Let's visit on the Porch II (Missoula, Helena: gated, prices, finance)

[Mt-7]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

An Amish lady gave me a "Starter Bag" and a recipe. The starter bag is a gallon zip lock bag with some batter in it. The recipe goes by days and it takes 10 days to make bread. Day one thru day 5 you just squeeze the bag to mix the ingredients, open it and let the air out (it's fermenting). On day 6 you add 3 cups of ingredients and squeeze the bag to mix it. Day seven thru ten you squeeze the bag each day. On day 10, you open the bag and scoop out 4, 1 cup scoops and put each in a new baggie, mark the date. Those are 4 starter bags. you give 3 of them away to friends. Keep one so you can make more bread in 10 days.

The remaining batter you add several ingredients, including a large box of pudding mix. You can also add chocolate chips, raisens, strawberry chunks, blue berrys, apple chunks, bananna chunks, etc. The remaining batter makes 2 loafs of bread. They keep well in the freezer too.

The official title is "Amish Friendship Bread". It's really good stuff!

Oh I have had this, it is really good but you gota stay on top of it

[Mt-7]

Well it has been quite a week or more! Hubs had to go to a seminar in Fargo ND ( I know, no wood chipper jokes) so I went along to see how that part of the world was.
Holy Hanna, every day it was at LEAST -20 with the snow blowing completely horizontal!
I did get to see the Plains museum, lots of Indian artifacts. Ate some good food at Duane's pizza. Best of all time with hubs
On the way back, black ice, snow ect, but the minute (and I am not kidding) we crossed over into Montana the sun came through the clouds
Balmy today, 32 and big ole chunks of ice falling off the roof. Glad Santa has already been by this year.
Of course we had to make a pilgrimage to the Cabela in EGF, MN

[popcorn247]

My friend in Havre said that temps have been in the 30's the past few days - a virtual heat wave!!!

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by Mt-7

Well it has been quite a week or more! Hubs had to go to a seminar in Fargo ND ( I know, no wood chipper jokes) so I went along to see how that part of the world was.
Holy Hanna, every day it was at LEAST -20 with the snow blowing completely horizontal!

I have a friend that went up there to make his fortune in the oil patch. He's got an 11 ft camper on the back of his truck. He unloaded the camper in Tioga and is living in it.

When he goes to work, he shuts off the furnace. Starts it up when he gets back in the evening. That way, he can get 5 days out of a 40 lb propane tank. If he leaves the furnace on, he has to fill the propane every other day.

He takes a large hammer and crawls underneath to smack each of the brake bands to knock them loose so they are not frozen. When he stops for lunch, if it takes more then 15 minutes, he has to smack all the brake bands again.

He only keeps frozen food in his camper. Potatoes and such are not purchased because they freeze solid. Course, he doesn't have to refridgerate anything. He keeps steaks and such in a cooler setting outside the back door.

But oh boy, he's going to make his fortune. He's being paid hourly to drive a semi. But he's getting in 80 hours a week. He's only going to suffer through that crap until May. Then we're going to harness the team.

[ElkHunter]

Going to church today. I have a friend that is a Master Stone Mason. He's been tasked with building an all stone church. It's out in the middle of nowhere. It's about 60 miles from town. He wants me to come check it out. I'll try and post some pictures.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Going to church today. I have a friend that is a Master Stone Mason. He's been tasked with building an all stone church. It's out in the middle of nowhere. It's about 60 miles from town. He wants me to come check it out. I'll try and post some pictures.

So you're going out with a friend to get stoned???? Sorry, just had to say it....

[Rickers]

I would love to see pictures of the church. ~♥~
Are you going to document the phases of the construction or take photos after it's done ?
Either way we wanna see em.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by rickers

I would love to see pictures of the church. ~♥~
Are you going to document the phases of the construction or take photos after it's done ?
Either way we wanna see em.

I just got home. Been gone all day. The Church is beautiful, so far. This was a one time shot at seeing the construction. I will travel down and see it after it's done. You are not going to believe this.

The rock come from a little known state of Montana. Up by Helena. The beams and wood inside the church come from an old abandon barn up by Missoula. Logs were split, planed and they are the walls on the inside of the church. They need chinking placed between them. The Flagstone come from up in Montana.

This entire church, that is made out of stone and large timbers, will seat 12 people, max.

Right now, it's been a long day, and I took the pictures with my good camera. I have to transfer them over. I'm too tired. I will post them tomorrow as soon as I can. Sorry.

This church is gorgeous.

[Rickers]

Hey Mr. Elkhunter, since the wagon skipped the Conrad stop last summer perhaps a big overnight stay would be in order. I Know a guy who is very active in the VFW there and may be able to throw a big welcome ceremony.
A loop trip staying in the lower 48, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho specifically would be nice.
I don't know how much money the Canadians donated last summer but if the trip is kept down here I think the end pot will be bigger.

I will volunteer to catch a team of wild sheep to pull the wagon so your team can have a break, I never broke a wild sheep before.
It would be nice to see the sheep wagon run in Conrad's Whoop Up Days parade.
Plenty of neat wagons participate.
See ?
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9a8nDInPVGE/TOLz1DxKLNI/AAAAAAAAHZw/YH7C5Zwhzh0/s512/IMG_0339.JPG (broken link)

Here I found a few docile sheep to harness train. I'll go rope 6 or 8 of them
and break em bare-back for ya.
To make them pull you just have to dangle a small hay bale out on a pole in front of them. To make them go right you just move the pole to the right and vise versa. No need to wear out the voice-box hollering yee and haw.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9a8nDInPVGE/TQlDl7qLxpI/AAAAAAAAIWE/x-qUMyqr8uY/s512/IMG_0908-1.JPG (broken link)

[jimj]

Rickers, "bare backing" sheep just sounds wrong somehow.....