Mosaic Monday #132: This and That

I am on the front porch, and the birds serenade me from the trees.  I feel blessed to be alive and healthy, but thoughts of others who are not so fortunate crowd my mind.  It seems almost sacrilegious to write a post knowing others are suffering, but I speculate that most people would want me to carry on.  This may not be my most creative of posts, but a post it is.

Back in April, I borrowed a Thai Fish Curry recipe from Jan at the Low Carb Diabetic blog.  In my house, we are not too concerned about the low carb element, so we served it over rice, and had broccoli on the side.  So good!

I have volunteered at the Whitefish Historical Museum for almost three years, and in April a new sign was installed.  I think the sign will attract more visitors since it is much more obvious that there IS a museum in the Depot!  On the National Register of Historic Places, the Depot was built in 1927 by the Great Northern Railway, and shares the same architecture as other structures built by the railroad in and around Glacier National Park.

This sign caught my eye at the airport when I was on my way back from the trip to see my Mom in April.  I immediately texted it to #1 Daughter, who loves the J.R.R. Tolkien quote.  This sign fits both of us well since we are coffee fiends!

It's no surprise that spring was more advanced when I was in Ohio, and I snapped a few flowers while I was waiting to go to the airport.

Back in Montana, the trail cam was busy capturing lake wildlife.

As May progressed, flowers (and other plant life) began to emerge in Montana.

Our property borders a stream, and it is a boon for flora and fauna.  As the summer proceeds, grasses, shrubs and cattails will overtake the stream, hiding its winding flow.  Only in the spring can you get this view of the creek.

I moved the trail cam to face the meadow, and was not surprised to see many deer.  At least one of them was a young buck.  And then there is the camera-hogging sandhill crane.  I think he considers the camera his own personal selfie stick!

In the afternoon, the sun strikes the front porch just right.  Although there might be a slight nip in the air yet in May, the sun is strong and unfiltered, keeping that chill at bay.  The perfect setting to enjoy a margarita for Cinco de Mayo!

In town, which has a lower elevation than our house, flowering trees cause me to stop in my tracks.  How is it possible for one tree to have so many blooms?

A week ago, just two days after we celebrated being fully vaccinated (read: two weeks after the second shot), we hosted a dinner party with four vaccinated couples, all from our mountain Ambassador group.  One of the ladies brought these Gerber daisies.  For me, the flowers and the gesture were symbolic -- bringing color back to our lives after 12 months in the "desert" of the pandemic.  In the past, receiving flowers on such an occasion might be expected; now it brings a rush of joy and delight.  For those who might still be in the "desert", for whatever the reason, I offer these daisies as hope that better times might soon return for you. 

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. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #35: Montana Freedom

By the time this post is published, another Fourth of July will be history.  The pop-up fireworks stalls will be shuttered.  The left-over hot dogs will be cut up for lunch-time mac and cheese.  The strains of America the Beautiful, performed by a myriad of orchestras to outdoor audiences, will have drifted away into the starry night.

But the pride we feel remains.  The heart-swelling, tear-inducing, got-you-in-the-gut emotion lives on.  I reside in a place that offers freedom on many levels: to recreate on public lands, to practice my religion without fear, to leave my house at any time and be surrounded by the splendor of God's bounty.  I am so grateful, and what better way to say thanks than to show you what this has meant for me during the month of June?

MUSHROOM HUNTING

Montana folks are neighborly to start with, but when a man shares his prime mushroom gathering site, it means something.  I was working my normal volunteer shift at the museum, and helping a gentleman with his historical queries.  Out of the blue, he says "Do you like mushrooms?"  "Why, yes," I said, wondering what this had to do with the history of the Stillwater Valley.  "Morel mushrooms?" he asked.  "The best," I said.  And then he proceeded to give me the directions to a spot that had already yielded pounds of this pricy fungus.  "Don't worry," he said.  "There will still be some for you."

And boy, was he on the money.  Morel mushrooms grow best after a forest fire (a silver lining if there ever was one), and I must admit a bit of skepticism when we pulled up to this view.

But within a few hours, Spousal Unit and I had gathered six pounds between the two of us, a market value of $120.  Well worth the gas it cost to get there!  Spousal Unit has become quite the expert on preserving this valuable commodity, from drying them on strands of embroidery thread to coating large morels in flour and freezing them (the flour prevents them from sticking together).  And, by the way, he returned a week later and collected another 6 pounds by himself in less time, which is NOT a comment on my ability!

By the way, just across the road from the fire site is a meadow packed with alpine flowers.  What a difference a few feet and courageous firefighters can make!

FINE DINING

Well, you have to do something with all those 'shrooms.  Top a steak.  Put 'em in an omelet (which is already a glorious dish seeing as it's made with farm-fresh eggs courtesy of our neighbors over the road).  Make a risotto.

