Rainbows and hot biscuits

Last week right before dinner, it started raining at Our Lady of the Rockies, which as I mentioned before you can see from our kitchen window. When I hike up the Maude S. trail, 1 mile from my house, Our Lady is just across the ridge. So needless to say, Our Lady is not far. The rain never made it down into the valley, which is how it seems to go in the high desert.

Instead we had a lovely rainbow to remind us that good and beautiful things can happen even when it seems dry here and dark everywhere else.

I have spent the last week hiking new trails, painting our pink trim brown, and messing around in the kitchen (I have to not look at the kitchen carpeting because it is an appetite killer for sure.) I have been running lots of different routes, missing my Hamburg climb, but the "urban" streets of Butte do offer a lot of different views and viewpoints. I did run the old railroad track that hovers to the east of town, but my neighbor said I should get bear mace before I do that again. It is very remote. I think I will get some this week. Oh, and this bear mace would be for the mountain lions, which are more common around here.

So Keith is settling into classes, and honestly it is tough. He gets discouraged and then encouraged and then discouraged. But we both agree that we are here to learn and grow and certainly doing the same old thing, while it may have its appeal, doesn't do much in the learning and growing arena.

I have been trying to get a grip on high altitude baking, which as it turns out does call for some tweaking. Water boils in no time here (200 degrees fahrenheit boiling point) and bread bakes in two-thirds the time. Keith and I keep saying we feel like we are in a foreign country and at least the differences do make the distance seem a little farther from "home."

Do I sound melancholy? I think Sundays do that to me anyhow. We do feel blessed and happy, despite my tone.

Today we hiked at Homestake Meadows. Just south of us by 5 miles. Lovely, grassy and full of deer and elk tracks. Oh, and wild sagebrush, too.

My neighbor has been taking me out hiking, twice last week. We did a 6-mile loop called Beaver Ponds and the 4-mile loop at Homestake.

I don't think I could ask for a better tourguide. She is a mother of two 20+ year old boys, an avid biker (she frequently does 50 milers just for fun, and has done many 24 hour rides) and exerciser. I am in heaven. We are heading out tomorrow for a Continental Divide Hike (longest US trail). Generally we hike for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and then she rides for 3 more hours. Crazy.

I promise something more interesting later this week. We were headed to the rodeo in Dillon (Montana's best weekend event!) But Keith has studying to do and I have all that pink trim to paint.