What we are doing now.

We still are fortunate to get some late fall guests.  We even had the good fortune to have an old friend visit us last week.  It was fun to catch up on 24 years of absence.  He is currently living in Germany so now we have a fun connection in Europe.

The vacation home rental ordinance draft is finished.  We had a public meeting last week where it was officially presented to the public.  Our first public hearing is December 12 in front of the County Planning Commission.  Of course we are nervous.  It has been a long 6 months and we are getting tired.   To any past guests that have been reading this, any comments to the county are welcome.  The following are 2 links to send any comments.  Hopefully we will get the ordinance passed.  If it is passed as currently written, we will need to apply for a conditional use permit and a variance.  I personally feel that input from guests is fine as they have a vested interest in keeping their home away from home available to them for the future.
plz@co.pennington.sd.us
commissioners@co.pennington.sd.us

This has actually been very stressful.  It has shown us who we can depend on, who our true friends are.  It has been fun to debate with people and find out the points of dissent.  Education is always important and I sure have been learning a lot about county government, ordinances, development covenants, etc..  Actually we know way more than we ever wanted.

Fall

The leaves are starting to change and we have had a few light frosts.  The sumac is beautiful and is usually the first to change, poisen ivy is a pretty red right now too.

Finally the garden is winding down.  The final tally, not including those eaten, was 25 gallons of raspberries.  I will get a squash count in a few weeks.  Want to keep those guys on the vine a bit longer.  I was impressed that 21 edemame plants produced a large ice cream bucket (5 quarts) of beans.  They are nicely blanched and safely in the freezer.  Between jelly and pickles I am running out of pint jars and smaller.  Luckily I just have applesauce and a small batch of jalepeno jelly left to make.  We still have the beets, carrots, onions, squash, parsnips in the ground.  We'll let them sweeten up a bit more then spend a day in the garden cleaning it up and putting it to sleep fort he winter.  To stay true to form we should wait until the ground starts to freeze and we get a snow.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

 Tally is out of town for a few days and of course I have high hopes of getting a lot of things done.  Reality is a bit different than the high hopes.  He has been gone 4 days and I have barely touched the house projects I have planned to get done during his absense.

Weekends are still full of guests with weekdays a bit sparse.  As long as the weather holds, people will still come.  It is a great time of year to visit the hills.

Raspberry update

We are up to 20 gallons and still counting.  They are still ripening and more to come.  One doesn't even need to bend over to pick ( great for backs).  The jelly is all made for next year, I just keep making more.  The leaves are drying and soon they will be turning.  This year in addition to tilling I think we will put in some fertilizer.  Nothing better than a sun warmed raspberry freshly picked.

The season is winding down.  We have a few more long weeks and we will be getting the more last minute rentals.

The ordinance committee is going to go through the first rough draft at the next meeting.

Finally

Finally updating our post.

First order of business.... the raspberries are doing great.  They are as tall as I am and this year they are extremely fat and juicy.  We have had to call in the recruits to help pick.  Not counting what has been eaten, we have picked 15 gallons and still counting.  The jam is all made for next years guests, if I ever forget to put a jar in a cabin please come over and ask for one.  It is our special treat for guests.  The bees are close to the berry patch and I am hoping that is why they are so successful.

The ordinance is now in the drafting stage.  The draft puts everything on the table and the next order of business is to go through it and add and cut as the committee recommends.  It has been fun yet exasperating to be a part of the process but it will also be nice to be done and have a working ordinance for the county to enforce.  I also personally think it has been a conflict for our committee of 7 to have a mother and son appointed.  I feel they have the same interest and are actually one person when it comes to a vote.  They have already shown that they do not think independantly.  Maybe some of you out there can comment on that.

The chickens are molting but still laying.  Production is down when they molt and they look ugly.  They have had to stay within the fence this summer.  I know there are a lot of guests that enjoyed them wandering around, you can still visit them and throw any food into their pen, remember, they eat almost anything.

Our guests this year, as usual, are a treat to meet.  One guest commented that he was glad they did the inner tubing as the last activity during their stay.  If they had tubed sooner it is all they would have been doing.

