party, especially when some of my highly talented friends are going to lend me a hand. 

Walks and Workouts… and Dog-Power

Regarding my time in the gym, I managed four decent weight workouts and a couple of sauna sessions. I did not do cardio or yoga last week, but hopefully, I can step it up this week. One of my new favorite and relatively new exercises (at least for me) is deadlifts with the trap bar. It feels like a squat to some degree but still utilizes the back and core in a hinge movement. I need to do more of them …and lift heavier. 

Zeke and I managed several three-mile walks, with our quick one-mile loops on regular days. Even though we've been walking a lot in the dark, when it's cold and windy, I prefer taking advantage of the any warmth the sun might offer. As a result, it feels like everything has to be crammed into our now nine hours of daylight.

With snow in the near future, my friend, Katie, also helped me figure out what size harness Zeke will need to pull the sled with the gear while we're snowshoeing. She also let me hook Zeke up to the nifty Wolf Track cart she has, and I would love to delve into more dog-powered sports. Of course, it would be helpful to have more dogs, but...

What's On Tap for This Week? 

I'm still old-school and use my write-in calendar book as my primary source of organization, and I've already run out of space for the first two days of this week. There are lots of little things— bills to pay, appointments to make, a meeting with potential publishers— but I also have several assignments looming that need quick attention. 

It looks like real snow is heading our way, so it's time for me to put the finishing touches on the garden clean-up. I'm hoping to take a few photos of my lasagna garden to show you all how it's going to look for the rest of the season. 

I will also start sharing some local outings that I reserve for these colder months because the rattlesnakes are hunkered down for the winter. Too many times, I've had to turn around or take measures to avoid rattlesnakes, so I prefer not to have to focus on them. Honestly, give me a grizzly over a rattlesnake any day!