Savoring September

It's a brisk 47 degrees, and only the incandescent orange and yellow of the aspens brightens the steely, dull sky.  It's the sort of day to light an extra candle, pull the blanket a bit tighter around my legs, and slurp deeply from my hazelnut coffee.  And to wax lyrical with my end-of-September summary.  Here goes:

ONE: Getting crafty

Cooler temps and shorter days launch me into crafty mode.  With great enthusiasm, I have leapt into a new project, 30 cross-stitch ornaments for this year's Christmas tree.  I am really enjoying this kit because the designs are simple and it only requires a few hours to complete each one.  For me, this means a rapid sense of gratification, compared to many complex pieces that mean months or even years of work.  And the designs are SO cute!

Autumn's arrival also means football, and I often marry game time with crafts; I just feel better being productive while supporting the Cleveland Browns (and yes, they finally snapped the 19-game losing streak.  Go Browns and Baker Mayfield!)  It is a special joy to watch the games in our new screening room; so comfy, and the sound/projection system can't be beat!

(I created the arrangements below before my family's visit in September, but the topic just didn't seem to fit any of my previous posts, so I am wedging it here with my other creative endeavors.)

TWO: Getting lost 

As most of you know, Spousal Unit and I are avid hikers.  Responsible hikers inform family members of upcoming trips, and we are in that camp.  We have a 'system' with our kids that involves sending an email with details on starting and ending points, trail names, etc., along with the appropriate emergency number to call if a designated time passes and we have not been in touch.  WELL.  This month, I misjudged the duration of a hike, and we had no cell service to contact the kids until 30 minutes after the deadline had passed.  So, #1 Daughter had started calling out the cavalry, as she should.  To say the least, they were relieved but not entirely happy when we finally got service and checked in.  So, we are now the proud owners of a personal locator beacon - a Garmin Inreach, which is very slick.  It utilizes satellites, so at any point in time, the kids can log on to a website and determine our location.  The Garmin also sends simple texts ("Safe at car") even when we don't have cell service.  And it has many other features as well.  I think we all feel a bit safer with this (not cheap) valuable tool.

THREE: Getting fed

Delicious meals in our house are never an issue with Spousal Unit at the helm.  In the last couple of weeks, we've had a couple of stand-out dishes worth special mention.  As you may recall from my Horses, Homes and Huckleberries post, my Mother harvested the first of our Goodland apples earlier this month, and we have since plucked the remainder from the tree to protect them from bears (good thing we did but more on that later).  Utilizing the apples, Spousal Unit concocted an apple/blackberry pie, which we shared with former neighbors visiting from Cleveland.  Just scrumptious!

I'm still endeavoring to achieve my 'cook once a week' 2018 goal, and one of the best dishes we've discovered lately is this Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna.  Mouthwatering flavors, a pleasant change from a tomato-based lasagna, and pretty healthy to boot with chicken broth and low-fat milk as the base.  Perfect for these cuddle-up cool fall evenings!

This time of year, I occasionally treat myself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, with a scone.  Heaven, just heaven.

FOUR: Getting visitors

Consider this Chapter Three of our summer visitor series.  (See links for Chapter One and Two.)  We (re) welcomed two former neighbors from Cleveland, who had been to the house last September, when it had no door or flooring and barely had shingles!  To say the least, it was a joy to tour them 'round the finished dream, inside and out!  After a scrummy dinner that featured "brisket beyond compare" (per one of our guests), we gathered around the fire pit and caught up on each other's lives.  Nothing could have capped the evening with more flair than the pie I already mentioned above.  Food coma, anyone?

The next day, we cruised over to Glacier National Park and absorbed the adjectives that rapidly tumbled from our visitors.  Until the car became silent, with only strains from Billy Joel's Greatest Hits in the background … I suppose you can run out of ways to describe the soaring, rich grandeur of mountains in autumn.

An overnight light snowfall above 6,000 feet added another dimension to the vistas throughout our drive on Going to the Sun road.  At Logan Pass (6,646 feet), the snow and rime coating every flower, blade of grass and tree brought these natural structures into sharp relief against the dark mountains.  The 1.5 mile hike (one-way) to Hidden Lake Overlook reminded one of our visitors of scenes from Skyfall.  We all marveled in our own ways at the wonderland created by a little H2O.

