Who are we?

 It has been 3.5 years since the last post . A lot of water under the bridge so to speak . Especially in the last year when we have had our lives altered beyond imagination. 

Take home points. 

Family matters especially if they see the real person that you are and celebrate and nourish that person. Embrace those who love you, give hugs. This last year punctuates the need to let go of toxic relationships.

Community matters. Especially important are  your friends , your work place, your place of spirituality and the general health of your community . We have people who are elderly who have lived in a prison environment and young people who have lost a year of school and normal interaction . Be kind to everyone it has been a year full of abnormal stress. 

Celebrate the wisdom of your body. When you give your body the tools for health you will thrive. We need a low stress life, we need healthy food ( thank you organic farmers ! ) and we need restorative sleep as well as exercise . We as humans cannot live lives filled with artificial xenoestrogens, plastics and GMO foods . Talk to your body everyday in appreciation . Let go of fear .

Enjoy the messages from the sun . Early morning sun speaks to your body's functioning . Enjoy 20 minutes of strong sun at noon. Remember the infrared spectrum from the sun is nourishing your insides. Greet the sunrise , place your feet on the Earth . Allow life to love you . 

Passage in Time

Time has passed since the last post . The last two years have welcomed new lives . At the same time we have had to say good bye to some cherished family members as well. Celebrating the new is always easy. I don't have any advice on contemplating loss. This last summer and fall has seen too much loss for us all , personally and as a nation . As we slip towards winter perhaps an answer will present itself .

Getting Lost in Montana

A quick jaunt to Billings to see two of my children and their spouses . A mere 450 miles give or take and 6 to 7 hours depending on side trips and stops. I like to go the back way . You can drive to Missoula and take I90 but I like the empty 2 lane highways that cross MacDonald Pass to Helena. Then the beautiful drive though the headwaters of the Missouri River to Townsend and Three Forks . Plenty of deer and antelope , bald eagles , osprey and the highlight of the trip a large flock of trumpeter Swans . I wish I had been able to take a picture but I was driving about 80 mph . I am all for getting lost in Montana.

Bleu Horses by Jim Dolan

Driving to Three Forks and the Continental Divide 

Late Spring in the Wetlands

Beautiful summer days in the Wetlands south of Swan Lake. Driving home a quick stop to enjoy the
birdsong in this vast meadow. It is peace on earth and you can feel the intent of original creation. I can imagine if all people had access to a quiet beautiful place there would be a lot less pills popping on a daily basis .

" The Earth Laughs in Flowers ."

 "The Earth Laughs in Flowers" .  A wonderful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson . Truly spring is a time for the natural world to inhale sunshine and exhale color. After a long winter there is nothing like a yard full of rainbow colors .

MacGuyver enjoying the warm weather. He has begun to shed for the season and leaves patches of white fur everywhere . That is ok because he is the brave dog and protector of the cozy cabin in the woods .

Nourishing the Feminine

Spring in the Northern Rockies is a particular rebirth after so many months of of cold and snow . The seasons are very distinct . There is no mistaking the slide from Winter to Spring here. That is one of the allures for me, the seasonal definition of the passing time . A hike close by on some state land had treasures in the form of yellow and while blossoms. The arnica and western service berry are blooming . There is plenty of choke cherry and wild lily of the Valley, and Hooker's fairy bells. I was actually excited to find a fairly large Serviceberry blooming in the front forest . One of my projects is to bring in more diverse species on my modest tract of land. Often logging culls the valuable timber and leaves the less valuable trees. I have a lot of Western Larch seedlings and will replant them around the area as they mature . The Honey bees are plentiful this year. The meadows had been decimated by chemical spraying due to the weed laws here . Four years of mowing and avoiding chemicals has seen a return of the bees and their wonderful presence. We have an obligation to live on the land with joy , gratitude and consideration. Is it really worth poisoning ourselves, our children and the animal and insect kingdom to have a perfect green lawn ? 

Aspen Green

The aspens are leafing .Spring is here with warming weather . The last frost is expected in a couple of weeks and summer planting season will be full on. These are the glory days with the sun up at 5 AM and dusk at 10 PM . That is a lot of daytime . What would you do with it ?

