We got a taste of winter around the first of the month. We kept working outside, enjoyed the wildlife, and, in the chillier hours, Coop luxuriated with his first fire of the season while I enjoyed tea, apple/blueberry pie and a good book.

Now we have spring again and there’s still so much to do in these last few days before the snow flies – yard work, wood splitting, playing! For the playing part I made two escapes this week, feeling like we’d been given a treat and I had better take advantage of it.

First I headed down to the bison range. I don’t know where all the buffalo were hiding, I only saw two, but both were magnificent.

Elk are doing their bugling thing this time of year and I hoped to hear it. By the time I came across the elk herd (first picture below) it was noon so they were probably done with their longing calls for the day. It was certainly a big herd, maybe 100? There were five or six bulls mixed in that were amazing.   Coop waited patiently in the truck, enjoying the sun, when I stopped to get pictures 🙂

The switchbacks down the back side of the preserve are always interesting.   Hard to watch the road while you’re enjoying the view!  I’ve driven down this in a school bus twice – like a Disneyland ride!

And all the antelope that are always over there weren’t. No clue where they could have been either.

I walked Coop for a bit before we headed home. In the picnic area we saw a bull elk lying down by a bathroom. Odd.

He moved his head now and then. Maybe he was overwhelmed by the size of his rack? I know I was!

Then yesterday I headed up the north fork of the Flathead River just west of Glacier Park. I haven’t been up there in years and it was as pretty as I remember. All the gold is from larch, a deciduous conifer.  There were quite a few “needle peepers” up and down this remote dirt road but Coop and I still managed to find peace and quiet.

There are a lot of river access areas and places to enjoy the view toward Glacier. This area was part of my “stomping grounds” when I first moved to Montana. Lots of reminiscing went on, some good, some bad. I’ve had a couple of flat tires up there but have also seen moose, camped in a forest service lookout, and eaten at the restaurant at the far end of the road that has no electricity!

I always take a picture of my trusty truck – me and that truck have had some great times, most of them in Montana!  It’s been a good week – warm days, painted landscapes, memories old and new and, for me, the end of another year as we wait for the snow to fly!

Since March I have spent almost every free moment with my trees – I’m blessed to have several acres of woods, and in the fourteen years that I’ve lived here I’ve learned a lot from them. They need tending and protection. They’ve cared for me, as well, nourishing my soul, inspiring words, and teaching me how to be calm, slow down and enjoy what nature has to offer on its time. They’ve provided shelter for birds and deer and bears, and, from my telling them, they know this is also for my pleasure and entertainment. These majestic trees inspired my first paid prose (Blue Whispers, see below, published in Big Sky Journal).

In this give and take, sacrifices have to be made, on both sides. Two projects took trees down on my hillside this spring, a sad thing but leaving my Montana sky bigger and safer.  Some of these trees had to go to protect my home – ponderosas like to wave around in the wind and snap off in big chunks.

I miss them now along the path down the back of the house, throwing shade across the driveway and my bench in the woods. The cleanup was daunting.

It snowed at some point, softening the havoc. I burned for weeks making all the debris go away. Friends came and took the big pieces and I’m still hauling up the smaller chunks. Their sacrifice will be remembered in the coming winter months when several families will enjoy the warmth of their donation, and the winds won’t keep me awake at night in fear.

Before and after near the house:

In the second project my hillside was restored to its “intended state,” a cleaner ponderosa forest as it should be naturally, thinned by fires. This not only protects my home from a fire, but also spaces the larger trees to withstand a fire if it comes.

The forester who came out, courtesy of a state grant, did an awesome job (he also had a great dog, Huck, who had a hard hat for a water bowl). Josh left all the firs, as well as clumps of juniper, serviceberry, a few dead snags and some rotting logs for the critters and birds. This is an ongoing project with the same free workouts and recycling. This time Josh will take care of the burning and clean up, which leaves me time to salvage firewood.

I plan to spend many more years with my trees, sharing time, thoughts, and appreciation for where we get to reside. We’ll continue looking out for each other through wind, snow, fire seasons and those moonlit nights.