On our way out of the Park, we stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge, which provided a close-up view of the outcome of the Howe Ridge Fire (see this link for my report on this fire back in August).  From ridge to shoreline, the mountain is scorched, with little black matchsticks that used to be towering pines.  Without the billowing smoke and leaping flames, it now seems somewhat benign.  But we know it consumed 14,522 acres and 13 residences, some of which had been used by the same families for over 70 years.  Sobering, and lingering smoke lets us know the fire still smolders, waiting for snow as the final extinguisher.  We moved on to Whitefish for a bit of touristy shopping and then wrapped the day with a delightful dinner at Tupelo Grill.  (Get the chicken and dumplings - to die for!)

If you look closely, you can see a ribbon of smoke at the base of the mountain

Today, we had a casual breakfast (for Spousal Unit, that's blueberry pancakes, bacon and fruit) before our friends left for the airport.  We're pretty sure we can count on a return visit next September!!

Candle gift from our guests; their note in our guest book

FIVE: Getting outdoors

Lest you think everything is perfect in paradise here, I have to report a run-in with elk this week.  We've seen them near the lake, and our neighbors have sighted herds of up to 30 in the neighborhood.  So, on Monday, when I went on the deck to photograph the moon (nothing worth sharing, by the way), I was thrilled to hear an elk bugling.  It sounded close, and I could also hear munching.  "Must be a lot of them, and nearby," I mused.  I went inside without a second thought.  The next morning, this was the view outside the kitchen window - those elk had 'groomed' this maple tree like it was a poodle's tail, leaving only a little pom-pom of leaves at the top.  Grrr … I was not happy.  As I explored more later that day, I found that they had 'pruned' my Mom's Goodland apple tree (good thing we had harvested the apples, or they would have been elk food!), and had a nibble at Dad's Honeycrisp as well as the other maple.  This called for action, so Spousal Unit and I have now added chicken wire above the normal caging for all 4 of these trees.  So far, so good this week, and I hope it stays that way!

Wildlife seems to be hiding out - my trail cam photos are mostly deer and elk.  The other day, while cleaning the patio, I met this little fellow …  I am not entirely sure, but I think it's a garter snake.

In the meantime, I was amazed to find this small violet growing near the house, and a harebell plant that sprung up in the middle of a stretch of compacted dirt - nothing else is growing for yards around it.  Asters are holding out against the cold mornings and the frost we've had; they almost seem to thrive in it.  

And of course, the aspens are gussied up like young ladies heading to prom.  I don't know why some are orange or red while the majority are yellow … but then, I don't need to know; it's enough to simply bask in the radiant beauty.




















Linking to:
All Seasons

I Like Thursday

Mosaic Monday

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Saturday's Critters
Sharon's Souvenir Photos
Wednesday Around the World
Willy Nilly Friday

My Hiking Journal: Entry 14

Clements Mountain with Highline Trail on left-hand-side of photo, with

Going to the Sun Road in the middle of the photo

Our boots could tell you some tales, we have hiked so much.  And yet, some trails stand out in our memories, the colors still as vivid as on the day itself.  Such is our recollection of the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park, which we hiked on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, along with 100 of our closest friends (read: it's a popular trail).

Beargrass and snow on the Garden Wall

Although the trail is 11.6 miles one way, you have the option to start at Logan Pass and finish at the Loop, with very little elevation gain.  The trail follows the Continental Divide below the sawtoothed Garden Wall, and since it is above treeline for most of its length, it offers dramatic views of the power of glaciers to sculpt the land.  

The day started when we left the house at 6.45 am in order to ensure arrival at the Loop around 8 am.  This in turn was meant to ensure that we could catch one of the first (if not the first) shuttle going to Logan Pass.  At the Loop, we found 8 people already in line in front of us.  (While we waited for the shuttle, we enjoyed breakfast tortillas prepared by Man with Hat before we left.)  After 2 shuttles, only 4 people had been able to get on, and I decided it was time to start appealing to the better part of human nature - I stuck my thumb out!

Upper left: Death Camas; Upper middle: Purple Monkeyflower;

Upper right: Saxifrage; Bottom: Yellow Columbine

According to Man with Hat, I was quite entertaining for the crowd that was also waiting for shuttles.  After 15 minutes of hitching, a lovely couple called Sam and June from Memphis, TN, stopped to give us a lift.  We heard later from others in line that this simple gesture started the ball rolling for others to do the same.  As Sam drove up to Logan Pass, we gave them some tips on Glacier since this was their first visit.  By 9.30 am, we were at the Trailhead.  Initially, it was very crowded, but over time groups spread out and we could almost pretend we had the trail to ourselves.