Spring in Custer State Park/Mothers Day

What a wonderful Mothers Day.  We touristed in the Southern Hills.  The family and extended family started by caravanning to Hot Springs.  The first destination was the Mammoth Site.  It was very cool.  The amount of bones is amazing www.mammothsite.com.    

We took our time and as we had 11 in our group we took up almost half of the tour group.  It was fun to stay after and take it all in at a slower pace.  It was such a nice warm day that we decided to take advantage of our proximity to Cascade Falls.  The water was mild, the day was hot so the kids went in.  We found a cray fish, enjoyed the sound of the creek, kids playing and the beautiful scenery.


Of course on such a warm day ice cream is necessary to cool us all off.  The Dairy Queen was perfect and what a nice surprise to have free Sunday's for all mothers.  Off we then went to Wind Cave Park.  The Buffalo were serene nibbling on the grass and rolling in the dirt.  I was hoping to see some new calves and we were not disappointed.   They were so cute staying close to mama.  Autumn was loving the Prairie Dogs.  The only thing we did not see were elk.  It was fun stopping in the Needles and climbing on the rocks.  We made so many stops, that was what made it fun.  We would all pile out of the cars like a fire drill.  The final stop of the day was Sugar Shack for a big juicy burger.  We were all tired and hungry.


Perfect day for a MOM.

County Ordinance and spring

The work we have been doing for the past 5 months is paying off.  We officially have a committee formed and blessed by the Pennington County Commissioners.  The task of this committee is to formulate a vacation home rental ordinance to address the current overly prohibitive ordinance.
Government wheels turn slow, our first informal meeting - not to be confused with public meetings - is Monday, May 16 at 2:00 pm in the courthouse.  All other meeting will be public and public input is welcome and encouraged.
It will be nice to have our Log Cabin and Boxcar Cabin compliant with county regulations.  Keep tuned for the latest.
On another note.  Spring is here!!  Dandelions are in the yard and the chickens are happy.  Six eggs from six chicks.  The cat is getting fatter and the dog is happily following Tally to the burn pile as he gets pine needles cleaned up from the yards.  I am almost finished with the Cottage spring cleaning.  I have the kitchen floor, table and lower cabinets left.  We finally got the microwave up on a shelf.  It looks great and feels good to take care of our babies (cabins).
Our daughter took up golf this spring and is on the team at her school.  She loves it and is actually improving.  Time for me to get back to work.

April 27, 2011

We started the deep spring cleaning today.  The Cottage is first this year.
We are taking a rest from the kitchen remodel.  The walls are painted, the floor is installed and the cabinets are ordered. Not much to do except enjoy it.  We are loving the dining room.
We had rain off and on all day.  Guess April showers bring May flowers.  The Pasque flowers are coming on strong in the woods and the crocus in our garden are showing their colors.

On another note, the Pennington County Commissioners have started the ball rolling on our ordinance amendment.  The committee has been formed and will be officially designated at their next meeting.  We need to address vacation home rentals in this county in a proactive manner.  The extremely limiting current ordinance just begs to be ignored and it is.  We could not believe how many vacation home rentals within Pennington County are registered with the state of South Dakota.  It will be interesting to see the direction this goes at the first meeting.

March 29, 2011 still cold

We had gentle snow all day yesterday but nothing on the ground.   Thank goodness the ice is melting and green grass is finally showing though, there is still snow where the ground is shaded.  Squirrels are chasing each other in the trees and hiding nuts, rabbits are gathering and the sounds of birds are everywhere.

Tally is sanding the drywall and I should be texturing tomorrow or even this afternoon.  The ordinance amendment we are working on is progressing.   These things take a lot of time but are all worth it in the end.    Short post.

March- is Spring coming to Happy Trails?

The days are longer and with the addition of more snow it actually feels like spring.  Water is running off the roofs and the ice bergs are slowly receding.  It seems so slow this year.  I know it will be soon that we are turning on water in cabins and beginning the deep spring cleaning.  I love when the cabins are freshly deep cleaned.  It is so satisfying.  I love our job.

On to the construction project.  I now have an insulated kitchen/dining area.  The house became so cosy and nice.  I realize there is a lot to do but just the fact of being warmer has made life wonderful.  We have also been experiencing some great Black Hills inversions.   Rapid City has been so cold and overcast while we in Silver City have been in the 40's with nice sunny days.

