Shaking my head in disbelief, I begin to pen this post about July 2020. How can it already be August 2? If you’re like me, August rouses memories of back-to-school shopping, and last-minute attempts to collect on all of summer’s unfulfilled promises.
A few days ago, I was weeding along the roadside, and a neighbor paused
to chat while walking her dog. She
listed the summer visitors she had been hosting, and then switched gears to
describe the fall activities for her kids.
“And then it will be Christmas,” she said. It might have been the heat and the dazzling
sun, but I almost passed out.
Christmas? Stop the bus, I want
to get off! It feels like summer has
just arrived, and it may disappear again with the blink of an eye. Even Whitefish Mountain Resort joined the
conspiracy by sending out an invitation for past employees to re-apply for
winter positions. Really? So, this post is my deliberate attempt to
drag my feet, to savor summer, to deny that fall is around the corner.
It has been a full month, when I pause to reflect. Three hikes plus one
over-night camping trip.Several doctor’s
appointments (all is well) and a lengthy visit to the dentist for a crown.Volunteering at the museum.Coffee chit-chats and kayaking with my Dear
Neighbor Friend.Ongoing job search
support with #1 Son.And of course, joyful
intervals in my beloved garden.Activity
seemingly makes the hands of the clock launch into overdrive. Occasionally, I long to simply lounge on the
deck, gazing out on the beauty right in front of me.When these feelings occur, I rationalize that
the season of “lounging” will come of its own accord, when I can no longer be
so active. And I jump back into the
fray!
Non-human animals have it much simpler, and maybe we (you know I mean me) would be wise to take some lessons from them.
First: take a nap in the heat of the day (not my strong suit)
Second: Eat well (A+ on this one thanks to Head Chef)
Third: Avoid predators (in my case, it's mosquitoes and ticks that threaten my health, and dare I mention the c-word?)
On July 21, I was working in the garden and the badger strolled within 5 feet of me. I was caught by surprise and didn't get him on video. But wouldn't you know he stuck around most of the afternoon, apparently hunting chipmunks, and for your viewing pleasure, I have two videos below. Don't worry, no death and carnage in either one. But if you watch the second one closely, you will see a chipmunk escape the foliage and run under the deck, literally under my feet and then the badger follows.
Fourth: Hang out with buddies (COVID has put a bit of a kibosh on this; I've relished my coffee/kayaking dates with Dear Neighbor Friend, and we invited a couple for dinner on two separate occasions.)
Our back forty is a popular location with the swallows given the lake and the multitudes of flying insects that congregate there. A dead aspen has become a gathering spot for the swallows, until something triggers them to all take off at once, as you can see in this video below.
Fifth: stay hydrated (I don't have any animal pix for this one. And I don't think alcohol and coffee count toward the 90 ounces of liquid I ought to be drinking ... maybe I should move on ....)
Sixth: look after your offspring (this is a joy, not a "task". We are so excited #1 Son is moving to Montana while he continues his job search, and #1 Daughter and her boyfriend are visiting in August. The family reunited!)
July is the month when
most plants in Montana progress rapidly from leaves to blooms to seeds. As many times as I have walked our property
and the surrounding land, I still make new discoveries. And I rejoice in seeing old favorites as
well.
My garden is also
flourishing; you can expect another post on that soon. For now, I am tickled “yellow” with the
success of the yellow penstemon since in previous summers it seemed weak and prone to insect infestations. Sometimes,
gardeners have plants that tend to crowd out others, and we have to actively
restrain them. I am not quite ready to
do that with the coreopsis (the yellow plants in the pictures below), but I can see the time is coming. Just look at how prolific they are and all
from three plantsat the time the landscaping was installed.
I have managed to tear
myself away from the outdoors long enough to draw a birthday card for a close
friend in the UK, and for my father-in-law.
Note: if you are planning to send anything overseas, allow plenty of time. Two weeks passed before my friend received
her drawing, and it was three weeks for my father-in-law. Yikes!
I was also proud and honored to have my Violet Protest square included
in a display of Montana-made squares at Honey’s Café in Red Lodge,
Montana. Organized by Maggy Hiltner, the
installation features 24 squares that will be forwarded to Phoenix to join
squares from all over the U.S. for the main Violet Protest organized by Ann
Morton. My second square is halfway
complete and will be ready in time for the November 15, 2020 deadline. You can still participate!
No summer is complete
without a “campfire” and S’Mores. As
faithful readers know, I always take the makings for S’Mores on our camping
trips, so this summer “promise” has been partly fulfilled. But you may be shocked to learn that we had
not yet used our firepit this summer!
That was rectified last weekend, and at the end of the night, Spousal
Unit said “We need to do this more often.”
