Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Engagement

Showing posts with label Engagement. Show all posts

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Mosaic Monday #175: Five Years in Montana

Tomorrow, May 2, marks the fifth anniversary of our migration from Ohio to Montana. Coincidently, tomorrow we will also be flying home from the UK to Montana, an apt parallel that marks the length of our journey since we first began dating in the Northeast of England in February 1990. What an adventure it has been!

I have written many posts about Montana, and trying to choose my favorites would be time-consuming and just more work than I am willing to do! So, I am taking the easy way out, and highlighting (mostly) the posts that were published on dates closest to the May 2 anniversary. (I might cheat now and then and throw in an extra post that represents a particularly important event in the last five years, but hey! whose blog is this anyway?)

Day 6 - Malta, Montana (5/2/2017)

With two cars, two cats and a parakeet, we had made it this far. "Overnight we are in Malta, a town nestled along the Milk River (think chocolate milk), the railroad that runs from Chicago to Whitefish and beyond, and Highway 2, which will take us to Whitefish tomorrow."

"So, tomorrow, we will finish our emigration, and we are very excited. To celebrate, we cracked open a bottle of Honey Jack, which we have been saving since last Memorial Day. This wasn't just any bottle - it is one that was given to us by dear friends at that time, with a note that said 'Can only be opened in the state of Montana.' Guys, it's open now!"

Day 7 - Whitefish, Montana (5/5/2017)

"Finally, we arrived at the town house, home for the next 9 months or so. The menagerie was glad to unpack the cars (completely) and get settled in. At least, when we weren't too busy looking at the view from the master bedroom!"

Keep Calm and Carry On (3/22/2018)

"June 23, 2016, the day that two-thirds of our household possessions were packed and transferred to a United Van Lines warehouse near Cleveland, Ohio. And on March 19, 2018, Billy, Eric and Levi delivered them to our new house near Kila, Montana."

To Infinity and Beyond (4/21/2018)

"The nights here are quiet, with a velvet black sky littered with sparkling stars. Fresh, crisp air enters your lungs with each deep breath you unconsciously draw, the body's natural reaction to the serenity and awe of standing underneath the mighty constellations. An occasional sighing sound reaches your ears as the breeze rustles the pine boughs. Another deep breath brings the scent of earth and living things. No longer just the figment of my dreams, this is my new reality - as of April 14, our new log house is HOME!"

Graduate with Hat (5/3/2018)

"#1 Daughter (AKA Graduate with Hat) graduated from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) on April 28.

"A whirlwind week with family and friends began quietly at my sister's house with a morning garden walk. I used to claim Autumn as my favorite season, but these days I give my affection to Spring. Pregnant buds giving birth to unblemished leaves. Vibrant floral hues taking over from the gray of winter. The promise of fruit hidden within the flowers. All of it a fitting metaphor for the bright-eyed hope of spring commencement."

Dithering April (5/5/2019)

"The ski season ended with a cool vibe as Whitefish Mountain Resort hosted Employee Ski/Ride Day. In keeping with the "fun" character of the resort, costumes were encouraged and each department adopted a theme to identify its employees. In the case of the Mountain Ambassadors, everyone decked out in retro/60s gear. We don't often get the opportunity to ski/board at the same time, so this was treasured team bonding."

We have been blessed to build a number of strong friendships in Montana; for Spousal Unit, many of them are fishing buddies drawn from the Ambassador group. In my case, God led me to a soul sister just across the street - Dear Neighbor Friend. Our journeys in life have been vastly different, but we share a deep love for God, and a profound appreciation of the outdoors and the flora and fauna that live within it. I am so grateful to have this beautiful person in my world.

In the five years we have lived in Montana, we have lost all of our feathered and furred traveling companions. Tom the parakeet died while we were still living in Whitefish as our log home was being built. Josie passed on September 20, 2019, and I celebrated her life in this post. A year later, I paid tribute to Maggie in this post after her passing on September 21, 2020. I am so glad that they made the journey to Montana with us.

A "Wait"-y Month (5/3/2020)

"#1 Son celebrated his birthday during the month, and on one our Skype calls he jokingly threw up a picture of a $800 Lego set of the Millennium Falcon, with “Birthday?” scrawled across it. We couldn’t (and wouldn’t) get close to buying it for him, so I did the next best thing and stitched him up a Falcon. This joined several other quirky items meant to create a mini-Grand Cayman care package – sun cream, mini bottles of rum, a sea shell, biryani recipe, cardamoms and bay leaves. After all, it became very apparent as April marched on, that we would not be going to Grand Cayman to celebrate his college graduation. This care package would have to do for now." In the end, there was no graduation ceremony and no trip to Grand Cayman. Glacier National Park cancelled all backcountry camping permits that summer, and the Alaska fishing trip for Man with Hat was cancelled. It was tempting to complain, but not in the face of thousands of people dying around the world from COVID.

Three Years in Montana (5/10/2020)

"Can you believe it? May 3, 2020 marked the third anniversary of our arrival in Montana. (If you need a refresher on our epic cross-country journey, check out this post.) I perused my blog and came to the shocking realization that I have not written about this anniversary. You can read posts about the first, second and third recurrence of my retirement, but you will find zip, zero, zilch about an event that was a decade in the planning. Well, I ask you - what's more significant, the retirement or the destination? It's the destination, my friends. So, I am about to rectify this disappointing oversight. Buckle your seat belts, and welcome to Montana!" This collection of 32 pictures and collages is a photographic diary and National Geographic magazine rolled into one. Featuring some of my best photos from those three years, you can quickly experience hikes, Halloween fun in Whitefish, skiing, critters of all kinds, my garden and our house. Here are just a few.

Since our arrival in Montana, we have been honored to host a number of guests, documented in the collages below. Would you like to add your name and comments to our guest book?

Under the Weather (5/2/2021)

"I need a distraction. I had my second COVID shot yesterday, and I am racked with chills, a headache and a tight feeling across my chest. I have no appetite, much less a desire to write a blog post right now. Also, it has been a tough week for other reasons that I am not prepared to write about at this moment. But maybe focusing on something other than my symptoms would be beneficial. This might be a short post, or maybe I will get a second wind." I did recover, and this post recounts fun Spring activities such as visiting baby goats, coloring Easter eggs and celebrating the birthday of #1 Son. Looking at this collage is especially poignant since I am typing this particular section on his 24th birthday! As I have written in other posts, we relished a year of his living at home AND we are thrilled that he moved on to Idaho Falls after landing the job with the Idaho National Laboratory.

Keeping Her Memory Alive (5/9/2021)

"On April 28, 2021, my Mom joined my father, one of my sisters, a beloved niece and all of her siblings in Heaven. If it is like any other family reunion I have attended, it would begin with Mass. Faith was front and center for the German Catholic families on both sides, and especially for my Mom; you wouldn’t think to begin anything without having given thanks to God. And THEN you could tuck into the bountiful buffet before you – home-made fried chicken, roast beef, chicken with noodles, potato salad, Jell-O with the requisite shredded carrots or cabbage, and desserts that seem to outnumber the stars in the sky." It is hard to believe that 12 months have passed since her death. I think of her often, and miss her terribly. It is especially at family celebrations, or significant life events, that I wish she could be with us. Such as ...

The Engagement (11/7/2021)

The engagement of #1 Daughter and The Boyfriend while the entire family was on vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "Later, over dinner, The Boyfriend would recall the minutes leading up to his proposal. His heart was about to pop out of his chest, while #1 Son and I leisurely read the historical information. And I was shooting a picture of a bush, of all things, while he was trying to get me, the better photographer, to focus on what was about to happen. Oh my! And this is how wonderful family stories, ones that get handed down and told repeatedly, are made!"

The moral of the story? The circle of life continues. Children grow up, get married and move away. World events can impact us in ways we can't possibly anticipate. Parents and friends age, and some of them have made it to heaven before us. At the least, we cope. At the best, we adapt and thrive. On the fifth anniversary of "living our dream", I am reminded - don't become complacent. I pray to God that I will be blessed enough in five years' time to give you another such report, chock full of new adventures!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.

Sunday, March 13, 2022

Mosaic Monday #169: Two Anniversaries!

March 2, 2017 was my first ever blog post, and March 3 marked 5 years since my retirement. My goodness, where did that time go? I took the opportunity to review the nine posts I have made about retirement, prompting several observations and some resolutions.

In my first retirement post on March 13, 2017, I wrote: "I have paid my dues with hours worked over the last 28 years. Let's do a quick calculation: assuming an average of 45 weeks of work a year and 66 hours a week, that is 32,670 hours more than a 40-hour week. So, even though I have retired young by normal standards, I actually already worked the hours that equates to another 18.2 years." In other words, I still have another 13.2 years to go before I recoup that overtime!!!

That post has been read 88 times and had no comments. By the time I penned my next retirement instalment on March 27, 2017, I had picked up a few more readers (116) and two of them were commenting! One was Tammy at T's Daily Treasures (tsdailytreasures.blogspot.com). Tammy was instrumental in leading me to many of the other bloggers that are an essential part of my blogging community today! The other was a former neighbor in Cleveland - you know who you are!

Cooking and food have been consistent themes in my posts, and April 7, 2017 is a good example. In perusing these posts, I have realized that there are several recipes that we enjoyed that have since gathered dust. We will have to remedy that situation!