And if your Spousal Unit happens to go to Missoula to pick up his early birthday present and passes the Windmill Bakery on the way, he just has to snag a donut or two.  What does this have to do with mushrooms?  Nothing.  But it sure is fine dining!

WORKING PLAYING IT OFF

So you may be wondering how I maintain my svelte figure with all these gourmet meals.  Faithful readers could answer this one: running, gardening, hiking, kayaking, and walking.  It gives me great joy and peace to stroll our back 40. Joining my dear neighbor friend for a walk in the woods or a paddle around her lake burns some calories, and her delightful company is a bonus.  Nature presents an ever-changing palette of plants, animals and skies.  Here's a selection from the month.

All of the above pictures are from the trail camera

Upper left: Prickly rose; Upper right: Willow - not sure what type      Bottom: the turquoise of Ashley Lake

This sandhill crane is "owning" my neighbor's driveway as its own personal runway

Top: Yours truly kayaking with my dear neighbor friend

Middle: Twinflower

Bottom: Bunchberry

ONE BEAR, TWO BEAR     (all pictures are from trail cameras)

Top pictures appear to be a skinny yearling black bear

Bottom pictures are a LARGE black bear

Upper left: Willow now in catkin stage     Upper right: dusk reflected in the lake at the bottom of our property

Bottom left: young pike was flipping about in shallow water on the WRONG side of the dam until I threw him back

Bottom right: a gift from neighbors - perfect for me!

Upper left: fawns are never far from Mom - she is just out of the frame 

Upper right: Buck seeking shelter from the hail         Bottom: a fine young bull elk

All above pictures from trail cameras

Some of the pictures above would not be possible without a drone (which I don't have) or a pair of rubber boots (which I now have, a marvelous gift from my dear neighbor friend).    After tromping around in the woods together, she just decided it's what I needed.  Isn't that what true friends are all about?

As we know, all play and no work makes Jill a dull girl.  Yes, the month brought its share of garden projects.  Major weeding - always!  But there was more.

In a previous post, I shared the construction of our jackleg fence.  In June, we added flower baskets to several sections of the fence.  Chicken wire, coconut fiber, potting soil and plants.  Voila!

Boy yellow marigold; Antigua mix marigold; New Look Dusty Miller;

transplants of coreopsis

Digging drainage ditches that conform to Mother Nature, as she tends to show us during major rain storms.

We completed this on June 23, 4 days before the almighty hail storm.  It was not up to the task, sadly

Self-seeding can be wonderful, as in the case of this coreopsis.  But it can also benefit from shaping.

Left: mid-June - a riot of growth         Right: a little separation creates a sense of order

PAYING IT FORWARD

Of course, with freedom comes responsibility.  At the beginning of June, I organized the clean-up of the six miles of Highway 2 closest to our neighborhood.  Of course, this translates to 12 miles since BOTH SIDES of the roadway need attention.  Over the course of two Saturdays, and some additional time on the part of Dear Neighbor Friend and yours truly, we collected over 110 bags of trash.  My heartfelt thanks to all those who participated.

Not pictured: Dear Neighbor Friend and Yours Truly!

AND YOU?

Regardless of where you live, how have you enjoyed your freedom lately?

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. 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. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #30 - Movin' and Shakin' in May

Sandhill Crane by our lake

May has lingered.  Oh, not in a bad way.  Last week, I sat down at the keyboard to compose this May summary, and then a glance at the calendar brought me up short - whoa, there's another week left!  It occurred to me that, by week 3 of the month, I was full, satiated, deeply satisfied.  It led my mind to conclude that the month must be over!

First Glacier Lily in our yard 

Even my attempt to distill the month's activities yields seven major categories, in addition to our road trip, recent hikes, and my garden journal.  So much has happened in May that it's no wonder my brain would put me a week ahead of myself!  But, it's just too much for one post.  On the other hand, this is a helpful problem - I won't be running short of topics for weeks, months, maybe even years!  Does anybody need to "borrow" some of my material?

So, as unlikely as it might seem, I pared down my content to four subjects that brought me immeasurable joy this month.


REFINING OUR EXTERIOR LOOK

It was always our intent that our landscaping should evolve over time; I have grand visions for the ultimate look of our property.  This month, we stepped forward in this area, in both permanent and seasonal ways.  First, we added a jackleg fence to both sides of our driveway entrance.  It provided some needed definition, while maintaining the rustic feel we prefer.

Upper left: first section underway

Right: first section completed

Lower left: second section completed

Driveway with fences

All of the logs used for this project are lodgepole pines harvested from

our property during last year's thinning process

Second, we enhanced the driveway itself with dress gravel.  The original driveway was constructed with a crushed material that compacts to establish a firm foundation capable of withstanding the rigors of all four seasons in Montana.  Having passed through summer, fall and winter, the driveway was ready for dress gravel to provide a finished, clean look and better define parking/driveway areas from landscape/natural areas.