In Montana, it’s never too hot in the evening for a fire – as soon as
the sun begins to dip, the temperatures drop dramatically and the stars blink
on. You are likely to spot several
satellites tracing their way across the sky.
Night sounds are distinct, and identifying them (or letting your
imagination run wild) is entertaining.
That evening, we saw a crane fly up from the lake and land at the
tippy-top of a pine tree some distance from our house. So special.
If you live in the
Northern Hemisphere, what remains on your wish list for the summer? I am dreaming about swimming, attending an
outdoor concert, and a picnic at the lake.
Oh, and definitely more ice cream!
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.
On Wednesday, I was volunteering at the historical
museum. On the paper desk calendar, I
made hash marks, one for each of the 28 visitors that day. Suddenly, I noticed “183/183” printed in the upper-right
hand corner of the square for July 1. Really? We are at the halfway point of the year? (I paused for a moment to consider 183+183 =
366. What? Oh yeah, it’s a leap year.) I suppose this is one of the signs of being
retired – the days and months tend to blur!
All in all, it got me thinking about time.
Time is an intriguing/complicated/contradictory concept.The more it slips through our fingers, the
more we try to hold onto it.(Except
maybe when we begin a 6-mile run, and we want the next 60 minutes to fly
past.)I would guess that all of us
would like to have more time, and yet we find a myriad of means to spend it,
perhaps in ways that are frivolous.We
might regret that half of 2020 is over, and yet many of us want the next 6 – 9 months
to get behind us so that we have an effective vaccine for COVID-19.
I suspect that the pandemic has made most of us confront this
thing called time, even if only subconsciously.Questions come to mind, sometimes in the middle of the night, and
sometimes while I am zipping along the 70-MPH highways of Montana.They usually start with “What if?”This type of thinking can be slippery,
leading to a real downer of a day. When
I was in the midst of one of these spirals, I heard a song that stopped me in
my tracks.“Keep Me in the Moment,” by
Jeremy Camp. Check out this video.
Ever since, when I find myself getting caught up in “doomsday”
scenarios, I remind myself to engage all my senses.When was the last time you thought about the
wonder and sheer joy of a hot shower?Do
you inhale your meals, or do you savor thoughtfully, noticing the flavors and
appreciating the effort of the person who made it (even if it’s you)?Is there a pause when you leave the house, to
breathe in the air?To feel the caress
of coolness, a slight breeze shaking the leaves of the trees nearby?How often do you find yourself at a destination,
only to realize that you noticed nothing about your 20-minute drive?You can start today.To be aware.To be in the moment.As you peruse
my re-cap of pictures from June, it is my sincere prayer that it inspires you
to consider the joy, flavors, inspiration, aromas, beauty, textures, and
symphonies that you may have been overlooking.
A walk on the ridge with Dear Neighbor Friend
Kevin adds a Travertine backsplash to the space behind the cooktop
Celebrating "Padre" on Father's Day - a hand-made card from me, a card from #1 Daughter, calls from both kids
and breakfast in bed
A morning kayak with Dear Neighbor Friend
Top: Sent my Mom's squares to Violet Protest
Middle and bottom: Hand-drawn card for one of my brothers
Naturally occurring flowers and critters in our "back forty"
So, does this a picture of a sunset represent an ending, or just the
beginning of a night full of possibilities? I am choosing to consider the
possibilities.
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. Monday (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.
"Spend your days thinking about things that are good and true and beautiful and noble, and you will become good and true and beautiful and noble." Matthew Kelly Sounds easy, doesn't it? But anyone that has been in a conflict with someone, or is grappling with a significant personal problem, knows that your mind obsesses over it. You replay conversations, wondering anew what the other person was thinking when they said such and such. You might get angry or sad or frustrated all over again. When I am in the grip of one of these spirals, it takes an almost physical force of will to re-direct my thinking.
First black-eyed susan to bloom
So it is that I find myself today writing this post.It is my attempt to get my train of thought
on a different track.By looking back
through photos from August, I hope to ponder subjects that are good and true
and beautiful and noble.Maybe just a
little of it will rub off on me.
In my August 18 post, I wrote about the neighbor girls who
won several events at the fair with their goats. The mama goat was still producing milk in
the days leading up to the fair, and we were the lucky beneficiaries of several
gallons of it. And not only that, we had
the chance to try our hand at milking – much harder than it looks! So Head Chef set out to make goat
cheese. This is just one of the batches
that he made – so tasty on a cracker or with crudité.
While at the fair, Dear Neighbor Friend and I took a spin
around all the display buildings. I didn’t
take many pictures – too busy chatting!
