Karbon Kounty Moos

are what we had this morning.

Fresh from the The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking
by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker & Ethan Becker
on pages 799-800. With a bit of adaptation in my kitchen.

I double the recipe. If you’re watching your cholesterol (amazingly, I don’t have to!), counting carbs or calories (which I should be) - you might not want to look.

Doubled Dutch Babies

Preheat oven to 425

Cut a stick of unsalted butter in half, put each half in a cast iron skillet, melt butter, tilting pans to ensure the sides are coated.

Sift together 1 cup Wheat Montana flour with
1/2 c sugar

Beat 4 eggs, add 1 cup milk and continue beating.

Pour into the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Pour into the hot skillets, do not stir, just let it cook for a minute, then transfer skillets to hot oven.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until pancakes are golden and puffed.

Using a spatula, carefully transfer to plates, pouring melted butter on top.

Don’t even think about putting more butter on these babies!

My husband puts syrup on his, I use spiced sugar by the Spice House.

Enjoy!

Found this one at Postcards From Nowhere

You are a Revolutionary Woman!
You could care less about the monarchy!
You live for yourself!

You’re beautiful and kick-ass! And like a female-warrior. You’re resourceful, smart, tough, street-smart. You live life for yourself and not as others dictate and refuse to be branded into a category. You live apart from world and society.

Which Royalty Are You? Find out! By Nishi.

This Revolutionary Woman is starting to feel very old….

And now you’re telling me
that you’re not nostalgic.
Then give me another word for it
you who are so good with words
and at keeping things vague.
Because I need some of that vagueness now
it’s all come back too clearly.
Yes, I loved you dearly
but if you’re offering me
diamonds and rust -
well, I’ve already paid.
(lyrics by Joan Baez)

*********************

Capitol Plaza at Night - Washington, DC

This RPPC was postmarked 15 May 1948, 7PM
Washington, DC 21
sent to:
Mr & Mrs Pappas
251 Third Ave.
Brooklyn, N.Y.

it reads:
Hello Ma & Pa,
I am having a swell time. If you still have Sundays Greek Paper look in the middle its got a picture of the wedding.
Johnie
******************************************
This was sent by my Dad to my grandparents. It’s a little piece of history - my family history. It is the only correspondence that I have between them. To me it’s a treasure.

“Or maybe some of those treats…” is what they seem to be thinking. That and, “You don’t think that she’s going to try to catch any of us, if she does, let’s head for the hills!”

**************************************************

Yesterday was an incredibly busy day. I left here at noon to head for town. I had planned to leave around nine, but the cattle had other ideas. I had a good visit and lunch with a friend in Laurel before going into Billings. I had to drop off a vacuum for repair, find Dremel accessories, pickup cattle supplies, pet supplies and groceries. It had been 21 days since I last bought groceries. That’s too long! The Taurus was packed. I managed to get home before 8 PM, and I had done almost everything on the list. Just in time to come in, make something to eat - sandwiches. Then try to put it all away. There are a few things still waiting for me in the kitchen. They’ll keep.

I just came in from the pasture. One more calf. I’m afraid that I’m more tired than inspired, so I’m going back to lay down for a while.

Once upon a time, in the County of the Kings there was a pretty maiden of Irish and English descent. Sally was the daughter of a widowed mariner, fair of hair with eyes of blue. During the reign of Eisenhower she fell in love with a Hellenic American young man who had recently returned from the Korean War. His name was John, and he was the son of a widowed merchant. Not a Greek god, but a Greek grocer. He was dark and handsome, but not tall at all.

Their families were pleased with the match, and they soon married.

Two years later, their first child was born. It was a girl. When Sally laid eyes on the child, she was certain that a mistake had been made. Sally was accustomed to pale Celtic babies, not this squalling red faced Mediterranean infant with pitch black hair. Eventually she was convinced that, yes, this was their daughter. The young parents had planned to name the child Karen if it was a girl. However, Sally was in a room with a woman who had just named her baby Laura. The potions given to new mothers in those days were potent - and Sally decided that maybe they should call their girl Laura, too. Fortunately, John was able to remind her that Karen was to be the name. And so it was… and so it is.

Happy Birthday to me on Monday. To those of you fortunate enough to have a day off - enjoy it!

And this is why the people in the US are celebrating with a three day weekend. Well, not really - but it’s better than Presidents Day to me. I can celebrate the meeting of my parents, their love, their marriage and my birth.

This
is what can happen when people get bored at work.

