I've had a new moose visiting. He's younger than my last one, Mr Blackstone . The frequency of young wandering moose is a good sign . This one is so "tame" , he doesn't mind me working around the estate . All he wants to do is sit by the horse block and load up on minerals. He leaves for a little while then comes right back. There's a cool spring coming right up from the rock next to me , year round . That feeds a small swamp, so he must enjoy going there too. I am bordered on two sides by Natl. Forest and wilderness area, He's even stayed all night. My rabbits were of course very wary at first. Now they are more used to him. They still keep an eye on him !

I am collecting a decent group of my rabbits now. Three oldest adults, an intermediate group of six, mixed colours, and a new itsy group of seven. Most are getting tamer. All of them come running for treats when I call them. I have one favorite, a solid black one. I want to keep track of him. One of the adult males has been chasing him , so I'm planning to take that one out and enjoy some rabbit meat soon. I always told myself, if they become too much, I will take some for the freezer. Now is the time, before the older male chases off my black younger one.

It's been a beautiful spring with my trees and shrubs growing well since I planted them as saplings years ago. The snow has just recently melted off some of the mountain peaks.

I thought the Tman Tribe would enjoy a bit of sharing of my new pet moose. My cord wood and cedar story will follow.

Hope everyone is enjoying fresh cool air and life.

mine is worse-looking.




and I have orange squiggles instead of orange bunnies:

https://youtube.com/shorts/ICaaIr0nwcw

Recently, I had some good trees taken out that someday could have been a threat to my cabin in future wind. Wind is rare here, but when it does occur, I grew tired of worrying about some of the trees breaking. A couple of good knowledgeable logger friends helped me choose the trees , according to the prevailing wind direction . I still have plenty of nice trees , and I got a reward for the ones I had cut. It was a thing of beauty watching those loggers cut the trees. They brought heavy equipment and stacked logs in a few different spots for cutting later.

I have a little more than ten cords of red and white fir, tamarack and cedar for firewood. On top of that, my logger family at the road's end have run a lumber mill for decades , and have been loading me up with milled wood slabs by the trailer loads. Milling is booming and log trucks routinely haul to them . I have much more firewood in stacks than my woodshed will hold, so I'll need to cover them as is. And more milled wood coming any time I ask.

I had a big cedar tree that was way too close to my cabin foundation, and with regret I had it cut. It was getting huge and I just loved it. But the risk of something happening in a rare wind gust wasn't worth the worry. It was a tight squeeze felling the huge tree between my woodshed, sat dish and other hemlocks , but they did so in perfect precision.

It pained me seeing it fall. But a good friend gave me a great thought ...in reverent remembrance, she suggested I have part of it milled and use the wood for building furniture to enjoy. I contacted my logger friends and asked if I could bring my cedar for them to mill . They happily agreed. I chose two sections of the trunk I wanted, and had them hauled to the mill. What resulted was beyond my hopes of beautiful grained cedar. I had hoped it would be pretty, but this tree gave me some of the top grained beautiful colours I've seen to date.

All this time, I had no idea that big tree held such artistic magnificence inside its bark.

The lumber is curing now , covered. I can't wait to have a woodworker make a table/shelf and whatever else I can think of from this wood. I will handpick the boards to be placed just right on the table. Many thanks to my friend suggesting this perfect idea.

The rest of the huge trunk I donated to friends, who in turn brought a few dump truck loads of gravel and a spreader to re top one of my driveways . I didn't expect that, I intended the trunk as a gift to them . They insisted. The rest is more firewood.

Here is the fresh-milled cedar . I couldn't be happier with its quality and many colours. Aside from a table with shelves for the living room, I haven't decided what else to do with it. I have much more lumber than I thought I would get.

I know this is a longer story to read, but its been an adventure for me and one I likely won’t have done again. I wanted to share with everyone the results , especially woodworkers .

Tatiana, I like your moose ! This time of year they all are shedding patches of hair. Always makes me want to get my curry comb and scrub them down to piles of hair on the ground

Beautiful place! I spent several years in Montana in the 80's. I loved it. It is a different world for sure.

Sharon, You live in a magical place...So full of Beauty
The Cedar, moose and bunnies are magnificent...

Couple more years and your moose will make a good freezer filler!
Tatiana, are moose available to hunt where you live?

AAAAAAAAAAAAH, stop it, you're killing me! What a little slice of heaven, both of you.

Very nice area, having the wild life living close is a bonus.

I see you have lots of good things going on, I love it…

I like them bunnies! And the moose!!!

…looks good Miss Sharon !

You ought to saddle train that moose. You'd look pretty fancy riding him into town.

That is some nice milled lumber. Always nice to have moose around and nice to see them.

Hoss thats a great idea ! My rabbits always stand in alert when something is coming in .

Marten T., very true !

KC , Scott,Les, Big Bob , Archer , this state is unique. All kinds of different habitat . I love seeing the mountains. Not far away, but close up . I have hiked , rode horses and driven to trail heads and am immersed in forest and wilderness area . The mountain in the photo is the beginning of the big ones just behind it . I know the mountain in the photo very well . Cold clear springs dot the sides year round in several places. Towards the top are lovely stands of Doug fir , sub alpine fir ,aspen , birch, mountain maple and others . Grizzly trails in the dark larger stands that make my hair stand on end .

At the top are my favorites, huge stands of old growth mountain hemlock . They are uncommon and not logged in any range in the northwest . Which are the only small areas they grow , along with north Idaho . I have sat for hours in those stands enjoying them and looking across the U shaped valley at jagged peaks above and down into the magical scenery below . Seeing pikas calling and scurrying on the rocks . Mountain hemlock are reported to be difficult trees to transplant. I brought down two small ones years ago , they took and are now several feet above my head. My pride and joy to see in all seasons .

You got it , Smash ! Savell you’d like the cowboys here , just as the guys you like in Texas . Tough men , your friends who will help you when you need them.

My summery is this ….. “Then I will live in Montana. And drive a pick up truck . And raise rabbits ….”

Big Sam , that would be a challenge !

Snowy , thanks to good neighbors who run a mill just down at the road’s end . They milled my tree just right . Having that gorgeous lumber to build something nice , lessens the pain a bit of seeing one of my favorite cedars taken down.

Very nice Sharon.
You know cedar makes wonderful inside siding and benches in a sauna,as well as bug proof cedar chests for storing nice clothes.

Boco stole my Thundah....a Sauna !!!

And what a wondahful view to bake some some Sourdough.

You've got a Beautiful Place there... Sharon.

The Hunt for Red October