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.
"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.
Yesterday morning, frost coated every outdoor surface like a fine layer of diamond dust. It glinted in the sun, and then slowly melted into wispy mist that floated eerily through the trees. I could imagine Summer in the vapor, inexorably disappearing as Fall gains the upper hand. It was a fitting metaphor, as yesterday we said farewell to the last of our latest round of summer visitors.
Hence, I offer you Chapter Two of the "summer visitor series" (link to Chapter One).
On September 7, just as the dinner bell rang, six of my family arrived on our doorstep - my mother, my oldest sister, my oldest brother and his wife, and my youngest brother and his wife. For all but the latter, this would be the first time they would step foot into our completed dream home. Talk about excitement and anticipation!
Left: Book about successful baking at high altitude - for Spousal Unit!
Middle: Cross-stitch for my gallery wall
Right: Utah wines - yum!
Note that the Boddington's beer and Kendall Jackson wine are MIA
because they were already imbibed!
Our guests honored us with thoughtful housewarming and 'hostess' gifts. Thanks, guys!
Captain Doug's boat moored at the beach
The next day, we wasted no time and jumped directly into tour guide mode, with a boat trip on Flathead Lake, destination Wild Horse Island. At 2,160 acres, Wild Horse Island is the largest island in a freshwater lake west of Minnesota. The island has been a landmark since the Salish-Kootenai Indians were reported to have used it to pasture horses to keep them from being stolen by other tribes. The park is noted for its wildlife including bighorn sheep, mule deer, songbirds, waterfowl, bald eagles, and falcons, as well as five wild horses. Rare and endangered species have also been found on its Palouse Prairie grasslands. The island's scenic shoreline is a favorite of hikers, boaters, swimmers and sailboat enthusiasts.
Pictographs documenting bison kills by the Salish-Kootenai Indians
You could have this house and its island for $15 million … it's for sale!
(and this is a steal - it was built for $98 million)
Captain Doug motored his boat (a perfect fit for the 8 of us) while sharing interesting history (and probably a few tall tales). There is no dock on the island, but Captain Doug had perfected off-loading passengers with a portable ladder. After a brief orientation to the layout of the island, we headed out on the trail while Captain Doug went off on his own. We had seen very limited wildlife (squirrels don't count) when we encountered Captain Doug. Part of our group decided to work their way back to the beach, while my oldest brother and I went with Doug in search of the horses. I am pleased to report that we found the band of 5 mares, and the other group came across the bighorn sheep and some turkeys. A win-win for all!
Upper right: horses are hidden in this grove of trees …
Sunday brought Mass at our local church followed by breakfast/lunch at Sykes Diner. Fortunately, our next stop - Conrad Mansion - provided an opportunity to stroll the grounds and stave off food-induced napping! The Mansion, sited in Kalispell, is a beautifully preserved example of luxurious living and period architecture in the Northwest. In 1868, at the age of 18, Charles E. Conrad left his boyhood home in Virginia and traveled to Fort Benton, Montana Territory. There he built a trading and freighting empire on the Missouri River that lasted more than 20 years. In his lifetime, Mr. Conrad lived through the Civil War and the settling of the West, and he left an indelible mark on the history of Montana.
The building itself remains unchanged since Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter designed and built the 23-room-home in 1895 for Mr. Conrad, founder of Kalispell. Ahead of their time, the owner and architect built in electricity, steam heat, running water and a hand-driven elevator. Although you can't take interior pictures, the 90-minute tour of the house gives you a thorough look at the furnishings, most of which are original to the home. Ownership and occupation of this stunning Norman style mansion remained in the Conrad family until 1975, when it was given to the City of Kalispell, which ultimately turned over the active management of the site to the non-profit Conrad Mansion Museum organization.
And what could be a better way to wrap the weekend but an inaugural fire in the fire pit, accompanied by s'mores? (The night sky was pitch black, and my brothers helped us spot satellites tracking across the heavens, low enough to reflect the last of the sun's rays.)
The little village of Bigfork, nestled in an elbow of the Swan River, is a perfect spot for a walk along the Wild Mile. A picturesque section of the river with rapid upon rapid, it is host to the Bigfork Whitewater Festival each spring. Monday meant few people on the trail, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch before exploring the quaint shops. The best part was the huckleberry ice cream, with whole berries exploding in my mouth. When we arrived home, my Mom harvested the first of our Goodland apples; this tree was planted in her honor earlier this year (see post). We all tried a piece or two, and the consensus on the flavor is the tartness of a Granny Smith, softened by tones of Golden Delicious. Fleshy without being mushy. We also agreed that the rest of the apples would benefit from a little more time on the tree, and a hard frost. So watch this space for more apples!
And all too soon, departure day arrived for everyone except my oldest brother and his wife. We shared the breakfast table and then it was hugs all 'round before we headed to the day's hike while the others went on their way. Glacier Lake had been recommended by a friend, and she was on the money! Radiant fall colors. Pools formed by Glacier Creek. Only 1.6 miles to the lake, with minimal elevation gain. A lake cradled by mountains, unique on the west side with massive rock slabs slanting down to the water's edge. What more could you ask?
(And we had to stop at Moose's in Kalispell for pizza and beverages!)
My sister-in-law is a superb quilter, and so our trip to Whitefish the next day had to include a stop in Whitefish Quilts and Gifts. She was delighted to find some fat quarters with a huckleberry motif. And the huckleberry theme continued that evening as Spousal Unit and my SIL crafted a White Chocolate Huckleberry Cheesecake. Supreme willpower was required to wait for a taste until the following morning, but boy, was it worth it and perfectly paired with coffee!!! By far the best cheesecake ever -- smooth, out-of-this-world flavor!
On our final day together, we shared two of our favorites with our guests - Kootenai Falls/Swinging Bridge and Ross Creek Cedars (see previous post). In between, searching for a quiet picnic spot, we stumbled across the Dorr Skeels Campground. Only a bald eagle, flying along the western shore before perching in a pine, disturbed the absolute peace of the beach we chose for lunch.
And now the house is quiet. The sunrise will be here tomorrow, and so will the aspens, quickly transforming with each day of frost. But now we are the only witnesses - at least until our next guests arrive - in 12 days!