My fourth retirement entry, on May 27, 2017 was a popular post - 205 readers and 23 comments. In re-reading the comments, I was delighted to realize that I "go way back" with so many of my fellow bloggers - Sallie of A Full Time Life, Miyako of Orchid's Daily Voice, Wren of Little Wandering Wren, Sylvia of SMD Paper Arts, Mary of Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond and LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color. It also made me wonder about some bloggers I "knew well" and have not heard from for quite a while - I want to reach out and see if we can reconnect. By May of 2017, I had discovered Mosaic Monday and had begun linking to it - in that period, it was hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life - she has since changed her blog to turning the page (hazelbarn.blogspot.com) and does not post as frequently.

Faithful readers of my blog have become accustomed to my nicknames for the people in my life - #1 Daughter, #1 Son, Spousal Unit, Dear Neighbor Friend. When I first began blogging, it was intended to protect our privacy. In addition to avoiding the use of names, initially I didn't even include photos with our faces .... I am over that now, but these pseudonyms have taken on a life of their own, and I can't change it NOW! This is especially true of Man with Hat, who was introduced in my fifth retirement post on July 14, 2017. Some of my fellow bloggers, such as Phil of Another Bird Blog, join in the game. Phil recently referred to my husband as Man in a Plane! By summer 2017, Lorrie of Fabric Paper Thread and Kit of A Montana Life were regular commenters, and my posts were typically garnering more than 210 readers.

With my December 15, 2017 post, I paused to reflect on retirement thus far, utilizing recommendations from my work colleagues at my going-away party. "Don't forget to start a new hobby, enjoy reading a book, stay active, laugh every day and eat, drink and be merry," they said. I must have taken their advice to heart, because my next retirement post was March 3, 2019, a full 14 months later! Along the way, I met Tom of Tom the Backroads Traveller, Margy of Margy Meanders, Carol of Comfort Spring Station, Eileen of Viewing Nature with Eileen, Ellen of The Happy Wonderer, and Lady Fi.

Yes, life was pleasantly busy in those 14 months - we moved into our dream log home, we were hired as Ambassadors at Whitefish Mountain Resort for the winter seasons, and several volunteer activities had landed on my plate. I was also well on the way to becoming best friends with my dear neighbor. So many blessings!

I can't explain why that March 3, 2019 post had 409 readers, but I won't dig too deep! Perhaps it was the fact that I included the speeches my kids made at the time of my retirement. Or my reflections on the fortune cookie fortunes I have collected over the years. Or that I had begun hosting Mosaic Monday by this time, which drew more readers. Who knows? I had made some new blogging friends, such as the delightful furbabies at Brian's Home, Jenn of Cottage Country Reflections, Pat of Mille Fiori Favoriti, Heidrun of Soul and Mind, Riitta of Floral Passions, Jill of Life Images by Jill, Su-sieemac of Barefoot Susie, Melbourne Daily, My Desktop Daily, Jan of Low Carb Diabetic, William of Ottawa Daily Photos, Linda of The View from Squirrel Ridge, David of Travels with Birds, Bob of Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean, Debbie of Its All About Purple and Bill of Somewhere in Ireland.

A year later, in the March 8, 2020 post, I reported that I had become over-involved. "Looking in the mirror ... I have not succeeded in letting go of perfection and structure, and, despite my desire to enjoy more time crafting, these activities continue to get deferred because I have jumped head-first into volunteering, working and many other activities, which I give priority." Sadly, in the two years since that post, this has not changed. If anything, I have even more on my plate now. This time, I AM resolved to make changes/room for craft projects, jigsaw puzzles, and flying my drone!

My last retirement-themed post was March 21, 2021. Montana was starting to emerge from the pandemic, but not to the point of throwing a party! Serving as my own DJ, I spun up 5 songs/videos that represented freedom, "rocking through the wilderness", good friends, "lighting a fire for the silent and broken-hearted" and the desire for new experiences. I reflected that "if I want to have freedom, I have to choose carefully where I invest my time." As much as I prefer to know my schedule, I also regret the times when I have turned down an invitation to hike (or some other event) because I am committed. So, my friends, as I enter the sixth year of my retirement, most activities are candidates for the chopping block. I may give up volunteering at the Museum. I am actively recruiting a replacement for my role on the Carnival Board. I have even thought about how much time I should be devoting to blogging!!!

I am resolved to honor our family motto:

Watch this space!

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All of the pictures above were from the last 12 months.

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In the last two years, a few more bloggers joined my cherished circle: Sally of Crafts, Cavies and Cooking, Sue of Kiwikids Page, Diane of Lavender Dreams, Maria of Love the Planet Productions, Alan of Yogis Den, Sharon of Sharon's Souvenirs, Monica of Nature Footstep, Gillena of Verses, Jocelyn of Canadian Needle Nana, Judy of Life in Kentucky, Yoko of Stardust Talk, Raewyn at Stitching Farm Girl, Traude of Rostrose, Daniela of My Little Old World and Kim of Sarah Lizzies. I apologize if I have inadvertently left anyone out! Thanks to all in blogland that have made my blogging journey so fascinating and inspiring!