HUNTING PORCUPINES

The recent blizzards that had us snowed in the house takes me back to memories of snowstorms that occurred during our childhood. As most young kids, when we did not have school due to a storm, we jumped with glee at the prospect of staying home unfettered by the confines of the education institution. Our minds raced of all the possibilities of how to fill this free day.



During one particularly bad winter, that of '96-'97, an anomoly occurred. We actually almost got sick of snow days. The winter was so bad, that we actually ran out of things to do. Sure, we helped our dad feed cows in the mornings and then rode or drove through the cows to check on them. Then the rest of our day was free to do as we pleased.



We filled these days with whatever entertainment we could find. We did not have television (gasp!) and this vague concept of the "world wide web" evidently was world-wide except for our area. So therefore, after feeding, losing a few games of cribbage to dad, and 1/2 hour of torture, otherwise known as "practicing our piano lessons," we soon grew bored. It was then that we did what every other sibling group does when confined, they fight and bicker. "Bickering" was only briefly tolerated by my parents, and then we were instructed to take it outside.




Once outside, the frigid air would rally us together and we would try to find something to do until it was determined by mom or dad that we were through bickering and would be allowed back inside. It was during one of these outings that we discovered one of our favorite winter activities - Porcupine Hunting.





Our creek was plagued by porcupines that eat bark and kill trees. So we were free to kill porcupines at will. We would take dad's little pump-action .22 and set off down the creek in search of the ever-elusive porcupine.












(Disclaimer: We had been taught proper handling of firearms from a young age. Porcupines were extremely overpopulated in the area. Any e-mails to us about killing of harmless creatures or gun-control will be promptly deleted. As Joe Dirt says: "Don't focus on the wrong part of the story.")





In an effort to maximize the experience, we pretended that we were on a televised safari, like those on the hunting channel, hunting the cagey, wild porcupine. How we even knew about such hunting shows is odd because as mentioned before, we didn't have television. But, anyway, two of us commentated the hunt in loud whispers as the "hunter" pretended to be stalking the sly porcupine. A special note here, the commentators always talked with an Australian accent for whatever reason.





Someone would then say "to hunt the porcupine, you understand the porcupine" and then we would all errupt into giggles. The hunt would usually be over because we would be laughing too hard.

Here is Ris demonstrating porcupine behavior. I laugh everytime I see this picture.

Gosh, we were odd kids. Probably still are.

LET THE DEMOLITION BEGIN...

We were so excited about our camper purchase. We knew that there would be some work involved in getting the old girl up and functioning. The camper is a 1969 model, therefore, older than either of us. As it takes a FEW cosmetics for us to look decent in the mornings, we knew that it would also take some cosmetic changes for "Barbara" to look good as well.



Our intent when we started this project was never to refurbish the camper to it's original 1969 state. Moreover, our goal was to repair it as best as our limited skills would allow us, and to add a little bit of flair.



We knew that there had been some water damage in places. It appears that the roof had leaked and damaged much of the back wall. The veneer walls had peeled like a 3-day old sunburn as you can see below.







We decided that we would start on the back wall. We removed the bunk and also the couch. With immense apprehension, we wielded crow bars with the precision of neurosurgeons. We started tearing off the veneer to reveal what was underneath.








When the dust and debris settled, we found that there was extensive water damage below the surface. We looked at each other with fear in our eyes. We sat back on our haunches, drank a beer, and deliberated our next move. We decided to dig even deeper to remove more rotten material. It was at this point, that Annie decided she was getting a sore throat due to all the mold she had breathed. We then spent the next hour convincing ourselves that it was just the start of a cold, and that there were no mold spores present.



We finally reached the end of the rotten wood when we saw daylight.

The silver door is actually the door for the compartment that is accessed from outside. We completely removed the lower half of the wall. We then started to rebuild the back wall.

We replaced the studs, and some of the floor that was rotten. This is the water tank that supplies water to the sink. But not the bathroom. There is no bathroom.

Then Annie measured how much plywood we would need to rebuild the wall.

We installed the plywood by the light of the work lamp.