Now I have a cold

I was complaining awhile back about the cold weather and now I have a cold.  It is miserable.
Seems I am not getting anything truly accomplished these days.   Luckily I was OK on Sunday and we went cross country skiing out our door.  There is a fair amount of snow for Silver City.
On the good side, we are planning on getting our insulation installed next monday.  We are so excited.  There is a bit to get done before they get her on Monday but now with a deadline, we will be in a frenzy of activity.  It will be nice to be warm.

random stump things

The chickens are well and producing.  We get 5 eggs a day from 7 chickens.  They are so friendly and this late in the winter they look fairly ugly.

Tally

Rita

walking on Pactola Lake

Beaver Dam

Nothing really going on and we have too much time to think.

Politics

The first hurdle is done.  We gave our presentation at the County Planning Commission and they voted for it to continue.  We will now give our presentation to the County Commissioners on March 1.  We need everyone to root for us.  It was good to have one dissenter in the room so we can address his concerns in the next presentation.  It is important to let people know that, as this is a conditional use, a potential vacation home rental has to address the neighbors concerns.
On a more fun note.  I found 2 antlers on our hike Monday.  One was found in the yard across the street, the other was from last year.  You can tell the old ones as they look dry and have had mice or squirrels chewing on them.
We have been having such nice weather.  The snow is melting and then freezing so the ice remains.

cold, cold, cold

Wow, is it cold here in Silver City.  We are so grateful that seasons change and we can rest assured that it will get warmer someday.  The Black Hills were beautiful with the frost heavy in the trees.  All the green pine trees were white, and white on one side in some areas.
I have been working a lot in Rapid City.  The Black Hills Stock Show is going on.  I had fun yesterday evening working the camera for the dog trials.  It was fun to see the collies working the sheep.  We had a Border Collie and she was so smart.   Of course our current dog Gus is pretty smart too but he is still young.  Makes me want to get a few sheep for Gus to try and work with.
Wiring is getting done in the kitchen.  We need to incorporate rewiring the old parts of the house while wiring the kitchen.  Luckily I have patience as everything takes longer than expected.
I have been diligently working on our ordinance amendment.  We are planning on handing it to the P & Z office on friday.  The Planning Commission meeting presentation is set for Feb. 14.  It is actually fun finding facts and material to include in the power point presentation.
In the meantime summer vacation reservations are starting to come in and things are looking well for our cabin rentals.

Happy Trails Weather

What a beautiful day 48 degrees F. in Silver City.  We took a break from Happy Trails and did a 2 hour hike.  If you know us you will figure out that we just start out into the woods and look for a peak to climb.  It was a steep climb heading south west.  Gus (the dog) was in heaven, you could see his smile as walked with us.  We found some old mountain lion tracks, we always seem to find tracks in the snow in winter no matter where we hike.
The beams are in place and supported where Tally took out a wall in our house.  After that was set we took off on our hike.  We needed to get outside and get a break from the construction project.
The woods had a warm moist smell, reminding us of spring.  The snow was wet and a bit slippery.

winter

I have tried twice to add a new posting.  Each time I have written quite a bit only to be called away to help Tally.  Both times I have not been able to recover my musings.   I will try to keep this short and post it before having to help.

It is so cold outside.  We are doing a bit of remodeling in our house - the house that always comes last.  I will hopefully have a dream kitchen.  It is hard to get desk work done with Tally calling me to help with construction so often.  I willingly run to help as the sooner it gets done the sooner I can be using it.

As it is the beginning of the year I am starting to get summer reservation requests.  It is fun to take a clean calendar and start filling in the blanks.  I only request a few dates to ourselves.  I always make it a point to tell guests that arrive on the 4th of July that they may be letting themselves into their cabin.  The parade in Belle Fourche is irresistible and a yearly event for us and our extended family.

The fire trucks and the water fights on a hot 4th of July.

Happy Trails is pretty much buttoned down for the winter.  We have some guests arriving next week.

It is always different in the winter as everyone tends to stay more indoors, the Black Hills are beautiful in the snow.