Let it snow ...

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful ..."

In the last two days, over 6 inches of snow blanketed our world, and temperatures plummeted.   Elsewhere, this might be greeted with trepidation, but hearty Montanans welcome it.  (Almost) everything is better with snow - skiing of all kinds, snowmobiling, building snowmen, sitting by the fire watching the flakes flutter to the ground.  So I dedicate this post to SNOW!

I am linking up to I Like Thursday with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  If you need some positives in your life, you will find it among the bloggers who join this party!

"It's a marshmallow world in the winter, when the snow comes to cover the ground

It's time for play, it's a whipped cream day  I wait for it the whole year ' round"

We've had our first ski/ride day at Whitefish Mountain Resort.  

"Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go;  The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through the white and drifted snow!"

Well, it's my best friend's house, and it's a Toyota 4Runner, but I can pretend, right?  

Snow and cold is not all fun and games, especially for animals, domesticated or not.  And for the humans that take care of them.  Something as simple as keeping them watered is challenging in such frigid weather ...  It doesn't come through in this video, but the parade of turkeys was punching through the snow with many of their steps ...

"You could've come like a mighty storm  With all the strength of a hurricane

You could've come like a forest fire  With the power of heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow  Quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night  To the earth below"  Chris Tomlin

LeeAnna's prompt for this week asked about Christmas traditions.  The first thing we do on Christmas morning is sing happy birthday to Jesus.  I was pleased to see this Nativity scene in our neighborhood this year - I learned that a father/son team made it by hand! (We usually go to Mass on Christmas Eve.)

Armed with coffee and Christmas cake (see this post for more details), we move on to our stockings - did Santa pop coal or other goodies in there overnight?  Just a few days ago, I finished a new stocking for #1 Daughter.  I started this project in March, as you can see in this post.  She will use this stocking at her home; her "kid" stocking will remain here.

#1 Son will drive here on Friday, and we are thrilled beyond measure that he can join us for Christmas.  For many years, I have teamed up with him to bake gingerbread cookies.  I can almost taste the ginger as I imagine biting into the soft cushion of cookie, shaped as trains, gingerbread people, stars, moose, angels and more.

While all of this goes on (before and on Christmas Day), we are listening to Christmas music ON VINYL.  We have at least 10 records, and many of them I inherited from my parents.  It gives me great joy that #1 Son adores them as much as I do, especially the Andy Williams album.  In the last couple of weeks, I relished a choral concert from Valley Voices and a quirky, delightful hour of fun called Tubachristmas - tuba, euphonium and baritone instruments playing carols.  Check out this audio (sorry, picture is the carpet in the hotel!)

After the stockings, we open gifts, taking turns.  When we still had furbabies, we could find the cats under the tree, or nibbling the ribbons.  #1 Son is leaving his two cats at home - sad face.  They don't normally cuddle with each other; do you think they know he will be gone for a week?

At some point, we will pause opening gifts, to Skype with family in the UK and with #1 Daughter in the Midwest.  On a timeline known only to Head Chef, we begin dinner preparations - he has decided to smoke the turkey this year.  #1 Son is on dressing duty, and I lend a hand wherever I am trusted.  When our bellies are full and the sun has disappeared (early this time of year), we will retire to the movie room - I vote for Klaus even though we have watched it before!  And so, another Christmas will become memory.   Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

Linking to Saturday's Critters.

Linking to Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday #60: A Little Taste of Christmas

Felt board - a gift to #1 Daughter

Santa shot glasses - a gift to Spousal Unit

As quickly as it came, it went.  The wrapping paper, crumpled into snowball-sized shapes, waits to serve as fuel for our next fireplace inferno.  The spent poppers and shells of the Christmas crackers have been swept into the bin, save for the ribbons, which I keep for some as-yet-unimagined craft project.  The turkey has been picked over, the meaty bits in the Tupperware for sandwiches or the occasional late-night steal direct from the Fridge.  Yet the memories are as sweet as the brandied fruitcake that we enjoyed Christmas morning. 

I may only have a limited window to compose this post, but for all the right reasons - our kids are still here and I am maximizing my time with them.  So, I will give you a little taste of our Christmas through photos more so than the written word, but I think you will forgive me that, just this once?

No shortage of yummy snacks around the house!

Christmas Eve morning, we woke up to snow - a white Christmas after all!

Middle left: Maggie tired out from opening presents

Bottom left: Hand-made ornament for #1 Daughter

Middle: Listography book from #1 Daughter

The Christmas feast

Hand-made ornament for #1 Son

I pray that your Christmas brought you what you seek the most, be it peace, freedom, joy, good health, refuge, time with family, relief from sorrow, or a new pair of hop-a-long boots! 

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 #48: The (brief) Interval

On the last day of September, friends and family members from outside Montana were texting me.  Are you snowed in?  How much snow did you get? Apparently, erstwhile news outlets reported Montana with deep piles of the white stuff, an outcome of the September 29 storm.  To set the record straight - we woke to a dusting.  Areas east of us, such as Browning, had four feet of snow.  Those schools were closed on Monday and our Governor declared a state of emergency for certain localities - both rare events in a state that prides itself on making it to school and work and Costco no matter the weather.

Down by our lake

As I reflected on my pictures from September, I had to wonder - is that it?  Was that our Fall?  Was that THE INTERVAL between Summer and Winter?  The current forecast calls for highs in the 40s for the foreseeable future - yep, feels like Winter to me.  So I am grateful that I captured a few Fall photos while I had the chance! 