Tracking material in and out caused a huge, muddy mess.

But, we were pleased with the results.

NOTE: At no time during this phase of the project did we have ANY clue what we were doing. We were the lucky victims of a series of "happy accidents" as the painter Bob Ross would say.

Stay tuned as we search to uncover more rotten infrastructure!

GYPSY, THE STORY OF A DOG

I never thought I would be one of those "Dog people." The type of person that talks to their dog and truly believes she understands what you are saying. The type of person to let the dog sleep on the couch or bed, to generally treat the dog like one of their children. Well, I became that person. Don't judge me. Seriously, I quit caring.



Gypsy, is a miniature Australian Shepherd. She also goes by G-dog or a host of other ridiculous pet names that I have concocted. Her hobbies include sleeping, laying on the couch, chasing rabbits, and following Matt or I around. Now, her breeding would indicate that her talents lie in the cattle-herding area. This is not the case. No matter how much we wish she did herd cattle, she has no interest in this field. This could partially be due to our poor dog-training skills, or her general lack of interest in anything other than lounging. Nonetheless, she is the most faithful canine companion either Matt or I have had. She is also the most polite dog that I have encountered.



The story of how she came to live with us is actually very cute. Several years ago, we had different dog named Barbie that was killed when one of the feed pickups ran over her. Now that part of the story is not cute, it was actually quite sad. Our sadness over the loss of Barbie was noticed by our neighbor's young son. His grandmother raised Australian Shepherd pups that she was quite proud of. He convinced his grandma that he wanted a pup. She finally parted with one as a gift to him. Much to everyone's dismay, he then, headed straight to our house and gave the pup to us with all the sweetness that only an eight-year-old possesses.




We named her Gypsy. What a cute puppy! I can only imagine why we took this picture, but obviously it didn't make the Christmas card cut.





The winter we got her was particularly bitter cold, so she stayed in the house much of the time. It was then that she quickly found her new favorite hobby...lounging on the couch. Thus a pattern was set for the rest of her life. Occasionally, she does get off the couch.



Sometimes she will Foxtrot with me. Surprisingly, for as much as she is sedentary, she is an extremely athletic dog. She has a shockingly high vertical jump that she does when she gets excited.





She unabashedly likes to ride horseback too. No matter how much ridicule she receives from the other dogs. She doesn't care.





This picture is testament to her zeal for cattle in general. While all the other dogs are behind the herd, nipping at the lollygaggers' heels, Gypsy is tracking behind a horse with her tongue out, waiting for a rabbit to jump up.


Her glassy-blue eyes seem to hold an undetermined understanding. (Okay, that might be pushing it!)

These eyes are saying "I am so humiliated."

REVEALING THE NAME!!!

Many of you have been curious as to what we will be naming our 'summer fun wagon.' My initial thought was to hold a contest and pick the wildest name. However, after further discussion we decided to save that idea for our next camper.

While we thought long and hard about her name, it was pretty obvious what the slogan should be, especially after the first day of demolition.

Rotten to the Core

Yep, I think that's quite appropriate. Anyway, back to the naming. Lindsey and I brainstormed and finally came up with the perfect name.

Drum roll please......

Yes! Barbara! We decided to name her Barbara after our Aunt Barb who was our inspiration for this project.

I came up with a few little acronyms for her. These do not necessarily represent our Aunt Barb...just Barbara the camper.

B is for Boy deterrent (There were big plans coming from the husband and boyfriend about taking her elk hunting, etc. That came to a halt as soon as they learned about the pretty pink heart and rhinestoned pillows)

A is for Ancient (1969 in camper years is actually very old)

R is for Rotten to the core (enough said)

B is for free Bird (my address is like my shoes, it travels with me wherever I go)

A is for Airy (when the wind blows there is a bit of a draft...or when it blizzards we find snow packed in every little crack and crevice)

R is for Rebellious (well behaved women rarely make history)

A is for Adorable (she is basically the cutest thing ever except for our nephew and Gypsy and...)

Here's a little teaser of the future decor.

Throughout this post I have given several clues that elude to some of the future details of the camper. Can you guess of any of them?