I recently added a link for Goatopolis on my sidebar. I don’t remember how I happened upon Troy’s blog - you know how that goes, you click from link to link and find yourself all over the place. But I am very glad that I did. Troy’s a native Montanan (or is that western North Dakota?), with an unusual sense of humor.

Thanks for the laughs, Troy!

From the Carbon County Republican
04 January 1907
Volume 1, #44
Page 2, Col. 2

Big Hoax at Billings

On the morning of December 21, Deputy Sheriff Lavell, of Billings, was visited by a stranger, who unfolded a tale he had listened to, by six men, to blow up the sugar factory if Manager Simmons did not come through with $25,000. Later on the following letter was mailed to Manager Simmons:

“Billings Sugar Company I demand a reward of ($25,000 Twenty five thousand Dollars) all in 20 dollar bills, to be given to me on the night of (Dec. 25 Christmas) from the rear end of the passenger train (No. 43) going west from Billings to Butte and thrown off by a signal of a lantern waving in the track behind the train. You put your man with this stuff as mentioned on at Billings and ride till he is given the signal and throw it off with a light and that will be all I ask the Co and if this is not done as I say, and if detectives and fly cops get thidk, and newspapers get full I will blow that Sugar factory off the face of the earth - for I have got everything ready to do my work with and all I have to do is tuch her off; and if any of your people gets close to my mess they will shurley have bad luck and if this man of mine don’t return with this money in due time I will half to do my work for an example I will tare her down by G-, and if eny of my men is pinched it will be the same. Now don’t make no mistake in reading this letter, for I men business and am alive and if not my men will do the same; and don’t forget the date. Night of Christmas the 25 on train No. 43 and don’t try to cause eny trouble for by God I will blow her up or go to H-. Now dont take this as no kid for it is on the square with me and dont miscount that junk as it will be bad luck to the Co.”

Tuesday night, the one on which the delivery was to be made, the cashier of the company placed a $25,000 bogus package on the westbound No. 43. Detective Goddard, Sheriff-elect Webb, and Deputy Lavelle boarded the train and stationed themselves in a convenient place; the plan being that if any signal appeared at any place on the road the train would be suddenly stopped, when an effort would be made to capture the blackmailers. However, no signal showed up at the appointed place, neither did it appear anywhere between Billings and Big Timber. The officers remained on 43 until Livingston was reached, when they left the train and returned home on No. 6.

As there have been no further developments in this matter it appears at this distance to have been simply a hoax. It seems however, to have been of sufficient importance to set two of the Billing’s newspapers by the ears, one of them charging the other with having secured a “scoop” through questionable tactics.

photo by James Woodcock/Gazette Staff

and here’s the Billings Gazette story.

There was one calved in the corral. I brought her calf to a pen and let her follow. The cow was agreeable to this. The calf was warm, dry, with a full belly - also lazy and no help at all. Since there were so many cows in the straw in that corral - I thought I’d get the pair by themselves. Before some other knuckleheaded cow decided that she wanted that calf. It’s always fun dragging a calf by its leg over snow, ice and frozen cow pies with mama right there. My husband usually ends up lifting them over his back, and then they almost always urinate all over him. You wouldn’t want to do my laundry. I don’t have the muscles for hefting calves. Mama liked the big pen with all the straw. When I left them, the calf finally decided to stand up. Thanks!

Just as I parked and let Lucky out - I realized that I had forgotten to shut the gate to the calving pasture. I drove back so I could. I’m pretty sure that none of the cows in the pasture would have been rushing out - there weren’t any cows anywhere near the gate. But with my luck, I’m not taking any chances. I usually let the dog out while I go back and close it. That’s a first - hopefully a last!

There’s also a cow in one corral who is behaving like she’s calved - she hasn’t - and doesn’t look like she’s going to - but I’ll need to get back out there in a bit and see what she’s up to…

Imagine my surprise today when I received this postcard in the mail today.
Thank you to the anonymous benefactor!

Midland Empire Fairgrounds, Billings, Montana
The back reads:
These grounds, the favorite camping place of whites and reds, soldiers and immigrants back in the pioneer days, are now the scene of the Annual Midland Fair and Rodeo. It has a half-mile track and an auditorium accomodating some 10,000 people.

If you’re in the Billings area you may want to visit
The MATE Show
(which is nothing like it sounds!)
It’s the Montana Agri Trade Exposition
at the Metra which runs tomorrow through Saturday.

And here’s a postcard of the Sugar Factory.