Sunset over Flathead Lake

"Follow your own foot steps,

Learn from the rivers,

the trees and the rocks,

Honor the Christ, 

the Buddha , 

your brothers, and sisters .

Honor the Earth Mother and Great Spirit .

Honor yourself and all of creation ."

"Look with the eyes of the soul , and engage the essential. "

Teachings of the Q'ero EarthKeepers 

                                       
                                             
                                               
                                                   
                                                 
                                                   
                                               
                                     
                         


                           

Swan Saturday

I was lucky enough to chance upon a pair of swans this Valentine's day . the smaller birds are canada geese . The birds were resting about a quarter mile off the shore in a thawed area on the lake. I never tire of the beautiful sounds the water fowl make calling to each other.

Guilty of just fooling around

McDonald Lake 

I am totally guilty of just fooling around. Jan 3 to 5 gave us 3 feet of snow and that took a bit of time to rearrange . Other wise known as shoveling .  The birds have needed their feed and time to track the bobcat visiting the yard. Last weekend brought some sunny days and a great time to go snow shoeing up the Going to the Sun Road.  Blue Skies , snowy peaks and clear water. It doesn't get much better.

Edging towards the New Year

Lighted Bike

Downtown Whitefish

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First seven inches of snow

streaming snow

17 inches Sunday Morning

The snow started Saturday late morning and continued until the next morning early. 17 inches at the house. Before driving home on Saturday I went downtown for a few errands. The wind was whipping up and the snow was flying . The nice thing about decorations in the winter is that it makes the cold season a bit more cheerful. A bike rider crossed the street near by . I followed wanting to get a picture of the super cool bike with lights on the tires. He disappeared around a corner but lucky for me he stopped at the liquor store.  When I returned home we had the first 7 inches on the ground . By morning the second 10 had joined . The trees had been transformed to near snow ghosts. The snow is a blessing though. Good snow pack is water next year and a nice insulating layer now for the tender plants hibernating winter. Time to rest , stoke the fire and contemplate the New Year just around the corner .

On the ski mountain

On Whitefish Mountain near the Base Lodge 

winter skies on the ski hill 

the girls visiting 

A bit of winter for you . My part time job takes me to the ski hill a few days of the month. The snow was falling and nice for skiing  filling in the bare patches from earlier in the month. The valley continues to be warm in the low 30s with rain . Glad to see the snow higher up . The girls came through for a visit earlier in the morning . They are like dainty cows in a way . Cute animals of course when they are not eating my flowers.

Preparing….

Winter sun in the Southern Heaven

clouds boiling over Jewel Basin

Frozen passage on the Lake

Winter Greetings from  Latitude 48.  ( Aye , I know that my friends in Canada and Alaska are more North ) On the winter solstice the sun will make it to 18.4 degrees on the horizon. That is low enough for me . I will be glad to see it's return to a warmer and more elevated position . For those in Montana Winter solstice will be here at 4:03 PM MST on December 21st. It amazes me how astute our ancestors were in noticing the turning of the stars and our sun , all without that annoying voice on the GPS. Although GPS is certainly a fun gadget , is it making us dumber and less aware of how to navigate? Brave our ancestors were to board rickety wooden ships and cross the oceans with hand held instruments. No GPS in sight .

This is a good time to take stock of where your footprints have been . Take a moment to consider how many people have received your kindness and compassion  Are you taking care of those things that have been put into your trust ? 

Steaming Monday

steam rising from the firs in the sunlight 

True confessions. We have a lot of clouds in the winter . This definitely leads to a vitamin D deficiency but it also makes you a bit buggy . When the sun does present itself it is a wonderful celebration . To stand in the warming rays and enjoy the feel of the sun on your face. Ok so it still does not make vitamin D in the winter. The sun is too low in the sky. Nontheless it is nice to buzz outside and enjoy something besides grey. Last night due to the clearing of the clouds Orion was clearly visible in the night sky  . There is nothing like the brightness of the winter stars . A beautiful sight . And today we will enjoy the Sun sans usual shrouding .

