We Know Your Pet By Name

How do you not love a place where you can ride your horse to Radio Shack?

A Day in Kooskia

Our son has been playing basketball this year and we've enjoyed going to the surrounding areas to watch him play. Today we traveled to Kooskia (pronounced Koos-key) - about 25 miles northeast of Grangeville - for a basketball tournament. The drive there was beautiful. We saw white tail deer and even some wild turkeys (no kidding!). Between games we played at a park along the Clearwater River and took a hike in the lovely 65 degree weather.

And who would have thought that we'd have the best Chinese food we've had in years in Kooskia, population 675?

The boys played their hearts out and we'll remember this fun family day in Kooskia for a long time to come.

Country Mouse in the City

Country Mouse came to visit me in the City! Even though it went by so quickly we had such a nice time and I was so glad she and my niece (and my nephew kind of) could spend a few days with us.

(I hope you don't mind me posting this pic!)

City Mouse - Christmas View

This photo is more about Christmas in California than about city vs. country life.

Here's the view from my backdoor:


Merry Christmas everyone!

Blue Fox Theater

My little town of about 3200 people has a movie theater. Located on main street, it shows one movie a week, Mon-Thurs at 6:30pm and on the weekends adds an extra showing at 9pm. Last week my husband and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows there and really enjoyed it. Living in a town with very limited forms of entertainment makes one appreciate a small town movie house.

City Mouse - Lamborghini Maserati

City Mouse - Now That's Scary

Last Monday we carved a couple of pumpkins for Halloween and put them outside on a chair near the front door.


On Saturday afternoon Alex told me he was sorry he broke the pumpkin.

When I checked it out I realized it had gotten so soft it fell in! I looked inside and it was furry with mildew.


No way was I putting my hand in there to rescue the candle. Everything went in the yard trash bin Saturday night.

Lesson: Jack-o-lanterns shouldn't be carved more than a day or two before Halloween in California.

Country Mouse - Drive In

I haven't posted anything about life in my small town lately. Think about that what you will. But last night our family went to the drive-in movie and saw Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me and I couldn't resist blogging about it. We put the kids in their jammies and popped popcorn and had a great time watching the movies together in our car. It's fun to have a drive-in theater in our little neck of the woods.

Birthday Wishes

I couldn't resist blogging a birthday wish to City Mouse today. You are amazing, talented, smart, funny, beautiful, and one of the most selfless people I know. I am so blessed to have you as my sister and friend. Happy Birthday!!

City Mouse - Lunch on Wheels

Living in "Mexicalifornia," I see a lot of taco trucks. I haven't stopped at any, but I did stop at this little truck called the Chowdermobile and try their clam chowder and lobster roll. It was seafood heaven!

I just found out there's a Belgian waffle truck in the Bay area too!
I am so there.

Country Mouse - Sunshine and Roses...

...except not all the time. I've really enjoyed doing this blog with City Mouse because it makes me think of all the good things about my small town instead of dwelling on all the things I miss. But this week I had to draw the line. My son loves Oreo ice cream cake for his birthday and because I didn't plan ahead and buy them at Wal-Mart the last time I was in Lewiston (it's 75 miles away), I had to buy the Oreos at the local grocery store. And do you know how much one package cost?

= $4.65! So not crescent fresh.

City Mouse - The Beach

We finally made it to the beach!


It was a little different than Country Mouse's Beach.

Just a tiny bit more crowded.

And it definitely had more sea lions.


No wild turkeys though.

City Mouse - Gymnastics

Country Mouse has really thrown down the gauntlet lately! I have to stop forgetting to bring my camera with me. How can I be in California and no beach pictures?? I'll hopefully rectify that before the summer is out.

Liv has always wanted to learn how to do a cartwheel, so this summer I signed her up for gymnastics at a club about 5 minutes down the road from us.


She'd been to one or two classes back in Virginia, but that facility was nothing like the one she goes to now. I imagine Olympians could train at this place. I should have taken a pic of all the trophies on the walls.


Although Liv won't be an olympian, (she still can't do a cartwheel), she's having a great time and learning a lot.

Country Mouse - Homemade Jam

I really am turning into a Country Mouse. Yesterday I picked raspberries and today I made them into homemade jam. Tomorrow I plan on making some fresh bread to try it out. Mmm!

Country Mouse - A Day at the Beach

I had no idea we lived so close to a beautiful beach! Yesterday our family went to Skookumchuck Park and played all afternoon on the banks of the Salmon River. It's a scenic site featuring a swimming beach and shady, grassy picnic area that's only 20 miles south of Grangeville. Other than the water being a little chilly, it was almost like being at the ocean... practically in our own back yard!

Country Mouse - Border Days

"Border Days" is a 3 day long 4th of July celebration in Grangeville. The festivities begin each morning at 9am with street games. Kids of all ages run races down the middle of main street (which has been closed off, of course). After the races they have the biggest egg toss I've ever seen. Hundreds of people line up main street in pairs and toss eggs to each other and the last pair with their egg in tact wins a small sum of money, a plastic trophy, and bragging rights. A parade goes down main street at 1pm with lots of horses, tractors, a couple of fire engines and people throwing candy. They do this every day for 3 days!

One morning after the egg toss there was a toy scramble for kids under 6 years old. Kids line the side of the street while people spread candy, toys, and coins out (not in the same part of the street where the broken eggs are though). They give each kid a bag and let them fill up their bags with whatever they can get. Jack and Nate loved it!

We had delicious "fair" food - my favorite part. Harrison and Rio climbed a big rock wall, Jack jumped on a bungee trampoline and Nathan rode on a pony. We didn't go to the rodeo (Border Days' biggest attraction), but plan to next year. We all had a great time and Border Days is easily my new favorite part about living in small town USA.

Nathan and Jack tossing the egg

The parade coming down main street

Nate getting his goodies in the toy scramble

Riding a pony!

City Mouse - Front Yard

Gardening services are extremely common here. I don't think anyone on my block mows their own yard. I certainly didn't trim our shrubs into these crazy alien space-shapes.
I know renters can't be choosers, but I wish our landlords were more into something with flowers! I've walked straight into one of these shrub-nubbins with my face - ouch!

This One's For You...

We were looking at some property about 12 miles north of town when all of a sudden...
WILD TURKEYS!

Awesome.

Baseball in the Country

Because our little town is so limited in the entertainment options, baseball season is a BIG deal. Everyone signs up his kid to be on a team and the adults have a softball league too. This year 3 out of our 4 kids played (our youngest can start next year) and Micah and I played on his company team.

So far it's my favorite part of being here. The baseball fields are beautiful! They're kept groomed and green, there's a line of trees growing behind with a small creek running along and occasionally you can see a cow or two beyond the fence. There are playground toys for the kids who don't want to sit and watch the games. Popsicles are only a quarter and the hamburgers smell delicious. We played in an all night tournament a couple weeks ago and watched the sun set behind the mountains in the west and then watched it rise up over the mountains in the east.

Our small town field:

And the trees/creek that run behind the fields:

Baseball in the City

Here's what our first ball game looked like:


Can't wait to see some pics of baseball in the country. I've heard there may or may not be cows.