Knock
on wood, the fire season in northwest Montana has been mild, but we had a few
smoky days earlier in the month. It
coincided with very hot weather, so Spousal Unit and I headed to the lake. Which lake, you may ask. That was the fun part – we headed west on
Highway 2 with no particular lake in mind.
Something big enough to make fishing worthwhile, but small enough that
we wouldn’t be inundated with power boats and jet skis. Enter Little McGregor Lake, only 20 minutes
down the road.
Kayaking, fishing, sunbathing, a picnic - summer at its best
A pair of eagles and a fledgling were very active at the lake, as were the loons. It is hard to see in this video, but a couple of the eagles are flying low over the lake, and you can hear the loons calling. I wondered if the eagles were trying to snatch one of the loon babies.
Each year, Whitefish hosts Huckleberry Days, a shameless
excuse to enjoy all things huckleberry while also wandering the booths in Depot
Park. Paintings, ceramics, jewelry,
metal art, photography, clothing – something for everyone. We came home with just a couple of items – it
required disciplined restraint!
Sweet Onion Mustard with Horseradish
Ceramic Salt and Pepper Shakers - we needed a set for
my end of our long dining room table!
This month has featured weeds on my dining room table. Yes, you read that correctly – weeds. Knapweed and yellow toadflax are considered invasive
plants in this part of Montana – this means they are harmful to native flora
and fauna. So, cutting the flowers and
using them in arrangements is part of my efforts to reduce these plants on our
property. (Eliminating knapweed is
actually required by law.)
The longer I live here, the more I learn about the plants of
the Rocky Mountains. When this “daisy”
started to bloom in our “prairie”, I was pleased. Since then, I discovered that daisies which
are members of the aster family are the only native daisies in Montana. Unfortunately, my volunteers do not qualify, so I am pulling these up as I find them.
On the other hand, I was monitoring a dozen of the plants below – once they
bloomed, I was able to identify it as a Rocky Mountain Bee Plant – a good guy –
they can stay!
Dear Neighbor Friend gave me some fresh zucchini, and I was
inspired to make some muffins. My
mistake? I didn’t take them out of the
pan soon enough. Then, because of the super-sized
muffin tops, it was impossible to get down into the cup for a clean separation
from the pan, at least impossible without destroying the muffin top! Oh well, they weren’t pretty but they still
tasted wonderful, especially with a cup of coffee in the morning.
Maggie has been making the most of the sun spot in the
kitchen. A few times I have had to check
that she is still breathing – she often looks like she has melted into a
puddle, she is so relaxed.
Not even the dragonfly that inhabited the kitchen for
several days could get her attention. In
the end, the dragonfly died, and was well-preserved in the heat on the sill of
one of the upper kitchen windows.
Spousal Unit was able to brush it down without damaging it. Isn’t it amazing? One of my sisters-in-law recently posted this
on FaceBook: “Legend has it that dragonflies were given an extra set of wings
so that angels could ride on their backs.
When you see this winged beauty, it’s an exquisite reminder that an
angel from heaven is visiting you.” Outside,
there are all manner of winged creatures.
Upper row: Female Common Yellowthroat (left and middle); right: Male Common Yellowthroat
Middle left: A flycatcher? Center: Wood Nymph
Lower row: Need help with identification
With the exception of the butterflies, the pictures in the above collage were taken with my trail cam. I chose this location in an attempt to capture the beaver, who clearly had been working over this shrub. Below are the best pictures from the month.
The upper pictures were taken with my phone and were the reason for placing the camera here - the beaver has a trail
through the grass for his tree branches. Lower pictures are from the trail cam - 1.30 am and 11 pm a week apart.
Sometimes, the trail cam gives you a surprise that just makes you say "Awww." Come on, say it with me - "Awww."
I have since moved the trail camera, and this is the first capture on the disk.
What is he running from? I suppose it could be Wily E. Coyote. Except this was four days later. Oh well.
Our weather has been getting a little cooler, especially in
the evening, prompting us to spend a few heavenly hours by the firepit. We saw a bat flitting about, and tried our hand at calling a barred owl using a recorded call on our phone (no luck). In the dim light of early evening, I look back at the house, and I can almost call the grass and wildflowers our prairie.
As we retreated to the
house, I took one last photo.I know my
moon shots are terrible – I have seen many from my fellow bloggers and I am
always amazed.But it was an appropriate
metaphor for this post – life is not perfect, but if even 95% of it is going
right, that is enough.
P.S.In case I have worried you, my marriage is as
strong as ever, and I am not sick.Details of the problem that gave rise to this post are not worth the
keypad pecks it would take to explain them.
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. Monday (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.