Blue Whispers

Whispers soft and blue stir the branches, pine needles brushing my face like an ethereal veil. Moonlight filters through a quilted overcast. The woods are cloaked in predawn darkness and I find my way in the tinted shadows by trillium lining the path, like luminous stars dropped from heaven. My feet kindle the fragrance that is the forest floor. There are no sounds save my muffled steps, perhaps the rustle of wings, and the breath of the trees. My heart knows this place. Like the trees, it guards its secrets, knows cold, shadows, and spring light, and finds comfort in warm, sheltered crevices under the canopy of protective arms.
An early morning zephyr stirs itself into a wind that scatters the patchwork of clouds, and the forest is sheeted in metallic light. Dark in their own shadows, like sentinels standing at attention, the trees are never caught unaware when the moon splashes silver over their crowns. Sharp-edged shadows now fall across my path, but I am safe in this place. Like the trees, I have learned what to fear and what to welcome, when to be watchful and still, when to grow and spread. They have taught me well when to stand firm in self-preservation, and when bending builds strength against expected storms.
As the moon winks out over the edge of the sky, silver points of light appear overhead, scattered in story-telling patterns across the black canvas. The trees are reabsorbed by inky blueness. There are few contrasts in the night woods, only the dark and the translucent light, nothing to distract me from the peace in this place. Like the trees, I find respite in the night forest and contentment in our shared solitude, with time to reflect on the essence of our alliance, the strength of our intransigence. The coming of dawn is whispered from tree to tree, and we wait together. When the colors of daylight come shafting through the shadows, there will be nothing to distort the clarity of the night, and my ideals will not be lost in the distractions of life, its harshness or its radiance.

I miscalculated my firewood needs this year so, in the dead of winter, I’m out of split wood. I had some nice chunks of fir ready to split that, of course, were buried deep in snow, as was some ready-to-burn maple, so digging that out was my first chore. The upside was some good exercise and the calories I burned!

I got everything set up in the garage out of the wind and sometimes horizontally blowing snow. In this solitary chore the fruits included time to anticipate the next week, contemplate life, and think about holding in stomach muscles 😀  Lots of bending, lifting, and throwing – my nice pile warming now, warming again later!

Splitting up the pile of sixteen or so rounds didn’t take that long, six wheelbarrows full, leaving me with a very satisfied feeling and enough wood to keep me warm and snug through more of our doggone cold.

The best fruit of my labor is a warm, happy Cooper!

On Saturday I was invited to participate in an American symbol of freedom in Missoula, a women’s march. It’s emphasis was on women’s rights and included a variety of other viewpoints from thousands of participants with signs and banners that ranged from partisan to humorous, off color to profound.

I’d never attended anything like this before, being one who sits in front of the computer stewing over current events stories, rather than getting out in the world and expressing myself. There were men there, too, and children learning about democracy and the importance of being informed and motivated. It was a social event with everyone bundled up to stay warm, playing with the dogs milling around, and meeting with friends – kindred spirits sharing ideas, wishes and, hopefully, answers to their questions. It was an orderly, friendly, sanctioned event. No one interfered.

There were whites, Native Americans, blacks, and a brave transgender gal who all gave talks and inspired an eager crowd. It’s impressive to witness someone who feels strongly about their cause eloquently and intelligently express their concerns, ranging from abuse, discrimination, politics, and the current presidency.

It didn’t matter whether I agreed with everything I heard or saw. The thing that struck me most was that we had the freedom to be there, the freedom to say whatever was in our hearts, to agree or disagree, and to openly discuss ideas. All were welcomed to participate – whites, blacks, Natives, undocumented Guatemalans and anyone else who wanted to voice an opinion. Though one march may not alter the current state of affairs, or even the hundreds of marches that were held nationwide, it’s helping to keep the women of the country united, sharing a common goal. Go back fifty years and the benefits of Americans letting their voices be heard are obvious. I was proud to be part of it!

The holiday spirit came to me by way of recycling this year! I’m going to have some trees removed from my property and had to clear some little firs to make room for skidding out the bigger ponderosas that will be coming down. Those little firs have gotten more crowded every year and I’ve thinned them before – always just before the holidays so that the nice ones can go to a loving home for the holiday! Those pink ribbons mark trees that have to go – mostly for fire/fuel reduction but also to leave the healthier ones to thrive.

I cut down nine little firs and the tops were all perfect trees to decorate. All of them found good homes, including the very tippy top of one I’m using for a Christmas tree on my porch. It looks better in person 🙂

Lots of the wonderfully scented lower branches also found their way into centerpieces and garlands. It took several days to get all the little guys trimmed up. One of those days some turkeys came through.

Cooper helped, of course!

The lower trunks will be next year’s firewood. Win/win!

The last day, as I loaded my truck with trees to be delivered, a young buck stopped by to see what was going on in his woods.

In the spirit of the season, happy holidays to everyone! May you receive lots of love, plenty of gifts, and more than enough dessert!

Once I made up the fouton with Coop’s bedding he felt right at home.  Maybe he thought we’d moved to the cabin!

Sunday morning he wouldn’t get up.  A lot happened to my little cocker in just a few days.  Lots of exploring and splashing, lots of new smells.  And he wouldn’t get up – days off are for sleeping in!

When I asked about going for a ride, he was finally ready.  We had good mountain breakfasts (oatmeal for me, kibble for him) and packed up.  Our vacation had been a success.  We had adventure, mystery, thrills and more than enough to eat 🙂  It wasn’t quite over, though, as we headed home.  Through Montana fall scenery that never quit,

we headed to Libby with a planned stop at Kootenai Falls. 

This late in the season I didn’t expect to see such a crowd, lots of fisherman and a kayak “convention”, but I still got some nice photos and, yep, more exercise!

This is where they filmed part of River Wild.  Will have to watch it again now that I’ve seen the falls.  There’s an impressive suspension bridge, and on such a crowded day there was a line to cross it, but Coop would have never gone for it and I was happy just to look.  I actually ran into someone I knew there – 190 miles from home!

Then home.  I must say I was happy to get here and could tell Coop was too.  And since we were technically still on vacation today we slept in late.  There is no place like home!

This is Payne Creek, which runs about 30 feet from the cabin.  Lots of drippy, rain foresty hikes to take here and Coop drank and poked around in as many pools as I’d let him.  I kept the poor guy on a leash the whole time due to recent bear activity.

Then we headed to the Bull Lake, about ten miles south of Troy.  I told friends at work I planned to see a moose on my trip, and, sure enough, saw a nice bull moose splashing along the edge of the lake.

I’d have missed see him if hadn’t been splashing.  Luckily there was a good place to pull off the highway and get a picture, a butt shot but awesome just the same 😀

I kept an eye out for him after we launched but the willows are thick there and we didn’t see him again.  Even the locals said it was a treat to see one.  As soon as we headed across the lake it started raining.  I was prepared and had a great time.  Coop got wet and I can never tell if he’s having fun or not 😉

We did a lot of driving around during our exploring, as in LOST, but the scenery was great and it was intended to be an adventure, so we considered our vacation a success!

Turned out to be a pretty day for the start of our road trip, despite the bleak forecast.  

We did drive through areas of rain and it was snowing on the higher hills but overall a nice day to start vacation!

This pretty spot was at Trout Creek, new territory for me.

The main objective today, other than finding the cabin, was to see the cedars at Ross Creek.  Well worth the stop.

Though chilly, it was a lovely walk, damp and misty, which seemed appropriate.  Hard to believe there was ever a fire danger in this lush, green valley.

Things grow happy and big here!

Coop had a good time and said “thank you!”

We did, eventually, find the cabin.  Coop settled right in.  The plan for tomorrow is to kayak and see a moose!

Labor Day weekend – the end of a long, hot summer. We all hate to rush it by, it will be cold soon enough, but still!!! It’s ending on a sad note in Montana with fires and smoke and continued worry of more. Losses have been great, including swaths of Glacier Park and one of her chalets. Still much to be grateful for and Coop and I had some fun and made the most of it.

Cherry picking is a summer staple!

Hanging out on docks is too!

As well as a rodeo and a couple of road trips!

We did some artwork, though I enjoyed it more than Coop did 🙂

We hiked on our favorite trail, cool and wet!

Hung out by the golf course – getting firewood!

We kayaked at sunset on the little lake!

We kayaked and picnicked in the smoke on the big lake!

We count our blessings, made the most of it, and it’s time to move on!

Time’s a wasting, it’s already mid-June, and I needed to get outside today!  Home improvements swallowed my spring time but it’s summer and it’s time to go play.  The flooring is done and so is the unpacking and cleaning!   Coop and I headed west for a change, having been told the wildflowers in the foothills are spectacular this year, so off we went.  For some reason I had Chicago’s song “Saturday in the Park” playing in my head.  Fine road music!  Bluebirds, as well as red-winged blackbirds and meadowlarks, were in abundance but none liked to pose as much as this guy.  If it weren’t for the old trucks in the background (so Montana) this guy would be in an award-winning picture but it’s still a fun shot!

Scenery all the way was fabulous.  The sun was about right so I enjoyed stopping and taking pics!

The river is running fast this time of year but we found a nice little backwater spot to have lunch and enjoy the view!  And the flowers were beautiful, especially the lupine.  Coop wasn’t interested in posing…

Nice hiking area.

Here’s a little game of “Where’s Cooper” for you 🙂

To top off the day I took a little nap in the truck.  Perfect!  Energized for the new week 🙂