We had strategically chosen this day since it was forecast for cooler temperatures, and the weatherman delivered.  I hiked most of the day in pants and long sleeves.  Glorious!  A bumper crop of beargrass (remember from a previous post that beargrass does not bloom every year)!

Mountain views at every turn. 

Alpine meadows teeming with flowers.  

Bountiful waterfalls, big and small.

No trip to Glacier would be complete without some wildlife of the four-legged variety, and this day did not disappoint.  Hoary marmots are rodents that inhabit alpine areas, surviving on grasses and forbs in rocky areas.

This mountain goat was determined to hike with a group of us.

While at the Granite Park Chalet (arrived there at 2 pm), the sky spit out a little bit of rain as we enjoyed our lunch of rice, beans and corn with salsa, seated at one of the picnic tables outside.  You could see the rain coming down over Lake MacDonald, and the clouds moving in our direction.  

So we did not  linger and were back on the trail by 2.25.  We saw more clouds to the north, accompanied by some thunder and lightning, but we avoided any rain while collecting more visual treasure along the way.

Top: Penstemon; Middle left: Paintbrush; Middle center: Sweet Vetch; Middle right: Pink Mountain Heather

Bottom: Hollyhock

Playing peek-a-boo among the beargrass

We were back at the Loop by 4.15, which seemed long for the alleged 4 miles from the Chalet to the Loop.

Upper left: Hollyhock; Upper middle: Phacelia; Upper right: Unidentified

Lower: Shrubby cinquefoil and Alberta Penstemon

Once again, a long line of people waited for the Logan Pass shuttle. While we could not help them, we did give Wyatt from Michigan, summer boat captain at Two Medicine, a lift down to Avalanche.  He said he planned to go back to the Loop and give people lifts up to Logan Pass 'because I have nothing better to do with my day'.  Must be something about the Earth's beauty that brings out the best in all of us.

Linking to:

All Seasons


Floral Friday Fotos


Mosaic Monday


Nature Notes

Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday

Patience and Hope: Our Journey to Easter

After over five decades on God's Earth, contemplating Lent can be an exercise in creativity.  What to give up this year?  Coffee, tortilla chips, wine, cheese .. done them all.  Or in reverse, what can I do more of this year?  Volunteer at the food bank, sing in the church choir, start resistance training at the gym ... check those off (with varying degrees of success!)

So, recently, I was pleasantly surprised to discover another perspective - a list of behavioral habits that could be subject to fasting.  But best of all, the list presented the opposite behavior as something to FEAST ON.    For those of us who prefer positive action rather than avoiding a negative, this idea struck me like a lightning bolt, and I feel compelled to share it, together with various photos from the last 12 months.  I hope you find something in it that can inspire you through the 40 days of our journey toward a blessed Easter!

Imagine ... Peace and Unity

By William Arthur Ward (American author, teacher and pastor, 1921 - 1994)

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.





Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Big Mountain Jesus

In 1949, the Big Mountain resort hosted the U.S. Ski Championships

and many of the competitors were WWII veterans from the Army's

10th Mountain Division.  They teamed up with the local Knights

of Columbus to commission the statue in memory of their

fallen comrades.

Fast from worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.

Mid-term care packages for #1 Son and his girlfriend

Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.

Grand Cayman Sunset, March 2017

With my Mom at the 

Huckleberry Festival

Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.

                                              (Columbian ground squirrel at Logan Pass
                                                in Glacier National Park; you'll hear my
                                                voice and that of my Mom)

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Scott Kelly spent a year aboard the International Space

Station: "There is a lesson here ... about risk and

resilience, about endurance and trying again."

(Internet)

Streep and Hanks do it again in this

poignant story about women in

leadership roles and the importance

of the free press in our society

Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplift.
Fast from discouragements; feast on hope.

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.

Snow shoeing Montana style - with temps ranging from -3F to 8F - 

'cause that's just what Montanans do on Sunday afternoons!

Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.

View of Glacier National Park from summit of Big Mountain

(During Lent, I am working on patience and hope, while embracing meals free of meat and fish.)

Linking to:

All Seasons


Mosaic Monday


Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday