Thursday, March 20, 2008

Counting sheep and Benji calories



I said yesterday that we'd probably spend a lot of time counting deer on our trip to Montana, but we saw far more sheep than deer. I can remember a couple of decades ago, driving from Plains to Thompson Falls, spotting my first bighorn sheep along the side of the road. I think it had a friend, and, at the time, it was, indeed, an anomaly and definitely something to report home about.

Well, the population in that 25-mile stretch has grown significantly over the years, so much so that big electronic signs along the side of the road warn drivers of sheep and announce the previous year's sheep-vehicle encounters. The sign yesterday noted "18 sheep hit in 2007." I don't know how many lived, but I'm guessing, few.

We saw four or five herds both coming and going to Plains. They're pretty ragged looking, but like any wildlife, they're fun to watch. These guys let me get fairly close with my camera but then decided to split.

We drove to Plains after dropping off books at Sandy's store, which is a virtual goldmine for "stuff" and lots of it, neatly organized with every available inch of space on shelves, walls, floors and ceiling efficiently utilized to display items from room to room to room.

In one spot, a photo of Sandy and CBS television correspondent Hattie Kaufman hangs. Sandy says Hattie visits her store every time she comes for a stay at her place near Thompson Falls. Sandy's second-hand store is located across the highway from Thompson Falls' main grocery store.

During our visit, a steady stream of customers came through the door looking for specific items or just plain looking. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and I'm planning to be back at Sandy's June 28 for a book event.

We said good bye and then headed on down HWY 200 to our designated lunch stop, Benji's in Plains.

We almost always stop there, have done so for several decades and never one lick of disappointment. It was beyond Montana's Mountain Time lunch hour when we arrived, so we had plenty of choices for seating and almost exclusive service from the waiter.

We sat at a table near the cinnamon roll display. Big mistake. Big rolls smothered with caramel sauce. I'd say at least five inches across and two inches high. I bought two for Bill and said he probably wouldn't eat just one; instead, he'd probably eat one-half.

After later sampling a small portion of one--heated up for about ten seconds in the home microwave, I revised my prediction. The melt-in-your-mouth flavor and lightness of those few bites proved almost too much for me. Bill almost did not see his cinnamon rolls, but I had to be strong.

After all, I'd eaten half a Benji burger, along a cup of their tomato, macaroni and hamburger soup. I had to remain strong because half a Benji burger includes at least 1,000 calories with its thick hamburger, melting cheese, real bacon, fat tomato, special sauce and bun the size of those cinnamon rolls.

I also brought the other half of my Benji burger home for Bill. It sufficed as his dinner, and I see this morning that he remained strong also, slicing only half of the untouched cinnamon roll. I may have tainted the other roll, and that may prove dangerous to my calorie count because I'll probably get to enjoy the whole roll. Bill never likes to eat any food from which someone else has nibbled. In fact, that's the one time his characteristic laid-back manner almost erupts---if I break off a morsal of anything on his plate, he protests and often says, "Why don't you just take it all?"

I must digress. That thought makes me think of years ago at the U of I Carter Hall when one of my dorm mates, Barbara Marriage, received a box of chocolates. Of course, when we gathered in her room, we knew she had them. Some of us made notes to ourselves to return later when she had gone to class and steal some of Barbara's chocolates.

Were we ever surprised when we opened the drawer, pulled the lid off and discovered a small bite taken out of every piece of candy! Barbara knew us all too well and had mastered the art of successfully hoarding one's private chocolates.

Back to Benji's on Wild Horse Plains' main drag, which is the highway going through town. It's definitely a place to stop for good and ample home cookin' , and, if you're there at Montana's Mountain Standard eating times, plan for some wonderful local color. If there's a big crowd of locals, they all stare at you--the stranger--when you come through the door.

And, for this ol' hick, that feels pretty darn hospitable. I know I'm among friends.

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