Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
makes itself comfortably at home with
Smiling Bear Antiques Shop
. . . in-house shop integrating an Anteeks Mini-Mall featuring several vendors.
Feel free to visit the above link.

Smiling Bear, himself a gatherer of antiquity, likes to make his appearance in the shop pretending to be a vintage life-size Wooden Indian. He straightly stands in the entry foyer and always greets customers with a smile . . . in spite of this arthritic condition.

This small town of Hill City is, first of all, a neighborhood,
so folks around here like banding together to create special events.
Some special events stretch their arms out to include a broader audience,
like the Olde Tyme Antique Show - Sale - Evaluations . . .
a delightfully nostalgic event which was held in May this 2008.
Go ahead and click on Central Black Hills Antiques to read about it,
but please come back! . . . for more Smiling Bear news. Since antique buffs do get thirsty, it seemed a beverage service might be in order. Therefore, there is an ESPRESSO BAR to satisfy those thirsts. Shoppers may pause their hunt to rest under the covered porch, or at antique tables amidst the nostalgia, and savor the aroma and flavor of Black Hills roasted organic coffee in the espresso drinks of which Smiling Bear is so fond. His Wild Chokecherry Latte has become a favorite, hot or iced. Alternatively, one may wish to take the approach of cooling down with a blended frozen Frappe. Healthy tea is another fine choice . . . iced brewed black tea, or one of several floral green or white teas. Poem - Teapot To The Table

Since the Bear does get hungry often, he regularly stalks the pantry . . . I mean,
stocks the pantry, soon to find himself whipping up homemade cookies or dark chocolate truffles, thus keeping happy his ferocious, somewhat refined sweet tooth.
. . . And he shares.

It might have occurred to you that Smiling Bear spends as much time in the woods as possible, and has pursued this habit all his long life. Naturally, he brings home some of the forest fruits that he is prone to pick, and has become quite accomplished at stirring up luscious jams and jellies. He even sells them! The bonus for our Guests is that BLACK HILLS WILD FRUIT Jams & Jellies frequently dance their way to the breakfast table, along with various and sundry other delectable foods . . . not bear. One recent summer, wild rose petals (pictured top of page) were plentiful, and Smiling Bear remembered that as a cub his mother showed him how good they are to nibble on. Being nostalgic and with such a crop on hand, he researched how to make Rose Petal Jam, then recruited all available family . . . including an enormously willing, but soon sleepy-eyed grandcub . . . for the task of gathering, washing and sorting.

The Bear uses many organic ingredients, among them organic sugar.

In summer of 2004, before life became quite so busy, Smiling Bear submitted a fresh specimen of his Wild Raspberry Jam at the Central States Fair in Rapid City to be judged with other preserved goods. Much to his surprise, the humble jar of woodsy jam won a blue ribbon, and Best of Class . . . and, could this be? Best of Show! Smiling Bear had already jotted down the recipe, so he decided to take it to the fair and display it with the jam. Now, you too may try out this award-winning recipe. It has appeared in the local paper and in the B&B Innkeepers of South Dakota Cookbook.

Wild Raspberry Jam in 15 Easy Steps

1) First, you must show the raspberries where you are.
In fairy tales, they will smile and eagerly jump into your bucket.
By the way, you are in the woods somewhere.
2) Over your shoulder and on your knees:
a) Glance over your shoulder frequently while picking.
b) Pray you will not be pounced upon by a mountain lion.
3) While on your knees, lift branches and pick the big ones.
4) The big berries, not the big spiders.
5) And do not pick the bees either. Run from territorial bees. Come back later.
Two weeks later, or whenever the horsemint is gone.
6) While you are waiting, pick over yonder . . . but listen for rattlesnakes.
7) Keep the stinging nettle from your face.
Brush it away with a free hand.
On second thought, just step on it.
And on the thistles, too.
It is ok . . . Your shoes are tough . . . They have tripped you, right?
8) It is also ok, while confined to the bushes, to let your mind wander
and think grandiose things . . . Just do not hold your breath.
You need your breath for the next step.
9) Do deep knee bends for at least 1-3/4 hours for each batch of jam.
10) While on your knees again, thank God for no berry-munching bears out there.
(. . . with one exception, of course, yours truly.)
11) While on your feet, if something bites your ankle and you jump,
you did the right thing. You took your big foot off the house of those poor ants.
12) Pick like there is no tomorrow, because it might hail and take the crop.
Or worse, someone else might get them!
13) Pick some more, like crazy, because crazy is feeling familiar now,
and it is easy to do familiar things.
After three weeks of picking, though, you might get delirious and have thoughts.
. . . Like, What am I doing, I can get bigger ones at the store, already frozen!
Next, when another berry falls and misses your bucket cuz this is no fairy tale,
you will begin thinking of who you can call to come and get some of these berries.
In fact, you will probably be thinking out loud by then.
14) At that point, it is time to gel. So, gel out and enjoy the pleasant breeze.
Refocus on the perfectly scented scenery.
Watch the deer, the turkeys, birds and squirrels.
15) If the squirrel scolds you . . . move your berry bowl from under his tree.
And when the elk coughs . . .

That is it . . . the tongue-in-cheek recipe for Best of Show Wild Raspberry Jam.
The rest is history. For Smiling Bear, there is no place on earth closer to God than in a wild raspberry patch . . . or in a wild butterfly patch, a fine place for lifting thoughts. You may enter the patch if you like!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. -Ps 103:2