Wednesday, August 7, 2024

June Joys

Yes, I know it's August, but life runs in the slow lane when you're retired!  I am so busy thriving that it does not leave much time to compose a worthy post.  You do understand, right?

In Montana, summer is short and every hour is to be treasured and maximized.  We squeeze activity into every glorious moment of sunlight, since it comes streaming unbidden into our bedroom at 5.30 in the morning!

Frequent readers know I relish outdoor dining, and it is even better when it features summer salads.  Head Chef might as well be Michelin with the creativity he brings to his mealtime miracles.

 




While we are talking about the Man of the House, let's re-cap Father's Day!  #1 Daughter took a page from my book and crafted a hand-made card.


 #1 Son took a commercial, albeit no less creative route.  Where DOES he find these things??? (in case you can't tell, these are sandals!)


As long as we are on the subject of parenting, I will show you the card #1 Daughter crafted for Mother's Day!

You all know my Dear Neighbor Friend, who lives on the farm across the street.  Spring and summer bring new animals to the farm.  First up, lambs.

DNF discovered a sweet kitten in the barn, and a momma was nowhere to be found.  Little Baloo took up residence in the house (just 'til she grows up a little) - but between you and me, these two have gotten pretty attached and I don't know if Baloo will make it back to the barn!!!

 

And one day DNF called me about a turtle she had saved from getting run over on the county road.  She brought it over in a box so I could release it down by the lake.

A post of mine would not be complete without a few flowers!!!  I planted Lupine seed 6 years ago, and this is the first year that the plants have bloomed!  Patience is a must-have for a gardener!

 

Caterpillars are welcome on my native plants - they are part of the ecosystem!  Looking at this Paintbrush almost two months later, it does not seem to have been affected by the munching.

Naturally occurring roses.
 


This Arnica volunteered to be in the garden!



I regularly host a ladies' gathering, and in June, one of the ladies casually asked me, upon arrival, "Do you have an aloe plant?"  When I replied no, she turned on her heel and went back to her car.  Momentarily, she appeared with this beautiful, octopus-looking creature, unlike any aloe plant I have ever seen!  What a surprise!

 
No Montana summer is complete without some time on the water, and even better if it is combined with a worthy cause such as weed pulling.   For the second year, we were hosted in the boat belonging to Kenny and Mary during the Weed Rodeo.  Yeehaw!
 

 
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Linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday.  If you're searching for some positivity in a world that can focus too much on the negative, check it out!  The prompt for August 8 is "Would you like being part of the group of Olympic competitors?  Staying in the Olympic Village?  Have you ever gone to view the Olympics?" I think I would enjoy being in the Village and meeting people, but the stress of the competition would be too much for me.  I have family near Salt Lake City, and there might be an option to volunteer for the Winter Olympics 2034!  I have not attended the Olympics, even though we had tickets for Atlanta 1996.  I was offered a new position right at that time, and we gave up our tickets so we could make the move.  Dumb younger me!!!!

Linking to Thankful Thursday

Linking to Mosaic Monday

21 comments:

  1. Such a fun bunch of photos and a nice bunch of yummy food too. Oh my, such a sweet little kitten. Thanks for joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

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  2. Lots of good stuff! Glad you're having a great summer. All that food looks delicious. The lambs and the kitten are adorable! Baloo is a great name.

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  3. I just heard the next summer Olympics is going to be in Los Angeles. I enjoyed your recap of June. Those sandals!! What an interesting weeding project! Happy August to you.

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  4. Sounds like you've had a good summer! Love the handmade cards, the sandals, and the baby lambs. And the weed rodeo - fun and a good thing to do all rolled into one. Hope July and August were/are just as good.

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  5. It sure has been fun catching up with you. You've definitely had more fun this summer than I have. But I'm hoping the Fall will bring some adventures so I'm happy! Enjoy your day sweet friend!

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  6. I bet Baloo stays with you….so cute!!!! Great blog!

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  7. The salads look delicious - kudos to the head chef! I love lupins and yours are very pretty. Lots of good things happened in June!

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  8. The food pics look amazing. We recently went to a ballgame and should have gotten the traditional dog; but we got subs instead and they weren't very good. Lesson learned. Ball game,= beer and hotdogs. Looks like you're having a good time with all your activities.. Wonderful flowers. Enjoy the sunshine while you can.

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  9. Yes, dear Angie, I understand you. After all, I'm retired too 😉 The summer salads look amazing - compliments to the chef! I have to laugh at the fish sandals - they're more funny than pretty 😅🤣 I couldn't send Baloo back to the barn either... All the animals you show are adorable, including the caterpillar. It's good that the turtle was saved. I also like the pretty plants. You look happy as weed rodeo paddlers! Continue to enjoy the summer!
    Oh, before I forget - I wanted to show you photos of our time in Dürnstein and the surrounding area - you can find them in this post: https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/07/sommerliche-leichtigkeit-in-der-wachau.html
    May your summer continue to be full of wonderful moments!
    All the best and have a nice weekend, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/08/weltreise-2024-immer-noch-neuseeland.html

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  10. Homemade cards are a treasure. I do believe I would like a Montana summer!

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  11. Dear Angie – Nice to see you again. Your June activities and the salads are so vibrant. As for myself, I’ve been mostly wilt since July but I was more active in June. Our summer is notoriously hot, humid, and long. The lovely Lupine blooms after six years patience reminds me of the art of waiting. However, I’m impatiently waiting for the arrival of the cool air, which looks to be a long away. Enjoy your summer.
    Yoko
    Yoko

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  12. Indeed, enjoy each Moment of summertime, dear Angie.
    And if I understand your sentence at the beginning! Among us pensioners, we're talking about the state of unrest here. And I have no idea how that can be translated in an understandable way.
    So I'm very happy about your post again. Thanks for sharing on MM. Kind regards from Heidrun

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  13. Hello!! Looks like you are having a wonderful summer. You have some very artistic children. I’m commenting from my phone and blogger isn’t happy. Where do you live in Montana? We have family there. North near Great Falls. We are in WY. Judy @ Busy Hand Are Happy Hands

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  14. Somehow I lost track of your blog, but I’m glad to find it again. Your daughters are very talented at making cards

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  15. Dear Angie, thank you for your nice compliment, to employ me as your travel planner - I'm in ;-DD I'd be interested to know whether you would also be interested in a garden like the one I'm currently presenting in my blog. For me it was a total place of happiness...
    Hugs, all the best and have a nice weekend, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/08/weltreise-2024-neuseeland-sudinsel.html

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  16. If Baloo is up for it, maybe a photo of him/her wearing the fish sandals in the Lupine blooms?? Please tell the head chef I may need to get those salad recipes!! CHEERS!! Here's to the dog (kitten) days of summer in Montana. Sending love xx

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  17. Good to see a post from you! Your head chef sure makes amazing meals. The cards are beautiful. Beautiful flowers and the aloe plant is truly amazing looking. Have a great September!

    -Soma

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  18. I enjoyed your post ... and now here we are in September.
    Sending my good wishes.

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  19. Waving hi as I make my blog rounds. Hope to hear from you soon. Enjoy

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  20. I keep stopping by and waving as I make my blog rounds. Hope you're ok.

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  21. Wow! Fun as always and gorgeous photos. Would love the name of all those delicious dinners. 😁

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