One more clue: $18 bottle of turquoise spray paint

A TOUR OF THE NEW CAMPER...



When Annie and I got the camper home, we parked it in front of the shop and admired it from afar. It was cute and quaint. We stood in silence, imagining the fun trips we would take, the open road, the far-flung places that we would tow it. Ahhhh! What a summer this will be!



Let's take a tour of our new fun wagon!




When you step into the camper, you can see the huge amount of storage area. It also comes with a full-length mirror and a furnace, for those chilly nights.



The kitchen area features a three-burner gas stove and very clean oven. All appliances, including the range hood are a lovely "canned-pea green" color. There is an economy-sized sink and plenty of storage. The cupboard doors are painted a chartreuse-ish color that compliments the color of the appliances and also the upholstery throughout the rest of the camper.

The backsplash in the kitchen is a psychedelic green and copper wallpaper.

Moving to the dining area, you will notice the large windows that let in plenty of natural light. The booth-style eating area also conveniently turns down into an extra bed. Overhead storage space will be great for storing all the necessities for life on the road.

Finally, the sleeping/living area. The couch easily pulls out into a comfortable bed. The upper bunk also folds up for extra head-space.

Now, I will give you a tour of the bathroom.


Wait, where's the bathroom?



Lindsey: "Annie, I can't find the bathroom."


Annie: "It's outside."

(silence)

Lindsey:"So you're saying that nature is our bathroom. Is that what you are telling me?"

Annie: "Mm-hmm. Less plumbing to worry about that way."


Lindsey: "What about showers while we are on the road or camping?"

Annie: "It's CAMPING, not a Holiday Inn."

YET ANOTHER SNOW DAY...

We are being hit with the third blizzard in as many weeks. The drifts are as high as the deck railing and almost over my car. I am in my nice warm house with plenty of projects (like reupholstering the camper cushions) and a bottle of wine, so I can't complain. I do worry about those that are tending stock right now. Western South Dakota ranchers are in the middle of calving season, and the blizzards don't help. Lots of calves have perished in this weather so far.

Matt, our brother-in-law Joe, and our friend John took off this morning to go ride through the cows and try to save some calves. They took fresh horses, a team of horses and hay sled, and hopefully enough warm clothes to get through the next 24 hours or so.

Here is what the hay sled-thingy looks like. This picture was taken over a month ago. The Three Amigos (Matt, Joe, and Zach) were taking the team for a spin.

The guys plan to camp out in an abandoned line shack down in the pasture. They have a kerosene heater that should keep them pretty warm. So they can ride and check cows and bring calves back to the shack to warm up.

This is what the shack looks like in warmer weather. That is Joe and our sister, Larissa. Don't let the shack's extravagant appearance fool you, it is pretty humble :)

Thanks to the modern technology and limited cell service, the guys have been able to phone the main house and request that a deck of cards and a bottle of Forty Creek be delivered. Unfortunately, that request went unanswered as there is no travel advised. Going to have to just tough it out guys!

Matt just sent the above picture message to me. Well, at least visibility appears better! Anyway, we hope all you West River ranchers come out of this storm okay. Spring is coming.

She's a Beauty!

Our new winter project will soon be our new summer hobby!

After some unsuccessful searches, word got out that we were in the market for an old (I like to say vintage), inexpensive camper. As luck would have it a friend of mine asked her grandpa if he would sell us his.

And he said yes!!!

A 1969 Yellowstone Travel Trailer!

Sure...it needed a little work but the price was right and it was pretty much everything we could have dreamt of and more!

My friend's dad was not overly excited about the thought of us hauling this dormant camper 15 miles with no lights and shoddy tires. But heck! what's to worry? Okay, there may have been some white knuckle driving and Hail Mary's muttered while we were flying down Elk Vale Hill but we made it just fine.

Lariann & Gypsy

Lindsey and Gypsy

Now that we have paid for it and got it home, we should probably fully inspect the conditions. This is the impulse buyer coming out in me...buy then inspect!

The damage: Oh ya! This is going to be good.

Stay tuned...more to come!