Left = before   Right = after

Driveway outside garage

Before and After; Looking down driveway toward road

Before and after: additional parking area, especially designed for the

RV owned by my younger brother and his wife!

Before and after - looking up the driveway from the road - WELCOME!

Third, we adjusted the location of several large rocks at the driveway entrance while our gravel contractor was on site with his Skid Steer (you can see them in the collage directly above this paragraph).  I am ecstatic that we have completed a few more stepping stones leading to the landscape we envision for the roadsides along the entrance.

My landscape design for the right side of the driveway is already a

year old, and our thinking has evolved.  But, you get the idea!

Fourth, we selected annuals for our deck planters.  Already, the little splash of color adds warmth and layering to the deck that is so absent in the winter.

Black-eyed Susan Vine; Ambella White Bellflower; Coleus;

Evening Star Trailing Petunia; Red and Orange Ivy Geraniums

BIRDWATCHING THROUGH THE SPOTTING SCOPE

In past posts (March 14, April 7, May 5), I have written about combining my spotting scope, PhoneSkope adapter and my phone to take bird pictures.  This month, with some assistance from Spousal Unit, I feel I have improved my technique.  It doesn't hurt that it's been a banner month for birds!

Left: Male Evening Grosbeak; Middle: Red-winged Blackbird; Right: Female Evening Grosbeak

One day, I saw a yellow-headed blackbird come to the feeder, which is quite unusual.  I set up the spotting scope with my phone and waited for it to return.  And the most wonderful thing happened.  I was passing the dining room window, and my brain, on alert for "birds", saw a "bird" and caused me to stop and look again.  This is what I saw.

Great Horned Owl

This stunning creature roosted in the same spot for over three hours.  We couldn't take our eyes off of him.  (We kept hoping he would swoop down and capture one of the Columbian ground squirrels scampering around below him, but it was not to be.  That may sound cruel, but they are eating some of my landscaping!)  I love the clarity of this photo, and wondered aloud why this came out so much better than my other shots.  Spousal Unit reminded me that Mr. Owl sat very still, whereas most of the other birds are constantly moving, not to mention the feeder on which they are sitting is often swaying in the breeze.  Right.

This discussion made me wonder if video might provide better clarity.  Maybe you can give me your opinion.  Here is a picture of a Blackheaded Grosbeak (it seems to have been the month for grosbeaks), followed by a video.  Make sure you watch the video through to the end - my sought-after Yellow-Headed Blackbird shows up after the grosbeak.

And here are a few other birds from the month.

Left: Rufous Hummingbird; Center: Song Sparrow; Right: Yellow-Headed Blackbird

In case you would like more, below is a video of the owl, and separately, the female blackheaded grosbeak.

ENJOYING A VARIETY OF WILDLIFE

Of course, we have more than just birds here!  The trail cams have continued to deliver a delightful menagerie.

Upper left: Red Squirrel; Upper right: Canada goose

Lower left: Mountain Cottontail (well-camouflaged, right?)  Lower right: Columbian Ground Squirrel

One morning, Spousal Unit suddenly grabbed the binoculars and said "Is that a moose?"  Well, that was better than a shot of espresso to get me going!  By the time we looked through the binoculars and the spotting scope, "it" was nowhere to be seen.  The good news?  The trail cam was in the perfect spot to capture "it".  So, I trotted down there and retrieved the disk, and this is "it".

A cow elk.  Elk are usually in herds; the fact she is on her own suggests she is ready to calve (give birth).

One of our neighbors told us today that he saw a cow and two calves in the last few days.  Might be her!

Another sign of spring - the young bucks with nubbins for antlers.

My heart always takes a little leap when I see the coyote on the trail cam.

And then there are the spring wildflowers.  

Upper left - I love to bring the outside in - larch, kinnikinnick, star-flowered Solomon's seal

Upper right: Oregon grape;  Bottom: Blue violet

Some of the flora we find is edible, as in the case of morel mushrooms.  I wrote in the past about a gift of morels from a neighbor - upon first taste of the sauce prepared by Spousal Unit, we were hooked.  Fully intending to go mushroom hunting on public lands this spring, we were pleasantly surprised to find enough around our own acreage to make a meal.  Melt in your mouth good!

REVELING IN THE SURPRISES

But the month wasn't complete without a couple surprises.  One day, Spousal Unit was tidying the woodpile and came back with this beauty - a long-toed salamander, which just happens to be the state salamander of Montana.  Yep, you know I love nature when I get excited about one of these!

And last but not least,  Spousal Unit was fishing the North Fork of the Flathead River, and popped into the Polebridge Mercantile.  Despite its middle-of-nowhere location, it is deservedly famous for its baked goods.  Imagine my delight when he returned to the house with two huckleberry bear claws.  Savoring this confection made up for the fact that he didn't hook a single fish!

What's not a surprise?  That Spousal Unit was the man behind both of these moments - I can always count on him to bring me joy! 

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. 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. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter