31 August 2012

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND

Just want to wish readers a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.

Coward that I am, I generally stay at the ranch and off the roads during holidays. Especially since my area has become a satellite province of Canada. These Canadians drive like the devil's chasing them and sadly they cause horrific accidents. But, nobody says or does anything because they are scared to death to loose their business. The truth is that without the Canadians the Tobacco Valley and the Flathead would be economic wastelands.

I also want to apologize to my many readers who have left comments which I never responded to or posted. I didn't know about them until this morning. Google has been messing around "making things better" and stopped sending me comments via e-mail. I just thought no one was commenting. This morning I had to log in using my ID and Passwords and there were all these comments I never knew about. Sorry about that. I do enjoy your comments and love to engage. Please don't stop.

Again, have a happy and safe Labor Day.

©Kinsey Barnard

30 August 2012

BEAR STORY

This is a very short bear story. Last night a marauding bear came up on my deck and had at my Baby Weber. I've got a big old honking gas grill which I never use. Charcoal is the only way to BBQ for this old dame.

I've read where bears will go after your grill if you leave it out. My Baby Weber has sat out on the deck for ten years without anyone bothering it. Well, now I believe it. Actually, I always did but it wasn't anything to bother about as far as I'm concerned.

This is a short story and I only bother to tell it because these are the things that texture my life in this place. Such occurrences light up my day with wonder and gratitude. To have wild things as a part of my daily life is a gift beyond measure.

I forgot to mention that when I returned from the Promptcare place to get my stitches the other day I nearly ran into a beautiful young black bear. His coat was simply exquisite. It looked like pure sable. He ran down the road in front of me going about thirty and then darted into the forest. No chance you would ever out run a bear.



©Kinsey Barnard

27 August 2012

BEST BURGER IN WHITEFISH MT

In fairness I haven't tried every burger in Whitefish but the one I had at the Craggy Range Bar and Grill is the best burger I've had in Montana, so far. And, that's ten years of burger eating. So, I'm betting it's the best burger in Whitefish.

What made it so good for me? In a word the meat. I don't recall reading how much it weighed but it looked like at least a half pound to me. It was extremely tasty, not greasy and best of all I could order it cooked the way I like it which is medium rare.

Speaking of rare; it is mighty rare that you can get a burger that isn't cremated beyond recognition. This was not always so. But somewhere along the line salmonella got everyone so worked up and liability conscious you couldn't find anything but cremated burgers. Mind you if I ate fast food burgers I would definitely want a cremated piece of meat. I don't trust those kitchens. In my opinion it speaks volumes about the Craggy Range kitchen that they are comfortable offering a burger the way you please.

The other thing I liked about this sandwich was that it was a classic burger; meat, bun, fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. A beer six pack caddy supplies all the condiments you could want. Pure simplicity. I reckon a lot of places come up with these conglomeration burgers, where they throw on everything but the kitchen sink, to hide the crappy, cremated meat many restaurants serve. Apparently a lot of people like them but they are not for the hamburger purist. And, I'm not sayin' they aren't good too. Just sayin' if you want the true measure of a burger the classic is the standard.

It was a lovely summer afternoon so I ate on the patio. The server was exceptional. All around pleasant experience did I have at the Craggy Range.

If you should find yourself in Whitefish with a hankering for a good burger I suggest you drop by the Craggy Range Bar & Grill. Also, in the plus column is, and as the name suggests, a full bar.


© Kinsey Barnard

24 August 2012

KOTY BITES THE HAND THAT FEEDS HIM

Egads, I can hardly believe August is almost over and I haven't made one post to my blog.

I've been pretty consumed with a kitchen remodel that has turned into the project from hell. Everything that could possibly go wrong has and some things I would have thought were beyond the realm of possiblity.

Then, to ice my messed up cake, three days ago Koty bit me to the tune of 5 stitches. Like most accidents it was completely due to doing something stupid. I was on the phone with Home Depot discussing this hateful project when Koty went to the screen door and, using his nose, let himself out. Koty is a runner so my first instinct was to stop him by any means possible. I grabbed his tail. Big mistake. Under any circumstances Koty does not like his tail fooled with. So he did the same to me as I did to him, attacked without thinking. It was pretty shocking for both of us.

This is one of those rare occasions that I intentionally seek medical attention. With blood flowing, down to the mountain to the Prompt Care place I flew. Turned out I hadn't had a tetanus shot for 45 years so I got one of those and five stitches. I also got some advice from the doctor that you probably wouldn't get just anywhere. He told me, in all seriousness, not to "go home and shoot the dog". I had to laugh. Only in nowhere Montana would a doctor even think it necessary to say such a thing.

To say Koty was remorseful would be an understatement. After I got home he stayed by my side the rest of the day. The poor guy. He's battling this damned Cushing's thing whilst trying to cope with the aging thing. It's hard for both of us.

Getting old is a bitch even for dogs.

©Kinsey Barnard