Almost another 3 weeks have gone by and no blogs to prove it!
I don't know why, there's really not much happening around here, but I don't seem to find the time, or make the time, to get to writing. 
There's always something else that's more 'important', do a material run for James or go to the post-office or clean or cook, look after the cat ... yeah, excuses, excuses ...
Oh well, today I'm determined to get this one up, so let's get to it already!

Spring has really sprung around here, or it actually almost feels like summer already, since the weather has been unseasonably warm for most of the days these weeks.
The flowers are out in force, like these buttercups along wet Gulch...

It also smells heavenly outside, due to the flowering Locust Trees (an Acacia variety), a species that is very prolific around these areas!
We've got them all around us, hence the wonderful smell ...

           

In the last post I included some pictures of our evening drive up the canyon, so in this one I'll show some of the walk down the canyon towards the road (Hwy 95).
Which is basically our drive-way ...

You can see the house in the distance ..

Towards the front of the picture you can take a small hiking trail up the hill, towards those rocks in the foreground (on the left) ..

Where you have this beautiful view of the Salmon River (and the Hwy below), looking towards Lucile!
This is part of one of my morning walks. Isn't it gorgeous?

Here's a funny thing, we are technically situated in the high-desert area of Idaho and because of that they do grow Cactae here! 
Like these .. that I accidentally sat in while taking some close up pics ..

  

From there I continue my walk on the rim, alongside the river to the right, roughly following this narrow path that the cows have made ..

Here's another view, a little further down the path ..

Eventually the trail becomes a rough two-track path and turns back over and into the hills, where I sometimes meet up with the cows.
It reminds me a little bit of Switzerland ...




I was thrilled to come across some birds that are new-to-me. Yeah!
A Yellow-breasted Chat ... (ha, couldn't have named him better myself) ..
      

      

And a Lazuli Bunting ..

                            

Isn't he a handsome fella?

On the building-front things are coming along nicely ..

                                                             

James found another worker, Bart, and Steven the concrete guy, who finished the floor after pouring, in what is going to be the 'enclosed' (hopefully mouse-proof) bay.

They've even started putting up the side panels ...

It's starting to look like a barn, doesn't it?

On the home-front, there was the latest victim to our string of things that are breaking down or failing. 
This time the microwave/oven gave up the ghost. Sjeez, Louise! Is this ever going to end?

Any-who, a new one was ordered (pretty much the same one, although a different brand and this one has a turn-table) and after some careful reading of the instructions (yeah, how's that for being smart for once), the thing was professionally installed by him himself!

Look at that beautiful shiny new oven!

It had to be tested thoroughly (of course), so over the next couple of days I baked some muffins (cranberry/coconut, blueberry and apple/walnut), a whole-wheat bread and shortbread bars with chocolate chunks and walnuts. 
I'm happy to report they all came out perfect, so it's going to stay!

Well, that was about all for now. I'm going to get this posted and will immediately write up most of the next one, so it can get up in a couple of days.
There's still all those weeks back-logged from our travels from Florida of course, but maybe now I'm on a roll I will start on that soon too.

                    (did y'all notice the 'maybe' there?)