Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Planting trees

Fall Fiesta Maple in our back garden

Oasis? In Montana? Yes! Oasis is defined as "a pleasant or peaceful area or period in the midst of a difficult, troubled or hectic place or situation". Pleasant? Check. Mother Nature graced us with several weeks of blue-sky, 60-degree weather. Peaceful? Check. Visitor bookings were slow, at only four days. Difficult situation? Check. The world has plenty of troubles; I keep my head down and focus on my 2018 goals. It might be a bit of head-in-the-sand, but it's my refuge, my safe haven and my sanctuary. Come join me at the oasis.

ONE: COLOR

Orange has always been a favorite color, so it's no surprise that I enjoy autumn, with its many shades of ginger. Decorating for Halloween is a bonus that involves an outside display of pumpkins, corn stalks, hay bales and mums.

Inside, my focus is our dining room table. We've had this Halloween tree for many years; normally the kids would split up the 'ornaments' and place them on the tree. A little sad that I do this on my own now …

Of course, Mother Nature outperforms all of us with Her decorating.

Cotton clouds over the house

Upper left: sand cherry; Upper right: burning bush

Bottom: Larch framed by scudding clouds

TWO: CONCOCTIONS

Kung Pao Chicken

My cooking mo-jo revs up in the fall - maybe the cooler days and a craving for comfort food is the gas for that particular engine. (And it helps that weekly cooking is one of my 2018 goals.) Spousal Unit and I have created a bit of a routine with the cooking thing - I look up recipes on Pinterest and he reviews them for process, ingredients and overall interest. If a recipe passes muster, he buys the ingredients during his normal shop. Then, it's a joint session in the kitchen with his fine assistance as Sous Chef. We've had pretty good luck lately with our choices; only the Savoy Cabbage recipe failed to make it onto the 'keeper' list. (links to all the recipes except the bread are at the end of this post)

A family recipe for Pumpkin Bread

Lemon Fettucine Alfredo

Pad Thai with spaghetti squash

Savoy Cabbage Casserole

THREE: CREATURES

The trail cam has not delivered much this month; I tried out some new locations that were a bust, apart from the ubiquitous deer, some dim shots of a coyote and dark visions of a hare. More interesting was the parade of turkeys near the fire circle, which I captured in the video below; this mama was quite intent to get her young'uns across the open space!

And then there are creatures of the Halloween kind … a couple of weeks ago we made an inaugural stop in the Tailing Loop Winery, and lucked out that someone had organized a jam session as part of a Halloween party. As musicians rotated on and off the stage, the harmonica player would be struck with inspiration, grab a mike and wail away. Check out this video of his talent.

Of course, following last year's post about Halloween and the Whitefish costume contest, I am sure you all have been tortured by pins and needles, waiting for this year's entry. Wait no longer … behold James Bond and his date from the Spectre movie. Surely you see the resemblance?

Now, folks, we were not the only loonies to adopt an alter ego …

FOUR: CROSS-STITCH

Progress continues on my 30 Christmas cross-stitch ornaments. I snatch some moments during car rides with Spousal Unit, but I usually double down while watching Dancing With the Stars (I favor Juan Pablo or Milo for the mirrorball) or football. When I most need to escape, cross-stitch is my retreat.

FIVE: CHANGE

But change is definitely afoot. I recently ordered my Day-Timer pages for 2019, and I thrilled to a fresh motif, a vibrant color scheme and the clean sheets. Just a coincidence that January says "Seek Peace"?

Autumn is prime time for planting, and we've transplanted no less than 2 juniper, 18 aspen, 5 Engelmann spruce, 2 Douglas fir and 9 larches. Throughout the winter months, I will dream about my babies; only in the Spring will we get a grade on the quality of our process.