Mosaic Monday #167: Random Ruminations

"What's another word for 'mish-mash'"? I asked, peering over my glasses at Spousal Unit.  "Context?" he parried back.  "I am composing my blog about a mish-mash of events from January and February ..." I explained. "Gamoosh," he proposed.  Pausing, he added "Hodgepodge.  Random ruminations."  Eureka!  That's it! What word or phrase would you have suggested?

Since I started this post with a birthday photo, I might as well continue the theme!  I was feted with many texts, phone calls, cards, comments on my FaceBook timeline and more.  Each of us deserves a day when we are showered with love, and I certainly felt that on my birthday!

Spousal Unit took me out for dinner at a local steakhouse, which is also a treat for him since it is a night he doesn't have to cook!

A former HR colleague scheduled a Zoom call with several fellow members of the team, and for 30 minutes we caught up with each other, and had some good laughs reminiscing about our time working together.  We may be fatigued from Zoom and Skype and FaceTime, but these tools to stay connected are surely a silver lining from the pandemic.

I asked for a drone, and my wish was granted.  I have begun watching "how-to" videos, and soon I will be ready for my first flight.  We'll have to go somewhere that has some wide open spaces!!!  #1 Son surprised me with these new reels - perfect for my ski pass - and snazzy bright ski socks.  Too bad they get covered up by ski boots!

Thoughtful gifts require some creativity, and knowing what's important to someone.  My Dear Neighbor Friend surprised me with this gardening shovel - she knew I "needed" one after she helped me transplant some juniper last fall, and saw that I was trying to dig them up with a spade!!  And of course, her cinnamon rolls never come in wrong!!!

On January 23, I wrote about our trip to Idaho Falls to help #1 Son make the move to his new job.  Along the way, we stopped at the Dell Mercantile, and although it does not look like much on the outside, it contains an eclectic collection of gift items.  I could have taken a dozen pictures of amusing sayings printed on different objects.  

And I loved this mural/quote in the ladies' restroom - I had to work to get the whole mural in the shot.

Speaking of decorations, I switched over to a red/Valentine's theme when we disassembled the Christmas tree and packed away the holiday decorations.

I enjoyed drawing this birthday card for my oldest sister.

As I write this post, we are under a Winter Storm Watch - by Monday morning, we could have 3 - 5 inches of snow, with 6 - 12 at the higher elevations.  Of course, for us winter sports fans, this is welcome news.  More white stuff makes for better cross-country and downhill skiing!

One of the great privileges of serving as a Mountain Ambassador is participating in the Whitefish Winter Carnival parade, representing the Resort.  I have written about this before - 2/16/2020.  This year, the theme was 80's Re-wind, and the Resort float was designed around the Ghostbusters movie.  (On the mountain, we have snow ghosts, so it seemed fitting!)

I haven't shown you enough food in this post ... one night after "work", we had the mountain of nachos at the Craggy Range.

We have endeavored to add more fruits and vegetables to our diet via smoothies.  But sometimes your Spousal Unit spoils you with a huckleberry Danish!

This week, Head Chef made a salad that was out of this world.  Mixed greens, freshly cooked beets (still warm), tomatoes, grilled chicken (still warm), pecans toasted with Cajun spices, grilled red peppers and feta cheese.  So many flavors - very satisfying!

At the end of January, we tried Mercantile Steak in Kalispell, and we would highly recommend it.  It is pricey, but as a treat it is worth every penny, starting with the gigantic popovers sprinkled with Gruyere.  So tasty!

Two final, random ruminations.  Close to running out of milk one day, we stopped at the gas station for a half gallon, and I was thrilled to read that Horizon Organic has a goal to be the first national dairy brand to be carbon positive by 2025!  Buy Horizon Organic!  Meanwhile, Spousal Unit was refilling the washer fluid in his truck when he found this critter nest under the hood.  The question is: where did all this material come from?  I suspect we won't find out until we give the garage its spring cleaning!

