4 years and counting : Happy in Montana

 Ah  summer ! We dream of you in Mid January when the snow is deep and the wind rattles the windows . But such a quick visit . Already if feels like we will be busy stacking fire wood and placing the snow shovels strategically at each door. So many summer chores remain although many have been completed. It is hard to believe that I have weathered 4 years in Montana . The time has slipped by quickly with so much to do .

A quick jaunt to the Northern shore of  Flathead Lake with Saucey . It is 82 out and sunny with haze from the Idaho and Washington fires . I would like less smoke but it is a given that we will have some haze this time of year . Many fires are sparked by lightning however many more are human carelessness. That is one thing I can not understand.  How can people go into the woods and not following simple rules to preserve our wildness and air quality ?

The North shore is a waterfowl production area and full of wet lands either side of the road to the shore . Even though we are inland there are many ocean shore birds that make their home here as they do on the Missouri River on the East side. Interesting. Plump little guys . It looks like they have had plenty of food this summer. The beach is rocky but full of drift wood that has been pummeled for eons. There is a 2 foot layer of peat like material that makes you feel like you are walking on a dried peat bog. I saw my first snake in Montana and as fate would have it I had on Chaco sandals and a fully exposed toes . The snake was wanting to get away not knowing that I had no taste for snake snack and I as well hastened in the opposite  direction with Saucey in tow. A very nice afternoon all in all . Thinking of going back tomorrow . …. Summer's delicious long golden sunsets will be at an end soon. Enjoy them while they are present .

Happy in Montana: Lavender Days of Summer

 During the two weeks of summer here in North West Montana, it is a flurry of activity . The long summer hours beckon you outdoors late into the evening . I happen to like the flowers and gardening .This is the  legacy my mother leaves me ,  an appreciation for the finer blooms in life that are fleeting but exquisite.There is a metaphor there somewhere I believe.

I inherited some lavender beds with the house I found waiting for me in the Valley.  Several years of neglect and winter plowing had left the area wanting for attention. I finally managed to get to this on the list of many chores outside. The hardest part is dodging the bumble bees and hornets. The bumbles are  not so aggressive but I can't say as much for the hornets. They are just cranky. 

Joyful lavender

 So for now the lavender is mulched and blooming with great enthusiasm. I have finished the beds with two small Dwarf Alberta Spruce that I rescued from the Arboretum south of Helena one December day. They are doing nicely. The owner of the arboretum had rescued them from a nursery going out of business. I suppose that makes them twice rescued. I remember stuffing 7 trees into the Corolla and sailing back down the Swan Highway at dusk rocketing back to the cozy house in the woods.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce

Now for the next project ! Always some thing to do during the short summer . Quickly before the snow flies again.