In September, plants featured berries and fresh technicolor coats.  Mushrooms sprang up, the birthright of bounteous precipitation.  Some insects seemed to slow down with cooler temperatures, such as this dragonfly that I encountered on the road during a run.

In honor of the changing seasons, I replaced the summery flag in front

of the house with the fall-themed Moose Lodge

I didn't know it at the time, but a kayak on the lake on September 22 with Dear Neighbor Friend may be the last of the season for me.

We attended the Celtic Festival in the middle of the month.  It was one of those days when you really don't know what to wear.  The morning started off brisk, but then the sun bore down and you wished for shade.  And just for good measure, we had a light rainstorm in the late afternoon!  We loved watching the athletic events, the dancers and the musical groups.  Nothing could match Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.  The video below does not present the performance in justice - one bagpiper started it off, and after the first verse, the rest joined in.  Stirs my heart every time. (And sorry it's sideways!)

Just for fun, I have included this video of the Sheaf Toss.  A bundle of straw weighing 20 pounds is tossed over a ever-rising bar, using a pitchfork.  The highest toss wins.

I haven't taken the opportunity to play the piano much this summer, but anticipating a smidgen of indoor time, I followed up with the Piano Man on the repair of the "action" on our upright piano.  I am pleased to report that the piano has now been restored and re-tuned as far as he could take it without breaking any strings.  Just look at the fresh new leather strips, and the unblemished felt hammers!

On a recent volunteering day in Whitefish, I found myself with extra time and I enjoyed a stroll around town as I used to do when we lived there.  It was quite nostalgic, and I might have even sucked up a tear or two!

With the onset of fall in Montana, it is critical to pick fruit that can be an attractant to bears.  With great joy we plucked apples from my Mom's Goodland tree for the second year (see first year story here and here.)  It was enough for an apple pie, and I can't put into words how I felt when I dove into it.  How do you express cinnamon and love, apple and childhood memory, butter and the miracle of the fall harvest?

As long as we are on the subject of food - Head Chef has turned to some of his fall favorites, and as always, I am glad I have a strong workout regime or my waistline would be expanding!

Upper left: Roast Beef, Yorkshire Puddings, Mushy Peas    Upper right: Pizza with home-made crust

Bottom: Zuppa Toscana with home-made bread

Inevitably, cooler temperatures inspire my inner craftsperson.  I have taken to sending hand-drawn and hand-written birthday cards.  Imagine!

I hosted my first Munch and Make session since April.  In Montana, summer is precious and most folks wouldn't be caught inside when the mountains are calling!  Now, with shorter days and questionable weather, crafty birds flock together.

April Munch and Make - my neighbor, who is a hula dancer, works on a raffia headband.  The hula group makes

every element of their costumes.

September Munch and Make: A friend brought hand-made ceramics and glued them to narrow wood pieces

Bottom pictures are the finished product on her bedroom wall

For my part, some new Christmas ornaments are underway.

Pinterest Ruffle Skirt

But I am most excited about the Christmas tree skirt.  I mentioned it in my last post about Josie, and now it is appropriate to tell you more.  Last year, we bunched up some burlap around the base of the tree, in keeping with our rustic theme.  But I wanted something a little more formal, and Pinterest came to my aid with a ruffle skirt design.  You would be so proud - I have been able to take the basics of the design and ADAPT it - not usually my strong suit!

The skirt is six feet across, with brown felt as the base.  Per the Pinterest design, I began cutting the burlap I had into three-inch strips, using conventional scissors.  After my hand nearly fell off, I invested in a rotary cutter and a cutting mat.

Using my superior math skills, I created my own pattern, assuming 13 rows of ruffles and utilizing the burlap on hand.  Here you can see Josie helping me measure the radius.  No problem. 

Not so fast!  I dramatically mis-calculated the amount of burlap required.  It's the pleats, you see.  A seven-foot piece of burlap becomes a 3-foot piece once it's pleated.  I need A LOT more burlap.  And does Hobby Lobby have the color I need?  Nope.  I can't really blame them; burlap dyeing is variable, to be sure.  So I went back to the drawing board and I believe I have a workable pattern that doesn't waste the burlap I have.  You are sure to hear more about this in a future post, whether you want to or not!  I might have been a little (!) frustrated, but Candy Corn helped me get through it!

By now you have forgotten (like me) that this post started with snow.  But one thing's for sure - my plants are not coming back.  While the snow may have been shallow, the temperatures were in the deep freeze, and shriveled fleshy plants.  

Left - Pink Poppy on September 27                                                       Right: Same plant on September 30

You might expect me to be outraged, or at least disappointed, about this.  As you know, animals who nibble my plants can have that impact.  But somehow, I am taking this in stride.  Maybe it's because we head out of the country in a week - I am not going to be here to enjoy the garden anyway.  Or perhaps I accept that this is a force I can't control with chicken wire or a spray.  Or possibly, just possibly, I am growing excited about the Winter - skiing, snowshoeing, the Christmas season - did I mention that both of the kids are coming for Christmas?  That's enough to tip me over the edge and past The Interval. 

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

October Oasis

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.

Snow has dusted the landscape several times during the month, but has quickly yielded to the sun and warming temperatures.

Note these pictures were taken by the trail cam on the

same day, only six hours apart

But it's as good an excuse as any (if one was ever needed) to crank up the fireplace.  Come on November; I'm ready for you.

Kung Pao Chicken
Lemon Fettucine Alfredo
Pad Thai
Savoy Cabbage Casserole

Linking to:

All Seasons


I Like Thursday

Nature Notes


Orange You Glad It's Friday!

Our World Tuesday


Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday

Wednesday Around the World

Willy Nilly Friday