Mosaic Monday #113: Holding on to the Holidays

Is your Christmas tree still up (if you celebrate Christmas)?  Ours is standing proud, and probably will until the end of the month.  It just went too fast, folks.  Anybody else feel the same?  I have given up listening to Christmas music, but I can't quite put away the tree or all the decorations ...

So can you tolerate a smidge more of December?  Just for me, your blogging buddy?

So where to begin?  Or how to continue?  Let's see, I think I have figured out that food is a crowd-pleaser (this is for you, Debbie).  Team cooking (Head Chef, #1 Son and I) in early December included Nasi Goreng and Jamaican Jerk Chicken with ginger rice and plantains.  #1 Son favors Asian dishes, hence the Nasi Goreng.   Well, he likes jerk seasoning too, so maybe he was driving the menu choices!  My request was for the plantains, a type of banana that has a crispy, caramelized texture when fried.  A ubiquitous Caribbean dish, it was a must-have to accompany the jerk chicken.  

Ok, maybe that's not really about the holidays - would some ornaments be more appropriate?  I couldn't share these before now - they were SECRET gifts!  As I have written in the past (here), creating a personal ornament for family members each year is a relatively new tradition.  I enjoy the whole process - choosing a design, buying the materials and stitching the ornament!

As long as we are focused on presents, below are some photos of my treasured Christmas gifts from the family.

Thanks to Spousal Unit, #1 Daughter, The Boyfriend and #1 Son for their generosity and thoughtfulness!

The holidays can pack on the pounds, so I try to stay active.  Dear Neighbor Friend and I go cross-country skiing around her property - we have been blessed by Nature's finest decoration of hoarfrost and snow.

While these macro shots are jaw-dropping, so are the micro views of feathery frost along the creek and lake.

Right before Christmas, Spousal Unit and I resumed our seasonal positions as Ambassadors at Whitefish Mountain Resort - the exercise, fresh air and opportunity to meet new people is a welcome change.  The Mountain is taking COVID precautions very seriously - the livelihood of many people relies on a successful winter season.  One of the Mountain watering holes, the Bierstube, makes the pitch well.

I walk our back forty regularly, often building in a visit to the trail cam.  I have had quite a few trail cam malfunctions, and don't have much to show you from December.  But sometimes there comes a moment of serendipity.  I was collecting greenery for decorations, a few days before #1 Daughter and The Boyfriend arrived.  Looking closely under a tree for Oregon Grape Holly, I spied a spot of white close up to the trunk of a Douglas Fir.  Strange; the rest of the ground around the trunk was bare.  How did that clump of snow get there?  I moved forward and suddenly realized that white clump was nothing other than a snowshoe hare!  It allowed me to get quite close and take this video.  So adorable!  (I will ignore for the moment that it might enjoy my landscaping next spring ...)

Closer to home, I have a squirrel story.  (I think everyone with birdfeeders has at least one squirrel tale!)  Two Christmases ago, I received a window feeder.  Ever since, it has been attached to the outside of our dining room window, and we are thoroughly entertained by the ongoing traffic of chickadees and nuthatches.  Well, you guessed it, a squirrel has discovered it.  This photo was taken through the window at close range.  Did the fellow bat an eyelash?  Not in the least!

Well, I am reaching the end of my holiday anecdotes.  I have enjoyed re-living these memorable moments, and I hope something in my narrative put a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face.  January is marching on, and now I am ready to fall in step.

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. 

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Another Day in the Neighborhood

When we moved to the country, I fully expected to encounter wildlife in all its forms, and this post is testimony to that dream, fulfilled.  And we've only been here 60 days!



My trail cam is the gift that keeps on giving … like a kid on Christmas morning, I retrieve the SIM card every few days and practically jog back to the house to see what has been wandering around the 'back 40'.

On May 23, the beaver(s) worked from 7.53 pm to 2.30 am as

documented by the trail cam.  A couple of days later, the trail cam

captured the lower right hand shot of mist rising off the lake as    

the sun rises.  I call it "Swimming Home from Work". 

If you read my May 23 post, you know that an active beaver pair has dammed the lake on the edge of our property.  At that time, I did not have any of my own pictures of the beaver … a situation that has now been rectified!

In my six months with the trail cam, I have learned that it can capture changes in the environment in addition to candid shots of animals (such as snow disappearing, in my May 10 post).  While the trail cam was focused on the beaver dam, it documented the sunset and the resulting reflections in the lake.

And I love this picture of the 'bubbles' on the lake's surface, created by large raindrops.

You may be wondering how I decide on the location of the trail cam - mostly it involves observing events (beaver is building a dam) and positioning the camera accordingly.  From my blogging perch on the deck, I noticed a dead tree frequented by Columbian Ground Squirrels.  Turned out to be a good choice for a photo studio!

Good morning, madam!

Flicker

Let's see - safe to take a snooze?

Oh, this sun feels SOOO good ...

Yeah, baby, this is the life …

Until that TURKEY shows up!

Of course, some forms of wildlife are not welcome, and can be a downright nuisance or problem.  Within a 24-hour period, we discovered a carpenter ant invasion (not a good thing in a log home) and a squirrel that had set up house in the bottom of the barbecue.  The latter was easily solved (remove the nest - no babies, folks!) but the ants will require ongoing vigilance ….

(And now I have an inkling who was scratching away at my patio cushions … could it be the squirrel in search of nesting material?)  We now have our cushions safely stored in this handy dandy shed!

(And then there was the recent episode with the fan in my 4runner, which was making flapping noises.  Upon servicing it, the technician showed Spousal Unit a large hole that had been gnawed in the air filter!!!  Apparently, this is a frequent event with vehicles that are parked outside in Montana.  Good thing that our garage now has space for both cars to be inside!)

Swallows had won the nesting boxes from the mountain bluebirds, but then the squirrels came along and made the entrances larger by gnawing around the circumference of the hole.  Exit the swallows … Grrrr.  (Are you noticing a repetitive villain here by the moniker of SQUIRREL?)

When I need to calm myself (how dare those carpenter ants chew MY logs?), I go for a walk.  And I find plenty to distract me.  First, geese flying overhead.  Listen for the flapping wings …

And the flowers always put me in a better mood!!!

Upper left: Cinquefoil; Upper Middle: Blue Violet;

Upper Right: Butter and Eggs

Lower left: reflection in lake; Lower right: Shooting Star

Top and lower right: Painted turtle -  I ran into

this turtle on the old logging road on our

property, and was amazed to see it several

days in a row, including an episode of 

apparent egg laying not too far from our

deck … Middle left: Narrowleaf Collomia

Middle right: Rose

Lower left: Starry Wild Lily of the Valley

And there's almost always some sort of surprise, like this turtle in the middle of the road!












Last year, we had no rain for over 90 days, spanning most of the summer.  So, although I haven't checked the stats, I know we have already accumulated more rain in June than we had all of last summer.  I love watching the sky as the storm clouds move in.

Spousal Unit, from his chair near the great room windows, had observed the lone coyote loping by in the dusk, so I moved my trail cam in the hopes of capturing more shots of this iconic hunter.  So far, no luck with the coyote, but maybe I got something even better … (please note that the trail cam was only 20 yards from our house for these shots.)

Robin

Buck

Hare

Black bear

Linking to 

All Seasons


I Like Thursday

Mosaic Monday


Nature Notes


Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday

Blessed by Nature's Bounty

(Internet)

If I told you that we just saw a pair of beaver 150 yards from our house, would you believe me?  How about a moose?  Maybe turkeys or deer would be more credible.  Well, folks, in the last week or so, it's been all that and more.  Read on!

Since I am a moose nut, I will start there.  Spousal Unit was the first to spot the moose, the evening of Mother's Day!  Casually looking out the window.  "What's that?!" led to a scramble to the spotting scope.  And what should our wondering eyes behold but a cow moose grazing on the far side of the lake.  We took turns at the scope until she trotted into the woods and out of sight.  (I jokingly accused him of 'arranging' for her to be there for Mother's Day.)

Let me remind you that we have been in Montana for just over a year (we arrived May 3, to be precise) and have seen only one other moose, a fleeting glimpse on the side of the road when my younger brother and his wife were visiting.  So, I would be within my rights to think this was another rare encounter, not to be repeated.  Guess again.  The next day, hoping against hope, we strolled to the lake in the early evening.  Before we knew it, she was behind us and approaching.  Check out this video.  (Adrenaline was pumping, folks - don't know how I kept my phone as still as I did.)

Since this video, she has put in an appearance (at least, when we were looking) twice.  We believe we have seen a different moose as well (larger, perhaps a male).  Seems our valley is a good neighborhood for the largest member of the deer family, which requires habitat with adequate edible plants, cover from predators, and protection from extremely hot or cold weather.

Mother's Day was a bonus day, let me tell you.  While scanning the shoreline for the cow moose after she sauntered into the woods, we spotted a couple of sleek bodies sliding on and off a wood platform.  Otter?  Mink?  A closer inspection identified a pair of beaver.  And the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.

Culvert on April 22

Our lake has a man-made earthen berm with a culvert designed to control water flow out of the lake.  In recent days, when my running route would take me across the berm, I noticed planks of wood, reeds and mud piled in and around the culvert.  I assumed water had drawn these elements to the culvert.  But now we had a different theory: beavers at work, damming the flow.  Since then, we have located the lodge, and last night, the incontrovertible proof: we saw a beaver carrying items to the culvert and climbing upon it.  Eureka!  Meanwhile, the partner stood atop the lodge at the other end of the lake, nibbling at recently cut aspen.  Can you believe it?  I saw it myself, and I can hardly believe it!

Culvert today

The water level has gone up at least three inches due to their efforts.  I know this because we had placed the trail cam on a log at the edge of the lake - accessible without going in the water.  Yesterday morning, to retrieve the cam, I waded into ankle-deep water!!  Nature's engineers, doing what they do best.  The irony in this?  Our HOA was planning to repair the culvert, and perhaps the berm as well.  Maybe our prayers were answered in a way we never expected!

Now our lake is a reflecting pool!!!

So, now that we have all of that excitement out of the way, here are photos retrieved from the cam. 

Upper left - raindrops are falling ...

I am wondering why the beaver did not show up in any of these, but oh, well, you can't have everything!

And a couple of pictures from earlier in the month, when I had the cam in our 'woods'.

And when I don't go to Nature, it comes to me.  This cheeky squirrel is testing out the patio furniture directly outside our dining room sliding doors.

Of course, critters are not the only aspects of Nature around these parts.  I get a real kick walking around our property and the 'neighborhood', breathing in the freshness of Spring.

Lower left: Glacier Lily; Center: Blue Violet; Lower right: Aspen

Upper right: Kinnikinnick

Upper left: Serviceberry; Upper Center: Heartleaf Arnica; Upper right: Wild Strawberry

Lower left: Oregon grape; Lower Center: Not sure; Lower right: Lodgepole pine

Even the clouds get into the act, providing an artist's canvas for the greening larches and leafing-out aspens.

May 5

May 23

Not to be outdone, the Sun touches her brush to the canvas; so ends another day in Paradise.

Linking to:


All Seasons


Floral Friday Fotos


Mosaic Monday


Nature Notes


Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday

Thursday Likes