Mosaic Monday #54: October Odds & Ends

Is it too late to write about October?  I still have a mountain of material from our trip to Europe, but some odds and ends from last month are calling to me.  So, take a clue from the turkey - slow down, get a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, and read on!

We began the month in Missoula for Homecoming festivities at the University of Montana.  We are not alumni, but we miss the sentiment of hometown football games, especially the marching band.  For four years back in Ohio, we never missed a game.  We had quite a merry group of band parents, and relished supporting #1 Son in the drum line.  Spousal Unit and I both needed a "marching band fix", and were prepared to drive 2.5 hours to get it!

Coincidentally, downtown Missoula has a farmer's market on Saturdays, and we strolled among the vendors prior to attending the Homecoming Parade.

The University marching band led off the parade, followed by your customary floats, horses, Shriners driving miniature cars, dance troupes and politicians angling for your vote.

I admired the creativity of the "stage" float, with actors performing skits the entire parade route, and the "dueling" pianos.

Units were still rolling past with no end in sight, but it was time to make our way to the stadium, a 15-minute walk.  With our tummies rumbling, it was convenient that we would pass through the market once again - who could resist a waffle sandwich?

My blogging buddy Kit of A Montana Life is a stalwart UM fan, and she advised being in our seats for the pre-game show, which includes Monte (the team mascot) and the band entering the stadium.  She was spot on!  It was a special treat to see the skydivers land so expertly smack in the middle of the field.

We were glad to have our waterproof coats and a waterproof blanket as the weather alternated between light rain and blue skies.  UM's fortunes waxed and waned with the rain, but they ultimately dominated Idaho State 59-20.  We enjoyed the night life in Missoula that evening, and after attending Mass, returned home through the rolling hills the next day.

Band spells out G-R-I-Z

Harvested seeds in my "bucket"

At that point, only six days remained until our departure to Europe.  I focused heavily on my to-do list, which included planting flower and grass seed.  We had some native grass seed left from last fall, but it was not enough to cover the bare patches that required re-seeding.  I resorted to harvesting grass seed from our yard - it's not a physically demanding task, but it is tedious and I was repeatedly amazed at how quickly I spread what had taken me an hour to collect.  I didn't keep track, but I invested many hours in this process over those six days.

In my October 6 post, I wrote about some challenges with my tree skirt.  Before our trip, I created a new pattern and went to Hobby Lobby to purchase new burlap colors.  This allowed me to cut all the strips so they would be ready and waiting for my return.  I am going to cheat a little and give you some current pictures of the skirt in progress - I am thrilled with how it looks so far!

Three weeks is a long time to be away from friends, so visiting with my dear neighbor friend was a priority before our journey.  We kayaked on a misty morning, and later in the day she brought us some fresh cinnamon rolls, just ideal with afternoon coffee.  We walked the frosty hills, and that is when I snapped the picture of the turkey crossing sign, which stands to one side of a track through her property.  "What is this doing here?" I asked.  "Well, remember that this track used to be the county road before they developed the current route.  So, this sign was installed by the county to warn drivers about a frequent turkey crossing, and it was never taken down."  Oh.  Wouldn't you love to have your own turkey sign?

On one of my other walkabouts, I passed this snake on the road just outside our driveway.  With a sunny day, it was obviously trying to capture the last of the fall warmth.  Normally a snake like this will slither away on your approach, but it did not move, even when I crouched down to take a close-up.  I spoke to it, telling it to find a different sunbed or risk getting squished.  Maybe I should have been more proactive, because when I returned later, I found a snake that would not be slithering any more.  Sad.

To wrap my oddities post on a more cheerful note, I was tickled a few weeks ago that LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color posted a moose in my honor.  Since then, I keep seeing flamingoes EVERYWHERE.  LeeAnna, this mosaic is for you.

Left - aren't these just ADORABLE slippers?

I always endeavor to close a post in a nice, neat way - this comic fell into my lap, bringing us full circle from turkey to flamingo!

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. 

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Click here to enter

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