***due to a trip to Idaho Falls/Utah next week, I will not be hosting Mosaic Monday on February 27.  Come back March 6!

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 #67: Feelin' the Love

Hand-made card from Dear Neighbor Friend

I am not an attention seeker.  More often, I can be found in the background, working diligently.  Given a choice between entertaining a sizeable gathering or a cup of coffee with a close friend, the one-on-one chit-chat would win every time.  But everyone wants to feel special occasionally, particularly when that occasion is one's birthday!!!  This year, my birthday coincided with the last weekend of Whitefish Winter Carnival, and due to my responsibilities associated with the Carnival, I was not going to be home for much of the weekend.  With that in mind, my Dear Neighbor Friend (DNF) stopped by a couple of days earlier to drop off my birthday present.

In the days leading up to my birthday, she made a point of telling me that my presents would not be items to gather dust, so I alternated between laughing and crying when I removed the tissue paper from the bag and saw the pile of cinnamon buns, as well as the ingredients for sausage gravy and biscuits.  She sure knows the way to my heart (it's through my stomach)!

When I could finally tear my eyes from the delicious food, I quickly became overwhelmed by the hand-made card.  DNF drew her inspiration from flip books that she created with her students, but the rest of it reflects my life.  I was so touched.  

Each page of the card has a picture and a phrase that finishes the sentence.

And the sentences build upon one another.  The full card says:

This is the neighbor that skis and kayaks, emails and walks, hikes and visits

with the wife

that loves the husband

that feeds the kids

that adore the cat

that ignores the bird

that flits in the trees

behind the home

that Neal built.

Isn't it just incredibly clever and adorable?  DNF - thank you for the wondrous start to my birthday!

The next day, the Whitefish Winter Carnival weekend began in earnest.  The Carnival, now in its 61st year, has a storied tradition that includes royalty, Yetis, Viking Divas, penguins and much more.  (You can read more about the legend here.)  Each year, a button is designed to represent the chosen Carnival theme.  My role in the Carnival involved the design and sale of the buttons. With a theme of The Roaring 2020's, the button featured the classic gold-on-black, art deco, Gatsby-esque look.  

The Friday night Gala is a significant fund-raiser for the Carnival, and attendees come dressed in keeping with the Carnival theme.  A button is required for entry, so I manned the door to sell buttons to anyone that didn't already possess one.  It was the ideal spot to see everyone in their full 2020's regalia!  As most readers know, Spousal Unit and I never miss an opportunity to dress up, and this was no exception!

Carnival Weekend reaches its peak with the Grand Parade on Saturday afternoon.  Whitefish Mountain Resort sponsors a float, and since it is populated by Mountain Ambassadors, Spousal Unit and I were in the Parade!  

Spousal Unit (center) with two other Ambassadors, waiting for parade to

start.  Float - "Hellroaring Speakeasy"-  is on the left

For the record, I do not own any furs.  The fur and 

stole were loaned to me by the mother of one of

the Ambassadors

It has been at least 35 years since I was in a parade, and I forgot how much fun it is.  Hundreds of people throng the sidewalks.  The kids are poised to pounce on the candy that scatters along the pavement as if Johnny Appleseed was sowing it.  Parents keep one hand on the kids and one eye on the entertainment passing by - an almost impossible albeit admirable feat.  Everyone gets into the spirit, waving and shouting and pretending to be a gangster or a flapper.  For our efforts, some of us get our pictures in the paper!  Now, is that a birthday present or what?

In between all of this frivolity, I was fulfilling my normal duties as an Ambassador, including skiing tours on the mountain.  Suffice it to say that I was pretty exhausted by the time the end of the parade rolled around.

It was delightful to return home, shower and throw on my pajamas. In some cases, this was the first opportunity to read birthday texts and listen to phone greetings that had come in during the day. Several birthday cards also awaited me, adding to the warm, well-loved feeling.

I slept well.  I might have dreamed about Yetis breaking into the speakeasy and kidnapping us, but if I did, I don't remember it.  What I do recall is that Head Chef brought me breakfast in bed.  One of my favorite breakfast meals - smoked salmon with caper sauce - served on toast, it was accompanied by breakfast potatoes and steaming coffee.  Aaahhhh.  Now my birthday was complete.

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