Potlatch, Idaho (Day II)

I've been really tired for quite a while but I'm happy to announce that I seem to have gotten over that. Yesterday I got up at about one in the afternoon. Today I got up at eight thirty, and I don't even feel drowsy! Then again, the coffee might have something to do with that.
    On the drive home the day before yesterday we passed a place on the highway along the Salmon river where a lot of people were fishing. There was a sign up that said 'fresh fish for sale' or something along those lines, so we decided to stop. It turns out that there's a salmon hatchery on the Salmon river (go figure, right?) and since it's spawning season people can catch and sell them. We bought a fish that was about as long as my arm (!) and threw it in the cooler with some ice for the rest of the trip. It was very fresh; in fact, when it was in the guy's cooler he poked it and it started twitching. Kinda freaked me out.
    So anyway, when we got home I volunteered to make dinner, which ended up involving gutting and skinning a heavy, slippery fish as long as my arm. The fish didn't fit in the kitchen sink. The fiish was full of half-clotted blood. Our knives weren't nearly sharp enough to cut through even the meat cleanly, so I ended up having to hack and saw at the blasted thing. First I cut open its belly and inside were two huge sacks of orange salmon roe (and, you know, a heart and liver and kidneys and stuff). From this I deduced (using my amazing Holmesian skills) that the monster was, in point of fact, female. Then, with difficulty, I sawed the head off, cut the body in half and made fillets. And then I cooked them on a charcoal grill (which is the best kind). All in all the job was messy, difficult, and tiring, but it taught me at least one valuable lesson; never offer to gut and prepare any fish bigger than a small trout. Seriously.
    My dad got to deal with the other half of the fish and he decided to save and cook the roe too. He cut the fish into steaks which he then froze, and he cooked the roe for dinner last night. Based on his and Sarah's reviews, I opted for a salad instead; "It only kind of makes me want to throw up." Yeah, no. Now he's threatening to put them in scrambled eggs for dinner tonight. I shall try to dissuade him.
    Sarah left this morning to go to some pack goat get-together thing. There are supposed to be at least forty goats attending, plus owners. She's going to be the on-site Vet. I admit, I'm sad that she's gone. She won't be back until Sunday so I won't get to see her as much, but I'm planning to extend my visit by a few days so that I will at least get to see her more.
    My projects for the next few days include making curtains for all the windows upstairs, blogging every day I'm here, baking bread (from scratch, using my grandmother's recipe), taking pictures to put on here, writing my current story, mowing the yard (for money! ;), and spending time with my kitties. I also hope to not get any ticks while I'm here. And maybe, just maybe, I'll find the ring I lost half a year ago. Wish me luck!