Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Mountain Goat

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Sunday, September 25, 2022

Mosaic Monday #191: Summer Highlights

Autumn arrived in Montana right on schedule. On September 22, low clouds shrouded the hills and rain pattered on and off, accumulating to six-tenths of inch - a deluge by western standards and the first rain since August 27. The thermometer stretched toward 60 degrees, but that may have been aspirational. Overnight, the aspen leaves are more gold than green. I was suffering from a bit of a cold; snuggled under a quilt on the couch. What better time to look back at the highlights of summer?

Note: I am accustomed to seeing the Sego or Mariposa Lily, which is smaller and pure white, but the Sagebrush Mariposa Lily was a stunning new species!

As long as we are in the natural world, let us continue.

In June and July, Swallowtail butterflies were common visitors in the garden. Check out these videos. In the second one, the butterfly is missing the bottom part of one wing ... hard work pollinating all these flowers!

Birthdays always provide a convenient excuse (as if I need one) to draw!

When we are on Skype calls with #1 Son, the conversation at some point touches on newsworthy events, quite often of a political nature. #1 Son is well informed and asks questions that can sometimes make you uncomfortable and certainly make you think. In a June call, he pointed us to Tony Benn and the Five Essential Questions of Democracy. Tony Benn was a British parliamentarian who died in 2014 at age 88. To quote the article at the link below, Benn was "a tireless promoter of a power-to-the-people ethic that placed its faith in the great mass of humanity rather than billionaires, media moguls and political powerbrokers."

Benn believed that those in positions of economic, social and political power should always be asked these 5 questions: "What power have you got?" "Where did you get it from?" "In whose interests do you use it?" "To whom are you accountable?" "How do we get rid of you?" "Anyone who cannot answer the last of those questions does not live in a democratic system," he explained. "Only democracy gives us that right. That is why no one with power likes democracy," he would continue. "And that is why every generation must struggle to win it and keep it." Wise words in 2014, and seeming quite prescient. (If you would like to read the whole article, here is the link. And if you want to test your civics knowledge, consider any elected position and try to answer the questions for it.)

Pioneer League baseball came to the Flathead Valley this summer, and everyone is asking why didn't this happen sooner? Easy access to Flathead Field, not a bad seat in the house, appropriate (read: gorgeous) views of the Whitefish Range, and baseball snacks. What more could you want? One July evening, the game went on a 30-minute weather delay. And no wonder. Check out these skies. I have never seen cloud formations like this. In the end, we left the stadium, anticipating a LONG delay. And, this is a storm that dropped ping pong and golf ball-sized hail on the nearby town of Kalispell. You still see "Hail Repair" signs across town, especially at auto repair shops.

You can click on the photos below to enlarge if you wish.

July also marks the birthday of Spousal Unit. I decided to try my hand at Trifle, a classic British cold dessert of sponge cake and fruit covered with layers of custard, jelly and cream.

This was not a traditional Trifle, and I would change several aspects of the outcome, but it was still DELICIOUS!!!

And here's the birthday card!

I have written about my native garden, and my attempt to let the natural ecosystem work without interference. I was intrigued to see these birds eating something off the Goldenrod. The plants were not in seed at the time, so my only conclusion is they were picking off the aphids that I had "allowed" to stay. Good for them and good for me ...

At the end of July, we were tickled to be visited by a long-term neighbor from our former neighborhood near Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland represents - we have had 7 visits from that area). Neighbor - you know who you are! Loved having you and I am already looking forward to our adventures next summer! Here are a selection of photos from his visit.

Two photos from Kootenai Falls.

We take almost everyone to the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park. With limited time, it delivers maximum views for minimal effort (relatively) and almost always has wildlife in store. Once again, the Highline kept its stellar reputation.

First time I have ever seen a Columbine with this pink/yellow combination.

I swear that we did not pay this mountain goat to walk right in front of us near Grinnell Glacier Overlook!

At Granite Park Chalet, we saw a mule train resting before its onward journey. I knew mule trains are used to stock the Chalet in the summer, but this is the first time we saw one.

But by far, this was my favorite picture of the day!

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, 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!