March in December

Forest in the front yard 

Hoof print of a friend 

Friendly firs

wood sled

There is an unwritten rule that requests the temperature to stay under 30 degrees once winter commences. The weather is ignoring that this year and we are drippy. A similar drippiness occurs in March as we thaw from the winter . Needless to say it is very slippery out . I have remembered to secure a sled this year for my wood transportation. Normally I make 4 trips to stock the wood box for a 24 hour period . However the sled is great and easily moves 8 pieces at one time which will last a good 24 hours . The wood heat is much more warmer than the propane altho that is certainly an option.  Grateful for dry seasoned wood and a stove that has low emissions. We often get inversions in the Valley and I am glad I am not boosting the particulate matter .

Catching up : Happy in Montana

My beautiful Larch Friends 

Forest floor with Rocky Mountain Maple

All that grows is not fungus 

A small forest of fungi

Diversity in Nature 

Creeping Oregon grape

My favorite Daughter (trying to avoid freezing ) 

Piliated wood pecker enjoying the bird feeder 

I am shocked to my senses realizing that I haven't posted since the end of September. My apologies. Life seems to have gotten away from me . October was spent buttoning up the yard and planting garlic for the spring. I had several weeks of fighting with the turkeys as they found my mulch very hard to resist on the garlic beds .

Then the firewood arrived . Late. The wood folks had truck trouble twice. I try to exercise patience as I am not of the mind to split 3 cords of wood in my spare time . Bob came out with his three Labs ( a mother and her two sons ) and was more than kind and gracious in his delivery. He made a perfect bull's eye and the giant pile landed without incident . An incident  would include squashing the neighbor's fence .

November was somewhat fair to begin with. This is a sense of false well being as Winter is always ready to settle on us at a moments notice. About mid November we had a heavy wind storm preceding some very cold air that stripped the trees bare. The ground was beautiful yellow from the Larch needles just prior to the snows. This did not leave much time to tackle the 3 cords and alas only a half was stacked before the snow was deep. However that is why they make tarps . I wax philosophical and realize that truly the wood is going nowhere. I am mulling a wood shed for more ease of storage. I will consult with my second son who is a bonny lad with a lot of wood and building talent. I have also fenced off a kitchen garden for next spring and secured two large mounds of Creston Loam . It has been busy . It would be nice to be 8 feet tall in order to pound in 7 foot stakes.

So the snow came and so did the cold . We had some premature cold weather with lows at Zero , and the highs at 10 if we were lucky. This usually is more of a January thing. I finally contacted a chimney sweep and we tackled the cleaning of the flue and reseting the hearth pad. All accomplished and pleased to see dry soot to clean and not the sticky creosote that likes to play havoc with one's dwelling  . When I first started using my stove I was loathed to put pine in to burn . Alas that is all there is here . I was used to the safer hardwoods of the southeastern US. I feel better knowing the process is manageable and next year I plan to sweep my own chimney as I now have the technique . Another project will be to secure the equipment including a flexible pole and brush.

We have had 3 feet of snow total at the cozy cabin in the wood. Before you send care packages laden with snow shovels we have had a nice stretch of warm weather ( that translates into highs in the mid thirties) and most of the snow has melted. The deer have been very active around dusk with 5 trying to hunt me down during the drive home last night . I feel very grateful that they made it across the highway without crashing into me .

Thanksgiving came and went with more snow ( a foot ) and a visit from my favorite daughter and her very new and sweet husband. We went to the skating rink as they really wanted to skate. It was 10 degrees and a good stiff wind of more than 15 mph. I lasted about 10 minutes outside and had to hang out in the referees booth. That would make me a weinie .

The last two and a half months have been seriously busy . The change of seasons seems to bring a flurry of activity . Truly there are things that if not done before the snow flies will not get done before the next spring. Solstice is just around the corner now barely more than a week .  Then the return of the blessed sun. I can see why the sun has been worshipped in history particularly in the higher latitudes. I feel like i have weathered this decline into solstice fairly well this year . Another 8 days of shortening and then the Earth starts to lean towards the Sun with her grand desire . A good time to reflect during the long still nights all of our many blessings that have graced our lives. Take some time to admire the winter night sky with the stars that shine so brilliantly only in winter.